Week 23: February 16-20

• B week for duty

• Habit of the week:  Seek first to understand and then to be understood.

• Optional teacher work day:  Tomorrow, February 16th.

• McTeacher Night:  For 3rd grade on Thursday, February 19th from 5:00-7:00.  

• Spring Pictures:  Thursday, February 19th.

• Committee meetings: Next Monday, February 23rd we will have committee meetings.

• Sharpen the Saw dinner:  Please join us for dinner together on February 26th.  This is sure to be a wonderful evening together.  

• Read-A-Thon: Friday, February 20th.  This is a wonderful opportunity to integrate the habits while synergizing with your buddy class.  See the C&I committee members for ideas.  

• March Newsletter:  Due this Friday, February 20th.

• Love the Bus:  We will be celebrating Love the Bus week this week.  Please take the time to thank our bus driver's for the incredible job they do each day transporting our 500+ students to and from school.  

• Staff meeting:  Tuesday, February 17th at 3:00pm in Platform 9 3/4.  If we are unable to meet on Tuesday due to weather, the staff meeting will be rescheduled for Wednesday at 3:00pm.  PLCs can take place at a time of your choosing if we need to reschedule.

• Progress reports:  Mid-term progress reports should go home on February 18th-20th.  

• Purchase orders:  Please remember that you must have a purchase order through Gail before making any purchase for the school.  Purchases made without a purchase order can not be reimbursed.  

• Discipline Task Force: We have convened a group of folks to help proactively address student discipline.  We will be deploying some new strategies in the next couple of weeks to help better support you so that we can continue to put "academics first." 

• Assembly practice:  We will have a quick 15 minute assembly practice session on Wednesday, February 18 at 1:30-1:45 for K-2 and 1:45-2:00 for 3-5.  

• Assembly expectations: Students had a rough time in our last assembly.  Their "off TRACK" behavior provides a great opportunity for growth. Please review the following expectations with your classes prior to our Wednesday, February 18th assembly practice sessions. Please let students know that students with off-track behavior will not be permitted to attend assemblies in the future (More info to come on this once we work out logistics).   Teachers, I need your help in assemblies to redirect inappropriate behavior and help keep students focused.  
• Heart - Enter silently and in a straight line to show guests and performers your respect for their time and effort. Get settled quickly so we can begin.  Remain in the assembly without interrupting others to leave (for the restroom). 
• Head - Mouth silent and head facing the front.  Sitting up straight.  Listening to instructions from adults.  
• Hands - Hands inside your bubble.  Clapping and giving the quiet sign the first time.  
• Heels - Heels tucked under your body.  

• Upcoming assembly:  Our next assembly will be held on Monday, February 23rd from 1:00-1:30 for grades K-2 and 1:45-2:15 for grades 3-5.  Please keep the subject matter and the guest (Mrs. Universe) a secret from the students.  Students will need to "earn" the right to attend this assembly.  I will send out further details after meeting with the Discipline Task Force on Monday.   

• New custodian: We are thrilled to announce that Mr. Harris--who used to be a custodian here at Bullock--will be joining us again as our evening custodian.  His start date has not yet been set, but we expecting him to start within the week.  I hope you'll show him a warm Bullock welcome.  

• Cleanliness:  It is important that we keep our school and classrooms clean and organized. I have spoken to some classes individually, but I do feel it necessary to remind the entire staff. Please use a wet paper towel to clean-up spills before they become sticky, dirty spots throughout the classroom; we can not wait for end-of-day mopping.  Also, please have students pick-up paper, erasers, pencils, crayons, etc. throughout the day.  Please include students in this process.  This should not only be the teacher's responsibility, but rather the responsibility of the entire class.  Cleanliness shows pride and consciousness and is a important part of modeling and our environment. Keeping our rooms clutter-free and clean also helps keep everyone safe by preventing slips and tripping hazards.  Thanks for synergizing to make this happen.   

• PLCs: Dr. Chappell will be visiting our PLCs over the next few weeks.  She will be looking for ways that we have used the most recent quarterly data to drive our instruction including: remediation using data gathered, strategic small groups (or 1:1) to assist non-proficient students, time for DAILY review, guided error correction, and use of research-based tools such as iReady, NC Ready and Learning Focused.  

• Bulletin boards:  Please make sure your bulletin boards are refreshed and updated with season appropriate work and decor by March 13th.  We will be having Leader in Me visitors here from other schools.  I can not wait to show them teaching/learning taking place at Bullock.  

• Instruction: Data provides such helpful information about how to adjust instruction.  Based on an analysis of student scores and discussion within grade levels from first and second quarter,  it seems that our students need to review previously taught content.  I know the teaching is there (I see it every day), but students are not retaining and using the information like we would hope.  
• Please build-in time to review previously taught concepts every day.  Please design your literacy, math, science/social studies times to include review time as well as time to introduce new content.  Please use your tutor and other resources to provide guided review.   
• Please be sure to use iReady daily. Please use iReady at least 20-30 minutes a day on Monday-Thursday in literacy (during rotations). Please use iReady 20-30 minutes 3 days a week in math.

• Druthers:  I will be placing a druthers form in your mailbox tomorrow.  Please let me know your preferences in regards to planning for next year.  

Thank you all for tireless dedication to Bullock students.  I see our mission--To love. To learn. To lead.--in action daily.  Thank you all.  

Upcoming dates are located at http://goo.gl/SFeo4Z.