Staff Newsletter: Week of November 28, 2022

Week of November 28, 2022

Dates 11/28-12/9 Grading Window 11/30 Governing Board (6-8)  12/2 Deena Day @ Chez Vous (6-9pm) 12/5-12/22 Parent-Teacher Conferences 12/7 Professional Development 12/12 Report Card Grades Due 12/19-1/13 MAP Window 2

Updates What to expect: Report Cards (THIS COMMUNICATION Will BE SENT TO FAMILIES PLEASE READ) The marking period for the fall term ends on December 2. Report cards will be e-mailed out to families on the week of December 12 (no report cards for K0-K2 students). Please be sure your email address is updated on SIS, the student information portal.    As we share information with families about students' progress and achievement, LAPS teachers will grade students based on grade-level standards and expectations in an effort to be honest and transparent around the academic level of students. Families of students with IEPs will also receive special education progress reports that will share progress on IEP goals.IEP Progress Reports will also go out this week.   Grade-level standards and expectations:  On our report card, students will be graded from a 1-4 based on their performance and understanding of grade-level standards.  BPS Elementary Grading Key:     4   Consistently Exceeds Grade Level Expectations 3   Consistently Meets Grade Level Expectations 2   Approaching Grade Level Standards 1   Does Not Meet Grade Level Expectations   Because these scores are relative to the grade level standards and expectations, if your child has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), we encourage you to place equal emphasis on the individualized progress report, which will be sent home the week. This document will outline your child’s progress towards their individual goals and objectives as outlined on their IEP.  Please do not hesitate to contact the school with any questions, or if clarification is needed.  Conferences All teachers are expected to hold report card/winter conferences. These may be conducted in person or remote based on family preferences. Conference may occur anytime between December and January 13th. I strongly encourage folks to do them before the break. You do not need the physical copy of the report card. You may use student work, assessment data, and your own anecdotal data to discuss students’ progress. Please have a generic 1-pager ready for families with ways they can support, including accessing resources on the clever backpack. Here are some additional resources you may want to provide: https://www.doe.mass.edu/highstandards/ https://achievethecore.org/category/1232/family-guides-supporting-learning After School Club  OpporunityFor about 3 years in a row now, Ms. Frank and Mr. LoBue have run a very successful after-school program in the fall and spring. I know many of you have interests and talents you would like to share with our students. We have allocated $10,000 for stipends for staff members to run an after-school club this year. Staff members will be paid the BTU rate. If interested, please share your idea here. This is available to paras as well.

Math Reminder: ST Math Goals For the Week Goal for the Year K0/K1 30 mins 20 puzzles   80% Progress completion  K2-Grade 1 60 minutes 40 puzzles Grade 2-Grade 3 90 minutes 60 puzzles

Special Education (IEP meeeting)/Support/CBHM COSE Out Mr. Lopez will be out through December. I am working with the AD to get the IEP meetings covered. If you have an IEP that was scheduled, you are still expected to upload all necessary documents.  As of now, meetings scheduled on the December 2nd will continue as planned. We have a covering COSE for that day.

Operations Outdoor Classroom and Park Outdoor classroom and park may be used. It is strongly believed that the incident that occurred two weeks ago was isolated. However, if you do not feel safe outside or see unusual activity, please bring the students in immediately and notify Mr. Chery or Teacher in Charge.

Shoutouts   Keri, Lindsay, and Katherine: Thank you all for staying a whole 30 minutes after PD to talk about fundations and answer some questions and talk through some strategies with me. It was much appreciated!!!  -Cassie

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Links/Forms Incident Report IEP Acknowledgement ShoutOuts

Staff Newsletter: Week November 21, 2022

Week of November 21, 2022

Dates 11/22 Staff Jumping Jacks Challenge @ 8:45 11/23 Early Dismissal @ 12:45 11/24-11/25 Thanksgiving Break: No School 11/28-12/9 Grading Window 11/30 Governing Board (6-8)  12/2 Deena Day @ Chez Vous (6-9pm) 12/5-12/22 Parent-Teacher Conferences 12/7 Professional Development

Updates Thanksgiving Break: Below is the schedule for Wednesday. I sent a reminder to families regarding early dismissal. Teachers, please be sure you are in communication with families regarding the plan for students that day for both walkers and bus riders. Furthermore, the first grade will be hosting a Publishing Party on Wednesday at 12:00.  Enable 2-Step Verification on your Google Account Fall is our favorite time of year but nobody likes it when they fall for a phishing scam! Protect yourself against phishing scams (and stop these terrible puns) by enabling 2-step verification today! The link below will take you to the instructions and we recommend downloading the Gmail app for iPhone or Android ahead of time. The Gmail app saves you time by turning the 2-step verification into a simple yes or no, instead of using text-message codes. 2-Step Verification Instructions All staff - Feb 1, 2023 Thank you for helping to protect the BPS! The process does not take too long. Please complete it as soon as possible.  Co-creating a Think Space in the Classroom  11/30, from 5:00 PM - 7:00PM   For: Classroom Teachers: Grades K-6 A Think Space is a place in the classroom where students can take a break, reflect on emotions and practice SEL strategies to manage stress. Join us for a PD to learn to create these with students.   For more information: and to register. Please visit the website here.

Data Attendance Assessments/Interims: Please remember to upload all results on Illuminate. For Grades 2-3, students are strongly encouraged to take the assessments on the computer. If students completed the assessments on paper, have students enter their answers on Illuminate.  Illuminate Highlights

Literacy

Math Progress Tracking Calendar  At this point in the year, we should be at 23% average completion. As a school, we are currently at 17%.  ST Math Weekly Data:

Special Education (IEP meeting)/Support/CBHM IEP Documents/EdPlan It is critical that all written reports including any drafted goals if services are recommended are completed on time. Any questions or concerns, Please reach out to Mr. Lopez.

Operations I wanted to take an opportunity to remind and update staff on the missing student protocol and procedure.  Missing Student Protocol When a student has eloped or is missing and you are unsure of where the student is, this the procedure must immediately be followed: Call the main office and provide the secretary with the name of the student. The secretary will conduct an all-call over the intercom and say,  “(Student name), please report to the main office. (Student name), please report to the main office.” At this time, all staff who do not have a student in front of them should actively help in locating the missing student. Classroom teachers, do not close your classroom door. If the missing student shows up in your classroom, call the office immediately. If the student’s location cannot be confirmed once the all-call goes out, and there is a concern for the student’s safety and well-being, we must be prepared to initiate a soft-lockdown and we will assign staff to secure the exit doors in an effort to prevent the student from leaving the building and conduct a school-wide sweep and the exterior/outside of the school building with all avaiable staff including paras and/or teachers if there are two adults in the classroom. Meaning an adult in the classroom may be pulled to assist in the search. After a sweep, if the student is not located Mr. Chery or administration will immediately call 911 and Operation Leader, Monique Carter. Teacher will need to provide a clear description of the student including where the student was last seen. Include the following information in the description: Gender (if applicable)  Height and approximate weight  Ethnicity  Complexion and hair color  Attire and any distinguishing features  Verbal or non-verbal  Languages spoken Family of the student at this point will also be notified and told to come to the school immediately. From there we will cooperate with law enforcement and first responders.

Shoutouts Shout out to Rose for teaching me how to solve my chrome book mystery!  (Lindsay) Kathryn - Thanks for helping me help my students! You are a wealth of knowledge.  (Rose) Ms Serena- Thank you for always having a positive word to share as I enter the building.  It always makes me feel like a rockstar.  (Shandolyn) Purple - Your wisdom, planning, attention to research, and fun always knock it out of the park for me.  (Stephanie) Keri - for planning an engaging PD  (Paula) Rose - thanks for the snacks!  (Paula) Rose- thank you again for sitting with me and sharing all the IEP documents with me!!  (Cassie)   Priscilla- Thank you for being my go to tech wizard!  (Cassie) LAPS team- Thank you for all of the advice and kind words to help our second-grade kiddos and new-ish educators!  (Amy) Shoutout to the specialists for working really hard trying to make sure room 206 can participate  (Shaq) Shout out to Mr Lee and Ms. Cortez from 103 for keeping our students engaged everyday.  (Maude) Marc, thanks for coordinating the painting of the shipping container! It looks AMAZING!  (Keri) Capitalize on opportunities to share assessment results and academic progress with students and families. Offer families ways to extend learning into the home environment.

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Later/Reminders Thanksgiving To respect and honor Native American culture, here are some resources that can be useful for us as we teach/celebrate Thanksgiving in an inclusive way. Five Ideas to Change Teaching about Thanksgiving, in Classrooms and at Home Decolonizing Thanksgiving- Article with resource from Medium Members from the Society for American Archaeology’s Thanksgiving Initiative have prepared a list of resources BIMAS The BIMAS window closes this Friday. If you need support with the assessment or have questions please reach out to Ms. Jen jmedeiros@bostonpublicschools.org. Remember, the answer to questions is what you have observed within the last 3 school days and not the whole school year. Please complete it before the break.

Links/Forms Incident Report IEP Acknowledgement ShoutOuts