April 4, 2021

 

Hello April! Here is an image of what the rest of the year is going to look like. I have no doubt! :) 

Just a few updates and pieces of info for you today. But before that, I hope you are waiting until Monday to read this! 

The Read A Thon! We officially kick it off on Tuesday at 10:45am. I will share a Zoom link for everyone to join and Jesse Bennett is going to kick it off by reading a story. I will be coming around on Tuesday to give you a bunch of tickets so you can give students tickets for completing the Read At Home Bingo sheet in addition to catching them read. 5 tickets for a row and 10 tickets for a black out. (For the BINGO sheet) There is not any in between. For the next couple weeks, I will be coming around on Mon, Wed and Fri to pull names for small prizes. 

Feedback needed: I would like to have a dedicated school time to read on each Friday of the Read A Thon. The only time kinder can participate at the same time is 10:40-11am. Does that work for everyone for this Friday and next? Let me know! 

Teacher's Appreciation: We will be celebrating in May. Please fill out the following form by Wednesday, 4/6. Not many of you have filled out the form. Click here: If I had $100

Thank You! A huge thank you to Poppi and Robin Santos for working on the book room. Before we put it to use, we are going to come up with a check out system. Thank you for all of the time you put into the room.

Update: The computer lab is gone. As of right now, it will be used by preschool for their assessment center and conference room. It is wonderful to be able to provide this extra space for them and to have a place they can use as a conference room. 

Coming Up This Week: Currently, there is a staff meeting on Wednesday, 4/6. I think I am going to change it to the following week, 4/14. Stay tuned. 

March 28, 2021

 

Does anyone else think March went really fast? Imagine how quickly the rest of the year is going to fly by!! This is a super quick post. There is one thing that I need you to do. We are going to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week the first week in May. It may look different than those of the past, but it will still be pretty great. As part of it, I need you to fill out this form: 

If I Had $100... Please have it filled out by Wednesday, April 7. 

And because this made me smile, make it your motto over Spring Break:

March, Sunday 21

 

I hope you all had a restful weekend and were able to catch up on rest after the time change. There are only 5 days of school until Spring Break. Not only will these 5 days go very quickly, but the rest of the year is going to fly by! This year has flown by, it feels like we just started in November. (Funny, not funny) Take advantage of this time you have left with your students and make the most of every moment! 

Read a Thon: We are going to do a Read-A-Thon this year as our one big fundraiser. I will make a video for you to show in class so everyone gets the same information. The info will go home the Friday before Spring Break. There is a BINGO sheet for the kids to work on during Spring Break to earn raffle tickets. I am going to give you the bullet points and share the documents. I think everything will make sense after my video.

Dates: 4/6-4/16 (Book Fair is 4/12-4/16)

Goal: $75/child ~Total Goal=$30,000

Prizes: All prizes will be by raffle so all students have a chance to win. Big prize is taping me to a wall if we reach $30,000. Those who tape me to the wall will also be chosen by raffle. 

Read-A-Thon Documents

How to Spend Money: I would like your thoughts on how to spend the money from the Read A Thon. Something that comes to mind are books for the book room. What other things do you have in mind? Please share your thoughts with me. 

The Book Fair is coming: 4/12-4/16 It will be run just like it was last time. It also lines up with the second week of our Read-A-Thon. Stay tuned for more details. 

Pennies for Patients: It is going to be busy when we get back from Spring Break. We will also have Pennies for Patients. Cathy was kind enough to adjust the dates to accommodate the Read-A-Thon. More information to come The overlap of these two events was 100% my fault! Thank you for being flexible, Cathy!! 

Character Trait of the Week: This week we are looking for Empathy. 

Spirit Day: This Friday we will wear Stoneridge Gear.

Have a wonderful week! 

March 14, 2021

One year. It has been one year. I will never for get the Friday we had all kids eating lunch outside because we were trying to keep kids spaced out. In the middle of walking around and talking to the kids, I got an email that said 'Tell teachers to gather curriculum and send it home with the students." And that was all I got. Teachers were asking me what was happening and how long we would be out. I had no idea but I honestly thought we would be back after Spring Break. Ha! Little did we know our world would change forever.  I know I sound like a broken record, but think about all of the fears and unknowns you have overcome. How different did your virtual classroom feel this school year compared to Spring? So different. And the fear we all had surrounding coming back in person. We did it and it has been awesome. I think I am especially reflective because many schools are just dipping their toes into coming back. The teachers are pushing back and everyone is scared. And that is when I take a second and acknowledge how lucky we are. I truly appreciate all of you and your hard work to make this as smooth as possible. And now, it is time to start preparing and planning for next year! Phew. What a whirlwind!

Updates: 

RFS: For the Request For Support (RFS) process, if you have a student please fill out the form. We will schedule a meeting and talk about what you have done and brainstorm some other ideas. I know there has been what feels like push back for more information but we are all trying to A) Figure it out and B) Do what is asked by the district. We decided that we do not want you to avoid, or not fill out a form, so we after you put in a request, we will briefly meet no matter what and create a plan. We will then schedule a follow up to check on progress. I hope that make sense! If not, please ask. 

Chains on Gates: Starting next weekend, the chains will be back on the gates. We are having too many issues with people on campus and the chains will help deter them from entering. We will only lock them on Fridays. 

Surveys, surveys and more surveys! Please fill out the following surveys.

Mindfulness Survey: If you haven't already, please fill out this mindfulness survey. Whether you enjoyed it or not, the survey will provide helpful feedback. Mindfulness Survey

Staff Device Inventory: This was shared by the district. 

To ensure your device is included in future refresh cycles, we need your help completing the below form no later than April 9, 2021.

Staff Device Inventory

Grade Level Survey: Next year is going to bring a lot of changes and opportunities. Please fill out this survey with your top three grade levels. Grade Level Survey

Coming Up This Week:

Wednesday, 3/17 @ 3:30pm- PLC Leadership Meeting (Tentative)

Character Trait of the Week: Flexibility!

Spirit Day Friday: Opposite Day (Teachers dress like students and students like teachers) 

Have a great week!

Sunday, March 7

 

I don't know about you, but I think it is time to bust out the shades! Not only because the weather has been beautiful (never mind the rain in the forecast this week) but we will have all classes back on campus next week and vaccines are happening. Great things are coming. Each step takes us closer to the classroom we used to know and the social opportunities we used to have. It feels good! 

Next Year: I know all of you are anxious to know more about next year. I am too! Right now there is a ton up in the air which makes it nearly impossible to plan. I hope there is more info soon, but I would not expect much for awhile. I will be sending out a survey asking for your top 3 grade level preferences. Keep an eye out. 

Yearbooks: As you know, we will have a yearbook this year and it is going to be awesome! Luisa and Candi are taking it on and hitting it out out of the park. I keep telling Luisa she is going to regret making it so great! It truly is going to be a special yearbook. I shared the ordering info with parents, but I am also going to share it with you so you can pass it along in case they missed it. 

Link: ybpay.lifetouch.com

School ID#: 12183821yearbook

Staff Meeting this Week: We do have a staff meeting this week. We are going to start early and it will likely go until 3:30. It will be from 2:15-3:30. We start with some CAASPP info then,  we have a really cool opportunity to receive some mindfulness training. The district has partnered with a group to offer mindfulness trainings and we are going to be the first staff to get it. I am thrilled! 

Character Trait of the Week: Last week was Perseverance. This week we are recognizing Honesty. 

Spirit Day: This Friday, we will wear Stoneridge Gear. Next week, we will do something fun! 

I LOVE this image below and what it says. Please make a point to do #3!!! 

 

Bam! And there you have it. February is done and dusted. I cannot believe how this year has both flown by and felt quite long at the same time. In a couple weeks, we will hit the one year mark since that fateful day when we sent the kids home with their things and had no idea what the future would bring. Well, now we know what the world had in store for us and I don't think we would have predicted any of it. Simply nuts. Take a minute and give yourself some props. Props for all of the obstacles you have faced and tackled head on, for all of the 180 degree turns you have made and kept going, for all of the planning you have thrown out the window only to plan again. You are incredible and all I can say is 'Thank you!' 

This week we have our data meetings. I look forward to meeting with your PLC's. 

Read A Thon: I am still working out the details of our Read A Thon. My goal is for it to be both fun and make a little money! I hope to have it worked out by the end of this week. 

Character Trait: The trait we recognized last week was Creativity. 

Next week we will be recognizing students who demonstrate Perseverance. 

Spirit Day: Friday will be another awesome spirit day and this one is going to be fun! 

This Friday, wear your best Zoom Attire. That means you look great on top and wear whatever you want on the bottom! 

Sunday, February 21

 

Another historical event that our students have witnessed. Amazing! I love that the rover was named 'Perseverance' because if ever there was an example of perseverance it is this Mission to Mars. So many trials and so many failures that ultimately led to success. I am a fan of Bobby Bones and he wrote a book called 'Fail Until You Don't.' Such a great reminder that it is ok to fail, just keep trying! 

It is conference week! The parents are so excited to meet with you. I am sure they will share concerns due to distance learning. Just focus on the growth the students are making since being back in the classroom. 

Conference Week Schedule

I am working to get our meal duties here to help with the earlier recess. I am hoping that between whoever is available and myself, we will be able to cover your recess. 

Data Discussions: I will be sending each PLC an invite to our data discussion time. It will be for about 30 minutes and we will look at the DATA WALL. We will brainstorm both progress and room for progress and how we can address it. 

Read A Thon: I am working on a Read A Thon. Stay tuned for more information but I am planning to make it a really big, fun event! 

Have a great week meeting with parents!