Friday Updates April 2009

Southwest Elementary School
Friday Update
April 3, 2009

I hope you all enjoyed the brief but badly-needed Spring Break. We are down to the final stretch run so things will get busier and busier as we approach the end of the year. Please do your best to keep up with all that is happening so that we stay as organized as possible. Thank you for all that you do every day!

“Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it.” - Harold Hulbert

Next Week
Monday 4/6 (Day 3A) – Music rehearsal, Multiplication Tournament

Tuesday 4/7 (Day 4A) – Music rehearsal, Pincipals’ meeting, 2nd to Zoo, Multiplication Tournament, Marzano training

Wednesday 4/8 (Day 5A) – Music rehearsal, Multiplication Tournament **PBS Playground rotation began after Spring Break**

Thursday 4/9 (Day 6A) – Music rehearsal, Principals’ meeting, Multiplication Tournament K, 1, 2 – A Week – Top, B Week – Bottom
Meadowlark band with 5th grade (1:45 in cafeteria)
Friday 4/10 (Day 0) – Holiday – no school 3, 4, 5 – A Week – Bottom, B Week – Top

Week of 4/13 - 4/17 – (4/13 Day 1B) Music rehearsal, PLC meetings, Brass under the Bigtop assembly for K-2 10:30 (4/14 Day 2B) Music rehearsal, Report cards, Staff meeting (4/15 Day 3B) Music rehearsal, PLC meetings, Kindergarten registration (4/16 Day 4B) Music rehearsal, Principals’ meeting, Camp Flintlock for 5th grade, Technology workshop – Activ slate, Skate Haven night (4/17 Day 5B) Music rehearsal, Staff lunch provided

Looking Ahead
-2009-2010 Kindergarten information – New law in place (all incoming kindergarten students have to be 5 years old by August 31st), Kindergarten screening is April 15
-Spring pictures – April 21
-End-of-grade tests – May 14-20

New Duty Schedule (after Spring Break)
Breakfast – Burke, Sereika, East

Bus – Allen, Burke, Freshwater, Hauhuth, Vaughn, Vest

Car riders – Morning – Coffield, Overby, Twyman
Afternoon – Caller – Sherri LeCompte
Inside – Barnes, Biggam, Tilley, Vernon
Outside – Bowser, Chadwick, Everhardt, Herko, Pennington
Hall – Everhardt (computer lab), Hauhuth (gym lobby)
Parra (Music Hall), Alexander (Blue Hall), Allen (Auditorium Lobby)

FYI/Reminders
-Jan Hipp and Janice Council have returned home from surgery and are recuperating. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
**Several staff members continue to care for loved ones who are ill. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
**Report cards go home April 14th. Please send your report cards to your administrator for review ASAP.
-If you leave campus for any reason, please notify an administrator and sign the petty leave book in the office.
-There will be a Hospice Walk/Run on Saturday, April 25. Volunteers are needed. For more info contact Kiki Hutcheson.
-1st grade is planning to have a diaper drop for Sarah Baldwin starting March 30 and going until April 9th. We want to help her welcome the new baby with diapers and gifts for anyone who wishes to do so. I will have a box labeled with Baby Baldwin in the teacher's lounge.

Staff Stars (There are too many good deeds to list them all. Over the course of the year, I would like to recognize as many as possible)
PBS committees – Thank you for your continued work to improve our school safety through PBS.
SIT team – Thanks for your leadership as we finish 2008-09 and plan for 2009-10.
AM and PM Duty helpers – Thank you for all you do to keep our students safe.
Mr. Squires – Thank you for all of your work to keep our school clean during a time with so many people out.
**We have seen more use of the Marzano High Yield strategies in your classrooms. I have particularly seen more use of “Compare/Contrast” with the use of graphic organizers and elements of “Summarizing/Note-taking.” Great job!
**Keep giving and earning those eggs. Thanks for a great job after our mid-year celebration!

Southwest Elementary School
Friday Update
April 17, 2009

I hope you all enjoyed the staff lunch today. Thank you to Ms. Cressman, Mrs. Herrin, Mr. Keener, Mr. Squires, the cafeteria staff and others for your help in preparing the meal. You are a wonderful group of people to work with and deserve a few perks every now and then. We get so busy this time of year that it is difficult to take time to show you how much we appreciate all that you do for our students. Let’s all keep moving forward with a positive attitude so that we can finish this year well. Thank you for all that you do every day!

“Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I may not forget you..”
- William Arthur

Next Week
Monday 4/20 (Day 6B) – Music rehearsal,

Tuesday 4/21 (Day 1A) – Music rehearsal, Spring pictures, SIT meeting, PTA board meeting

Wednesday 4/22 (Day 2A) – Music rehearsal, Clean and Green judging **PBS Playground rotation began after Spring Break**

Thursday 4/23 (Day 3A) – Music rehearsal, K, 1, 2 – A Week – Top, B Week – Bottom

Friday 4/24 (Day 4A) – All Pro Dads breakfast (6:45-7:45), Music rehearsal 3, 4, 5 – A Week – Bottom, B Week – Top
Saturday 4/25 – Village of Clemmons Clean-up, Titan Clean-up Day, Hospice Walk/Run

Week of 4/27 - 5/1 – (4/27 Day 5A) Music rehearsal, EOG proctor training (4/28 Day 6A) Music rehearsal, PBS meeting, EOG test training 3rd grade (3:00) Spring Musical (4/29 Day 1B) Music rehearsal, (4/30 Day 2B) Technology facilitator meeting, Technology workshop –, EOG training 3rd grade (3:00) (5/1 Day 3B) EOG proctor training (8:00), Volunteer Appreciation luncheon (11-12)

Looking ahead
***Please refer to the End of Year calendar attached to Debbie Herrin’s email from 4/16/09 to keep up to date with events*****
-Spring pictures – April 21
-Staff Appreciation week May 4-7
-Staff Appreciation Dinner – May 7
-Treats for Troops donations are being taken now through Memorial Day
-End-of-grade tests – May 14-20

New Duty Schedule (after Spring Break)
Breakfast – Burke, Sereika, East

Bus – Allen, Burke, Freshwater, Hauhuth, Vaughn, Vest

Car riders – Morning – Coffield, Overby, Twyman
Afternoon – Caller – Sherri LeCompte
Inside – Barnes, Biggam, Tilley, Vernon
Outside – Bowser, Chadwick, Everhardt, Herko, Pennington
Hall – Everhardt (computer lab), Hauhuth (gym lobby)
Parra (Music Hall), Alexander (Blue Hall), Allen (Auditorium Lobby)

FYI/Reminders
**Congratulations to Sarah Baldwin and her family who welcomed a new baby girl on Thursday, April 16. (8 lb 6oz – name TBD)
-Mr. Alton Rucker, Jan Hipp and Janice Council have returned home from surgery and are recuperating. Please continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
**Several staff members continue to care for loved ones who are ill. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
**Possible retention lists are due to Ms. Cressman by April 21. Make sure you have conferenced with parents of these students.

Staff Stars (There are too many good deeds to list them all. Over the course of the year, I would like to recognize as many as possible)
Housekeeping staff – Thank you for your continued work to keep our school clean even with part of your team missing.
Mary-Jane Everhardt – Thanks for keeping our school home page current and up-to-date.
Volunteer and Hospitality committees – Thank you for your work in planning for our end of year activities.
Multiplication tournament helpers – Great job!
Mr. Keener/Clean and Green helpers – Thanks for all your work to prepare for the judging on April 22.
**Keep giving and earning those eggs. Thanks for a great job after our mid-year celebration!

A Thank you note from Kiki Hutcheson

For six weeks I have had the privilege of teaching Physical Education during Mrs. Chamra’s absence. This has been such a wonderful and rewarding experience. The children have been awesome and precious. Also, teachers, thank you for your cooperation and loving spirit. We at Southwest are so fortunate to be a part of such a great school – children, parents, principals, faculty and staff. I will look forward to seeing your children in the classrooms when I sub or just passing them in the hallways.

Thank You,
Kiki Hutcheson

Southwest Elementary School
Friday Update
April 24, 2009

As we begin the process of doing more substantial planning for next year while finishing this year, please be patient and respectful of others within the school. Hopefully, your SIT representative has already shared some of the information from our meeting on Tuesday. The only way to improve various aspects of our school is to have some tough discussions on a variety of issues. We MUST be professional and respectful of one another as this takes place. Let’s all keep moving forward with a positive attitude so that we can finish this year well and make next year even better. Thank you for all that you do every day!

“A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece.” - Ludwig Erhard.

Next Week
Monday 4/27 (Day 5A) – Music rehearsal, EOG proctor training, 1st grade to Natural Science Center (Atkins, Baker, Jones, Kreger)

Tuesday 4/28 (Day 6A) – Spring Musical (9:00 & 7:00), PBS meeting, EOG test training 3rd grade (3:00)

Wednesday 4/29 (Day 1B) – Career Day (8:30-11:00), 1st grade to Natural Science Center (Baldwin, Cullen, Tilley, Wilson)**PBS Playground Rotation

Thursday 4/30 (Day 2B) – Tech facilitator meeting, Tech workshop –, EOG training 3rd grade (3:00), Extend 2 training K, 1, 2 – A Week – Top, B Week – Bottom

Friday 5/1 (Day 3B) – EOG proctor training (8:00), Volunteer Appreciation luncheon (11-12)
3, 4, 5 – A Week – Bottom, B Week – Top

Week of 5/4 - 5/8 – (5/4 Day 4B) EOG proctor training (8:00) (5/5 Day 5B) Marzano training (5/6 Day 6B)AR store on stage (8-2), EOG administrator training (5th 3:00) (5/7 Day 1A) Staff appreciation dinner (5/8 Day 2A) Extend 2 Science 5th grade, Southwest Night at Jimmy Mac’s golf range
Looking ahead
***Please refer to the End of Year calendar attached to Debbie Herrin’s email from 4/16/09 to keep up to date with events*****
-Staff Appreciation week May 4-7 -Staff Appreciation Dinner – May 7
-Treats for Troops donations are being taken now – The care packages will be packed on Saturday, May 16 at 9:00 in our gym
-End-of-grade tests – May 14-20

New Duty Schedule (after Spring Break)
Breakfast – Burke, Sereika, East
Bus – Allen, Burke, Freshwater, Hauhuth, Vaughn, Vest

Car riders – Morning – Coffield, Overby, Twyman
Afternoon – Caller – Sherri LeCompte
Inside – Barnes, Biggam, Tilley, Vernon
Outside – Bowser, Chadwick, Everhardt, Herko, Pennington
Hall – Everhardt (computer lab), Hauhuth (gym lobby)
Parra (Music Hall), Alexander (Blue Hall), Allen (Auditorium Lobby)

FYI/Reminders
**Welcome back Katie Chamra
**The Kindergarten Team requests your help in celebrating the upcoming arrival of the Gough Girls. We would like to shower them with gifts in our diaper drop April 27th - May 8th. Thanks in advance for your help.
**Several staff members continue to care for loved ones who are ill. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
**Debbie Dosek’s father, M. E. (Dobe) Dobesh passed away last week in Ogallala, Nebraska. Debbie will travel this week for services. Please remember Debbie and her family.
**Schedule feedback forms are due to Mr. Keener by April 28.
**3rd, 4th and 5th grade – please remember you 20 day EOG countdown activities

Staff Stars (There are too many good deeds to list them all. Over the course of the year, I would like to recognize as many as possible)
Long-term subs/interims – Thank you for your help to keep us rolling during maternity leaves, surgeries, etc.
Mrs. Allen – Thank you for your creativity and hard work to prepare for the Spring musical
Volunteer and Hospitality committees – Thank you for your work in planning for our end of year activities.
After school tutors – Thank you for your time and commitment to help our children after school.
Mr. Keener/Clean and Green helpers – Thanks for all your work to prepare for the judging. Congratulations on a perfect score!
**Keep giving and earning those eggs.