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Week 4: Sept.16-20, 2019

We ROCKED our first 5 Day Week!   And, I have to add, it was a very full week — one that required teamwork, patience and focus.

I am sure that you have heard, we are working school wide (actually district wide) to set baseline expectations for behaviors.  Every single teacher and staff member is modeling how to SOAR in the hallway, classroom, lunchroom, playground, bathroom and the bus.  SOAR stands for Be SAFE, Own It, Act Responsibly and Be Respectful.  To help make sure everyone understands, we have been practicing procedures, routines over and over.  Classrooms that do an exceptional job with this (walking down the hallway, helping others, etc.) receive an OUTSTANDING to post in their classroom.  If you have an older students (grades 1-5), you know that this has been a recognition system we have used.

In addition to SOARING, we practiced all of our drills this past week:  FIRE, TORNADO, LOCKDOWN.  For each of these drills, one of our district security officer, Mr. Hoffman, stood by as I walked the school through the procedure (via intercom announcement) and observed 600 students and 50+ staff members safely and quietly practice each drill.  Because drills can trigger some level of anxiety in all of us, I try to call them from classrooms so that students can see what it looks like/sounds like when the drill is called.   Georgetown SOARED through the drill practices!

In addition this, all of our students in grades K-5 are taking assessments to find out what their beginning of year understanding is of math, writing and reading concepts.  These assessments vary between paper/pencil, online standardized  (STAR 360) or 1:1 teacher/student reading level assessments.  The Star 360 is a screener of approximately 38 questions and gives us solid indication of overall understanding of reading/math concepts.   Students in grades 1-5 took the STAR Reading and Star Math tests.  Because logging into the laptop and testing site can be cumbersome at first, our fourth graders helped their first grade buddies by showing them the steps to logging into the laptop, CLEVER (our school software platform) and then Star 360.   It was amazing to watch the fourth graders help out — guiding their first grade buddy as a coach/teacher.

In a similar way, it is very heartwarming each day to watch our fifth graders walk their kindergarten buddies to the bus each day.  They pick them up in their classrooms and walk them out to the bus to make sure they board safely.  Throughout the year, they also get together for special learning projects and friendship activities.  At Georgetown, we love to grow relationships within the grade and across grades so that our building feels like a family.

 

This week, we have our first early release day (Friday).  If you are parent pick up, please be at school no later than 12:15.  Our busses will depart between 12:15-12:20.  The teachers will then eat lunch and head into professional development for the afternoon.  This Friday, we will be looking at student assessment data and determining how to best meet student need academic needs.

OH…and it is our VERY FIRST POPCORN FRIDAY!  Again, thank you to all parents for donating to this fund at our OPEN HOUSES…and to the Mr. Parnacott (and SYSCO) for donating the popcorn kernals!

I hope you have a great weekend!

Mrs. Reagan

PS… REMEMBER to donate to our WALKATHON!  Next week is spirit week…and it ends with our school-wide walkathon on Friday.

SPIRIT WEEK September 23-27:

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