TO-KNOW

1. A few schedule reminders/updates for the week:
   1. On Monday, I will be out from about 9:00am – 11:30am. I need to take Jack to the doctor and this was the only appointment they had available. I will be available by phone. I will be out of the building all day on Wednesday, at District Office and Dulles. Allison Rack from Dulles will be covering for me. My meeting ends at 4:00 and then I will be returning for conferences.
   2. Election day…Springmyer style! Please have students vote for their preferred Carnival theme on Tuesday. You can return completed ballots to the office.
   3. A reminder that PTA is providing food for conferences this Wednesday. It will be available beginning at 3:00 in the faculty lounge and they will leave it out during the evening if you want to stop by later. Please also note that they really appreciate receiving thank you notes. It would be great if you could take a moment to write an individual note or a note from your team thanking them for their efforts.
   4. On Wednesday evening, I need to leave at about 6:30pm to go to COH to observe their “Voice Your Choice” language immersion meeting. If you have a conference scheduled in one of the last time slots please find a buddy who can check on you and provide a gentle reminder of the end of conference times, if needed.
   5. Wednesday is also a very exciting day because writing workshop guru Lisa Vahey will be visiting us in the afternoon to teach model lessons in Lindsay Black’s and Jen Murphy’s classrooms! Teachers on the District’s Literacy Leadership Team will be coming to watch the lesson. I am calling on lots of people to provide classroom coverage so that our K-5 writing teachers can join Lisa for the lessons and debriefs. Thanks to all who are providing coverage and making adjustments to your schedule so that everyone can participate in this great learning opportunity.
2. We have set dates for PTA Walk-a-Thon incentives. The lists of students participating are in this document.
   1. The Pizza Lunch is this Thursday, 11/10. Students should report to the Library during their typical lunch time. They should be receiving (or already received) passes informing them of the date.
   2. The Limo Lunch will be on Wednesday, 11/30. We are still working on exact times, but I anticipate that we will leave at 10:45 and return by 12:15.
3. Springmyer’s “Voice Your Choice” meeting about the future of language immersion in the District is on Monday, 11/14 from 6:30 – 7:45pm in the gym. A few notes:
   1. We will be sending hard copy invitations home with all students on Monday. Please be sure that these get into backpacks. It is important that Springmyer’s community is well represented so we are trying to get people there through all possible means! If students return the RSVP form to you, please turn it in to the office.
   2. Staff are invited to attend the in-person meetings, but will also be given the opportunity to watch a video recording of a session and submit your “vote” that way. If you attend an in-person event, please note that you are NOT required to write your name on the exit ticket (although non-staff members are required to do so). I will NOT remind you of this during the event to avoid confusing parents, so please be aware ahead of time that you are fine to leave the name entry blank. The Board will be looking at exit ticket results closely so I strongly encourage you to participate one way or another to make your voice heard.

TO-DO

1. Classroom teachers: a reminder that SDQ submissions are due by 8am this Wednesday, 11/9. This is the link for submitting surveys.

TO-READ

Find the Fireflies: Help Students Shine

I found the premise of this Connected Principals article inspiring. He uses an analogy from another writer, explaining that…”in schools, we often see the butterflies. They are easy to spot and see their strengths; they fly beautifully in school. She challenges us to find the fireflies – those students who only shine under the right conditions – and to work to create the conditions for these students to shine more often.”

I am very proud of the way that we, as a staff, find the fireflies and believe in their ability to shine. This article affirms the importance of that work and offers some great practical strategies and links to a great TEDTalk and article if you are looking for additional inspiration for the student you know is a firefly but is currently just feeling like a plain old fly.