AM Announcements - April 09

AM Announcements
April 09, 2010

1. Today is Day 135.

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.

Friday: April 09
AGS Screening - Kindergarten

4. Upcoming Calendar Items:
a. 4/14 - Young Authors' Day
b. 4/15 - RJR Jazz Band - 8:15 AM
c. 4/16 - Honor Roll Assembly
d. 4/21 - Volunteer Lunch

5. Don't forget to take the Governor's Working Conditions Survey. Speas is at 62.33% participation. We are expected to be at 90% by 4/16. At 95% our school is included in a drawing for prizes. This is your chance to be heard. Each of you who received a sheet explaining the process along with an Access Code should go on line and complete your survey. Please take care of this by Monday. it cane be done from any computer connected to the internet at the following address: http://www.ncteachingconditions.org/

6. The Annual Enrollment Period for the State Health Plan run through today. ALL EMPLOYEES MUST ENROLL ON-LINE through the following website:

http://wsfcs.hrintouch.com/

If you have questions about login or site navigation please call 1-866-239-1055. If you have questions about State Health Plan benefits call 1-888-234-2416.There is also a button on the WS/FCS web site that you can use to access the enrollment web site.

If you have not done this yet, today is the last day. If you don't do this today your coverage will be reduced to 70/30 on July 01, 2010. You will not be able to change it until next year at this time. We will sit down with you and help you complete this task so your coverage stays at 80/20.

7. The Teacher Notification of Intent web site is open, and available to teachers via the Employees page of the WS/FCS web site. All full-time teachers need to complete an intent form (there is a different process for part-time teachers). The deadline is April 16th.

• Go to the WS/FCS home page at http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/
• Click on the red “Employees” tab
• Under the “Administration” heading, click on the link for “WSFCS Administrative Resources”
• In the right hand column under “Employee Related Data Entry”, click on the link “Teacher Notification of Intent Decisions”
• Log in like you would to register for a workshop
• Click on “Enter/Edit Teacher Notification of Intent”

• Review the information page, then enter your SSN in the secure box at the bottom of the page to go to the Teacher Intent form and make your elections
• You can edit or adjust your elections as often as you like between now and April 16th

8. Next Monday we will begin a new afternoon dismissal pattern with Bus riders going to the gym and car riders going to the breezeway outside the main entrance. The specific directions for this are listed below:

Afternoon:

Buses: Buses will enter the parking lot at the middle entrance by the gym and park along the sidewalk. No buses will park along the breezeway. Teachers will take their bus riders to the gym and exit the end doors. Teachers will escort the children up the sidewalk dropping them off at their buses. Teachers will then move to the breezeway to assist with car dismissal.

Cars: Parents picking up students who ride home in cars will enter the parking lot by the Polo Park entrance in the same manner as they drop children off in the morning. Cars will be directed by a staff member to form two lanes of traffic for student pick up. Approximately 12 cars will be loaded at one time. None of these cars will be allowed to depart until all twelve are loaded. This group of cars will then exit the parking lot using the Polo Park exit. The school crossing guard will block traffic as needed to enable cars to turn on to Polo Rd. Safety is the most important thing in this pattern. We are ask all parents to be aware of all students and staff members and to be patient.

This change is necessitated by the closing of the lower parking lot by the general contractor. It will remain closed through the completion of the renovations in July of 2011. Staff members will no longer be able to park between the lower and middle entrances to the property. Staff members will also not be able to park along the sidewalk in the Polo Park section of the upper parking lot as this will be used to load students in the afternoon. Obviously, parking will be at a premium. We will use the grass by the Speas sign for parking. Ms. Powell and I calculated that we have room for 12-15 cars in that area. Understand that it will be interesting and confusing at times. We all need patience and the ability to roll with the punches.

WE WILL PRACTICE THIS MOVEMENT WITH A WALK-THROUGH TODAY AT 1:45 PM.

9. As we approach the end of the school year, with all the testing that will be taking place, I want to remind staff members that NO petty leave or annual leave will be granted by either Ms. Powell or me on a day when testing takes place until after all testing is over. Petty, parental and annual leave require principal or assistant principal at least five days in advance of the desired date. Do not schedule appointments with either the doctor or the dentist during testing times on testing days. If you have already scheduled an appointment, please let Ms. Powell or me know immediately. Then contact your doctor's office to see if it can be changed.

10. There is No Classified Intent Form This Year because classified employees can promote during the school year and with HR and Assistant Superintendent approval they can also transfer.

11. If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith.
Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

Skiing combines outdoor fun with knocking down trees with your face.
Dave Barry (1947 - )

Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.
Friedrich von Schiller (1759 - 1805)

The truth is always a compound of two half- truths, and you never reach it, because there is always something more to say.
Tom Stoppard (1937 - )