Happy Catholic Schools Week!

Here we go.....  It's CSW 2019!  I had the pleasure of hearing Kristen speak at the 9:30 Mass this morning.  She did a great job and what was really awesome was how she stayed at the back of the church with her mom after Mass and people were coming up to her to talk about how well she did.  She represented us very well.  There were a number of students in uniform when they went up for the homily.  Definitely a day of being All In!

If this is your first Catholic Schools Week, just remember to relax, be flexible, and know it's only one week and you will survive it.  As discussed on Friday, we will not have a faculty meeting Monday afternoon, but look for Melissa's email with the schedule and activities for Monday night.  We will have a faculty meeting Friday afternoon beginning at 1 pm.  Enjoy the week!

Do You Have a Dream?

 Some dreams are big and some are small.  Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream of civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States.  That was a big dream, but one that changed our nation.  My dream is small in comparison but it is my passion.  My dream is to make St. Stephen that lighthouse that Mark always talked about.  I want parents to bring their students here because we offer the best of what education has to offer.  Please know that when I make a request, and sometimes demands, of you, it's because research shows what is needed to help our students excel.  It is very clear to me that the demands of teaching are not the same as they were in 1984 when I started teaching.  But I also know that the students in Catholic schools are not the same as those I taught in the 80s and 90s.  I think back to the years I taught 6 social studies classes, each class having 35 students and no assistant in sight.  Could you imagine grading papers for 210 students?  That seemed like a breeze compared to teaching a class of 25 of today's students with the rigor and assessment necessary to help them succeed.  The key to our success is preparation, assessment, and feedback.  While some of our materials may need updating, a good teacher can teach with a stick and some dirt to write in.  It's not always about the textbook, it's about passion.  It's clear that many of you also have this passion as I walk into your room and see the excitement in learning taking place.  I want everyone to have that passion and I will help in any way I can.  I'm not only speaking to teachers.  Instructional assistants must also be in-tune with the needs of the students.  Gina and I were recently talking about having an in-service for instructional assistants.  It's not always about waiting for instruction from the teacher and we want to help you be successful in what you do.  

It is time for everyone to re-evaluate their dream and decide if you are All In for what it takes to make St. Stephen that lighthouse.  Gina and I will be sending out letters of intent to everyone this week and they are due back on February 8.  Please remember to complete, sign, and return them on time.  

Thank you to everyone who has worked hard to make Catholic Schools Week a success.  I am looking forward to all the planned activities.  If you typically attend a different church than St. Stephen, try to attend Mass here on Jan. 26 or 27 to support our students who will speak at each Mass.  

On a final note, Friday night Gina and I came back to school around 7:30 p.m. to pick up two items before stopping by the middle school social.  I was greeted by our cleaning ladies hard at work after a not so nice email I sent to the company which hires them.  One looked at me, pointed, and said, "are you Linda?" at which point Gina left (ran away) to pick up a check in extended day. (Just kidding...but she did leave me.) While I could not understand her, it was clear she was showing me how well she had just cleaned.  What I did understand is that she was upset that I complained about them not locking doors.  She said they find some of them unlocked.  I told her to lock them no matter how they are found.  However, it is important that we all lock ALL doors.  This is important in particular for Extended Day staff who are the last ones in a few of the rooms.  

Have a great week!  

Blood Moon 2019

A blood moon is coming and we have a front-row seat.  AND.... even though the full eclipse starts at 11:41 p.m., the next day is no school so they may be able to stay up!  This link below has details and time schedule so if you're like me and 11:41 is a time when you're sound asleep, be sure to set your alarm.  https://www.space.com/42976-blood-moon-lunar-eclipse-2019-coming-soon.html  

Monday's Faculty meeting is important. VERY important!  Gina and Alton will be discussing the Terra Nova and Jennifer will tell you all about Catholic Schools Week.  

I will be sending a separate email about the Feb. 15 Diocesan Prof Dev.  It is VERY important that you read the email and follow the directions exactly.  It is also important that you plan to attend for the full day.  St. Stephen will be hosting the meetings for all Specials teachers, ESE, and Guidance.  I will be asking those of you fall into that category to lead your session.  You will be given everything you need.  Everyone MUST register themselves.  

I will be at St. Pete High School on Monday for the Safety Summit.  Friday I'm back at Tampa Catholic working on Religion Standards and Feb. 15 is the target date for the installation of our new gates on either side of the breezeway.  Another thing we are working on is becoming a keyless entry school through the use of Fobs.  You will only need keys for interior doors.  This will give us more control over who can come in.  

Lastly, please be sure that when you leave the building at the end of the day you make sure your classroom doors are locked.  I will also follow up with the cleaning company to make sure they are doing the same.  Lock your doors and pull your magnets.  

Thank you and have a good week.  

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!!
I hope that 2019 is a great year for everyone.  I know tomorrow will be a challenge for some but some will be happy to get back to a routine.  Students will be happy to see their friends again and hopefully, they will stay awake to make it through the day. 

Now that we have been away for a couple of weeks, the school should be germ-free. Let's work together to keep the germs away.  Take some time each Friday to wipe down desks, door handles, countertops, etc.  The classroom should be treated like your second home and everyone should help in keeping it neat and clean.  We have a cleaning company, but their focus is trash and floors.  Assign students to help with routine cleaning: dusting shelves, wiping desks and the sink countertop, cleaning the whiteboard, etc. and allow 10 minutes for this every week.  Every class was given expo cleaner for the whiteboards.  If you need an all-purpose cleaner, let me know and I will make sure you get one. 

I am hoping that teachers took some time over break to look at your curriculum maps to see if you are on track.  If not, be sure you have a plan as to how you will address all the standards before the end of the year.  Look at your grade books and be sure you have enough assessments. If not, how will you address this?  Be sure you have read the handbook or tidbits regarding winter uniforms.  No students should ever wear leggings with the uniform.  If you see them, ask the student to go to the restroom and remove them.  Girls can wear pants in the cold weather.  They can also wear WHITE or NAVY tights - NOT BLACK.  Check that shoes and socks meet the uniform guidelines.  Do not send students to the office - check the handbook and follow procedures. 

This week will be busy in the office finalizing the budget for next year and getting ready for re-enrollment which begins on Thursday.  I will be at the Pastoral Center on Friday for a principal's meeting then at St. Pete High School on Monday for a School Safety Summit. 

If you filled out the survey for iPads, please email me and let me know what your response was in terms of what you are requesting.  The only one I could figure out was Julianne's request.  If you didn't reply to the survey, please come see me to discuss your needs. 

Have a great first week back.  The really good news is we didn't use any hurricane days and we will have a nice long weekend in March! 

Merry Christmas

Ho Ho Ho one more week to go!  And a busy week it will be.  Keep in mind that Thursday and Friday are not good days for assessment.  Thursday will be hectic with our practice for the performance that evening.  Everyone will need to remain flexible with their schedule that day.  Friday is filled with Christmas fun.  Therefore, all assessments should be complete by Wednesday.  Be sure to see what other teachers have planned for your students so they do not have 4 assessments in one day. Be sure you have read my email regarding homework on long vacations.  

Thursday morning we will practice for the concert.  Kelly will be sending out a schedule for practice.  All teachers are required to come to the Christmas program to help.  Kelly and Gina will have assignments for you.  You have already received the schedule for Friday for grades K-4.  Grades 5-8 will have breakfast and participate in Christmas activities.  Friday afternoon is our Christmas party.  Remember to bring a gift for the left-right game.  

Please encourage your students to get donations over the holidays for the Fun Run.  A portion of the funds raised go back to your classroom based on your students' earnings.  Let's be All In to Make This Fun Run Happen!!  

                              

Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord

This song from Godspell kept running through me head as I listened to the Gospel reading this week.  As you do your gospel reflection on Monday, here is a Michael W. Smith version of the song you may want to play.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHNpsz2zv34  Let us try to keep the spirit of preparation in the hearts of the students which was planted during the retreat on Friday. I was going to use the video from Godspell, but it was a bit too much on the hippy side for 3rd grade.  If you don't know what the picture on the left is, then you are just way too young.  

Welcome once again to David.  Monday will be his first day.  No one is more excited that Gina and I about his arrival.  A few things have slipped through the cracks the past couple of weeks and we are hoping to get back on track.  

The air has been purified.  I'm here at school writing this and the air is fresh and clean!  And no animals were harmed!  Yah!  All animals are free to return back to school on Monday. 

Don't forget there is a faculty meeting Monday.  We will break out into three groups and discuss the things we talked about on Friday:

• What procedures do we need to review and make sure we are all doing the same thing so that classroom behavior expectations are the same everywhere?
• Share strategies to ensure that enough formative assessments are being given.

Have a stupendous week.  Here is a quote from Godspell to ponder...  Jesus asked, "How do you remove a speck of sawdust from your brother's eye when all the while there's a big plank in your own?"  If you haven't read Tidbits this week, please do.  Remember we are All In to help our parents see clearly and regain confidence.  

O Come O Come

This Sunday marks the First Sunday of Advent.  It is also the start of a new Liturgical Year.  This year we are in Sunday Cycle C and Weekday Cycle 1.  Please be sure to have your Advent Wreaths out and incorporate the idea of preparing into your religion lessons.  I emailed teachers a good resource to discuss the Gospels for the next three Mondays.  This Sunday is also the day in which those in the RCIA program are presented to the congregation as they enter the final stage of their preparation to enter into the Catholic Church.  My husband is one of the candidates this year and it's been an amazing and sometimes challenging opportunity to sponsor someone as they learn the intricacies of the Catholic faith.  Being a cradle Catholic I forget how rich our faith is but it has been a good experience for both of us.

We had a minor accident on Friday and if you smell smoke when you arrive on Monday, please do not be alarmed.  The good news is that we know our fire alarms work.  The bad news is that we may need to revisit and rethink keeping animals at school.  Tom felt confident that the school would be fine come Monday and no one and no animals were harmed. 

Friday is our Advent Retreat followed by Prof Dev.  For our discussion on Friday, we will focus on assessment.  The discussion will be led by our Instructional Coaches along with Gina and myself.  We will begin as a group and then divide into three groups - Early Childhood, Grades 3-8, and Encore.  We need to continue to have these discussions and the importance of assessment.  We will also share ideas on strategies for effective assessment in each subject.  We struggled to meet the grade requirements in the first trimester and it continues to be a struggle.  Some teachers are doing a great job of having sufficient formatives for each summative.  Since a trimester has 12 weeks and we have just completed three weeks, each class should have at least 4 formatives and 1 summative by now or close to it.  We also have a policy that grades must be posted within 2 days.  Some classes are right where they should be with 4 formatives and one summative.  Some classes have no grades at all.  That is not acceptable.  It is not ok to be cramming grades in the last two weeks of the trimester.  Math classes in particular should have 3-4 formatives a week.  We will discuss ways to make this happen.  Please know that this is not a request nor is this an option, it is an expectation.  This is part of the grading policy created by the Diocese and we follow it.

Some reminders about grades:

• Students may not receive a grade less than 50 unless they did not turn in the assignment
• Retakes in grades K-5 are teacher initiated
• Students may NOT grade their own or another student's paper (peer editing is fine) - I do talk to students and they tell me this is still happening
• Instructional assistants may NOT grade papers or put grades into Renweb
• Textbook "tests" like the ones in the religion book should not be used as the summative above 2nd grade unless you have ripped all the tests out prior to giving the books to the students

This will be another busy week for Gina and I.  Between being in 3rd grade, doing observations, and meetings it will be hectic.  If you need something from me and I'm not responding to an email, please come see me or raise a red flag outside my office.  The good news is we believe we have a teacher for 3rd grade and my hope is that he will take over next Monday.  Thank you to Nicki and Nick for pitching in and helping us teach.  I know this is not ideal for the students but I have gotten positive feedback from parents and the students have adapted well.  One parent told me their child thought it was super cool to have more teachers than their middle school sibling. I am impressed by how capable the third grade students are and how they will rise to high expectations.  I'm am also confused by why it is so difficult to fold a piece of paper and glue it in a notebook.  One child put glue on both sides of the paper and for one child I glued it in for them only to have it disappear a minute later.  It has been an education.  I also learned that if you need a pencil, just bend down, one will be within reach.