AM Announcements - May 13

AM Announcements

May 13, 2010

1. Today is Day 160.

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: May 13
Elementary Principals' meeting - 7:15-4:00 - Reichert off-campus
4th grade Field Trip to Hiddenite - 7:00-1:30 PM
Used Book Sale - 8:30-1:30 PM

Friday: May 14
Dollar Dress Down Day
EOG - Background information
Used Book Sale - 8:30-1:30 PM
Book Distribution - Dan Arial (Polo Park Recreation Center) - 9:00

Saturday: May 15
Student Council Yard and Used Book Sale - 7:30-1:00 PM

3. Upcoming Calendar Items:
a. 05/17-05/21 - EOG Testing
b. 05/24 - Interim Reports go home
c. 05/24-05/28 - Remediation Period for Level I/II students
d. 05/25 - Web Page migration session to School Wires
e. 05/26 - Web Page migration session to School Wires
f. 05/28 - Dollar Dress Down Day
g. 05/28 - Box Tops for Education due
h. 05/31 - Memorial Day - No School

4. Please remember the following:
A. Staff members, whether administrators or proctors, should turn off all cell phones and they should remain off until the test is complete and the materials have been turned in to Ms. Marston.

B. All materials on walls must be covered and/or taken down

C. Both the administrator and proctor must be circulating throughout the entire room continuously during the test

D. Administrators and proctors cannot bring food, drinks, books or magazines to eat/read during the administration of the test

E. Students with accommodations must be monitored to determine if they are, in fact, using the accommodations. The results of their monitoring must be entered on the Accommodation Monitoring forms for each student.

F. NCDPI and the WS/FCS Testing and Accountability Department will be conducting audits in the schools to ensure that testing is being done according to the manual. Therefore, do not deviate from the manual.

G. Make sure that when you write the time you begin testing; the duration of the test; and the times for breaks and/or the end of the test are clearly visible to the students and from the door to your classroom. We check these times throughout the test and need to be able to see them clearly from the door. Please check your time calculations. Every test day, we have at least one room that lists an incorrect time on the board and either gives too much or too little time which must be corrected.

H. When in doubt ASK. We want to avoid testing irregularities and misadministrations. Therefore, ASK before you act.

5. I solicited information from Dr. Sheehan and Dr. Costello yesterday regarding the Imagine It program. It appears that I was confused regarding which schools were involved. Dr. Martin did not mention in his presentation that this program was only for Title-1 schools and therefore I assumed that it was for all elementary schools. At the point where he made the announcement, however, only Title-1 principals were in the room. The program is mandatory for all Tier I and II schools. Speas is a Tier III school. It is not required that we purchase it, even though it is recommended. If we purchase it, it will further reduce the money we have available for personnel to 1.1 positions down from 1.65. If we don't purchase it our students, both entering from other schools and departing for other schools will be a disadvantage because they will not have had the same instruction as other students. More for everyone to think about. I will be discussing the matter further with Dr. Sheehan and Dr. Costello at today's Elementary Principals' meeting.

6. Don't forget to turn in your pledge card for the UNCF drive. The current total is $740.00. Remember that the drive ends May 21, 2010.

7. I will be off campus all day today in an Elementary Principals' meeting dealing with scheduling.
8. Remember to keep a list of students who return their Parent Surveys.

9. Congratulations are in order for Ms. Larson. Not only did she acquit herself well before the senators, Linda Garrou included, but also was taken to meet Governor Perdue. Great job representing our teachers, Speas, and WS/FCS!

10. Fourth Grade is off campus today in Hiddenite.

11. Why isn't there a special name for the tops of your feet?

Lily Tomlin (1939 - )

If you put tomfoolery into a computer, nothing comes out of it but tomfoolery. But this tomfoolery, having passed through a very expensive machine, is somehow ennobled and no-one dares criticize it.
Pierre Gallois

The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet.
William Gibson (1948 - )

Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love.
Charles M. Schulz (1922 - 2000), Charlie Brown in "Peanuts"