TO-KNOW

1. Please click here for locations and agendas for Friday’s professional day. I have also added a link at the top to the feedback form for the end of the day. Do not hesitate to let me know if you have questions or something doesn’t look right!
2. The October Faculty Meeting has been moved back to its originally scheduled date, Tuesday, October 4. We no longer need to meet early to fulfill a District request and October works MUCH better for our building needs. Thank you for your flexibility with our musical meeting dates!! I have updated the staff calendar.
3. Thank you for a successful September fire drill! Our October drill will be at time of Fire Marshal Rick Bell’s choosing and even I will not be given advance notice. One reminder: Please be sure that your classroom door is closed behind you as you exit. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions about fire drill procedures.
4. The Cincinnati Zoo is holding its annual Ultimate Educator Expo for environmental educators this Wednesday, 9/21 from 2:30 – 7:00pm. The event includes free admission to the zoo, breakout sessions, exhibitors, and food and drinks.
5. I don’t think this applies to anyone (?!), but a reminder that if you are teacher planning to retire letters are due by November 1 in order to be exempt from OTES. See me if you have questions.

TO-DO

1. Grandparents’ Night is October 4 this year!
   1. Please send a picture of your class to Cyndi as soon as possible for our grandparents’ night presentation. It doesn’t need to be overly posed – simply grabbing a shot when they’re all on the carpet or at their desks to begin the day is great! If it’s easier to do a few shots with fewer students in each that’s fine too! If you would rather we take care of the photography, just let Cyndi know.
   2. We will be providing dinner at 4:30. Come and enjoy Ann’s baked potato bar (and, of course, the cookies!!). We will provide water. If you’d like something else to drink, please bring it along.
2. We have just two weeks left for students to reach their September reading goals. Our hope was that lots of students would find success in the first months of the program in order to build momentum. Please continue to celebrate students’ progress and touch base with individual students about their progress towards their goals, as needed.
3. Vartek has recently made some staffing changes to help ensure they are meeting our District’s needs. I expect to be meeting with them soon to offer feedback on what is and is not working this year. Please email me with any feedback (positive or negative) that you would like me to share. Don’t be shy! They really are seeking the feedback in order to improve.
4. The SPG Advisory Team is having our first meeting of the year this Thursday after school. Please let your representative know if there are any topics you would like to be sure we discuss.
5. Last call if you’re thinking about starting a new student group this year! Please see me by Thursday if you would like to start a new club. The Treasurer’s Office will not be able to give out new supplemental contracts after that time.

TO-READ

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION: RESOURCE ROUND-UP

This recent post from Edutopia compiles an impressive number of articles, resources, and ideas related to differentiation. I thought that you would find it interesting as it is something that we are continually striving for as a staff. It also makes me think that our staff has some great additional ideas to add to the resources!