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8/30/13

Tuesday September 3rd, 2013

The first day of school! It will be a bit crazy as you know. Please be ready to greet students and their families by 8am.

Please let Anne or I know if you have students who need school supplies or a backpack. 

I emailed the duty schedule. Please do not print it. Let me know if you notice any significant concerns. It will probably have a second or third edition. We will let you know when you can print it, and I will also attach the final copy under documents so you can view anytime from anywhere.

Duties for the week:
     AM Bus: Webb
                  Buschhorn
                  Bloxham/Dickinson (PE/Music share)
     PM Bus:  Sweet
                  Bloxham/Dickinson (PE/Music share)
                  Fullmer
     Lounge:   Long

I know everybody has been working hard preparing the building, their classrooms, attending meetings, learning about CCSS, and trying to plan lessons for the upcoming school year. Thank you for all the extras that you have done, and here is just a snippet of the behind the scenes:

                  Welcome Video 2013
                


                                       

8/29/13

Friday August 30th, 2013

Open House was a great success! Thank you to everybody for being so welcoming and helpful. The student ambassadors did a fantastic job helping. Here is a video I put together from pictures that were taken. You might show this to your class if you see your students in it. I was switching between Oregon Trail's Open House and Harrison's, so a big thank you to Jen for helping with taking pictures. The video will be posted on the school website.

8/28/13

Thursday August 29th, 2013

Open House! There should be many kids, and especially parents, that are eager to start school. Please be patient with the office as students may be dropped and added to your class lists.

Please remember that the district has sponsored the speaker Manny Scott. He will be speaking at Canyon Ridge at 7pm. If you haven't seen the flyer, or would like more information, I have attached it:


                                    

8/27/13

Wednesday August 28th, 2013

Staff retreat will start at 8:30 am, and we will have breakfast treats!

I've had some asking for iPad help. I'll be talking about the iPads during the retreat, just basic items. I will be available anytime Thursday and Friday morning to help you individually with your iPad, just pop in the office to see if I'm there.

We have several new staff members. We can put your email on your phone, the staff blog on your phone, the district has a Verizon discount, and we can get Microsoft Office at a discount for certified staff. Email me, or come see me, if you want more information on any of those items. Please ask lots of questions this year! We are all here to help make your first year at Harrison a little easier. Welcome!

8/26/13

Tuesday August 27th, 2013

Here is the website link that the presenter shared on Monday:

Illinois CCSS ELA Teaching and Learning Strategies

This link has everything from the Illinois State Board of Education. They are using PARCC instead of Smarter Balanced, but the standards are the same.

Illinois State Board of Education


Julie W. shared this Target Facebook link. I know not everybody is on facebook, so this is up to you:

Target

I have heard from one person who will have the foster grandma help in their classroom. I know we haven't had the best experience, but you just never know- this lady might be the cream of the crop. Bickel spoke very highly of her.

Try to be at your grade level meeting on Tuesday at 8am. Kindergarten will be starting first thing with the ISEE/Schoolnet training. For others, if you don't start until 8:30, it will give you an opportunity to check in with teachers from other buildings who teach the same grade level that you teach. We don't get that opportunity very often. Please remember all the great Leader in Me training as we might have difficult conversations and decisions, and a positive attitude!


8/23/13

Monday August 26th, 2013

Monday is the big day for CCSS training. It will start at 8:30 at Canyon Crest Dining and Event Center. Please remember to sit with your grade level team. Some items you might want to bring with you:
  1. CCSS standards books
  2. iPad or other tablet. The event center said they had free wi-fi.
  3. Pencil/Pen and paper for note taking
  4. You can also get the CCSS app on your devices 

Please remember to register for the credit option if you are interested. 

There have been questions about the ISEE/Schoolnet meeting with the Technology Coach on Tuesday. Each grade level team is meeting at one of the seven schools. The agenda for your meeting will include a time that Tyler will meet with you.

8/22/13

Friday August 23rd, 2013

Today is New Teacher Orientation.

We have a new Foster Grandma. She has a grandchild at Harrison. She had been at Bickel, and they were really sad to hear that she was going to be at Harrison. She comes with a great review. Please let me know if you are interested in having her help in your classroom. I'll then be able to put together a schedule for her. She will start on the first day of school.

The flyer about credit for the two days of summer training is in your mailbox.

8/21/13

Thursday August 22nd, 2013

We had a great 3 day training for the Leader In Me. Hopefully you are excited and eager to start incorporating this in your classroom, and in the community at Harrison. Anne has done a great job creating a welcoming entrance into the school, with the Leader In Me theme, so please check it out.

I added a few pictures to the school website from the Kindergarten Open House. When you are on the website, just click on posts under the home tab. Really exciting to see new families, returning families, siblings, and several dads.

We have a new call out program that goes right with Powerschool. We can also email and text. We can even send to staff! I sent a call out for Open House, and hopefully you received the message. 

8/14/13

Thursday August 15th, 2013

We are going to be having more training this year about Schoolnet. Please let Khrista or I know if you need help logging in. We really need everybody to be able to get onto Schoolnet before August 27th, when the new technology integration coach will be having a training at Canyon Ridge.

There are a few popsicles and Chobani yogurt tubes left over from summer school in the staff refrigerators. Feel free to take, first come first served.

8/13/13

Wednesday August 14th, 2013

I added the bus routes under schedules. If a parent/guardian asks where the closest stop is by their house, you can go online and check.

We will have a new phone call out program. It goes right with Powerschool. It will include email and texts. Some families don't have texts on their phone plans, and we don't want them to incur charges. There is a text opt out form on the school website under school information. We will do our part from the office to inform families about the opt out option, such as with the school website and phone call out, but you might also include this in your first welcome back newsletter.

If a friend or neighbor asks when the school will be starting to register new students, that will be Monday August 19th. All the registration forms, and what is required for registration, are on the school website. 

The teachers at summer school have tried really hard to leave the classrooms just like you left them. Wednesday is the last day for summer school. I heard over and over about not wanting to touch something, for even something like a pencil. Please email me if you have any concerns when you go back to your classrooms. Thank you for being a great host this year for summer school.

Tuesday August 13th, 2013

This is the latest information from Mr. Popplewell on the August/Summer Training:

August 26th
Solution Tree’s Geri Parscale will share with us the best plan to follow in incorporating The Idaho Core Standards on Monday, August 26th. We will also learn instructional strategies, unit planning strategies, and ideas for formative assessments as we move through the more rigorous common core standards this year. The training will take place at Canyon Crest Dining and Event Center. The schedule for the day looks like this:
            8:30 to 11:30 A.M. – Morning Training Session
            11:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. – Lunch on your own
            1:00 to 4:00 P.M. – Afternoon Training session
We will take a fifteen break in both the morning and afternoon sessions. I have ordered some light snacks for the morning and afternoon. I always start events at the designated time, so be seated and ready to go at 8:30 A.M. Please sit with your grade level from your school. Specialist teachers should sit with others who teach the same subject, music with music, P.E with P.E., and fifth block teachers together. Title I teachers will select a grade level from their school to work with during the training. Special education teachers have their own training for both days. 

August 27th
Individual grade levels will meet together at various buildings including Kindergarten at Morningside, First Grade at Sawtooth, Second Grade at Harrison, Third Grade at Lincoln, Fourth Grade at Perrine, Fifth Grade at Bickel, and Specialists at Oregon Trail. Title I teachers will be attending their own training on this day. Activities at each school will be on reviewing the old standards with the new common core standards, unit planning, and formative assessment development.

Participants will have the chance to register for one credit offered by NNU. Teachers taking the course for credit will need to make sure they sign-in for all morning and afternoon sessions on both days. They will also need to implement the Idaho Core Standards in a unit based lesson and then analyze, review, and submit a reflection paper on the unit.

8/11/13

Monday August 12th, 2013

We're going to have iPads in the classroom this year. Some teachers have, or are thinking about, classroom blogs. I'm also planning on posting more pictures this year on the school website of all the great things students and staff are doing at Harrison. We want to show families and the community what we are doing at Harrison.

You might mention in your first newsletter that there is a media opt out form on the school website if parents/guardians do not want their child's picture posted online. It is located under school information, under the FERPA link. That is also a great digital citizenship lesson with students, asking before posting pictures.

Feel free to email me pictures during the school year that you would like posted on the school website.

                                        


Sunday August 11th, 2013

Open House is scheduled for Thursday August 29th, starting at 5pm. 

                         


8/8/13

Friday August 9th, 2013

Summer school is almost over. The last day is Wednesday August 14th. You should be able to start working in your classrooms the next day on Thursday August 15th. Thank you for letting us use your classrooms.

Even though summer school is still occurring, you can always come in to use the copy machines and laminating machine.

Enjoy the rest of your summer with friends and family. School will be starting very quickly.