Kate Retzel, Principal
To: School Committee
To: School Committee
Date: April 8, 2016
·
Our April PD was used as a last period
of time for development of our MCUs.
Many teachers have already finished units and others are just beginning
them now. Below is a list of MCUs utilized with LES students this year for your
consideration and amazement:
K – Mo Williams
Author Study
1 – Animals and
Habitats*; Poetry: Expanding Language, Sound, and Meaning
2 – Bees Unit (with
an extension on Polar Bears for some)*; Geography, Land, and People; Civil
Rights and Equality for All; Traditions and Customs; Matter Through Poetry*
3 – Extreme Weather;
The American Revolution; Poetry
4 – Weathering and
Erosion
5 – Plants and
Ecosystems*; Engineering*; Matter/Pre-Chemistry*; European Exploration of the
Americas- Perspectives on the Spanish Conquest of Latin America
6 – Heroes of the
Iliad
* symbol indicates a
cooperation with Flying Cloud Institute.
I
am sure you can see the integration of Science and Social Studies now possible with
the ELA base to units. You will also notice that some grade levels
have extended much beyond the requirement of one MCU for the year! (1.2;1.4; High quality professional
development is essential for improving educational practice and maximizing
student achievement.)
·
A concerned group of teachers is
revisiting the LES Behavior Rubric with me and creating behavior expectations
for all areas of the school – the hallway; the cafeteria; the classroom; the
bathroom; the buses (arrival and dismissal); and the playground. We will be
introducing the expectations and new rubric during our May Community
Gathering. We will try them out for the
remaining month of school and then tweak for a September fresh start with
students. With our changing population,
we feel it necessary to use the rubric and expectations more rigidly and have
more adults visible and on board to ensure we continue to create a safe
learning environment. (5.3; Reasonable
rules of behavior are necessary for the development of self-discipline and
personal responsibility.)
·
Please consider attending the Lee
Youth Drama show, Annie Jr., on Thursday, April 14th, or
Friday, April 15th. Both
shows are at 7pm in the Z. It will be
another extravaganza! Of that, I am
sure. Unfortunately, April 15th
will be the final show for our Drama Director, Jessica Pollard. We wish her the best in any new endeavors she
now has time to pursue. We thank her for
many years of dedicated service in the development of an outstanding,
all-inclusive drama program second to none at any elementary school I know of! Her
dedication has reached out and hugged students and their families giving them a
place to learn and grow. She will be terribly
hard to replace. (4.2; 5.5; We believe
in a standard of excellence throughout the district in all endeavors.)
·
At last check in, Kate Olender had 99
appointments for use of the tablets recently purchased! She will work with 4th graders
composing songs and doing assessment in Music class. 1st, 3rd, and 4th
graders will be creating presentations with recorded components. Our 5th graders are using them for
electronic math practice and research. We are as excited as the students are for
the electronic enhancements to classwork.
Students are so engaged!!! (1.6; 2.2)