AM Announcements - November 20

AM Announcements
November 20, 2009

1. Today is Day 60.

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:

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.

8. We are still collecting social dues for the 2009-2010 school year. If you have not paid, please see Ms. Johnson.

9. Today is Coffee Friday with Starbucks Coffee for sale out front for $2.00 a cup.

10. If you have not turned in your updated schedule showing the all the times you teach reading, math, writing and science, please do so today before you leave. I have to send them all to Toni Bigham this afternoon.

11. We have 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. All progress is based upon a universal innate desire on the part of every organism to live beyond its income.
Samuel Butler (1835 - 1902), Notebooks, 1912

He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.
Chinese Proverb

When dealing with the insane, the best method is to pretend to be sane.
Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

Posterity is as likely to be wrong as anyone else.
Heywood Broun (1888 - 1939), Sitting on the World, 1924