February 22-26, 2021

Thomas Jefferson Star Report

A place where the Thomas Jefferson Staff collaborates and shares information.

 Happy Friday!

Now that we are back in the flow of school I will be using the TJ Star Report for weekly staff communication.

Thank you for completing your students' report cards, they will be emailed to parents this afternoon.  As you prepare to meet with the parents of your students it is important to remember that our school experience has been very different since last March.  There have been many twists and turns, but the positive side of this is that we are now headed in the right direction and we are on the straight path. Please note that since learning looked very different while we were in virtual classrooms students may not be where we would normally expect them to be this time of the year.  It is important that we embrace the power of YET, they will get there!  While it is important to share accurate data; conferences are a time to share about the progress that they have made this year and to share about supports that are happening here at school and how parents can support learning at home. We are schooling during a pandemic.

 With this in mind I wanted to share a summary of an ASCD article about Parent Teacher Conferences; 

Making the Most of Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-teacher conferences offer great opportunities to deepen your working relationship with parents. As you highlight their child's strengths, discuss academic or social concerns, and share information about child development, parents come to see you as an ally and themselves as true partners in their child's education. A little thinking and planning will help you make the most of these great opportunities.

Tips for Success

Invite parents to share their thoughts. As experts on their children, parents can share valuable insights. And they'll appreciate your respectful recognition of their role in helping their children.

Highlight the positives. Recognize a child's strengths before discussing her struggles. You'll give parents some perspective while encouraging them to work productively with you.

Address just one or two concerns. Listing too many problems can make parents (and their children) feel defeated. Mention that you'd like to help the student with several things, but for now you'd like to concentrate on just one or two.

Let parents know if you need thinking time. It's perfectly OK to tell parents you want to think through what they've said, observe their children for a bit, consult others, or read up on an issue they've raised.

Be Prepared for Surprises

Parents sometimes surprise us with negative or personal questions or comments.

What can you do in such an instance?

• Steer the conversation back to positives: "I'm sorry things didn't go well for Adam last year. But because our time is limited, I'd like to focus on what we can accomplish this year if we work together."
• Focus on the child: "You seem to be going through some tough stuff right now. I wonder if that's taking Jasmine's attention away from school. What do you think we might do to help her concentrate?"
• Listen with empathy: "That must be hard" or "You've been through a lot" can help parents feel heard without injecting your own opinion or advice.
• Offer to get help: "You seem to be wondering what to do next. Our school counselor may have some ideas for you."

Follow Up and Follow Through

After each parent-teacher conference, send a note thanking parents for sharing time with you. If you offered to find resources, gather information, and so forth, make sure you do so—and share the results with parents.

Conference Week Recess Schedule:

• 8:15-8:30 - Student Arrival

• 9:45-10:00 - K/1 Nutrition Break

• 10:05-10:20 - 2nd and 3rd Nutrition Break

• 10:25 - 4th and 5th Nutrition Break

There will be break coverage for all teachers for the Nutrition Breaks by the MDS Staff so teachers will NOT have Nutritional Break duty next week.

• 11:30 - Kindergarten Dismissal

• 11:50 - Grades 1-5 Dismissal

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If your student has a Kindergarten sibling they can meet them on the Kindergarten Playground to pick them up - the Kinder team will be advised as to the pick-up plan for the sibling unit.

Thank you for forwarding your schedules to the front office with your Zoom link, if you have not already done so please do so before Monday.

THANK YOU!

Kirsten

Additional Minutes Reminder

• Important Reminder- 45-55 mins. worth of daily work must be documented in Otus. (Sites need to have 185 daily mins of face-to-face learning. With a 15 mins recess, students would be in school for 200 mins and would need work to be sent home to make up the 45-55 mins (gr 1-5) to ensure the full amount of time mandated in SB98.)

• Thomas Jefferson Conference Guidelines

• Otus will be the vehicle in which the auditor will check our instructional minutes for this week. So even though you might send home paper and pencil assignments such as reading logs or other worksheets, this still needs to be documented in Otus.

• This is like your lesson plan book...a daily representation

Please see the  information in the Educators Blog RCSD EDUCATORS BLOG

REGISTRATION

Kristy has put a class list in your mailbox and highlighted students that have not yet registered. Thank you for reminding the parents at their conference that they need to complete Returning Student Registration 2021-2022.

If there are students that were absent and were not able to create an art piece please have them do so on Monday or Tuesday and turn it into Kristy with the sticker by Tuesday, February 23, 2021.

It is our goal to continue the Read Across America Week tradition at Thomas Jefferson.  Please see the slide link below for Spirit Week Information and Virtual Read Aloud opportunities. 

Please share the following information with your families in your communications.

  

We are looking for 2-3 volunteer readers for each class.  The sign-up spreadsheet is in the slide link.  All Read Alouds will be virtual videos.

READ ACROSS AMERICA WEEK SLIDE LINK

VIRTUAL READ ALOUD SIGN UP SHEET

RCSD Weekly Communication

Please see the RCSD Weekly Communication HERE.

Awards Assembly

Awards for Integrity are available in the office for next Friday.  The integrity Awards Assembly video will be emailed to you next Thursday.

Lockdown Drill

There will be a Lockdown Drill next Wednesday, February 24, 2021.  

When you have conducted the lockdown attendance for your students and staff please complete the following form: LOCKDOWN FORM.  There is a drop-down menu with your name.  Please select your name and then move to question 2.  If you are missing students and or staff OR have additional people in your room please fill out question 3.

Once we have accounted for all present students we will move into a fire evacuation drill.  Please follow that protocol and leave the doors LOCKED.

Thomas Jefferson Emergency Procedures