June 4, 2018

June 4, 2018

Administrative Message:
Placement Cards:

• color coded Placement cards for student class assignments will be placed in your mailboxes on Tuesday June 5, 2018
• all teachers will collaborate per grade level to assign students to the next grade level.
• Please divide classes equally and equable (as much as possible) based on the following criteria:
• academic ability
• gender
• behavior
• all ESOL students, should be assigned to the same class / grade level
• CT and/or resource students should be assigned to the same class / grade level
• Return replacement cards to Mary in the main office by Friday, June 15, 2018.

Move Information:
Boxes and labels:
Packing:

• all unwanted books shall not be packed;
• 10 boxes will be delivered to each classroom  and 5 boxes for offices by Monday June 4th .
• All items that are moving require a move label. PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THE BOXES.
• Labels will be placed in mail boxes on Monday June 4th  (remember to track your number of boxes and general contents on the box inventory form).
• If you need more boxes, they can be requested by completing a pink form (forms will be placed in mailboxes starting Monday, June 4th.
• Return pink forms to anyone of the office clerks.
• Please use the pink form to request assistance from the packers (dates for 1st and/or 2nd choice date/time).
• the packers will be available to assist us starting June 4th from 12 - 8 pm.
• Saturday, June 8th (10-2:00 pm)is a day when the building at Freddie Thomas will be open for staff.
• Please refer to the Moving Instructions( attached in the follow-up email message about the move and the blog.
• Please refer to the attachment for more detailed directions about moving, packing and box inventory form.
• All text books with the exception of teacher manuals used by teachers over the summer, should be collected by

Purging:

• Garbage cans will be placed in the hallways after dismissal times beginning next week.
• please see Ms. Garrow for bags. If she is not hear, you may requests bags from a custodian.
• be mindful that all trash needs to be placed in the bags.
• do not over stuff the bags or garbage cans.
• All unwanted books or materials, can be given away to students.

Air Conditioning Unit/ Building Temperatures:

• The AC and cooler are currently under repair and crews are working over the weekend to get the unit up, running and fully operational
• communications have been sent home to families
• water and frozen treats will be continue to be provided as needed.
• Please continue to be patient with the students and engage them in peaceful, mindfulness activities that will alleviate, heat exhaustion , challenging behaviors and office managed behaviors.
• Please continue to plan engaging student activities and provide time for students to participate in brain breaks.

Recess:

• if you go outside please adhere to the recess schedule; refrain from transitioning close to dismissal time;
• Please review the SOAR recess expectations with your class prior to going outside.
• Be sure to get a radio from the main office and be aware of the radio usage protocols (communicating appropriately, speak clearly use last names when referring to staff, and return the radio immediately upon reentry into the building.

APPR - Observations & Evaluations:

• administrators will be contacting you to schedule meetings to discuss your final evaluations
• Please be sure to bring along any PD transcripts and laptop(s) to finalize your evaluation.

Summer PD
Instructional Focus 2018-2019 School Year:
Some of our instructional focuses for next year are; Step Up to Writing and strengthening the instructional core.  On August 21st, 22nd and 23rd, we will have building base professional development that targets Tier 1 instruction and the next steps for Step Up to Writing. If you have not assigned up for the summer PD, please sign up in the main office.

  

Important Dates:

• RTA Transfer Days are June 4, June 5, June 7, and June 12
• PD for Learning Targets is Tuesday, June 5^th at 3:45am OR Wednesday, June 6^th at 7:45am.
• Field Day June 14, 2018
• Flag Day June 14, 2018

Moving up - Moving On Ceremonies:

• Kindergarten - June 19, 2018
• 6th Grade -  TBD
• 8th Grade - June 20, 2018 (5:30 PM)

 



Important Dates:
May 17, 2018 Arts and Music Celebration 5:30-7:30 pm
May 22, 2018 Superintendent Barbara Dean- Williams Visits John Walton Spencer School No.16
May 23-June 4, 2018 NYS Science Performance Test Grades 4 & 8
May 23, 2018 Boxes for move delivered
May 28, 2018 Memorial day (All facilities closed)
May 29 - June 15 Post-Assessment Window (Grades K-8)
June 1, 2018 1/2 Day- Early dismissal for students; Superintendent Conference Day!








Administrative Message:
Greetings Staff,
Please keep in mind that school is not over yet!  We have made many strides thus far and must continue to finish the race at a steady pace! We conducted a Learning walk on Monday, May14th. Evidence from the from the most recent Learning Walk and school wide disciplinary referrals, indicates that learning targets are not being used consistently, students are not aware of their learning targets, they are disengaged, there is a lack of differentiation and rituals and routines are not consistent. Please review the Learning Walk data that is posted in the Learning Walk/Walk Thru section.


The lack of high quality instruction, expectations and students' safety has led to a significant decrease in the students' engagement, serious injuries and an alarming amount of behavior concerns.  We would like to remind you the importance of continuous planning and preparation for engaging activities for all students, monitoring students through-out the day, minimizing student transitions throughout the building with adult supervision or use of hall passes, and holding students accountable for school wide expectations.




Arts & Music Celebration
A Special thank you to The Arts Festival Committee, Ms. Schramm, Ms. Ellingham and Mr. Stepping and Ms. Frank.




           

 

Dayvion Davis rappels 21 stories from the Kodak Tower

 The Transfer of Flags Ceremony 5/22/18
Congratulate our new Standard Bearers:
Abdiaziz Omar
Olivia Walker-Lightle
Bilash Magar

3.26.18

~Thank you to all the staff that supported our students in the creation of their projects for our Annual Project Fair.  They were amazing! The event was a success. Our students and families enjoyed the evening. We would like to send a special thank you to Mrs. Cowles, Ms. White - Spraggins, their students, our custodial staff and the community agencies for all the preparation and work they did to plan this event. 

                                       

~Take a peek at the new JWS School No. 16.  Construction is underway!  We were recently featured in the City Newspaper.  Use the link below to read the article titled "Construction nears for School 16".

http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/rochester/construction-nears-for-school-16-update/Content?oid=3190978

                        

~On Wednesday our 7th grade students visited Central Office to hear Dr. David Anderson speak about the importance of relationships and how they relate to abolitionists from Rochester, such as Frederick Douglass and Austin Steward.

~Please remember to support our SOAR Hallway Activity and give gold coins to the classes that are demonstrating appropriate hallway behavior.

Thank you to all of our staff who planned and presented on Friday, March  23rd. Please take some time to take a closer look at the school - wide academic and disciplinary data that we shared and reflect on the professional development you participated in. As you take some time to reflect, think about these guided questions;

• Who are the students that are performing below grade level?
• What strategies are you using to support these students?
• What changes can you make in your Tier 1 classroom instruction to improve student growth?
• What changes can you make in your Tier 1 instruction and in your classroom management plan that will decrease your disciplinary referrals?
• What activities/practices that you learned about during Friday's professional opportunity will you implement in your classroom? 

                               

    

~Attendance

Taking accurate and timely attendance is a professional expectation for all teachers, as well as an educationally sound practice and an important student safety issue.” RCSD 2017-2018 Attendance Manual, page 3.

The 2017-18 RCSD Attendance Manual can be found on the Intranet, under Departments, and then on the Student Attendance Page, as well as on the link provided. The manual includes all expectations of schools, the procedures to record attendance in an accurate and timely manner, and all the State laws and District policies.

·     The Standardized Attendance Recording Policy is on page 5 and includes the steps to resolve unsubmitted attendance concerns. This includes steps to take if disciplinary action is required.

·     The Annual Attendance Responsibility Form is on pages 18-20. This form serves as a record of all the attendance functions that need to be performed and who is responsible for completing those functions. Additional guidance is provided in the Every Minute Matters Principals’ Guide. This guide helps schools to structure weekly attendance meetings, review attendance data, and create action plans to curb chronic absenteeism. A Principals’ Self-Assessment looks at ways to organize resources, personalize student interventions, and utilize community partners to build connections with families. As always, the Student Attendance Department is available to meet with your attendance teams to provide additional support. We look forward to improved collaboration to serve our students and families.

~Dates:
Good Friday - March 30th
Spring Break Begins- March 30th - April 8th

Construction nears for School 16 update

School 16 will transform from a small, wood-frame building to one of the most impressive in the Rochester City School District if all goes according to plans. The architectural planning phase for the school's remodel is mostly complete, says district Chief of Operations Michael Schmidt.

Parents, teachers, and neighbors can now better imagine what the school will look like when the work is finished sometime in 2018. The plans can be viewed on the SW Common Council's website: http://bit.ly/2lxXU9z.

School 16, which is in the southwest quadrant of the city at 321 Post Avenue, is part of the second phase of the $1.2 billion Rochester schools modernization program. Plans for the three-story building show a major addition that will house a new gymnasium and performance stage.

The school's old gymnasium will become a library and the old library space will be converted to classroom space. The building's second floor and balcony area will be redesigned to house additional classroom space.

"We've done quite a bit of work," Schmidt says. "We're renovating all of the building space and all mechanical systems will be updated." The school will have new windows, heating, and ventilation and electrical systems. And it will receive a major technology upgrade.

Only some portions of the building in use all school year are being considered for air-conditioning. School 16 doesn't have air-conditioning now.

The school's new gymnasium and performance stage will be designed to allow access without opening the whole school. This would permit some public use of the building for sports or events after school hours.

Schmidt is careful not to call the space a recreation area or community center, since those types of buildings are generally staffed by the city.

The schools modernization program is mostly reimbursed by the state using a formula that places higher priority on spaces that get a lot of student use. A community space like the Ryan Center at School 33, for example, would most likely require additional funding.

School 16 was not originally part of the modernization program, but a group of residents and parents from the city's southwest fought plans to shutter the school.

Former Superintendent Bolgen Vargas wasn't convinced that the cost to renovate the building was a good investment; the school needed significant improvements.

But the neighborhood group says that School 16 is essential to the continued health of neighborhoods, including the historic 19th Ward. They fear that young families won't find the area desirable, despite the strong housing stock, without a neighborhood school.

The renovated School 16 will house pre-k through grade six. The final renovation plan still has to be approved by the state before construction begins.

School 16's students are currently housed at Dr. Freddie Thomas High School on Scio Street. Students are scheduled to return to the updated School 16 building in the fall of 2018.

IF YOU DID NOT TURN IN A NEEDS REQUEST FORM- YOU MUST NOT HAVE ANY NEEDS!

Immediately following school we swill set tables out and teachers can bring down there displays.

• The location community displays and hands -on that will have signs on the tables to create the best flow for the evening extravaganza.  Teachers feel free to choose a space that is empty of an agency tag.  Only the 1^st floor will be open, from the library hall to the gym.
• If your classroom is on the 1^st floor it makes sense that your display wall space will be near your room.  Wherever you normally display student work unless you specifically requested another area, and then displays can be left up for some time following the event. 
• The plan is to accommodate everyone and create less work.
• If you are from the 2^nd or 3^rd floor you will have a space on the 1^st floor.

                                                   John Walton Spencer School No. 16

Project Fair

Reminders

3/22/2018

* No children may attend evening event without an adult.

* Please volunteer one half hour of your time during the event so we can offer hands-on   activities.  There are two sign-up sheets;

1 for Hands-on activities during the event.

1 for Classroom walk-through of the project museum on Friday in the Music room 121.

* We have many community agencies attending our event.

* Since students have school on Friday, wewill return students projects to your room so music can use their classroom for teaching.  , please make sure they are labeled, room number, student name, teacher name.

* Students staying after school must be with an adult at all times.  Please send a note to J. Cowles with these students’ names and I will forward them all to Ms. Roberts.

* The expectation is that every teacher will display students’ work.  It doesn’t need to be large or complicated, simply a reflection of what is happening in your classroom.  Please remember to include the task, standards, rubric, and commentary.

* Thank you for your hard work and for volunteering to run activity areas!!! This

             participation allows us to offer hands-on fun for everyone.

A few ideas to ensure a well attended event:

* Have students make invitations for family and friends.

*Make blue ribbon projects part of the classroom expectations.

*Please encourage individual projects.

*The more quality projects displayed the better the reflection on our teaching and learning family. 

Today Mrs. Cowles will accept projects from 2:00 till 4:00 in the music room 121.   Two announcements will be made to make the flow go easier.  One for 1-3 and another for 4-8.  6^th grade students will be sent to the kindergarten to get any projects in shifts.  This area will be set up for classroom viewing on Thursday.  A sign-up sheet went around to choose a time for your class.  It is a great time to see what are students can do, we use our Sourcebooks to take note.

The student project must be labeled with name, teachers name and room number AND have a written explanation. Any questions or concerns 3080 – Joan Cowles

You Can Do It!

Every child deserves a champion – an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.

-Rita Pierson

Staff,

~Please be sure you are reviewing your emails on a weekly basis.  Information about our upcoming 3 - 8 ELA Assessment will be sent out over the course of the next week.

~Please be mindful of the parameters that we have put in place about eating in your classrooms.  

~There shouldn't be any food/eating in the lecture hall at all. 

~We see many staff members working to support our efforts in keeping the noise level down in the hallways and minimizing movement in the halls.  We have noticed students working together in their lines to demonstrate SOAR hallway behavior.  Those "Pots of Gold" are overflowing for many of your classes.  

GREAT JOB, let's keep up the good work!

Classroom Highlights:
~Students in grades K - 2 engaged in a poetry week during Quad A. They also have been learning about nutrition.  They researched and wrote about healthy recipes.  If you see these fabulous School No. 16 students, please ask them about it.

        


~At School No. 16 we have many Soaring Star Students in music class. Please stop by our "Star Wall" that is located on the first floor in the 7th and 8th grade wing to read the names of the students who have achieved this award. Please congratulate them when you see them.



Important Dates:
March 30th - April 8th Spring Break

April 11th  & 12th - NYS ELA Assessment
April 13th - 18th - NYS ELA Assessments Make - Ups