AM Announcements - November 19

AM Announcements
November 19, 2009

1. Today is Day 59.

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: November 19
ITBS Testing
Student Council Field Trip - Samaritan Ministries - 9:00-10:15
Kindergarten Field trip to Salemtowne - Say - 9:30-11:00
Elementary Principals' meeting - 7:15-12:00 - Reichert off-campus
Staff Policy Committee meeting - 4:00-5:00 - Reichert off-campus

Friday: November 20
ITBS Testing
Move meeting - 8:00-9:00 - Reichert off-campus
SolEd meeting - 3:00-5:00 - Reichert off-campus
Coffee Friday - Out front

4. Upcoming Calendar Items:
a. 11/23 - Samatian Ministries Penny Drive begins
b. 11/24 - Dollar Dress Down Day
c. 11/24 - PTA/Student Council Staff Breakfast
d. 11/25-27 - Thanksgiving Holiday
e. 12/01 - Winter Concert
f. 12/04 - Dollar Dress Down Day
g. 12/04 - Speas Spelling Bee
h. 12/05 - Holiday Open House - The Reicherts
i. 12/07 - Author/Illustrator David Biedrzycki at Speas - 1:15-2:15
j. 12/10 - PTA Meeting - 6:00 PM

5. North Carolina Teacher Academy is now offering on-line courses for professional development for public school teachers across the state. Registration will begin in mid-November with classes starting in January 2010. Classes will last 10 weeks and require 20 contact hours for a total of 2.0 CEU's. To find out more and to register, log on to: http://www.teacheracademy.org/

6. Since next week is a short week, there is no need to turn in lesson plans or to do a newsletter.

7. Student Council Items:
* The holiday door contest is quickly approaching so don't forget to start working on your door ideas.

* The student council kids will be visiting the Samaritan Ministries today, November 19, 2009 during the school day. They will need to be allowed to speak to your class tomorrow for five to ten minutes to share with their classmates the need for the Samaritan Ministries.

8. We are still collecting social dues for the 2009-2010 school year. We appreciate your support. Ms. Jonson will work with you anyway you wish to pay it. Please take care of this today

9. Tomorrow is Coffee Friday with Starbucks Coffee for sale out front for $2.00 a cup. If you're going to buy coffee anyway, why not from Student Council and support them at the same time? See you in the front parking lot any time after 7:00 AM. There will also be some of Ms. Bushey's delicious muffins for sale as well. What a way to start the day!

10. There will be no A's and Bees Tutoring next Tuesday.

11. Yesterday we received an allocation of $32,621.00 of additional Title-1 funding. Our plan to use this money must be turned in by 12/7 and would be preferred by 12/01. We must propose 3-5 projects that will work to ensure that we will make AYP this year and exit from school improvement. This could be tutoring for all grade levels; supplies and/or equipment; special programs; staff-development for educators; programs to increase parental involvement; or other ideas that can be defended as research based methodologies with a proven history of improving student achievement. Please convey your ideas to your SIT representatives so we can formulate our plan in order to meet the deadlines established by Title-1.

12. We have found several employees spending time on Facebook instead of working. Please understand that there may be back ways into Facebook or you may be able to access it directly because it has not been blocked by the system's filter for some reason. At no time during the work day, however, is any employee to be on any social networking site like Facebook, My Space or Twitter. I hope this is advice sufficient to bring this practice to an end. Yes, we have spoken with the individual(s) who were caught, but I fear the practice is more widespread hence the reason for this post.

13. The coupon books placed in your boxes are courtesy of Hanes Mall.

14. We have worked out the details and the Marzano staff-development will be held on Monday, November 23 from 2:40-4:00. The vote from the staff was 23 in favor and 5 opposed.

15. There is a coherent plan in the universe, though I don't know what it's a plan for.
Fred Hoyle (1915 - 2001)

Television has raised writing to a new low.
Samuel Goldwyn (1882 - 1974)

Man forgives woman anything save the wit to outwit him.
Minna Thomas Antrim

A man's silence is wonderful to listen to.
Thomas Hardy