Thursday, October 6, 2011

I still need five or six volunteers to host Intro to Ed students from The College of Idaho.  They are requesting K, 2, K-4 placements.  Next Tuesday is their tour and it is welcoming to identify the classroom and know they are accepted and planned for.  Then their first observation days are the week of the 25th.  Please let me know if you can help.  Thank you Sandy, Suzette, Susan, Greg and Lise for saying yes already.



There is a seating chart in your mailbox to use for assemblies.  We will adjust if needed.  The following teachers should take their classes outside to enter through the west gym door: Eichelberger, Navratil, Foster, S.Brocke, Santero, Brown. Those classes entering through the lunchroom, if you sit in the bleachers enter the door on the left (southest) with those sitting on the floor entering the door on the right (northest) so that two classes can enter and find seating at the same time. 

We received a nice letter of congratulations from Superintendent Tom Luna.  I thought I would share it with you here as you really should be proud of your efforts and achievements as a school team.  "Red Rover, Red Rover send our next challenge right over!"

The District and the State Department of Education host and annual Holiday Card contest.  The District selects a winner and uses the design for the cards sent to staff and significant supporters.  The SDE also uses the winning design for their annual mailings.  We have not submitted any the last two years.  Maybe one of our students could win this year.  Here is the information.  You could assign it as homework or simple offer the opportunity to students.  The District deadline is October 20th.  I will take all the entries.  :)

Please protect the RtI data on the shared drive.  Copy to your own desktop or folder before manipulating.  Data was deleted and had to be re-entered. Our new program coming soon should help make data very accessible while securing the integrity.  I also heard that the District shared folders are being emptied, moved, deleted, etc.  Be careful when using electronic data and files that are shared with colleagues.

We will soon have access to a new vocabulary program called VocabJourney.  It is designed by the same company that does VMath and Ticket to Read.  It is geared toward grade levels third and above.  You can check the information on the link provided.  I also have a 30 day free trial if you want to look at it.  Aaron has purchased 100 licenses.  We think that those can be used across the District for up to 100 at a time.

The deadline for applying for NWPE Teacher Scholarships and Classroom Grants is October 31. Educators can apply online at http://www.nwpe.org/ for up to $500.
Your new staff are also eligible for NWPE’s $250 New Classroom Start-Up Grants. The application deadline is December 31. Educators can apply online at http://www.nwpe.org/.
Northwest Professional Educators is a nonunion association, which provides Idaho educators with liability protection, legal services, a voice on education issues, classroom resources, newsletters, grants and scholarships, as well as supplemental benefits. All educators are eligible for NWPE grants and scholarships.