Hello everyone,
Happy Trifecta-Friday (Friday, pay-day, three-day weekend)! Hope you have a beautiful weekend. Should be gorgeous everywhere within an approximately 700-mile radius of town. Hard to go wrong. Toughest part of a weekend like this: picking just one fun thing to do with each moment you're given.
Fire Drill Follow-up
Yesterday's fire drill, our first post-Sandy Hook, went very well in general. The students were mostly well-behaved and, all-in-all, we were out of the building, red-folders in-hand, in about 1 minute flat. Not bad!
The drill did reveal a few new areas of concern, however.
Chief among them: doorknobs. I've asked you to keep your doorknobs locked at all times, in order to be ready to pull your doors shut in the event of a lockdown. I would like you to continue to follow this protocol. Nevertheless, historically, during a fire drill we've said that the proper procedure when exiting your classroom is to leave the lights off, the door shut, and the locks unlocked. To me, this newfound need, to stop and unlock the knob on your classroom door, adds an unnecessary step to our primary objective during any alarm, which is to exit the building with our students as quickly and safely as possible.
I've asked for guidance from the higher-ups about this concern, but have not yet received any feedback from them. So, for the time being, here's what I'd like you to do in the event of an alarm: turn off the lights in your classroom, gather your students, and leave the building as quickly as you can, the condition of your doorknob notwithstanding.
Likewise, the fire drill, as well as recent events in Page, AZ, have compelled me to remind you that your primary responsibility as a teacher is to ensure the safety and well-being of your students at all times. Therefore, I would like to encourage you to keep a careful inventory of your students whenever you can. It is advisable that you conduct a headcount, or other form of attendance check, every time your return to your classroom with your students after they have been out of your direct oversight for a time. This would include after recesses, after special classes, and after lunchtime. This attendance check is not for official record keeping, but should be used by you as a way to ensure that all of your students are accounted for whenever they are under your direct supervision. The front office staff makes an effort to notify you whenever your students are picked up from school during the school day, but if you are unavailable to answer the phone when this occurs, there is no other effective means to convey this information to you in a timely fashion.
Naturally, if you find that you cannot locate a student after you've done your attendance check at any point in the school day, you should notify the front office immediately.
Title 1
As a federally-subsidized Title 1 school, Marshall is required to periodically update our community-stakeholders, including you, on how the program is being implemented at our school. Previously, we've been able to update our community on the components of our Title 1 Family Involvement Plan and our school-wide Continuous Improvement Plan [.pdf].
Below you will find a slideshow which is intended to provide you with an overview of our entire school-wide Title 1 program, how it impacts instruction and student achievement for all students at Marshall, and ways stakeholders can be involved. The district has also created a helpful brochure [.pdf] which identifies many of the key components of the federal Title 1 program.
What Title I programs
are districtwide?
·
Professional
development for teachers and staff
·
The
Family Resource Center
o
Free
tutoring
o
Parenting
classes and resources
o
Computer
lab and classes
o
English
Classes
·
Summer
programs- Math Camp and Club Read
·
Reading
specialists
·
Homeless
services
What does Title I provide Marshall?
·
RTI
(Response to Intervention) specialist
·
Technology
teacher
·
Arts
and Science Integration Specialist
·
Positive
Behavior Support aide
·
Kindergarten
aides
·
Parent
Center staff
·
Professional
development for teachers and staff
·
Family
involvement activities
·
Afterschool
tutoring
·
Science
lab equipment, furniture and software
·
iPads
and apps
·
Classroom
instructional materials and books
Curious? Just click play...
Governor's Arts Awards
We've been nominated for the prestigious Governor's Arts Awards several times in the past several years, but to-date we've never won. A small contingent from Marshall School always attends the awards ceremony each year at the Herburger Theater in Phoenix. This year, because we're hopeful that this year will be our year, we'd like to broaden and expand that contingent.
If you're interested in attending the Governor's Arts Awards along with a few other members of team-Marshall, please let Janelle know ASAP. It's not cheap: the cost for each ticket is $135, of which our arts fund can pay $50. The reception begins at 5:00 PM, and the ceremony takes place at 7:00, on Wednesday, 06 March in downtown Phoenix. If you're willing to expend $85 to support our school and our unique arts magnet programs at this upcoming event, we'd love to have you come along!
Calendar
- Monday, 18 Feb.
- NO SCHOOL - Washington's Birthday
- Wednesday, 20 Feb.
- Coe @ Elementary Admin. mtg., 7:30-10:30
- Fifth graders to MEMS, 11:00-2:00
- Thurdsay, 21 Feb.
- SMS MITe program @ Marshall fifth grades, 1:30
- Friday, 22 Feb.
- FUSD Compensation mtg w/ Dietrich Sauer, 8:00 in the Libary
- Two-hour professional development meeting: PBS program, 1:00-3:00 in the Library
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