AM Announcements - March 18

AM Announcements

March 18, 2009

1. Today is Day 123.

2. It is the mission of Speas Elementary School to provide its students with the tools necessary to successfully meet the challenges they will face in a diverse world.

3. Calendar items for this week:

Wednesday: March 18

Dental Screening - Grades K, 3, 5 and EC Students - 8:15

Thursday: March 19

EOQ Testing
Reichert - off-campus all day

Friday: March 20

EOQ Testing

4. At the end of each day, please do the following:

a. CLOSE ALL BLINDS

b. TURN OFF ALL MONITORS and COMPUTERS (CPU's)

5. As many of you know, Cindy Farmer from Fox 8 was here yesterday to do a story on the Fifth Grade Pen Pal Project. It will air on the 5:00 PM newscast tomorrow. One of the pen pals who was here took me aside and said, "You really have a good school here. I have been in many schools and your children are so well behaved and mannerly." I told her that I'd pass the compliment on. As we express concern about our students behavior, fresh eyes see things differently becasue they are not as close to the matter. Sometimes we don't see the forest for the trees. Great job!

6. Upcoming dates for your calendar:

a. March 22-26 - 3rd Quarter EOQ testing

b. March 24 - AR Benchmarks due

c. March 27 - Dollar Dress Down Day

d. April 1-3 - Spring Break

7. If you receive notes regarding parents declining to have their children screened for dental problems, please send them to Ms. Rhodes tomorrow.

8. If you have questions or concerns about the furlough explanation and budget crisis, please feel free to ask. We will do our best to answer what we can.

9. Thanks go out to Ms. Falor for leading our Marzano training yesterday.

10. The Teacher Notification of Intent web site is ready! The link is now up and available to teachers via the Employees page of the WS/FCS web site. All full-time teachers need to complete an intent form (we have a different process for part-time teachers). The deadline is April 17th.

11. I still need to speak with 5th grade teachers for a few minutes regarding the Gallup Survey we will be taking this week or next week.

12. It is well that war is so terrible - otherwise we would grow too fond of it.
Robert E. Lee (1807 - 1870), Statement at the Battle of Fredericksburg (13th December 1862)

Trying to be a first-rate reporter on the average American newspaper is like trying to play Bach's 'St. Matthew's Passion' on a ukulele.
Bagdikian's Observation

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
Thomas A. Edison (1847 - 1931)

Read over your compositions, and wherever you meet with a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out.
Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784), from Boswell's Life of Johnson