Happy Sunday and Hello February!! This is a great time to check in on the goals you set for yourself in 2021. Are you still sticking to them? If not, that is ok. It doesn't mean you have to give up on that goal, it means that you simply have to get back on track and keep moving forward. In life, things are going to get in our way, what matters in how we handle it and whether or not we get back on track. Are you on track? 

I am going to accept Jamey Schrey's February challenge. I would love for all of us to do it. I am going to hang her message in my office as a reminder. See below for her 'challenge':

As a #workinprogress, I will try to acknowledge 14 people, not necessarily my closest friends, but others that lift me up that I do not recognize enough with the intention of letting them know that they matter to me. That what they do, who they are, is something that I do not take for granted. Want to join me? On February 1, send someone or tape to their door a heart with a small message that finishes one of these stem starters:

You lift me up when you…

You need to know…

I value you because…

I have meant to thank you for…

Valentines: Please have students bring in their Valentine's on Tuesday and Wednesday (2/9 and 2/10) Each student should have a bag for their Valentine's. (I am guessing you will decorate them in class.) On Friday, you can have students put the Valentines in the bags. Please do this one student at a time and have the bags lined up along the back counter or outside. Let me know if you have questions. Also, you will be providing all of the communication regarding this with your parents/students. I will not be communicating anything. 

4 Foot Spacing Questions Answered...to the best of my ability via email:

Small group work cannot be any more than 3 students at a kidney table. If you would like to work with more than 3 students, you will need to use some of the creative ideas that were discussed. 

There has to be 4 ft between students while they are seated. That is from edge of chair to edge of chair. Back of head to front of head. Back to back. Front to front. Whatever is relevant to your seating. I will be coming around to measure after school tomorrow. 

3 ft 'Fire Lane': Not entirely relevant. As long as there is a pathway for students to have access to exit the room, you are fine. Not an issue to get caught up on. 

6 ft Teacher Guideline: This guideline has not changed. When OSHA comes in, they will not be looking for this- They will be looking at the students. The guideline has always been 6 ft or Plexiglass shield. Use your large plexiglass shield, as needed. 

Not related to 4ft but another question:

Please provide supplemental work during conference week that does not require a Chromebook. You can tell them to complete the PE and Music lessons. They can read for 20-30 minutes and keep a reading log. They can respond to a writing prompt. Or they can draw a picture and write about it. 

These are just suggestions. Make it as easy on yourself as possible, but make sure it is clearly mapped out on Otus. 

Coming Up:

Character Trait of the Week: Leadership

Monday, 2/1: PLC is for report card prep because we have the next two Mondays off. The district is also providing report card PD, if you need it. 

Monday, 2/1: Dine out at Chipotle

Friday, 2/5: Spirit Day- Wear your sports gear!

Monday, 2/8: No School

Monday, 2/15: No School

Sunday, January 24th

Happy Sunday! Looks like rain is headed our way this week. I put in a request that it only happen before and after school, but we know how that goes! 

Jamey Schrey's blog post this week really hit home for me. She talked about how we are all 'Work In Progress.' Meaning we are always growing, changing and learning. But more importantly, we need to remember that we have the ability to constantly grow, change and learn in ways we may not consider possible. I am 100% guilty of thinking that I am at capacity, if you will, in one way or another. It is not until I challenge myself and push outside my comfort zone that I can say, 'Wow, I am stronger than I thought.' I have one of my favorite quotes in my office, and at home, right where I can't not see it. It is "It if doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you.' Try saying that to yourself every time you are being challenged. You will find yourself changed in a positive way on the other side. 

Why all of this talk about change and challenge?? Because 4 FEET!! Ha! We had things rocking then, 4 feet. We had things rocking then, COVID. We had things rocking then, Zoom. The list goes on and on, but here we are: Stronger, smarter, more flexible than we ever knew we were. We will get through this next challenge and be stronger for it. We've got this!

If you have not filled out this form, please do: Furniture Request I will be figuring things out and keeping each of you in the loop along the way. 

iReady: This year, there is a little more flexibility within the iReady window, but that being said, I would like everyone finished with the diagnostic by Friday, Feb. 12. That way you will have the data available for the end of the trimester and for our PLC discussions on March 1-3. 

Character Trait: This week, we are looking for students that show Kindness Always. 

Coming Up This Week:

Monday, 1/25: 100th Day of School. AKA~ Wear your 'favorite' outfit to school😂

Wednesday, 1/27: Staff Meeting at 2:30pm

Friday, 1/29: College Gear Day

January 17, 2021

 

Happy Sunday! And what a lovely Sunday it is! Any Sunday before a Monday holiday is lovely💖

A quick check in, how are all of you doing on your 2021 goals? I would love to hear. I have to say, I have been really consistent about my changes and am very proud of myself. I am the queen of starting with great intentions and then quickly falling off! Let's keep going and checking in with one another for accountability! 

Valentines: We will be able to do Valentines. The district is not making any mandates about how it is done other than that students cannot walk around the room putting them in bags. My idea would be to have the bags on your back counter, or even along the wall outside your classroom, and then have one student at a time put their Valentines in each bag. As always, no baked goods from home. Candy is ok. I will be explaining this more at our PLC leadership meeting. 

Report Cards Distribution Date: Please discuss these options in your PLC's. PLC Leads, you can share your preference at our meeting. 

Option 1

Report Cards sent before conferences

Preview 2/17 at noon

Report run by teacher, uploaded to Drive by end of the day on the 17th

Teachers fix any updates by 2/19 7am

Secretaries run reports again by teacher and also grade level span K-2, 3-5 on 2/19, email goes out by the end of the day

Option 2 

Teachers show grades in Otus but not the report card

Report Cards run on 2/26

Option 3 

Run reports on the same timeline as Option 1, but email does not go home until 2/26.  Teachers still have access to the actual report card but it doesn't go home until after conferences.

Conference Week Guidelines: Please see this document regarding conference week. You will need to provide independent work for students to cover the 45-55 minutes mandated by SB98. Conference Week 

PLC Data Meetings: I have March 1-3 from 1:30-3pm blocked out for PLC data discussion meetings. Start thinking about what your PLC time preference might be. We will plan on a 30 min meeting. 

Safety Drills: I will be scheduling Safety Drills including fire, earthquake and shelter in place. Dates will be share soon! 

I loved Crazy Hair Day! The kids really got into it! We will be having more spirit days. I will also be doing another read aloud. I am thinking the 29th for the read aloud. 

Coming Up This Week:

Character Trait of the Week- Looking for students that Choose Safety. See you Tuesday morning! 

IMPORTANT: Wednesday, 1/20, @3:30pm- I would like to have a PLC Leadership meeting. I have an IEP until 3:30, so we cannot do the earlier time. Please let me know if this will not work for PLC Leaders. 

Monday, 1/25: 100th Day of School. Dig through your closets for that favorite outfit! Ha! 

Monday, 2/1: Dine out at Chipotle. 

January 10, 2021

 

I mean, really. Just when you think things may start getting back to normal-- WAPOW!! We are quickly slapped back to reality. This week brought us yet another monumental historical event. One that I know both you and your students felt greatly. Thank you for how you kept moving forward and guided the discussions in your classrooms with professionalism. Now just hang tight to see what is next. Kidding, not kidding.

Conferences: PLC leads, please let me know if the proposed conference schedule works for your PLC. I will be sharing it with parents next week. 

As far as conference scheduling, we are not going to use the site that has been used in the past. Conferences will be on Zoom, so please use a Google Doc or Sign Up Genius for your parents to pick a time slot. Let me know if you have any questions. 

REMINDERS:

Snack and Recess Minutes: Technically, recess and snack should both be happening within the 15 minute recess window. I understand that is not ideal, so I said you could do snack time before or after recess. That being said, the snack window should be around 5-10 minutes max. They should not also have 15 minutes for snack. As many of you have mentioned, these students are behind academically and we have to be mindful of EVERY minute each day. The more minutes we have to provide instruction, the better! 

Preschool Parking Spots: Please do not park in the spots reserved for Preschool. Those spots are for preschool parents dropping off and picking up. We are trying to teach the preschool parents to park in a spot, instead of the curb, and the spots have been filled by staff. We also emailed a reminder to the preschool staff. 

Gates: Please close the gates when you leave. Not only is it to deter people from coming on campus but also to keep our night custodians safe. If they aren't closed, unfortunately, I will have to put the chains back on them. 

Shout Outs: I need shout outs for Timberwolf TV. Send them my way! Everyone loves seeing the shout outs on Timberwolf TV. 

Playbook App: The app where you can access Jesse's workouts, in addition to a whole library of things, is the Playbook App. Don't forget to let me know if you would like free trial access. We are still working out the details, but will share the info as soon as we have it. 

PLC's on Monday: I will be stopping by your PLC's on Monday to talk about the 2021 document you have been working on. If you haven't shared it with me yet, please do. Also, please share your Zoom links with me. 

Coming up this week:

Character Trait of the Week: Looking for those who 'Act Responsibly'

Staff Meeting this Wednesday, 1/13, at 2:30. I know this was not on the calendar but we will have a staff meeting this Wednesday. 

Friday, 1/15, will be Crazy Hair Day! A student keeps requesting it and I do agree, we should sprinkle in some fun spirit days! 

Sunday, January 3

Happy New Year Stoneridge! I have a really great feeling about this upcoming year. Not because I am happy to have 2020 over with, but because I am thankful for what 2020 taught me. In the year 2020, I learned things I never thought I would, like how to Zoom like a pro and master a YouTube channel! It also forced my family to slow down and appreciate our precious family time. Most importantly, 2020 taught me that I, I mean WE, are strong and can get through anything. It is with that new found confidence I look forward to tackling what this next year may bring. And throughout everything, I know we are ALL in it together! 

Tomorrow is our PD/Work day. I will add a Zoom link to the calendar for our morning meeting. We will begin at 9am and go until we are done. The meeting will be lighthearted and focused on each of you. We will be doing some activities based on things you can do to focus on yourself this next year. 

Please print this out to have with you at our meeting. We will be working on it together. 

Self Care Plan

Going along with our theme, Jesse shared some special yoga videos for you. Please take the time to do them-- for YOU!! 

Self Care Yoga

PM Yoga

Upper Body Yoga

I will be sharing this at our meeting as well. This is my proposed conference schedule:

Conference Schedule: 2/22-2/26

Short and sweet today!! Soak up this last few minutes!! I look forward to seeing you in the morning.