AM Announcements - November 04

AM Announcements
November 04, 2009

1. Today is Day 49.

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: November 04
Little Symphony of Forsyth County - 9:00-9:45 - Grades K-5 - gym
Reichert off-campus 11:30-on
CogAT Testing - 8:00-12:00 - Grade 2 and select Grade 5

Thursday: November 05
Student Council Nursing Home visit
CogAT Testing - 8:00-12:00 - Grade 2 and select Grade 5

Friday: November 06
Student Council sells Starbucks' Coffee in the morning
CogAT Testing - 8:00-12:00 - Grade 2 and select Grade 5

4. Upcoming Calendar Items:
a. 11/11 - Veteran's Day - No School (Holiday for staff)
b. 11/12 - Make It, Take It Night - Reading - 6:00
c. 11/12 - PTA Council Dinner honoring Teachers of the Year - Village Inn - 6:30-8:30
d. 11/13 - Honor Roll Assembly - 1:00 PM
e. 11/16 - Interim Reports go home
f. 11/24 - Dollar Dress Down Day
g. 11/25-27 - Thanksgiving Holiday
h. 12/01 - Winter Concert
i. 12/04 - Dollar Dress Down Day
j. 12/04 - Speas Spelling Beek. 12/05 - Holiday Open House - The Reicherts

5. Last night we had eight students in attendance with two tutors. Thanks for your efforts in getting students to come out. That was twice as many as previous weeks. Now we need to continue to make it grow. The personal invitation goes a long way in getting parents to bring their children.

6. I will be off-campus this afternoon beginning at 11:30.

7. Representatives of Mt. Tabor High School will be here on Friday morning to present Speas with over 1000 books. These books have been donated by the Mt. Tabor HS staff and students.

8. Student Council Information:
* The Student Council will be collecting items each month for Samaritan Ministries. If you would like to contribute there will be a box in room 3. This months items are: Sugar, Soap (Sample Size), or Disposable Razors.
* Thanksgiving Can Food Drive Begins: Monday, November 9, 2009 - Friday, November 13, 2009 - Please take a look at the flyer that is going home on Monday to see what items your grade level will be collecting.
* Student Council has a Nursing Home visit tomorrow at 9:00 AM.

9. The schedule for the Arts Connection sessions was sent out yesterday to all classroom teachers. If you did not receive it, please let me know and I'll make sure it gets to you.

10. Yesterday at the SIT meeting, the following items were discussed:
a. Ms. Linville and Ms. Miller will represent Speas at the Signature Schools Award luncheon
b. Lesson plan formats from each grade level
c. Walk-through data and its implications
d. Duty-free lunch
e. Outcomes from the "problem-solving" meeting
f. Responses to concerns expressed in weekly planning sheets
g. PTA dates on the master calendar
h. COMP time for classified
i. Classisfied work schedules and expectations
j. All classified staff filling out timesheets on-line twice per day every day.
k. Results of the bid process for Speas construction

The minutes have been posted on the shared volume by Ms. Dagenbach.

11. A CD of Veterans Day activities has been placed in the media center. Please check with Ms. Childers if you would like to use it as we approach Veterans Day on November 11.

12. The Little Symphony of Forsyth County will be here today to present a concert for our K-5 students in the gym from 9:00-9:45. Classes will be called by grade level once the symphony is set up and ready. Second grade classes will join the performance in progress when they have finished their CogAT testing. All second grade classes will enter the gym from the outside entrance by the dumpster. They should come in very quietly and sit down in the back.

13. Today is lunch out for all Pre-K teachers and assistants and specialists.

14. Student Council will be selling Starbucks' Coffee outside on Friday morning. Please consider a purchase to support the Student Council.

15. Yesterday 1659 computers were left on overnight in WSFC schools. Dr. Martin has stated that unless that number is reduced to 200 or below during the month of November, principals will be charged $1.00 per computer per day that it was left on.

16. EC teachers should see Ms. Fletcher before the end of business today to sign off on their case load information for December 01 headcount. I will then sign and verify it tomorow according to the directions from the EC department. I know Ms. Fletcher is working with EC on two students and this may preclude those teachers from initialing until they are corrected. Thanks for working hard to insure we have every student that we are serving on headcount.

17. It is the final proof of God's omnipotence that he need not exist in order to save us.
Peter De Vries, "The Mackerel Plaza," 1958

Now and then an innocent man is sent to the legislature.
Kin Hubbard (1868 - 1930)

In real life, unlike in Shakespeare, the sweetness of the rose depends upon the name it bears. Things are not only what they are. They are, in very important respects, what they seem to be.
Hubert H. Humphrey (1911 - 1978)

There is an evil tendency underlying all our technology - the tendency to do what is reasonable even when it isn't any good.
Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance