Early on 20 October 2017 I purchased my family's tickets for Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi, which was the same day that the Faculty Engagement Committee met in the afternoon to set a time, date, and location for the Marshall staff holiday gathering. Turns out, both events will coincide mid-afternoon on Friday 15 December.
As meager consolation for ditching your party to take my family to the movies, I'd like to let you know now that I will not be around after dismissal time on Friday 15 December. I've officially taken a half-day vacation-day for the PM-shift on the 15th in order to make a bit of a production out of our family movie day. Lisa, Bekah, and I will be getting lunch together prior to going across town to the theater, so I won't be around after, like, 1:00 that day.
Y'all can feel free to leave work to start your long holiday break whenever you're able on Friday the 15th. No need to call-off or sign-out. Last one out, lock the doors (don't actually, makes the FACTS/Co-op moms and dads mad) and turn off the lights. Thanks.
Calendar There will be NO Blue Note on Friday 15 December.
Just as I'm finally getting into the habit of writing 2017 when I put the date on stuff, it's the last month of the year. Striking how fast the years go by, especially the older I get. I blame this seasonal work we do for some of it. It's not just always almost my birthday anymore, it's also always almost the start/end/half-way point of the school year, too.
And here we are, it's the first of December. There are a mere 10 working days ahead between today and the end of the second grading period, the beginning of our much anticipated winter break, and the debut of the 2018 calendar year.
No other cause, no other endeavor, no other initiative that we undertake at Marshall School compels me to lose more sleep more than our annual tax credit drive. I worry way more about tax credit than I do about test scores. I worry more about tax credit than I do about free-and-reduced lunch counts. I worry more about tax credit than I do about our annual enrollment numbers. And trust me, I worry a lot about each of those things.
Why do I worry so much about tax credit? Because of the great, almost immeasurable value we place on every single tax credit dollar we receive. Because of the amazing opportunities we are able to provide to you and your students with every tax credit dollar we expend. Because of the huge benefit we are able to return to you and your classroom with every tax credit dollar we encumber for field-trips, materials, special one-of-a-kind extracurricular programs, residencies, curriculum, and even, on occasion, capital items.
Tax credit dollars are easy to spend. Every year we spend almost $40,000.
Tax credit dollars are hard to acquire. Every year we struggle in earnest up to the very last minute to get enough of them.
Every tax credit dollar that comes into the school comes after a direct personal appeal, a personal reminder, a personal plea that comes from one of us to the parents of our students, community stakeholders, close friends, and family members. Some schools are able to just sit back and watch the tax credit donations roll in. Not Marshall. We've learned over the years that our community needs to be reminded and often retaught about the tax advantages that come from making a donation to our school. And we've learned that this appeal is best heard and understood when it comes from you, from a member of our faculty and staff who understands the benefits our students derive from every single tax credit donation made to Marshall School.
I hope you'll make the effort to reach out to your students' parents, your friends, and your family members in the next few weeks to remind them about our need of their tax credit donations.
Below are a few items that many of us have found useful when making our annual appeals for tax credit donations.
This letter has been used with great success as a first step in making your direct appeals. Please feel free to download it and revise it to suit your needs.
This flyer was sent home earlier this week and will be sent home again and again between now and the mid-April tax filing deadline. Feel free to download it to include with the letter you sent to your friends and family members.
This page on the Marshall School Blog provides some helpful additional information about what Arizona's public school tax credit program is and its advantages for tax payers.
Also, full-color Marshall School brochures are still available in the front office. We probably still have nearly 250 of them. Not enough to send home with every kid, but certainly enough for you to include with your letters if you'd like to send them to folks far afield who might want to know more about who Marshall School is and what we're going to do with their donation.
Remember: tax credit works for anyone and everyone who pays taxes in the state of Arizona.
Thanks for your help and participation in this process.
Canned Food Drive
Our annual canned food drive will happen this coming Friday morning, 08 Dec. The cans collected at this year's drive will, once again, go to support Marshall families through our in-house Parenting Arizona office as well as other local charitable organizations like St. Mary's Food Bank and the Flagstaff Family Food Center. Thanks for encouraging your students to donate. The winning class wins a pizza party!
Gradebook and Report Card Stuff
Gradebook super-czar Overton writes: "Here we are again! The 2nd quarter is almost over. Please look closely at these important dates and deadlines... Thursday, December 7 Elementary early release for Grade Book Prep Friday, December 8 Special Area grades should be posted by 12:00 noon Friday, December 15 End of 2nd Quarter
Attendance rollover should take place by 12:00 noon
Teachers may print report cards anytime after 12:30 Please remember, you are welcome to transfer grades at anytime. However, we must wait to print standards reports until the final day of the quarter. Friday, January 5 All elementary report cards will be sent home with students in the new district provided standards reports envelopes (Office staff should have these available at your school). Friday, January 12 Quarter 2 Synergy cutoff. No grades in the standards report will be changed after this point without submitting a formal grade change to Gwyn Marquez."
Calendar
Monday 04 Dec
Coe at Educational Enrichment Director hiring committee meeting, 11:30
