Updates - 26 August 2016

Hello everyone,

What can I say, 'twas a bumpy week this week 'round the ol' elementary school, wasn't it?

Our wheels got a little wobbly round about Thursday, what with our bleary-eyed arrival early that morning following Open House on Wednesday... on top of the all the stress we're feeling about our new gradebooks and report cards... and then there's FOSS... and the radically new, radically compressed one-week Special Class Schedule with its five-minute margins... plus all the new kids in each of our domains, and the new routines, and the new obligations and expectations that every new school year always brings.

And so, it got bumpy.  And wobbly.

I'm amazed and proud of you all for muscling through it.  I really am.  Just reconfirms to me what I wrote to you for our First Faculty Meeting a couple weeks ago (actually just 13 days ago at the time of this writing)...

"Few if any other elementary schools in the region face such a plate full of challenges, much less challenges at the scale that we have here at Marshall. That's not bragging. And it's certainly not complaining. It's simply our reality. 

 Marshall is special. It takes a special kind of person to work here. 
  
It really does."

Well, just so you know: you are one of those Special People.  After this week, you've officially earned that attribution, no matter how new or old you might be to our company.

And I'm so glad you are and that you have.

Thanks, once again, for muddling through it with me.  You're the best.

Faculty Meeting 
Please, no wagering
We will meet together as a faculty on Thursday morning, 01 September, at 7:45 in the Library. There will be a very full agenda that morning, and you will need to sign-in as present for a couple of things (required by law), so please do all you can to ensure you arrive on time.

Karin Eberhard will be here to speak to you about FUSD PR... Nurse Witt will review our blood-borne pathogens protocols (as required by law)... Counselor McCleskey will review our student and staff sexual harassment policies (as required by law)... Music-teacher White will review our schoolwide PBIS initiative and behavior referral procedures... and Amy Dries be present to represent the FUSD HR Department... I forget what she's coming to tell us... but I'm sure it's important.

I'm Out
On Tuesday, Lisa has her six-weeks-post-op check-up with the the specialist who did her surgery in Phoenix.  I thought it would be nice to drive her down there, and hopefully hear some good news about how her her prolonged recovery is going, and then spend a little time together, just the two of us, ya know.

I'll be out all day Tuesday and Wednesday.  Back to work on Thursday morning for the faculty meeting.

By the way, many anonymous folks in FUSD (I suspect perhaps some of you), generously gave Lisa over 100 hours of donated leave recently to help her bridge the gap of lost time at work during her FMLA leave.  Can't thank you enough.  Lisa literally wept happy tears when told of your many kindnesses the other day. Your compassion and generosity have helped her recovery in more ways than you know.

Three-oh-one
FYI: To all who are eligible, the first 301 pay-out will be on your 14 September paychecks.

ADE's FAQ for Implementing Arizona's Science Standard
Assistant Superintendent Walton distributed a document entitled FAQ for Implementing Arizona's Science Standard to those of us in attendance at this week's Elementary Admin meeting.  It's a concise review of all that we've discussed over the course of the past year, and also, I think, a pretty valid affirmation that we're on the right course with what we're trying to do here at Marshall, especially when it comes to our FOSS pilot.

I highlighted what I thought were a few key things in the document.  I've scanned my copy, and if you care to have a look, you can open/download it right here.

Calendar
  • Monday 29 Aug
    • Payday
  • Tuesday 30 Aug
    • Gradebook training with Overton in the Library, 4:00
  • Thursday 01 Sept
    • Faculty meeting in the Library, 7:45
  • Monday 05 Sept
    • NO SCHOOL - Labor Day

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Updates - 19 August 2017

Hello everyone,

Most of you know Billy-Bob (not his real name).  He's been our student for several years now.  One of a kind.  Endearing.  Clever.  A bit off-center.  Special.  You know, everything we like in a Marshall student.

He got off the bus the other morning and walked toward the school with the black shoelace on his left shoe flapping along behind him.  As he approached me he stuck his untied shoe out toward me and asked, "Will you tie my shoe, Mr. Coe?"

"Sure," I said as I automatically got down on one knee and began to lace it.

Then it occurred to me, as I was making the bunny's ears, I think Billy-Bob's a fourth grader this year.  So I asked him, "Billy-Bob, am I tying your shoe just to be nice, or do you really not know how to tie your own shoe?"

"Oh, you're just being nice, Mr. Coe.  Thanks."

At least he said thanks.

Open House
As we discussed at our first faculty meeting, we will forego APTT meetings with our families this year and hold a more traditional Back-To-School Open House on Wednesday 24 August from 5:00-6:30 instead.

District Relations Coordinator, Karin Eberhard, contacted me earlier in the week to let me know that FUSD Superintendent Dirksen and several members of his cabinet (assistant superintendents, department directors, and Ms. Eberhard) intend to visit our school that evening.  So get your dogs and ponies ready because it's time to break our your Sunday best.

We'll begin with everyone (teachers and parents) together in the gym, from 5:00 until about 5:30.  I will address our parents briefly and then turn everyone loose to visit with all y'all in your classrooms until about 6:30.  There will be several announcements toward the end of the evening to let folks know we're turning off the lights and locking the doors at 6:30.

All certificated faculty should plan to attend this event and have their domains prepared accordingly.  We are unable to provide compensation to classified staff who may choose to attend.

Bees and wasps
We had a nest of western yellowjackets in the Heritage Garden eradicated this week after a spate of stings.  But the garden is still teeming with insects, mostly bees, but there are still wasps around, too.

I'd rather not have all the flowers removed from the garden, but if we continue on this 5-6 stings-per-week trend-line, I guess I may have to.  However, it's my preference to keep the garden intact, it's such a lush, verdant place right now.

Therefore, I'd like to encourage you, instead, to have your children move quickly through the space, keeping to the sidewalk and not roaming about among the flowers (tempting as this may be) as they head directly to the playground.  Hopefully this will minimize our opportunities to interact with the insects.

PBIS at Marshall
Sheila White, our ever-capable coordinator of all-things PBIS, writes, "We are off to a great start with student behaviors at Marshall. Thanks to you all for reminding students what our expectations are around campus.

"Blue Ticket Fridays will begin next week, Friday, August 26th. Make sure you are recognizing positive student behavior by giving them a Blue Ticket. Please make Ellen and Sheila aware if you no longer have your can to collect tickets. On that note, we need to make several collection cans for our new staff members. If you have any metal coffee cans with plastic lids, please drop them to Ellen so we can have sufficient stock.

"New PBIS posters have arrived and we will begin posting them around the school soon. When you see them, stop and show the students and use the opportunity as a teaching moment for expected behaviors. You can review these by using the link to PBIS in the Bluenote."

Gradebook Training
TrueNorth Logic Course #49230, Elementary Standards-based Gradebooks, will held again on 23 August (session #33864) from 4:00-5:30 at Coconino High School in room 200.  Chelsea Lohr and Heather Overton will facilitate.

United Way
The annual United Way fundraising campaign will kick off in September and FUSD is seeking building coordinators at each site.  If you're willing to help with this effort, please let Sylvia Johnson (ext. 6152) or Karin Eberhard (ext. 6004) know of your willingness.

NCTM Conference
Two registrations and (two-per-room) hotel accommodations are available to Marshall teachers for the 27-28 October NCTM regional math conference in Tempe.  If you're interested in attending, please let me know prior to Wednesday 24 Aug.

 Committees
Thanks for signing up to participate as a member of one of our school committees this year.  The work done by these groups is absolutely essential to our ability to function as a school.  Remember: if you do AM or PM duty more than one day per week, you may choose to sign up for just one committee, otherwise all certificated faculty should sign up for two.

If you don't find your name on the lists below it's probably because you haven't signed up yet, please do so ASAP.  Your participation is not just required, it's desperately needed.

Many hands do make short work, after all.

  • Site: Bergs, Overton, Housholder, Macias, Grant, Foubert, Hanno, Shaw
  • Science: Arnold, Fisk, Ingols, Reasor, Paulsen, Fisher, Foubert, Joe, Grimmett
  • Faculty Engagement: McAllister, Arnold, Herberger, Burgoon, Ingols, Roth, Poland, Rittman, Ogg, Paez, Fisher, Hanno, Reger, Shaw
  • Parent Engagement: Bergs, Burgoon, Baker, Hulls, Roth, Poland, Rittman, Paulsen, Bianco, Reger, Ronn
  • PBIS: Herberger, Baker, Macias, Fisk, Ronn, Grant, Paez, White, Reger, Grimmett, Hobson
  • Faculty Dept. Chairs: a run-off election will be held next week.

My thanks in advance to each of the committees for the work you will do on behalf of our students and community this year.

Please let me know when you will hold your first meetings and, likewise, please inform me of your meeting times/dates for the remainder of the year when you have set them.

Second grade got cool new shirts!
Calendar
  • Wednesday 24 Aug
    • Coe at Elementary Admin meeting, 9:30-11:00
    • Open House, 5:00

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Updates - 12 August 2016

Hello everyone,

Well, there it is.  Another start of another school year behind us.  Hope all went well within your sphere of influence the past couple days.  Sounds like it did.

Based on what transpired in the front office from the time we opened the doors on Thursday morning (there was quite a crowd gathered by 8:00) up until now (it's about 9:30 on Friday morning), things have gone pretty smoothly and (almost) everyone has seemed genuinely happy to be back at Marshall for school.

Seeing all the smiles on your faces, as well as on the faces of our students, has reconfirmed to me that I really do work at the best school, and for the very best group of people, imaginable.

Thanks.

FOSS
Don't forget: all teachers will meet together in the Library this afternoon beginning at 1:00 for our first FOSS Next Gen Science PD.  The final hour of training, from 3:30-4:30, will be part of our annual site-based 301 allotment.

Forms and folders
If you haven't completed the following, please do so ASAP:

 Calendar
  • Monday 15 Aug
    • Coe at Admin Council, 1:00-4:00
  • Friday 19 Aug
    • Emergency Drill (Fire), 9:30

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