Monday Morning Memo 11.30.20

 

December:

We hope you had a restful fall break!  This was a much needed time to decompress and focus on all that we are thankful for.  Now, it's time to breath deep and get ready to dive into the rush of December.  We hope that we have some fun things planned that will keep your spirits up and let you and your students have some fun.  Be sure to take a look at the email from Sarah Baldwin about the LiveSchool Challenge that begins Monday and lasts throughout the month.  

One of the best things to do to keep our kiddos on track during this busy time of year is to keep their routine the same and their academics progressing as much as possible.  When routines and structure change we often see students struggle behaviorally.  Think about some creative ways to keep instruction and routine on track while still getting in some holiday fun.  Some examples we have seen in the past allow students to still complete their normal academic assignments, but just change the way that  students respond or change the tools that students use to answer their questions.  Ideas include using some fun manipulatives (holiday erasers, small jingle bells, marshmallows, etc) as counters for math, letting students respond to their comprehension questions in reading on colored paper or with special writing utensils, letting students graffiti their answers on a piece of large butcher paper, doing their work underneath their desk, heading out to the courtyard or a sidewalk area with chalk to answer math problems, having the snow fall or a fireplace crackling on the tv in the background, and so much more.  Don't hesitate to share some creative ideas with your peer to help keep our academic pacing on target, get our kiddos into the holiday spirit, and keep the rooms structured to keep behavior in a positive place.

Gift:

If you have not done the survey to indicate your jacket size please do so by Tuesday at 3:00 pm.  You can access this survey by clicking here.  We are hoping to be able to give you a special gift this year, so we need ALL staff from all departments to complete this survey.  If you have a friend that does not often check email please give them a nudge so they hop on and complete the survey!

Welcome:

We would like to welcome two staff members to the DCE family!  Karen Johnson will be joining us as our new custodian.  She comes to us from Peace River Elementary.  We can't wait to have her!  Also, Mathilda Meade has been serving as the long term substitute for Dani in kindergarten.  She has interviewed and been selected as our new paraprofessional III.  She will be working in Kelly Smith's classroom.  She is working on completing her master's degree in special education, so this position is a perfect fit!

We are finishing up interviews this week for a paraprofessional I (2nd grade) and a paraprofessional III (one-on-one).  Hopefully we will be fully staffed soon.  Your patience and flexibility the last few months has been so appreciated.

This Week:

Hoping you have an amazing start to the month of December!

-Keli and James