AM Announcements - October 07

AM Announcements
October 07, 2009

1. Today is Day 31.

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: October 07
The Ned Show - 8:15-9:15 - gym - grades K-5

Thursday: October 08
Pre-bid meeting - 9:00 - 10:30
Construction Meeting - 10:45 -11:45 - Reichert and Powell

Friday: October 09
On-demand writing samples due in the Moodle
Dibels Window closes for BOY benchmark

4. Upcoming Calendar Items:
a. 10 12-16 Pennies for Patients penny drive
b. 10/12 - United Way Kickoff - Media Center - 2:45
c. 10/15 - Ident-A-Kid at Speas
d. 10/21 - Junior League Puppet Show - 9:45 - Third Grade

5. An issue came up at SIT on Monday regarding the use of the lesson plan form. In order to address the issue and resolve some issues surround teacher schedules, I would like to meet with all teachers this afternoon after bus duty. Hopefully we will be able to find a resolution that addresses the information that is needed in a lesson plan and provides a format that is quick and easy to use. Please bring a copy of your class schedule with you to the meeting. We will be in the media center.

6. Dr. Martin now receives two reports every Monday. The first deals with classroom walk-throughs and the number performed by each school. The expectation is now 45 CWT's per week per school. The second is a listing of the computers that were left on at each school. The report identifies the location in the building of each machine left on. We had one computer on the last report and that was a machine on the laptop cart. Please keep up the good work in this area.

7. I have been asked to clarify questions surrounding the RC and RSV (vote) days occurring at the end of this month and in March. I will go into detail on this next Tuesday with all staff. At today's Joint Principals' meeting we determined that we would switch the position of the two days making Thursday, October 29 an RC day and Friday, October 30 an RSV. We will also switch the position of those days in March at the end of the third quarter. Please click on the link below and respond to the survey question. If you vote YES then you want to be able to take Friday, October 30 as annual leave if you choose. If you vote NO, then you do not want the option of taking annual leave on October 30. Please respond only one time.

Click Here to take survey

8. This morning we will host "The NED Show." Please come to the gym immediately following Morning Broadcast. Classes will not be called.

9. Do not send students to ISS until after Ms. Summey returns from her Home/School Coordinators' meeting. We will put a crawl on the screen when she returns.

10. Ms. badarin will offer a Smart Board workshop in her room on Thursday, October 22 from 2:40-3:40. Ms. Jewell will provide snacks.

11. I want to thank everyone for your help and support of our families last night. Some grade levels had lots of parents and others had none. That is reality, but you were there and prepared and the parents who attended were very appreciative of your efforts. I heard many say they would see us in November at the Reading night. Great job!

12. Ms. Powell will be off campus this morning at an EVAAS workshop.

13. The SAS Institute, which produces the EVAAS data for North Carolina has given us data on teachers and grade levels. Now they are able to produce it for schools. Our data shows that in 2008 and 2009 our school was Yellow, meaning Not Detectably Different from the state's expectation. The interesting things, however was that in 2008 we were at a -0.01 or 1/100th away from the state's expectation for our students. In 2009 we were +0.37. That means that we missed being green or 2 stadard deviations above the mean by 0.08 or 8/100ths of a point. Well done.

14. He played the king as if afraid someone else would play the ace.
John Mason Brown (1900 - 1969), drama critic

An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought.
Simon Cameron (1799 - 1889)

A sense of duty is useful in work, but offensive in personal relations. People wish to be liked, not be endured with patient resignation.
Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970), Conquest of Happiness (1930) ch. 10

My way of joking is to tell the truth. It is the funniest joke in the world.
George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950), John Bull's Other Island (1907)