The Eagle Eye - Glenn Stephens Elementary School

The Eagle Eye - Glenn Stephens Elementary School

EAGLE EYE
Glenn W. Stephens Elementary School
120 South Rosa Road
Madison WI 53705-4441
(608) 204-1900
Dates to Know
January 13
¨ PTO Meeting – 6:30 pm – LMC
January 2015
Issue 5
FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK
(Disponible en español en la página 2)
January 15
¨ Spelling Bee – 1:15 pm
January 19
¨ Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – No School
January 20
¨ Science Night – 6:00 pm - Gym
January 23
¨ End of 1st Semester – Early Release – 10:50 am
February 6
¨ No School – Professional Development
February 10
¨ Big PTO Meeting – 6:30 pm – Gym
February 19 & 20
¨ Book Share
The Eagle Eye
Dawn Tuescher, editor
The Eagle Eye is published monthly during the school
year. E-mail your Eagle Eye submissions to
[email protected]. The deadline for
submissions is posted each month in the “Dates to
Know” above.
Dear Parents,
Happy New Year! 2015 should be a great year at Glenn
Stephens. This time of year is so exciting. You will be
receiving your child’s report card later this month. Please
know that the district is creating a new report card as we
speak, but the one you will be receiving in January will be
the same one as last year. If you have questions about it,
please be sure to communicate with your child’s teacher and
if you have further questions you can contact me.
School Improvement Plan As for our school’s work on the
school improvement plan (SIP) we are making great strides.
We are working on our Collaborative Teaming and are
already seeing gains from our classroom teachers working
together on planning. We are planning with the common core
state standards in mind. We have spent time learning about
academic language and determining how to identify key
words we want shared with all students. We also have been
exploring the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR). The
idea behind GRR is that the teacher does the work, the
students do the work with the teacher, the students do the
work collaboratively, and then the students do it
independently. Teacher does it, Students and Teacher,
Students Together, then each Student independently. We are
currently focusing on how Teachers can be very explicit
during their focus lesson, about the purpose and their
thinking around the information they are teaching. We have
been working hard on implementing the new behavior plan
as well.
(Principal’s Desk continues on p. 2)
Eagle Eye Page 1
Principal’s Desk (continued from p. 1)
As for our parent and family involvement we have increased
our monthly communication by grade level to help parents
be more informed. All the school newsletters are all on our
website. In addition we had two focus groups earlier in the
year with parents. We are still waiting for the graduate
student to give us the results so we can work on them with
our leadership team.
We feel we are off to a good start. Please let me know if you
have any questions about the school improvement plan.
Reminder about Recess and Cold Weather: There are a
few things around winter weather to be aware of. I use a
chart to decide if we can go outside safely during the winter
for recess. The district provides me a chart to look at a
combination of wind speeds and the temperature and what is
safe for people to be playing outside. You should know that
between wind and temperature the feeling of about 17 below
is permissible for us to go outside. The children play and
don’t seem to mind at all. The supervisors, well that’s
another question! We don't have any staff to cover students
who would prefer to stay inside because of the weather.
Therefore, please send your child with suitable clothing
to play outside, even when it is 17 below! BRRR.
Rosa Road: Approximately two times a month I get a call
from a neighbor complaining about Rosa Rd. If it’s not the
parking it’s the way that people run their students across the
street. Please be aware and use the crossing guard. It’s for
your child’s safety.
PTO has been so great to our staff this year. We appreciate
everything you all do as parents to support our work at the
school. Thanks.
Sarah Galanter-Guziewski
204-1902
del escritorio de la directora
Estimadas Familias,
¡Feliz Año Nuevo! 2015 será un gran año en Glenn
Stephens. Esta época del año es tan emocionante. Usted va a
recibir las calificaciones de su hijo/a a finales de este mes.
Quisiera informarles que el distrito está creando una nueva
libreta de calificaciones en este momento, pero la que
recibirán será todavía la que se usó el año pasado. Si tiene
preguntas al respecto, por favor pónganse en contacto con el
maestro/a de su hijo/a y si tiene más preguntas ustedes
pueden comunicarse conmigo.
Plan de Mejoramiento Escolar Estamos haciendo grandes
progresos en lo referente al Plan de Mejoramiento Escolar
(SIP) en cuanto a lo que se está haciendo en nuestra escuela.
Estamos trabajando en nuestro Trabajo Colaborativo y ya
estamos viendo las ganancias, nuestros maestros están
trabajando unidos en la planificación. Estamos planeando
teniendo en cuenta los Estándares Estatales Esenciales
Comunes. Hemos pasado algún tiempo aprendiendo sobre el
lenguaje académico y determinando la forma de identificar las
palabras claves que queremos compartir con todos los
estudiantes. También hemos estado explorando la Liberación
Gradual de Responsabilidad (GRR). La idea detrás de GRR es
que el profesor hace el trabajo, los estudiantes hacen el trabajo
con el profesor, los estudiantes hacen el trabajo en equipo y
luego los estudiantes lo hacen de manera independiente –
Maestro, Estudiantes y Maestro, Estudiantes juntos, cada
Estudiante independiente. Actualmente estamos centrándonos
en cómo podría el enfoque del profesor/a ser más explícito
sobre el propósito y el pensamiento alrededor de la
información y la lección que está enseñando. Igualmente
hemos estado trabajando fuertemente en la aplicación del
nuevo Plan Educativo de Conducta.
En cuanto a la participación de nuestras familias, hemos
aumentado nuestra comunicación mensual a nivel de todos los
grados para ayudar a los padres a estar más informados. Todos
los boletines mensuales están en nuestro sitio web. Además de
esto tuvimos dos grupos de discusión a principios de año
escolar con los padres. Estamos esperando que el estudiante de
posgrado nos entregue los resultados para que podamos
trabajar en ellos con nuestro equipo de liderazgo.
Creemos que es un buen comienzo. Por favor, déjenme saber
si ustedes tienen alguna pregunta acerca del Plan de
Mejoramiento Escolar.
Recordatorio: Recreo y el clima frío: Algunas cosas que
debemos tener en cuenta sobre el clima invernal: Yo utilizo
una tabla para decidir si podemos salir a recreo en forma
segura durante el invierno. El distrito ofrece un gráfico que
muestra una combinación de la velocidad del viento y la
temperatura y sí es seguro para las personas estar jugando
afuera. Ustedes deben saber que entre el viento y la
temperatura, la sensación puede ser de aproximadamente 17
grados bajo 0 y es permitido salir. Los niños juegan y no
parece importarles esto en absoluto. Los supervisores, bueno,
eso es otra cosa. No tenemos personal que se pueda quedar con
los estudiantes que prefieren permanecer en el interior debido
al clima. Por esta razón por favor envíe a su hijo/a con ropa
adecuada para jugar al aire libre, incluso cuando tengamos
17 grados bajo 0! BRRR.
Rosa Road: Aproximadamente dos veces al mes recibo
llamadas de un vecino quejándose sobre la calle Rosa Rd. Si
no es por el estacionamiento es por la forma como la gente
atraviesan la calle con sus estudiantes. Por favor crucen la calle
donde está el guardia de cruce. Es por la seguridad de su hijo/a.
El PTO ha sido muy especial con nuestro personal este año.
Apreciamos todo lo que todos ustedes hacen como familias
para apoyar nuestro trabajo en la escuela. Gracias.
Sarah Galanter-Guziewski 204-1902
Eagle Eye Page 2
- PTO UPDATE 2015.
When you were little, 2015 sounded futuristic. I'm guessing that you
don't own a robot, a teleporter, or a skin tight Star Trek style suit. Let
me know if you do!
With all the technology we have, school is still very much like when we
were kids. The basic skills of reading, writing, and math may be taught
a little different, but are still core skills. The new whiteboards in each
classroom and computers help the teachers teach. One big change,
though, is that students use computers to be tested. Having your
child master computer skills like keyboarding (typing), cutting, pasting,
scrolling, and navigating panes is critical for their success in testing
and for future learning.
This spring, students will take the Smarter Balanced Assessment. You
can learn more about his computer based test at
mmsd.org/assessment. The BIG PTO meeting at 6:30 p.m. on
February, 10th, will also give you information on this test.
The January PTO meeting is on the 13th at 6:30 p.m. in the LMC and
everyone is welcome to attend. Have a question, concern, or just
want to see what goes on - please come! We had three new faces at
the November meeting.
Science Night is on January 20th. Remember that there is no school
on the day before - January 19th. You'll be able to put the finishing
touches on your Science Night presentation.
Thanks for all you do to make Stephens a great school!
Kristy Schneider
PTO BOARD
2014-2015
Co-Presidents
Kristy Schneider
Phone: 563-580-6486
Email:
[email protected]
Co-Vice Presidents
Lisa Ratta Shoshan
Phone: 202-277-5987
Email: [email protected]
Cecilia Sayago
Phone: 314-489-5603
Email: [email protected]
Treasurer
Alyssa Sellwood
Phone: 608-234-8001
E-mail: [email protected]
Secretary
Laura Schroeder
Phone: 407-399-8270
Email: [email protected]
SAFE ARRIVAL
204-1908
If your child will be late to or
absent from school, please
contact the school’s Safe
Arrival line at 204-1908 by
9 a.m.
Please speak clearly and
slowly, and spell the last name
of your child.
Don’t forget to tell us the
name of your child’s teacher
or the room number. If your
child will be arriving late, be
sure to indicate if he or she
will need a hot lunch.
Eagle Eye Page 3
Join the Fun!
Spring Fun Fair!
Are you looking to get involved at Glenn Stephens this year? The spring Fun Fair happening on March 7th is
the perfect event for you! The Fun Fair is the biggest fundraiser at our school and we need many volunteers
to pull it off. There are a variety of ways in which you can contribute. We need committee members to
help with food planning, gathering donations for raffle prizes, games and decorations, just to name a few.
Join us for a meeting on Tuesday, January 14th at 6:30 pm in the LMC to learn more.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Lindsy Giese at [email protected] or Lisa
Hofmeister at [email protected]
Kindergarten Registration
Monday, February 2, 2015 is the Madison Metropolitan School Districtwide registration for 4K and 5K for the 2015 – 2016
school year. Registration will begin at 2:00 p.m. in the Stephens’ computer lab and will end at 6:00 p.m. If your student is already
attending an MMSD 4K either in a Madison school or at an MMSD Off-site 4K, you will not need to participate in this registration.
This registration is for students who have NOT attended 4K or 5K in a Madison school or off-site for the 2014 – 2015 school year.
El lunes 2de febrero, 2015 se llevara a cabo la registración en todas las escuelas del Distrito Escolar Metropolitano de
Madison para los grados 4K y 5K para el año escolar 2015 - 2016. Las inscripciones comenzarán a las 2:00 p.m. en el salón de
computación de Stephens y terminarán a las 6:00 p.m. Si su hijo/a ya está asistiendo a 4K en MMSD, ya sea en una escuela de
Madison o en un sitio autorizado por MMSD, usted no tendrá que registrarlo/a. Este registro es solamente para los estudiantes
que no han asistido a 4K o 5K en una de las escuelas de Madison o fuera de las instalaciones durante el año escolar 2014 - 2015.
Stephens Students participated in the world-wide Hour of Code
All of Stephens' students in kindergarten through 5th grades are included in the 74,841,793 students
who have completed the Hour of Code and written 4,016,006,077 lines of code. Most students used a
building block method of writing code to try their hand at the art of programing. We even had a small
number of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders who experimented with the programming language Java through
the tutorials found at code.org. Please encourage your child to demonstrate their skills and continue
their work by going to the Stephens Library Portal (click on the link at the bottom of the Stephens'
website homepage, click on Classes, then on REACH).
Let me know if you have any questions!
Ms. Stuesser
REACH teacher
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