November 2018
Happy November, everyone! It has been a very busy couple of months. Thank you for your endless energy, positivity, and enthusiasm for our kids. They deserve it!
As you know, the admin team is deep into observations. We are enjoying the time spent in your rooms, celebrating your successes, watching you do what you love, and watching our students thrive! We've had a few questions regarding ratings. Please keep in mind that Formatives are not limited to what is observed during the formal observations, but includes everything throughout Cycle I. Please be sure that your lesson plans are accessible, including all of your lesson plans this school year. It is also important to remember that Level IV's are noted for continuous practices and are often noted when such practices are shared beyond the walls of your team and even beyond the walls of our school. As an active participant in your CCC (Cobb Collaborative Community), the expectation is that you are consistently collaborating and sharing with your colleagues. We try to keep current with each of you as you are out in other schools and presenting at the district level, but we are human and we may miss something! Please do not hesitate sharing these extras with us, even if it is a quick email. We are in this together and cannot do what we do without one another. Lastly, please do not be discouraged if you receive a something below a Level III rating. As an educator, it is important to recognize, and accept, that we all have areas in which we need to grow. Remember, your Summative evaluation is what we report. Your ratings within each cycle are not part of the final calculations, yet just indicators and evidence we consider for the Summative.
All of this to say, thank you for ALL that you do. Please know that we recognize your exceptional work and appreciate you more than you'll ever know! The rest of this month's Flipped Agenda is long, but it has some great information that you will need/want.
As you know, the admin team is deep into observations. We are enjoying the time spent in your rooms, celebrating your successes, watching you do what you love, and watching our students thrive! We've had a few questions regarding ratings. Please keep in mind that Formatives are not limited to what is observed during the formal observations, but includes everything throughout Cycle I. Please be sure that your lesson plans are accessible, including all of your lesson plans this school year. It is also important to remember that Level IV's are noted for continuous practices and are often noted when such practices are shared beyond the walls of your team and even beyond the walls of our school. As an active participant in your CCC (Cobb Collaborative Community), the expectation is that you are consistently collaborating and sharing with your colleagues. We try to keep current with each of you as you are out in other schools and presenting at the district level, but we are human and we may miss something! Please do not hesitate sharing these extras with us, even if it is a quick email. We are in this together and cannot do what we do without one another. Lastly, please do not be discouraged if you receive a something below a Level III rating. As an educator, it is important to recognize, and accept, that we all have areas in which we need to grow. Remember, your Summative evaluation is what we report. Your ratings within each cycle are not part of the final calculations, yet just indicators and evidence we consider for the Summative.
All of this to say, thank you for ALL that you do. Please know that we recognize your exceptional work and appreciate you more than you'll ever know! The rest of this month's Flipped Agenda is long, but it has some great information that you will need/want.
November Super Specials
The focus of our November Super Specials will be: Communication as it relates to RtI & grading. Tracey will also be in Super Specials to facilitate Tier 2 meetings. You should have time to collaborate with your team following our discussion and Tier 2 meetings.
Thursday, Nov 8th 1st grade: 8:15-9:50 5th grade (due to Symphony on Friday): 10:50-11:35 Kindergarten: 12:25-2:00 Friday, Nov 9th 4th grade: 8:15-9:50 2nd grade (due to 5th grade's trip): 10:50-11:35 3rd grade: 12:25-2:00 |
Holiday parties
Kindergarten: Dec 13 AM
1st grade: Dec 19 AM
2nd grade: Dec 18 AM
3rd grade: Dec 18 PM
4th grade: Dec 17 AM
5th grade: Dec 19 PM
*Please decide as a grade level the exact timing of the parties. Once it is determined, please let Kathy know. This will help the office to be prepared with visitor stickers and logistics of how visitors will be handled each day.
1st grade: Dec 19 AM
2nd grade: Dec 18 AM
3rd grade: Dec 18 PM
4th grade: Dec 17 AM
5th grade: Dec 19 PM
*Please decide as a grade level the exact timing of the parties. Once it is determined, please let Kathy know. This will help the office to be prepared with visitor stickers and logistics of how visitors will be handled each day.
Congratulations, Sheila Fisher! Cheatham Hill's TOTY
We enjoyed celebrating Sheila at the annual Give Our Schools a Hand TOTY Breakfast & Pep Rally on October 23rd!
October MVP Challenge
Congratulations!
As you may have heard, Heba Mohsin got engaged over the Fall Break! A specific date has not been set just yet. |
Congratulations to our STEM Innovation Academy participants!
Valerie Henry: Representing our Support Specialists Marcie Jelenevsky: Representing our Special Education Dept. Karen Courant: Representing our Specialists Nicole Meador: Representing Leadership Erin Flynn: Representing our Intermediate grades Kelly Smartt: Representing our Primary grades |
Thank you
A huge SHOUT-OUT to Maureen, Taneka Mason, Hailey McCloskey, Gina Hill, Leslie Riccard, & Valerie Henry for a successful Hearing/Vision screening!
November 6 Professional Learning Day
Please click here for PL locations for the Nov 6 PL day.
Reading Inventory (RI)
Just a friendly reminder that the only students who should be taking the Reading Inventory (RI) more frequently that what the county recommends are those students who are in our Read180/Systems44 program. If needed, please use the DRA between the RI assessments to measure reading level. Nicole will be discussing this in more detail, but we have learned of some inconsistencies with the DRA-2 and the quick DRA. Please see Nicole if you have specific questions.
Math Inventory (MI) Update
As we shared during pre-planning, the county was piloting the new and improved MI at selected schools with the hope that we could administer the MI assessment in September or October. There was a bit of a delay with the company, so we are hopeful that we will be able to administer it this winter. As we receive more information, we will let you know.
Teacher Attendance
Many of you have asked about acceptable attendance and what counts vs. what doesn't count. Personal leave IS counted towards acceptable absences. Remember, these are taken from your short-term days. If you do not have any short-term days, you cannot take Personal Leave. Just as a friendly reminder,
Not counted towards absences: FLMA Administrative Leave Jury Duty Military Leave Bereavement Leave Professional Leave Vacation Leave (240+ employees) Workers Compensation |
The clip above was taken from the CCSD GARH-R policy. Click here for the entire policy.
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Calendar & Upcoming Events
Nov 1st: PTA Meeting/1st grade performance/Reflections Ceremony, 6:00 p.m.
Nov 5th: CHAT, 2:30-3:30 PL Room Nov 6th: Student Holiday/District PL Day Nov 8th: Super Specials (see above) Nov 8th: Optional Training with Nicole (Closing Lessons), 2:30-3:30 PL Room Nov 9th: Super Specials (see above) Nov 9th: Kindergarten Veteran's Day Parade (more details to come) Nov 10th: Turkey Trot, 8:00 a.m. Bus Port Nov 13th: Hosting New Principal's Meeting & Mr. Ragsdale visiting Nov 13th: Writing PL during Planning (Learning Lab) **Location change due to district meeting. Nov. 14th: Maggie in the building for drop-ins Nov 14th: Staff Meeting, 2:45-3:30 Learning Commons (Sit with All-Star Teams) Nov 16th: CCSD Falcons Friday Nov 16th: Progress Reports to be sent home Nov 19th-Nov 23rd: Thanksgiving Holidays Nov 29th: CHES 1st STEM Night, 6:00-7:00 p.m. |
There was A LOT to read this month! The first 5 people who email Keeli, answering the following 3 questions will receive a treat from their Favorite Things list!
1. How many days (for a teacher) does the CCSD policy say is an acceptable number of days absent in a school year? 2. When is CHES's 1st STEM Night? 3. What is the focus of discussion for the November Super Specials? *Please put November Flipped Agenda in the subject line of your email! |
Dress Down Stickers and Early Out Coupons expire
A few of you have asked about using coupons and dress down stickers from previous school years for this school year. Please clean those out and look for opportunities to get some of those coupons for this current year. This helps us to be fair and consistent year to year to all staff.
Staff Member of the Month
Congratulations to all of our nominees for Staff Member of the Month for October!
Jan Earnest
Lynn Ralph
Tessa Whitus
Jean Presley
To nominate someone for November Staff Member of the Month, please click here.
Jan Earnest
Lynn Ralph
Tessa Whitus
Jean Presley
To nominate someone for November Staff Member of the Month, please click here.
Save the date
Staff Holiday Luncheon, Friday, December 21 at 1:00