Thank you,
TAC-October
1.
Could we please
consider some CAD or Club Day time to work on entering grades and preparing for
report cards?
This has been cleared up earlier via email.
2.
Students are overly
excited on Club Day. It takes at least
10 minutes when they return to the classroom to calm down. Could we reconsider allowing some recess time
on Club Day? We have told parents that
students are receiving their PE instruction through recess.
This changed last year, so you may go to recess using the
Wednesday recess schedule for 15 minutes or, if it is being used by a Club,
find an empty spot.
3a. In the event
that a teacher has an emergency or is too sick to contact a sub, who is responsible
for finding one? Is there a set protocol
in place for this type of situation?
This is a copy of
the protocol on page 7 of the Teacher Handbook:
Teachers
are responsible for securing a substitute teacher for their classroom during an
absence. A list of sub teachers and
their phone numbers will be regularly updated and emailed to each teacher. Please
discard all old substitute lists and use ONLY the updated one. Occasionally a substitute’s name is deleted
from the list because the school or school system has found their performance
to be unsatisfactory. Should
illness or other circumstances prevent anyone from contacting and securing a substitute, he/she should ask another teacher
on your team or grade level to do this
task. This increases the likelihood of getting a reliable substitute in
a teacher’s absence. You will be emailed
a substitute distribution list to aid you in locating a substitute for your
leave days. Please update your distribution list as updates are emailed to
you.
3b. Can we get a
sub-finder system instead of using that current e-mail system?
This was discussed in a Principal’s Meeting recently at the
BOE and the present cost and personnel required for the system are major
factors at this time (as far as we know). A decision such as this would be made at the Central
Office level.
3c. When teachers need to be absent at the last
minute due to illness or sick children, could someone in the office be
responsible for finding a sub for us?
There are times teachers may have a stomach bug or such and it is so
hard to continue calling and calling to find a sub when you are ill. The office would know who has already
accepted a job and could avoid calling those subs. I understand that sub finder is a financial
burden. When we know days in advance
that we will be out, that is a different situation and we will continue to be
responsible for locating a sub for those days.
I am asking for help finding last minute subs.
The office staff doesn’t know what subs are working until
subs have signed in for the day. In the
past, the office has always helped to find a sub at the last-minute after your
partner teacher has been unsuccessful, unless they are unable to assist. Frequently someone from the office will cover
a classroom; but that leaves the office short-staffed and unable to make
calls. Mrs. Phillips also helps locate
someone else in the building to temporarily cover your class if you are
ill. Specialists will partner up to aide
each other in securing a sub due to teacher illness, but it has always been the
rule that partner teachers help find each other’s sub.
3d. Also, is it
possible for the office to highlight the changes made to the sub list? Please list deletions and additions so we can
tell what changed. Then, if we’ve lined
up a sub that was taken off the list, we can find an alternate. When it is a planned absence and we line up a
sub in advance, we need to know he or she has been removed.
The specific central office department does not want us to
make changes to the TCS Sub List online.
They are the only ones able to make any adjustments now. Mrs. Phillips forwarded the request to
highlight changes to the Payroll Dept. at the BOE, but the list is closed to
new additions, so the only changes now would be removals. As you secure a sub just remember to
periodically check the list for changes.
4. Can the Literacy
and Math Coaches present vocabulary mini lessons on WPIN beginning on A day and
two more mini lessons for each cycle? The teacher would piggyback off the
lessons and give support in the classroom.
I will talk with the Math Coach and Reading Coach to see
what suggestions that they might have based on research and previous
experiences.
As of now, we will follow the present routine that was
introduced regarding Academic Vocabulary two months ago. I am seeing great
success in classrooms with the vocabulary lessons, students are excited about
it and they absolutely love sharing their academic vocabulary notebooks with me
(and having meaningful conversations about the words and meaning), teachers are
finding time to present it during morning meeting and other suggested times as
outlined in the initial training. I will provide you all with a more in-depth
explanation to this answer, but as of now, we will continue with the Academic
Vocabulary plan as it presently is.
5. Can Magpi move to a table in the lunchroom?
This has been taken care of.
6. To get a true measure of test results from classroom to
classroom, classes need to be equally balanced in number, gender, ability, etc.
May we work on this in each grade level for the year 20152016?
Ms. Stacks works on this for several weeks during the
summer to balance the class by gender, race, discipline, GaTE, special ed. Zoning for the upcoming new schools is now a
factor as well as we move forward. We will reopen the conversation regarding
class design in the spring.
7. Can we limit the length and number of e-mails we
receive? Long and multiple e-mails keep us from being productive.
We will all begin to monitor the amount of times we “reply
all.” I will revise the blog posts for
staff to 2-3 times weekly (if possible). More specific information would be
helpful so that we know what exactly is being emailed too often.
It is not my desire to discourage colleagues from providing
affirmations to one another and emails of support, because I know and
completely agree that from time-to-time words of encouragement, or just knowing
that others appreciate you and your work, is VERY helpful. It provides for a
boost in school morale, the overall school culture, and it is simply a nice
gesture to make to others on occasion.
If you are frustrated with these types of emails (i.e.
emails of support or thanks from one another), there is a way to delete several
emails at a time. I will get with our technology team and/or department to find
out exactly how.
8. Can we make sure the RtI, Data, and other meetings do
not coincide with the end of the grading period?
Yes, we definitely will do this. This year was a different situation due to
the data coming in much later than usual and the change in Administration around
October.
9a. May our unused
copies carry over each month since some months require more or less at
different times of the year?
Our copiers do not allow a carry over. Either everyone’s copy number is reset or no
one is reset.
9b. We need more copies each month since we
are not purchasing textbooks. We have to
make copies of everything that we use.
Math textbooks would be more economical and environmentally friendly. Also parents need tools to have so that they
can better understand today’s math and how it is taught.
This is a funds availability matter. We buy 30 cases of paper every month and a
half for $1051 and copier expenses of over $1000 a month.
We have started our Math at Paine Intermediate School math
blog and have set dates for our Parent Math Academies. More information will be
provided to you all during our November 24th faculty meeting.
9c. Parents have
been requesting math textbooks. Students
would benefit from having research based textbooks. Can we get math textbooks?
Please direct parents to the administration for further
conversation regarding textbooks if you are presented with the question. As far
as the committee knows, funds are not available for textbooks or e-books at
this time.
10.
Can we have a new
large paper cutter for our workroom?
Ours is dull and flimsy.
Yes, that has been taken care of. Please send equipment requests to Mrs. Phillips
to order; those requests can be handled faster without waiting for a TAC
meeting.
11.
Instead of having a
Valentine Party, can we have an end-of-the-year celebration?
1.
Parties will only be at Christmas time and
Valentine’s Day. (Room mother(s) to assist if you’d like). *This is covered in
the Teacher Handbook.
2.
Small treats can be given at Halloween,
end-of-the-year, and other times such as this.
3.
No Other Class Parties should take place
throughout the year (unless permission is given for a special situation).
12a. Kona Ice
becoming a school-wide and the only reward for the students meeting their
end-of trimester AR goals was not discussed with teachers. Instead of being told, can teachers have
their own choice in how they decide to celebrate at the end of each
trimester? However, if this is to be the
only reward, should the children have to pay for their hard work with AR?
The school-wide Kona
Ice program was established last school year and it was my desire to maintain
it this school year. If Kona Ice seems to be too much, we can consider
canceling it (but it seems to be favored by our children). Kona Ice is an easy
fundraiser for our school; it is not money that comes from the teacher’s pocket
or instructional fund. The main office staff manages the money and additional
faculty members monitor the children while they are enjoying the treat. It’s a great
social experience for our students and provides additional time for the teacher
in the classroom while students are away.
12b. Would we be
able to offer rewards to students for reaching their AR goals that are similar
to last year’s rewards? Last year we had
to Kona Ice treat for a school-wide AR point goal, so it wasn’t known until
recently that this would be students’ only reward for reaching their AR
goal. It also wasn’t known that rewards
could not be given like they have been in year’s past.
Accelerated
Reader Plan for the 2014-2015 School Year
The plan below will be PI’s AR Reward
plan for the remainder of the school year. First, I would like for everyone to
talk with your CAD (starting today) to decide on a consistent AR reward
incentive for your students for the remainder of this school year. We am asking
everyone to refrain from activities that interfere with the instructional
program and instructional time. Examples of possible rewards are:
*Teacher assistant for the day.
*Free books, pencils, treasure box, etc.
*Bring a special snack or drink from home.
*Popsicle Treat
*Pajama Day/Hat Day/Crazy Socks Day
*Another other minor incentive to encourage your students
AR classroom rewards should not be movies, class parties,
large food celebrations, or anything of that nature that takes away from the
instructional program. If you engage in a celebration after school hours, you
are welcome to continue those as it does not interfere with instructional time.
All rewards for AR
for the 1st trimester should be over. Kona Ice served as our 1st trimester
reward (unless you were cleared otherwise, and those have been complete.
You are welcome to engage in other incentive and reward
type of celebrations for students’ success, but the goal is to stay away from
those things that take time away from our instructional program. I am a strong
proponent for, and I believe in celebrating success, recognizing students (and
teachers) for growth, leadership and other factors throughout the school year,
and creating a school culture where everyone enjoys coming to work and students
enjoy coming to school; but with that, we must maintain our primary focus which
is instruction. I am also a believer in the education of the “whole child,” and
I honestly believe we do a great job and have many different factors set in
place at PI in order for us to truly educate the “whole child”.
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