AM Announcements - May 21

AM Announcements
May 21, 2009

1. Today is Day 165.

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:

Thursday: May 21
EOG - Make-up session
Fifth Grade Pen Pal Luncheon - Reichert and Powell off-campus - 10:45-1:00

Friday: May 22
EOG - Make-up sessions
NCCLAS on-line completed
FORE Book Distribution - 9:00-10:00 - Dan Arial - Polo Park Recreation Center
Dollar Dress Down Day

4. At the end of each day, please do the following:
a. CLOSE ALL BLINDS
b. TURN OFF ALL MONITORS and COMPUTERS (CPU's)
Please remember to take these steps on Friday so that there will be no issues over the Memorial Day Holiday. We can expect an inspection by Energy Management. Our last one found 6 computers and monitors on.

5. The (tentative) results of yesterday afternoon's Title-1 meeting are as follows:

a. We will have the two teaching positions restored that were cut. These will be paid for by central office from Title-1 funds. Equity+ schools will remain at 1:18 (K-3) and 1:21 (4-5). Non Equity + schools will see their class size numbers increase

b. We will have to pay for our Equity+ bonuses out of our Title-1 allotment which requires us to set aside around $47,000.

c. We will be given $43,000 to pay for research based programs to support our students. This takes the place of money that the state gave us in the form of at-risk funding. This money will have to cover tutoring; our AG expansion beyond our regular .3 allocation; and the additional time we allocate to the Home-School Coordinator's position.

d. We must set aside $27,000 for staff development according to federal law.

e. That leaves us with about $8,450 to spend for other things.

Mr. Crutchfield said that he expects WS/FCS to receive between $40 and $50 million less from the state than we did for 08-09, and that he expects 2010-2011 to be even worse. Most of this reduction will be in the form of teaching positions we will not be allocated. As a result I would like to propose that we use the $25,000 we have in fund balance, over and above the $25 per student recommendation, to purchase as much of our remaining technology needs as possible. In that way we will not face the possible loss of the money by having to revert it to central office to cover possible shortfalls in other programs. We escaped that possibility this year. I don't want to tempt fate. This, of course, would have to pass through SIT and be approved by a majority of the faculty.

As is stated above, this is all tentative. There may be some minor changes but they do not anticipate any major changes at this point. As I told Ms. Powell last night, we got some good news and some bad news.

At the end of the meeting, Cheryl Johnson took a moment to thank us for working with her for the last ten years and announced that she will be retiring at the end of June. She has been a good friend to Speas and has worked tirelessly for our students. She will be missed.

6. We are into EOG make-up testing now. Please follow the schedule Ms. Marston sent out yesterday for rooms, subjects and times.

7. Upcoming dates for your calendar:
a. May 25 - No School - Memorial Day Holiday
b. May 26 - Interim Reports go home
c. May 26-29 - EOG Remediation Sessions
d. May 27-29 - Student Council Elections

8. Ms. Powell, the entire fifth grade and I will be off-campus at lunch today for the Fifth Grade Pen Pal's Luncheon at Golden Corral.

9. Don't forget to have your class complete the clean-up for your section of campus for Winston-Salem Clean and Green.

10. We have heard no further information on Mr. Cokley's father.

11. Tutors working with remediation should have all materials to be copied for Tuesday morning to Ms. Rhodes by 3:30 on Friday afternoon. Anything that comes in after that time will not be ready for use on Tuesday. This will hold true each day. If the material to be copied has not been turned in by 3:30 the day before it is to be used, it will not be copied.

12. I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either.
Jack Benny (1894 - 1974)

Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908 - 2006)

People find life entirely too time-consuming.
Stanislaw J. Lec (1909 - 1966), "Unkempt Thoughts"

Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats.
Howard Aiken (1900 - 1973)