9/9

I had the question this week about sharing parent contact particularly for birthday invitations. My preference is that we don't share these. However, if you'd like to give parents the option to "opt-in" to a communication list, curriculum night is a great night to do it. 

Fire drill feedback: Great job on the fire drill today. We were able to clear the building in 2 minutes! BethAnne and I noticed that even though we got out quickly, there was some back up in spots so we are analyzing routes. Matt is reaching out to SIMPLEX about some fire doors that did not close so that should be remedied quickly. The other feedback from the department was that several doors were left open. Closing the door behind you keeps a possible fire from spreading. I know in the past, the chalk blockers have been taken away to make sure the doors stay closed. I am not going to do that. However, I do ask that doors be kept closed when you are not in them (leaving for specials/lunch, etc.). This holds for common areas like the staff room as well. The added bonus of this practice is that it limits access to other rooms in the event of a lockdown. If I do see open doors to empty rooms, I will be closing them. 

Tracy is working on getting the Assessment calendar onto the google calendar but the STAR window snuck up on me. It opens up on Monday 9/12 and extends through the month. The following is courtesy of Jane Daly: 

Some reminders and info about the upcoming STAR Assessment Administration:  2022-2023 District Assessment Calendar.  Our goal is 100% participation.  This year all testing windows have been extended to 3 weeks.  Please schedule testing in order for all students to be tested within this time period, allowing for ample make-up days.

A.             9/12 - 9/30 is the Beginning of Year Test Window for Gr. 1-8

1.     Early Literacy: Gr. K (10/3-10/21)  &  Gr. 1

2.     Reading: Gr. 2 - 8

3.     Math: Gr. 1 - 8

B.             Here is a link to a google folder w/ 2 sets of slidedecks for each assessment           

1.     Student Prep Activity Slidedeck for at least 1-2 days before testing

2.     Day of Test Instructions slidedeck

3.     STAR Recommends teachers administer Math before Early Literacy/Reading

Monitor Password has changed: wrsdproctor

And this from Amy Norton:

It appears that with the rollover of STAR information by Renaissance, many of the teacher accounts were given "School Level Admin" permissions rather than "Teacher".  This means that teachers will not be able to find names in the dropdown, nor do they have classroom accounts.  The switch to "Teacher" is easy enough, but Renaissance does take time to reset.  We are working on resolving this problem. 

If teachers are impacted, they will not see their names in the drop down menu.  They can email me their names, and I can fix it in less than a minute.  

I'm trying to keep everyone in "the know" about staffing. You will see updates in the parent communication and Liz Hilton beat me to her introduction. We also have a new to us OT, Sara Kruger: 

Hello! I am a new Occupational Therapist at WRSD. I have been an OT practitioner for 20 years and have worked with students in a school setting for the past 17 years. I will be at TPS on Mondays and also work at Houghton and Chocksett in Sterling.  I have two daughters, a 7th grader at Chocksett and a sophomore at WRHS.  On the weekends I enjoy reading a good book, going for a hike, visiting the beach, and traveling to new places.  A fun fact about me, I have 22 aunts and uncles (before marriage) and over 50 first cousins!

It is crazy to think about it but the Evaluation process is already underway. Every district seems to do it a little differently so this is my cheatsheet for us. If you notice something that doesn't seem, right please let me know. To reiterate, BethAnne will be the primary evaluator for Specialists and Special Education. I will serve as the evaluator for everyone else. If you're not sure where you fall, just ask.  Those in their first three years in the building should reach out to your evaluator sooner rather than later to schedule a meeting before 10/1.

Looking ahead: 

• Monday (9/12) 
  
• Class with the most donations gets silly stringed
• Tuesday (9/13) 
• Class with the most donations duct tapes the Booster team
• Wednesday (9/14) 
• Staff meeting - with so much going on this week, we thought we would give you a reprieve and let you use this time to begin your self evaluations. 
• Class with the most donations earns mystery prize
• Thursday (9/15) 
• Grade with most donations watches the Booster team get pied
• Friday (9/16) 
• Fun Run K-5 / Color Run 6-8!