Week of February 27th - March 3rd and March 6th - March 10th

One of my favorite quotes.  I've shared it before, but I was reminded again this week as I was looking at our school-wide growth on the IRI.  You work incredibly hard for our kids.  There are lots of road blocks and hurdles, both academic and disciplinary.  But, you were still able to help kids grow 20%!  That's really incredible growth and I hope you will celebrate.  There is work still to be done, but for me, there's nothing more motivating than forward progress!  More importantly, watching our kids become readers.  :D

Spring Break is just around the corner.  This is likely the only post for two weeks, because it will be very busy this week.






Jefferson Carnival
Our carnival is this Friday!!  Thank you for the work on the classroom baskets.  Our PTO has also been working very hard to prepare.  Please plan to join us that evening.  If you are unable to make it, please let me know.  It should be a fun evening to connect with families, and hopefully get a step closer to document cameras in classrooms.

Community Schools
I will be gone Wednesday with a group of folks who will be touring a Community School in South SLC.  We will be partnering with the United Way of the Magic Valley next year to bring much needed resources to our school.  If you are curious about what a Community School is, click here.  This won't mean more for you, this will mean more connections and resources for our families.  I'm very excited to learn more.

Early Release Day
Thanks to all of you for helping with the early release day on Thursday!  You were awesome!  Paras, thanks for your quick help in the halls with the radios.  Dale received a compliment for how quick and easy it was for a parent to pick students up.  As many of you noticed, it was difficult to communicate with a handful of parents without current numbers.  Please note who those families are so that we can ensure that we get new numbers from them at parent-teacher conferences.

Requesting Subs
It appears that AESOP may automatically set your daily start time at 7:45.  Please make sure to adjust this 8:00.  We need to conserve all sub minutes and your contract time begins at 8:00AM.  Thank you for helping with this important detail.

Communication with Families
As we move into the evaluation season, I would appreciate any examples of parent communication that you have.  If you send a weekly newsletter home, I'd love to see a few examples.  If you have other special event letters or a class blog, please share those with me as evidence for your evaluation.  Thanks!

Emergency Sub Folders
Toni will be around to just get an idea of where your Emergency Sub Folder is and that it is ready to go.  Please have yours in a spot we can identify fairly quickly.

Staff Meeting Monday, March 6th
We will try to reschedule Alma and Dale to come to this meeting.

Habits Training Coming Up
Make sure to pick one of the days to attend each habit training.  I have asked the trainers to have a sign in sheet.  This is something we should have been doing to track attendance for federal programming.  We are trying to do a better job of tracking.  Thanks for helping with this.

Habit #6 - Feb. 27th or March 1st
Habit #7 - March 10th or 27th

Also, please remember we are working on the habits with kids as much as possible.  I'd love to hear what you've done!

Tiger Awards
Tiger Awards Luncheon will be this Friday, March 3rd in the Library at 11:45 for Habit #5.  Please see us in the office for blank awards.  Please have them turned into us no later than Wednesday.

Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher Conference are quickly approaching on Tuesday and Wednesday March 13-14.  Contract hours for all teachers are 4:00-8:00PM.  As a swap for this time, Friday, March 17th is off and will be a great start to your spring break.  Anne is coordinating dinners for us.  We will do soup and soup bowls one night, and pulled pork sandwiches from Scarrows the other night.  If you have an allergy, and would like us to help with a dinner option, please let Anne know ASAP.  We'll do our best to help out.

Signage at Jefferson
Do you have an idea for a sign that might be helpful at Jefferson?  We are currently thinking about signage in the parking and pick up lanes.  I'd like to hear your ideas.  Please let me know, or post them in Google+.

I'm sure there are more details to come.  Please watch your emails in the next couple of weeks!  We will resume the theme songs with the next blog post, but congratulations to those of you who picked Lisa for the last theme song!!

Angie

Week of February 21st - 24th

At IABE, Dr. Kate Kinsella kept referring to her students as "scholars." It has had me reflecting on the idea of naming. Then last night Bill and I went to see Bria Skonberg at Arts on Tour. She is an up and coming young jazz singer and trumpeter (And oh how she can play!). She had worked with a number of young musicians yesterday at one of the high schools. One happened to be in the audience. She told the entire crowd that he was the future of jazz clarinetists and someone to watch. WOW! What power in her words for that young man. Again, this moment has had me reflecting on the power of our words to speak into kids lives. It's made me reflect, especially on our most difficult students.

• How do I see these students? Do I hope for their futures? Can I see them doing something amazing in the future?
• Do I project with my words everything they can become?
• Do I name out loud for them all of the good things they are?
• When they are in the office, especially for discipline, do I use growth mindset language? Do we name them for their behavior or do we take the moment and teach for something better?

Just a few things that I'm been thinking about. Thank you for all you do to invest in our scholars!

Have a great 3 day weekend!

Speaking of IABE
Thank you to Tammy for representing Jefferson SO WELL at IABE.  She shared a lot of great strategies for supporting ELs, especially what we can do with Comprehensible Input.  We will have to find a time to have her share her presentation with staff.

FFA Week - A Day at Jefferson
Next week is FFA Week and our JHS FFA will be here Thursday (This is a recent change.) We have a sign-up sheet in the office. They will take four classes at a time. You will be in the cafeteria. Kids will be learning about the dairy industry and will get to make ice cream! We will still have interventions that day, so please find a time to sign up that will avoid interference.

New Friday Schedule - The "extra" hour
Working with BLT, I think we have come up with a pretty decent plan for our extra hour on Fridays. This will start this coming Friday, Feb. 24th. First, we will be having the Title 1 Team supporting our 1st Grade students (and a few kinder) with interventions in math and reading. This is a high needs groups and we feel this is a good investment of time for the whole school. Shawn and the Maria's will also be joining with supports as they wrap up ACCESS testing. Miss Jen will also be joining this Team of folks. We will be using the Title 1 room and library for this 45 min. block after our 2:00-2:15 recess. Becky will be using this time for 3rd Grade Choir practice. Elara will be using this time for ISAT prep and then testing blocks. Chris will be supporting us during this time with an extra PE for a class chosen for their respectful and responsible behavior in the lunchroom that week. Please let me, or your BLT member know if you have questions. Thanks for your support as we try to be most strategic with this extra instructional time.

Emergency Folders
For those of you who let us know that you needed an Emergency Sub Folder, we know have those in the office on the shelf by my door. Please help yourself. Here's the list that the team put together of items to include. Please share any others we might have missed in the Google+ comments. Toni will be around in the next couple of weeks to note where we can find your folder in case of emergency.

Jefferson Elementary Emergency Substitute Plan Checklist

1. Information about where to find the Red Emergency Bag and Evacuation Map
2. Class list with pictures from Power School printed (Update occasionally with new students)
3. Include information on students with:
1. Allergies
2. Care Plans/Medications
3. IEPS
4. Behavior Plans
5. Any other special needs
4. Phone extensions for staff they may need to reach along with their name, title, and room number
5. Information about adults who will be coming to your room or students who will be leaving your room and the schedule for that to happen
6. The name and room number of a grade level teammate that can help answer questions about schedule or assignments.
7. Weekly classroom schedule
8. Expectations and routines
9. Recess Duties: Time and Location
10. Classroom Behavior and Reward Plans
11. Lesson Plans – In many cases you will have this pre-planned, but please consider having group of activities that could be used in case of an emergency.

Staff Meeting with Dale and Alma(?) Thursday after School

Dale and Kim are needing a bit of our time as a staff. In trying to cooridnate all of the schedules, this coming Thursday was the best for an after school meeting. This will be a quick discussion of the upcoming supplemental levy and the basics on Migrant student services.

Theme Song
Shawn is no "Goody Two Shoes," bu she loves Adam Ant! Who likes Christina Perry?
Theme song: A Thousand Years
A. Lisa Henderson
B. Barb Brown
C. Brittany Maikranz
D. Nicole Ferreia

Week of February 13th - February 17th

A Note of Appreciation from Dale

"I sat at a table at the Jerome Chamber Lunch today with a Jefferson parent.  She has a couple of kids at Jefferson and mentioned how pleased she was with the school.  Keep up the good work and pass along to your teachers."

We don't always hear these kind comments.  Thank you for how you 

Staff Meeting Monday
Please bring your red emergency bag with you.



Interventions  and Data Team Plans for Next Week
We will be doing IRI make ups Monday and Tuesday, and on Wednesday we will have Data Teams.  Interventions will resume Thursday and Friday, though teams may miss one time on Thursday or on Friday due to the assemblies next week.

HOSA Daddy/Daughter Dance
Monday, Febryary 13th, the JHS HOSA students will be here during the lunch hour to promote the 2nd annual Daddy/Daughter Dance! The kids will be dressed up and in the lunchroom sharing information with our students. This is just a heads up.

Valentine's Day Party Plans
Please make sure to communicate with the specialists about your plans for your Valentine's Day parties so they know how to plan for your specials is if they are on Tuesday afternoon.  Also, if parents ask, we do not deliver balloons or flowers to classrooms and prefer that parent have these specials gifts delivered after school to their homes.

Discovery Center Assemblies Thursday

There will be two presentations of "Airplane to the Moon!" This should be a lot of fun!
10:00-10:45 - 1st, Kinder
11:00-11:45 - 2nd, 3rd

'Jefferson Gives' Pajama Day

Friday is a Jefferson Gives Day, which is sponsored by our PTO.  Please send any donations to the office.  The money will be donated to a literacy charity through Scholastic and will also benefit our library.  Students may participate even without a donation.

Jump Rope for Heart Assembly Friday

We will meet as a school in the gym at 2:30 on Friday.  Please plan to bring your class to the gym around 2:25.

Virtual Manipulative
Ashlee shared this fun virtual geoboard.  The PMA trainers talked about using these.  Thanks for the link Ashlee!

http://www.mathlearningcenter.org/web-apps/geoboard/

Idaho Theater for Youth

I hope you might consider clicking on the link and sharing our thoughts about our recent performance of Stuart Little.  I know that all feedback is considered and would be appreciated.  Make sure to click on 'Education' and "Idaho Theater for Youth.'

Upcoming Dates

February 20th - President's Day

February 24th - FFH Day (MOre information and sign ups to come)

March 3rd - Jefferson Carnival

New Theme Song

Whose theme song is:

Goody Two Shoes by Adam Ant

A - Gaylyn Hall

B - Angie Brulotte

C - Shawn Silva

D - Chris Perry

Week of February 6th - February 10th

Good Afternoon! Congratulations on surviving our first 5 day week since December!!  This is a lean blog post, but a busy week next week.

IRI and PMA
Thank you to Liz and Nicole for their work on the IRI Schedule that also includes your coverages for the PMA on Wednesday (K-2).  Please have a look at this for your planning.

Subs - Glitches in the Schedule
We had a few weird glitches with subs this week.  Thank you to colleagues who helped cover classes for a bit when subs had to leave.  There are a couple of things I need you to do when you request a sub to be gone.

• Please never have a sub come before your contract time.  A sub should arrive between 8:00AM and 8:15AM.
• Please notify the office if you see that there may be an issue with the time frames.

Progress Monitoring in Mileposts

Just a friendly reminder that all progress monitoring in Mileposts should be up-to-date with this latest IRI and MCOMP.  Please remember that 1s should have a weekly progress monitor and 2s should have a bi-weekly progress monitor in Mileposts.  Please let me know if this is a concern for you.

Staff Meeting

If Mother Nature will cooperate, we will have a Staff Meeting Monday, Feb. 13th. Please bring your red emergency bag and your emergency sub folder.

Barnes and Noble

We still have a spot for a guest reader (next Saturday, 11th), especially around noon.  Let me know if your want to join us.

A Remind about celebrating growth by the "Sisters"

Indoor Recess - Could you use a few different ideas?
In case you wondered, we watch for a temperature (with windchill) of 25 degrees.  We try to factor in playground safety and wind.  I know that this has been a trying series of weeks.  I'm hoping Phil was wrong about the 6 weeks!

Theme Song
Congratulations to Anne for guessing that "Tomorrow" is Mary's favorite song!  Stay tuned.  More themes songs to come!