THIS WEEK’S EVENTS
Monday 1/4 — Welcome Back, Bobcats!
Optional Technology Training 3:45-4:15 p.m.
Tuesday 1/5 — Tech Club 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Wednesday 1/6 — Sports & Fitness Club 3:30-4:15 p.m.
5th Grade Band Rehearsal 3:45-5:00 p.m.
Thursday 1/7 — DRA Testing 3rd Grade
ICC 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Marvelous Math Night 5:30 p.m.
PTA Meeting 6:30 p.m.
Friday 1/8 — Winter Break Reading Challenge Due!
LOOKING AHEAD
1/11 — DRA Testing 2nd Grade
Metzger to Riley in AM
Honor Choir at Arno 3:45-4:45 p.m.
1/12 — School Improvement Team Meeting 7:40 a.m.
School Visit from RESA Admin Group (more info to come)
Tech Club 3:30-4:30 p.m.
1/13 — Science Updates 2nd Grade AM/ 3rd Grade PM
Speech Team Monthly Meeting
Sports & Fitness Club 3:30-4:15 p.m.
5th Grade Band Rehearsal 3:45-5:00 p.m.
Science Fair 6:30-7:30 p.m.
1/14 — PBIS Meeting 3:30-4:30 p.m.
1/15 — NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
2016 GOALS
It’s a new year! I hope you had a wonderful break, and enjoyed the time together with your family and friends! I hope you are rested and rejuvenated, and ready to take on 2016!
In the lounge, I have posted a New Year’s Resolution space! Use the sticky notes to write a few words about your personal or professional goals for the new year and stick them to the large 2016! This will remind us that we are all working on something to better ourselves, and that we are all here to support one another. Here’s to a great year!
FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE
Please enjoy this short video, compiled of photos I took last month, and those you have shared with me! Please continue to share great photos of your students at work!
OPTIONAL TECHNOLOGY TRAINING
John has kindly offered to help me with some optional technology training beginning after Winter Break. Each Monday, from 7:45-8:15 a.m. and 3:45-4:15 p.m. we will explore a brief topic that you may find helpful in your day-to-day work. Our first training will be on Google — specifically how to make documents, save them, and share documents and folders. This first training will be Monday, January 4, 2016, and will be after school only since it will be the first day back! You do not need to attend any session in order to attend another. They will be stand alone sessions. Hopefully we can support each other with all of the great technology out there! Click here to RSVP: Optional Technology Training 1-4-16
SAFE SCHOOLS
This is a friendly reminder that Safe Schools modules must be complete by January 15. Please consider taking some time over the next several weeks to complete these modules. You can find the link by clicking on the STAFF tab on the district website, or by following this link: Safe Schools Login Remember, your username is your employee ID number from your paycheck, NOT your PIC number! 
FAMILY PHOTOS
It’s that time again! Please plan to share a family photo with me for the “Wall of Fame” in the next few weeks! I am hoping to have ALL of our staff members’ families represented this year! You may email, text, or give me a printed copy of your family photo for the “Wall of Fame” frames! ** The frames I have for this year are for 4×6 photos, either long or tall, so unfortunately, my plan of using some of your Christmas cards in the frames is not working this year.
WINTER BREAK READING CHALLENGE
I have already received several photos of Bobcats and staff for the Winter Break Reading Challenge! There is still plenty of time to read with your pet, read in your pajamas, read something funny, read under the table. . . the list goes on and on! Please encourage your students to complete the mugs and return them by Friday! On the back of the “mug” there is a calendar to track minutes — the more, the better!! All mugs full of “marshmallow” challenges are due to school by January 8, 2016! Let’s beat last year’s participation of 250 Winter Break Readers! There are additional copies of mugs and marshmallows in the office if a student needs a replacement.
** If you have not yet emailed a photo of you reading, please send one by the end of the week either by text or email. Let’s get photos of ALL staff reading!
MARVELOUS MATH NIGHTS
This month’s Marvelous Math Night is scheduled for Thursday, January 7, 2016 from 5:30-6:15 p.m. Our staff are diligently preparing presentations each month for our families in response to the feedback we have gotten, which indicates that families are struggling to support their students with mathematics at home. Unfortunately, the turnout at these sessions is quite low. This week, I sent out the RSVP along with a very brief survey looking for more information on how we can better support families through these math nights. I’m hoping that we can increase our attendance at these sessions! Please send the links below to your families in eblasts or newsletters this week.
DRA TESTING
Bennie Elementary School’s Winter DRA Assessment Schedule 2016
January 7 Third Grade
January 11 Second Grade
January 20 First Grade
January 18 Kindergarten
ATTENDANCE — ABSENCES & TARDIES
In keeping with the Code of Conduct, this week, letters will be sent to families of any students who have ten or more half-day absences and/or ten tardies from September 9 through December 18. Our report cards did not accurately reflect absences and tardies last quarter due to a computer glitch. If families have any questions, please refer them to the Code of Conduct (p. 13-15) for clarification, or to contact our office. Code of Conduct
DATA DAY
Mark Your Calendar!
February Data Day — February 24, 2016
We will follow the same schedule and cover your 2nd common assessment, talk M-STEP, and look at reading.
The schedule is as follows: Bennie Elementary — Please meet in Office Conference Room
3rd Grade 8:30-9:20 a.m.
4th grade 9:20-10:10 a.m.
5th grade 10:10-11:00 a.m.
Kindergarten 12:00-12:50 p.m.
1st Grade 12:55-1:45 p.m.
2nd Grade 1:45-2:35 p.m.
MSTEP DATA RELEASED TO PUBLIC
Spring 2015 M-STEP data can be found under the Student Assessment tab located under the left navigation category titled Kindergarten – 12 atwww.mischooldata.org. For a direct link to the Student Assessment page click here: https://www.mischooldata.org/
Once on the assessment page, select either Grade 3-8 Assessments or High School Assessments. Once on the grade specific assessment page, select M-STEP and using the dropdown menu, select the information you are interested in reviewing.
I briefly shared the initial information with you at our last Data Day. The scores from last spring are not reflective of our Bennie standards. However, we will use the remaining time we have together to dig deeper into the information that has now been released and consider how to improve from this point forward. We will use this data as a starting point. More information is coming soon. Allen Park Building Summary M-STEP
It’s a great year to be a Bennie Bobcat!
So enjoy the blog videos! Very heartwarming sand inspiring!!