http://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=8892
Howdy Everyone,
This Wednesday is Administrative Professionals’ Day, formerly known as Secretaries’ Day, so I’d like to recognize the hard work of Howard’s excellent office staff, Lori and Elizabeth, who manage far more each day than most staff (including myself) are often aware of. Thank you for delivering messages, wiping bloody noses, talking down frantic parents, helping new students get to class, checking for head lice, and that’s all before 8:30am! Thank you for all you do!
Also, if you missed it on Facebook, congratulations to Katie, who won the Excellence in Education Award from NW Community Credit Union and New Country 93.3! Barrett, Fox and Berry presented the award to Katie last week along with a $100 check. You make us look good Katie and you certainly deserve the recognition!
Fourteen items of note for this week:
• Friday Early Release PD – This Friday’s Early Release Math PD is a Math PLC session for grade level teams to work together, so plan to bring your “math stuff” to the library and designate your recorder for the Progress Form in your team’s folder on the Howard PLC Team Drive. And remember, if you haven’t already, you can log your PLC hours for collecting PDUs by registered for Howard Staff Meetings and Friday Early Release PDs by going to 4jpd.net
Don’t Touch the OSAS/OAKS Testing Snacks – If you notice snacks in the Staff Room refrigerator and on the table along the wall, these are for 3rd and 4th graders during state testing this week, so know that they are NOT up for grabs. 3/4 teachers, there are five different snacks for each day, so help yourself to a class set of each when you are ready for them.
• May 3rd offerings for EAs – Classified Staff were sent an email about various workshop they are to attend on Friday, May 3rd. See the linked Transition Day Email for details as well as the Workshop Registration Directions that were included in the original email and will direct you to 4jpd.net
• Library Happenings – Some announcements from Julie in the Howard Library!
Thank you for the ACE Award nomination, I feel incredibly privileged to work with such amazing people. It’s truly an honor. I do my very best to try and provide a warm and friendly library with books both students and staff enjoy….
New books added to the library this week (picture books):
• The Good Egg by Jory John
• Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
• All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold & Suzanne Kaufman
• Remarkably You by Pat Miller
• Because by Mo WillemsFiction:
• Harbor Me by Jaqueline WoodsonMay:
6th – 10th Children’s Book Week
13th – 16th Last week of library check out
20-th -22nd Book return week (all student library books are due 5-22)
23rd Book fair set up
24th Student Preview
28th – 30th BOGO book fair T-Th 8:00am -6:00pm
31st Book fair tear downJune:
3rd All staff library books due
3rd & 4th close out book fair and inventory prep
5th Start inventory
13th Inventory should be finished
14th, 17th & 18th records clean up
18th pack up library and close up for summer schoolHope everyone had a much deserved restful weekend.
Julie Hopkins, Library Assist/Howard Elementary
• May Artist in Residence Schedule – Hard to believe that May is fast approaching, which mean our second Artist in Residence, Puppetry with Noah McLain Philpot, is starting soon. Linked here is the May Artist in Residence Schedule I shared back in November, but I know many events have been added to the calendar since then. One change I made was moving the May 8th classes to Friday, May 10th, but I also had to move Charpie’s fourth session to the following Friday due to the early release. , Please take a look at the schedule and let me know if anything needs adjusting.
• PTO Meeting Notes – Besides sharing updates on the various fundraisers they are coordinating for classrooms and our school (Readathong, McTeacher Night, Penny War, BottleDrop, Duer’s ATA, and the Annual School Carnival) the following items of note were covered:
• Safe Routes Learn to Ride Event – Safe Routes to Schools is Planning a community event to teach kids and adults how to ride a bike. The event will take place at River Road, but the entire North Region community is invited. Details will be coming soon.
• Staff Appreciation Week – Also, our hard working PTO is making plans for the upcoming Staff/Teacher Appreciation Week May 6-10.
• School Carnival Info & Blurb – Brande sent an email with Carnival info and asked teachers to include info in your newsletters. To make it easy, I put all the info into a short blurb you can feel free to cut-and-paste.
Howard Annual Carnival is Coming!
The Howard Carnival will be here before we know it! Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 1st, 11:00am – 3:00pm for this fun annual event! You may not know it, but money raised at the carnival helps fund additional class materials, enrichment activities, and field trips, so we want this year’s carnival to be a huge success! There will be Stage Entertainment, a Bouncy House, the Rock Wall, Food, over 30 carnival Games, Face Painting, a Balloon artist, a Photo Booth, the Cake Walk, and Raffles & the Silent Auction! It’s also a Saturday this year and is an hour longer than normal! If you’re able to help with this event, please visit the SignUpGenius linked here:
Middle/High School Student Volunteers:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C45A9AB22A2FE3-howard3Adult Volunteers:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C45A9AB22A2FE3-howard4Please visit the Facebook event for updated and details:
https://www.facebook.com/events/432184457527374/
• REPEAT: OPTIONAL NEHS Jazz Band Assembly, FRIDAY – Linked here is the Assembly Map and Directions for an optional assembly for classrooms to attend when the NEHS Jazz Band will be here on Friday, April 26th from 8:45-9:15.
• REPEAT: 2019-2020 Master Schedule Survey – DUE FRIDAY – Linked here is the 2019-2020 Master Schedule Survey. I wanted feedback on two items. One is whether we want to continue scheduling a 30-minute Math Booster and the other is how we want to break up the required 60 minutes of lunch and recess for students.
• REPEAT: EEF Grants Due MONDAY – If you have any grant ideas, get them to me by this Monday! Site Council will rank order all grant proposals at that time. See prior announcements for details, but you don’t need to write the entire grant at this point. Just tell me your title and general idea.
• District Admin Updates – Kat Lange ha been hired as the new Director Student Services Department (SSD), starting in July, taking the place of Cheryl Linder who is retiring. Kat has been serving as one of our SSD administrators since January 2018 at the high school level. Before coming to 4J, Kat worked in Colorado, where she was a special education director and college adjunct professor in a smaller school district. She previously served as a principal, assistant principal, and special education teacher.
• Tackling the Stress of Testing Season – For many of our students, academic preparation isn’t enough to ensure a smooth testing season. In this edition of Teaching Tolerance’s The Moment, they offer tips for dealing with this stressful time of year—including resources for understanding and countering stereotype threat and affirming all our students.
• 18 Creative Ways to Get Kids to Read More – Are those student reading logs starting to look a little sparse? Time to switch things up and encourage students to pick up a book! To help, WeAreTeachers pulled together several ideas to get—and keep—students motivated. I particularly like the reading raffle, the growing bookshelf, and the student crowns.
• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Google Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the rest of the year:
April 22 (M)
OSAS (formerly OAKS) Testing Begins – See Google Calendar for Times
Earth Day
2:45-4:45, Site Council / ESSA Planning (Conference Room)April 23 (T)
May School Newsletter Articles Due
8:15-12:00, Allan Elem. Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)
9:00-12:00, Charpie to Nearby Nature Field Trip
2:45-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Erin’s Room, RM22)April 24 (W)
Administrative Professionals’ Day (formerly known as Secretaries’ Day)
2:40-3:30, Student Care Team (Conference Room)
3:00-3:30, Ukulele Performances at Terpening Terrace Retirement HomeApril 25 (H)
Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day
8:00, Allan & Deborah Daily Meeting w/Parent (Office)
2:45-3:30, TLT Meeting (Angela’s Room, RM24)April 26 (F)
Title 1 Progress Monitoring Day – No Groups
8:45-9:15, NEHS Jazz Ensemble Concert Assembly (Gym)
10:30-12:40, April Birthday Lunches With the Principal (Conference Room)
2:30-3:30, Early Release PD – Math PLC (Library)
4:00, Howard Staff Social – Friday @4:00, Lane 25 (Adult Bowling)April 29 (M)
OSAS (formerly OAKS) Testing Continues – See Google Calendar for TimesApril 30 (T)
Regular DayMay 1 (W)
Monthly Walk & Roll to School Day
PBIS Monthly Theme – Positive Attitude
Better Hearing & Speech Month 2018
9:00-12:00, Kerins to Nearby Nature Field Trip
2:30-4:30, Allan to Pay Grade Evaluation Committee Meeting (Ed Center)
4:00-5:00, Allan to North Region Principals’ Meeting (NEHS)May 2 (H)
PBIS Candyland Kindness Challenge Culminating Event (East Courtyard)
5:30-7:00, ACE Awards (NEHS)May 3 (F)
No School – Transition Day
8:00-4:30, Allan to MANDT Training (Ed Center)
And a big thank you to everyone who came out to support the PTO McTeacher Night fundraiser! It was a lot of fun seeing seeing staff, families, and students all getting together for a good time to support our awesome school!
Have a great week, everyone, and hope to see you this Friday at Lane25 for the Staff Social!
Allan
