Randolph School’s End of the Week Notes for Nov. 16, 2007

Celebrations!

Happy Birthday to Stan Minchow on Nov. 23, Barbara Mattley on Nov. 26 and Kathy Wobig on Nov. 29!

What a great time students, families and staff enjoyed at Tuesday’s “Dinner and A Book Night”! The PTA served 324 pieces of pizza, and unknown gallons of orange Hi-C. The book fair was a popular stop and families got creative making their own storybooks in the gym. Thank you to all the volunteers who made each activity run so smoothly. Students from the Leadership Team joined Mrs. Mahoney, Ms. Rehn, Mrs. Hale, and Dr. B. as celebrity readers to roomful of listeners. What a joyful celebration of reading, literacy, and the community we share!

Condolences

Our condolences go to John and Tobi Scofield on the death of Tobi’s mother. Our thoughts and prayers are with them in this time of loss.

Curriculum and Instruction

Grades 4 and 5: Please let Vicki know before Wed., Nov. 21 the number of replacement calculators you need for your grade.

Meetings Held This Week

The Great Expectations Team met on Monday, November 12, 2007 at 8:10 in Mrs. Mahoney’s room. The following items in the Schoolwide System were discussed:

Present: Lisa, Jean, Susan, Kathy W., Jeanie, Kelly, Susie, Pam, Lisa P-Z, Lance M., Nicole, Wendy

The following items in the School-wide System were discussed:

Arrival: Students eating breakfast are to go directly outside to their lines as soon as they complete breakfast. Students are reportedly hiding in restrooms or behind the PE door. Dr. B. will ask Mrs. Hueke to help direct students outdoors. Mrs. Goldenstein at the SEM desk has been helping direct students, too.

Arrival: Parents need to use the west bus lane for dropping off children for all before school events, such as Family Services, band, chorus, strings, etc. Door #1 is open just for those early arrivals. Or, parents can continue to drop students off from D Street. Parents should NOT drive into the parking lot to drop students off for any before school activity.

Lunchroom: Kdg. students will be lead inside from the playground by fifth grade helpers who will take the Kdg. students directly to the areas where they will hang up or put their coats, hats, etc. Kdg. cold lunch baskets will be at the classes’ coat areas. The “follow the leader” line will then go directly to the lunchroom. When Kdg. students leave the lunchroom, they’ll go directly to their coats and sit down in a line.

Lunchroom: First graders will be lead into their classrooms from the playground by their supervisors, where they will hang up their coats, get their sack lunches, and walk in line to the lunchroom.

Lunchroom: Teachers will continue to mark students’ lunch choices (A and salad) on the students’ hands, to help remind students to pick the lunch they ordered. At each grade, students are missing out on the choice they ordered because others in line earlier are changing their minds. We will try this for the week of Nov. 12-16 and reassess. It was also suggested that the grades that “stick with what you pick” get extra tickets in the Friday prize drawing.

Dismissal: Parents need to wait away from the doors so teachers can take their class line out to the dismissal area. Dr. B. and Mrs. Hale will help remind parents and families to wait by the parking lot fence.

Dismissal: Students going to Family Services will all go OUTDOORS with their class and then assemble on the east side of the school by the bike room door. Jamie and one other Family Service supervisor will meet students there and check them in for the day. This will start on Tuesday, Nov. 13 after school.

Dismissal: Kdg. students going to Family Services will be met at the North ramp by Family Service supervisor Emily. She will line the Kdg. students along the ramp, and take them all into Family Services together. This will begin Tuesday, Nov. 13. Kdg. teachers will put this in their reminder notes to parents.

Love and Logic Institute: Jim Fay will be presenting on Love and Logic in Omaha on Thursday, Dec. 13. Randolph will pay the registration ($99) for 4 teachers and 2 parents to attend. Those attending will put together presentations for the “Love and Logic Moments” for several upcoming staff meetings. Attending will be Kathy W., Susan, Jeanie, Cara, and two parents from G.E.T.

UNL Women’s Basketball Game: Members of the UNL Women’s Basketball team will meet with all fifth graders today at 2:45 in the gym. All Randolph students and staff will receive “take 5” tickets to this Saturday’s basketball game. TEACHERS: Please send home the tickets as soon as you get them. Do not wait to send the tickets home on Friday.

The next G.E.T. meeting is Monday, Mon., January. 7 at 8:10 a.m. There is NO DECEMBER G.E.T. meeting.

The Technology Planning Committee met on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 8:10 a.m. in the Media Center.

Present: Lisa, Jean, Laura, Jan, Kristin C., Patrick, Chris H., Susie, Trish, Wendy B.

Discussion included:

1. Review of the Accelerated Reader Program. Grades 3, 4, and 5 reported consistent student use of AR. Teachers reported a high degree of satisfaction with the program.

Questions included:

Chris H. needs own password, and will check with Jeanie.

Patrick wants to know how to sort students’ AR reports by date, and Jan will show him.

Laura wondered if high ability second graders could access the program. Jean thought of some high ability readers in K-1 that could benefit, too. Laura will see Jeanie for a way to assign numbers to these few students for trial use. If there are books to meet these students’ needs, then primary grades may choose to put in some funds for AR access when ordering for next school year.

2. Review of hardware needs. The computer lab needs an additional computer for our fifth grade classes with 31 students. The district provides 28 computers for each elementary school lab. Additional machines are the building’s responsibility. Dr. Bonaiuto ordered the needed machine for the lab. Committee members offered other ideas for technology purchases: a computer projector for each area of the school, digital cameras per grade, DVD player per grade, and CD players for each classroom. Dr. Bonaiuto will copy the most recent technology equipment inventory to committee members. At the next Technology Planning Committee meeting, members will prioritize a list of needed equipment, as well as explore funding options, such as the Foundation for LPS’s Fund a Need program.

3. Staff training opportunities: LPS is changing from document storage on Universal Locker to a web based system called DocuShare. District offices have begun using this system, and schools are invited to begin use as well. The committee members were enthused about Computing Services’ offer to do demonstrations and trainings here for staff. Dr. Bonaiuto will check with the School Improvement Process committee to see if the two-hour DocuShare training would be something we’d like to use some of our flex hours of professional development to complete.

The next Technology Planning Committee meeting is Thursday, December 6 at 8:10 in the Media Center. Members, please review the technology inventory and come with your grade’s list of prioritized equipment needs.

Upcoming Events

Nov. 17 UNL Women’s Basketball game—Randolph families will get free “take five” tickets to attend! Game time 5:05 p.m.

Nov. 19 School Improvement Process committee meets to plan for PLC early dismissal on Nov. 27 at 2:18 as well as our part of the district PLC Sharing Fair presentation on Dec. 13.

Nov. 20 Staff meeting at 8:10 in the media center; chess club meets in staff room 113

Nov. 20 Principal’s Parent Forum 7 p.m. in the Media Center

Nov. 21 No School for Students; Elementary Plan Day

Nov. 22-23 No School

Nov. 26 SCIP committee meets in Mrs. Mahoney’s room

Nov. 27 Early dismissal for PLC at 2:18

Nov. 29 Randolph Night at the Lincoln Children’s Museum $2 plus tax, 5:00-7:30 p.m.

Dec. 4 Band, Strings, Chorus concert 7:00 p.m.

Dec. 6 Technology Committee meeting 8:10 a.m.

Dec. 10 School Improvement Process committee 8:10 a.m.

Dec. 11 Staff meeting 8:10 a.m. Agenda = Budget and ordering processes, PLC sharing fair presentation

Dec. 13 SIP presents Randolph’s information about our PLC processes and progress at district meeting 4-6:00 p.m.

Dec. 14 Illusion Theatre assembly 1:30 in the gym

Dec. 17 SCIP meets in Mrs. Mahoney’s room

Dec. 18 NO STAFF MEETING

Dec. 19 Elementary Principals’ meeting at LPSDO

Dec. 21 Class winter parties

Dec. 24- Jan. 2 Winter Break NO SCHOOL

Jan. 3 Classes start again.