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| "Only female burrowing wasps can sting, but they seldom do. Unless you step barefoot on a female or grab her with bare hands, you are extremely unlikely to be stung." |
Don't know about you, but I sure prefer to start the school year on a Thursday. It's really nice to be to Friday already today, after all the stress and activity getting ready for the first day of school. I'm grateful to you all for the work you put into getting your rooms and plans and selves ready. Marshall looks great! You look great. Your kids look like they're ready to get to work.
Aside from the wasps burrowing into the sand on the kindergarten playground, I'm pleased to report: all is well at Marshall School.
Let the 2015-2016 school year commence!
Friendly reminders
If you haven't already done so, please be sure you complete the Employee Emergency Contact Info and Committees forms online today. I'd like us to begin to establish calendars for committee meetings next week. I will email committee membership lists to each of you on Monday or Tuesday.
Please be sure your Red Emergency Folder is ready to go and located near the door to your classroom.
Also, please be vigilant in ensuring that the doorknob to your classroom door is locked at all times. Remember, however, that in the event of a fire alarm, if you are able to, you should stop to unlock the knob as you exit the building with your students.
PBIS
Your PBIS team has been working to come up with a new way to honor students who are recognized with Blue Tickets during the week. With Dawn’s departure, we had to tweak our existing plan. Our new program will acknowledge more students each Friday.
You will be receiving a special “Blue Ticket Can” soon. Teachers and staff will continue to hand out blue tickets as we have before, recognizing students when they are “caught” being safe, responsible, or respectful. Students will place their ticket in their own classroom can. Teachers will pull one ticket out each week as the “student of the week.”
The student whose name is drawn will bring their ticket and the classroom ticket can to the hall by the office, where Mrs. Hobson and Ms. White will be recognizing the students. All tickets will be dumped into grade-level band (K/1, 2/3, 4/5) buckets. Once per quarter, we will draw names from this bucket to have a special lunchtime event with Ms. White and Mrs. Hobson.
This procedure will benefit students in two ways. 1. Teachers can keep track of who has won and make sure that more students receive the recognition. 2. More students will be “winners” each week, with one per class rather than 6-8 from the whole school.
The ticket receptacles in the hallway will remain in case students continue to place the tickets in those boxes. We will pull one random ticket from each box every Friday.
Please let Sheila or Ellen know if you have questions.
Reading volunteer
Paula Rand, a local pediatrician, has expressed a desire to volunteer at Marshall to read with students on a regular basis. Her FUSD volunteer application is complete and, if you're interested in having her work with your students, please let me know and I will forward her contact information to you.
Magnet Updates
We're happy to announce that Marshall was fully funded by the Arizona Commission on the Arts Learning Grant (even with limited funds available) for our Fall 2015 Taiko Drumming Experience. The Taiko Residency will run from Oct. 19-Nov.6. Mei will only be here the final week of the residency. Sign ups will occur in Sept.
Our K-2 Suzuki violin program will begin Sept. 14th (NAU schedule limits us from beginning any sooner). Schedules are set and we have secured enough violin outfits for all. Rentals are always available to your students for $10/mo. Violin Rental forms are on our web page. Send parents to Janelle with any questions.
Important Suzuki dates:
Marshall Magnet Elementary School offers students more opportunities to extend and enrich their learning than any other school! Your continued support and passion for our magnet program is the reason we can continue to enhance the student experience through art and science for each and every Marshall kiddo.
Magnet Updates
We're happy to announce that Marshall was fully funded by the Arizona Commission on the Arts Learning Grant (even with limited funds available) for our Fall 2015 Taiko Drumming Experience. The Taiko Residency will run from Oct. 19-Nov.6. Mei will only be here the final week of the residency. Sign ups will occur in Sept.
Our K-2 Suzuki violin program will begin Sept. 14th (NAU schedule limits us from beginning any sooner). Schedules are set and we have secured enough violin outfits for all. Rentals are always available to your students for $10/mo. Violin Rental forms are on our web page. Send parents to Janelle with any questions.
Important Suzuki dates:
- Parent Performance Nights March 28-30 (location TBD)
- Heritage Sq. Performance Thursday, May 5 at noon.
The time for Magnet Monday (grades 3-5) will remain the same 2:10-3:10 every Monday. The Semesters will change to balance our sessions and take the pressure off the last school week in December when all are running full speed.
- Semester I ~ August 31 - January 11. (Showcase on Jan. 11)
- This makes 16 sessions with no Magnet Monday on 9/7, 10/12, 12/21, and 12/28 per FUSD calendar.
- Semester II ~ January 25 - May 23. (Showcase on May 23)
- This makes 15 sessions with no Magnet Monday on 2/15, 3/14, 5/9 per FUSD calendar.
We realize beginning on 8/31 is very ambitious but have faith that we can have all contracted and students scheduled by then if we get the ball rolling now (fingers crossed). The Magnet Monday catalog, complete with all elective choices and sign up sheet (parent signature required), will be given to you early next week. Please encourage your students to return their signed selections by Wed. 8/19 to assure their requests are recorded. Just throw them on Janelle's desk or in her mailbox. Thanks for your help.
Finally, please keep in mind that there are countless ways to get involved in our amazing Heritage Habitat and Garden Project outdoor classroom. Please let Janelle know how you would like to integrate our Heritage Habitat and Garden in your classroom. We are so fortunate to continue our partnership with TerraBIRDS. What a dynamic environment we have created over the years!
Finally, please keep in mind that there are countless ways to get involved in our amazing Heritage Habitat and Garden Project outdoor classroom. Please let Janelle know how you would like to integrate our Heritage Habitat and Garden in your classroom. We are so fortunate to continue our partnership with TerraBIRDS. What a dynamic environment we have created over the years!
Marshall Magnet Elementary School offers students more opportunities to extend and enrich their learning than any other school! Your continued support and passion for our magnet program is the reason we can continue to enhance the student experience through art and science for each and every Marshall kiddo.
Calendar
Week A
- Monday, 10 Aug
- Specials CT, 9:15
- Tuesday, 11 Aug
- SEI CT, 10:15
- Wednesday, 12 Aug
- fourth & fifth CT, 9:10
- first CT, 1:05
- Thursday, 13 Aug
- third CT, 9:10
- second CT, 1:05
- Friday, 14 Aug
- pay-day
- kinder CT, 1:00
