It's never too late...

The great thing about blogging is posting info anytime and it always being available. I am really loving the technology at hand.
On to some updates...
Mrs. Sawyer came through surgery with flying colors. She is resting at home now. We will miss her until she comes back to school.
I spoke to Mrs. Montgomery today. She is doing fine. She had a serious bout of dehydration but is at home taking it easy.
We will meet 8:00 sharp in the gym on Monday. The summer sure has flown by but things will be really exciting at school this year. Remember lunch is on us. We will have prizes and all kinds of fun. We will meet new staff and rebuilding bonds and friendships. Have a great weekend.

Mother Hen

For the next few days, we will be missing our own "Mother Hen"-Mrs. Sawyer. She will be out recovering from minor surgery. The first few days of school will hard without her, but she will be back soon. When we find out details we will notify everyone. Take one last break this weekend and we will see everyone on Monday at 8:00 sharp.

Schedules, SIT and PTA

The master schedules have been created including lunch times. This year I will be asking grade levels to take the master schedule and create common schedules for the entire grade level. For example, instead of me telling you when your grade will teach math, your team will tell me. The guidelines to keep are 90 minutes for communication instruction, 60-90 for math, 30 minutes for Science daily. Writing should be 30 minutes but can be incorporated into the communications block. The schedules will be due to by August 24. I want you to begin thinking about it as a team. You will get the master schedule on August 17th. I will demonstrate how using a WIKI can make the process easy.

The school improvement team will need to meet sometimes during the first week back. We didn't schedule a summer meeting. The SIT chair and principal will determine the best time to meet. School-wide surveys and programs will be discussed.

The PTA is looking for input on projects for the upcoming year. They had planned to work on the awning for the third grade pod but have decided to channel their efforts in another direction due to the moving of classes. If you have any ideas please let office or PTA staff rep know.

Almost There...

Things are really picking up speed. Many teachers have decided to come in to check out their rooms and others are soaking up that last minute of sun. Either choice is fine. Student letters will be going out this week and parents are coming in to ask questions about our great school. We are going to have a great year, no doubt about it. Next week, the Gibson Grizzly blog will be posted each morning. I guess I will need to get up that much earlier-love it !

Sharing the Load

With the increased focus on essential instructional practices and adult learning, I will be calling upon each of you to take part in some type of extra responsibility. You may be called upon to serve as a sit rep, grade chair or school representative to district training. This year there will be some essential district initiatives that will allow for teachers to train and teach each other in a variety of ways. New math adoption training, new K-2 assessment and Professional Learning Communities will be opportunities for teachers to train each other. I will be asking each of you to participate in some extra capacity to help us all grow as a school community.
To begin, each school is asked to send 2 participants to be trained in the new math adoption. The training will have an initial four hours with other trainings scheduled throughout the year. Teachers can earn 2.4 hours of credit. I will also grant teachers will also receive comp time to participate in any after-hour training or training that does not take place on a Rs day. I have the schedule of dates. Thanks in advance for your commitment to professional learning and student learning. If you are interested let me know this week.