Nov 2 to Nov 6

2010 United Way Campaign To Begin Soon
Dr. Apostle recently wrote:

"This very important initiative provides much needed community services for our families and children. The Puyallup School District leads the way in its annual United Way contributions when compared to other Pierce County Districts. I hope that you will, again, generously contribute to this very worthy effort. The United Way Campaign will begin in the next few weeks and will end before the winter break."

Contribution forms will be in your box soon. Please consider what you can do to help support Hunt's efforts in meeting the UW Goal. We know everyone is giving in the ways that work best for their family - but whether it's a little or a lot - together we can make a difference. Stay tuned for updates on progress toward our school goal...

Learning Targets Target Learning
To see or not to see...that is the question. Most of the classrooms at Hunt have Learning Targets posted in clever and creative ways. Not only that, but the kids know where the Targets are in their classroom...that's FAN-TA-STIC! The power of Learning Targets is in the "Wrap Around." It's not enough to have the Targets posted...every teacher, staff member, parent, and support person must also talk about the targets ALL THE TIME! How about everytime you talk to students - start with something like:

"Remember, todays Learning Target is..."

"Let's see how your idea relates to today's Learning Target..."

"If today's Learning Target is...then that means we should be focused on..."

"What you said, (student), reminds me that our Learning Target is..."

Will you feel like an old 45 record stuck in the groove by a diamond needle? Probably...but remember your students deserve to have the best practices in teaching and learning ALL THE TIME!

CSIP Team Meeting - Tuesday, Nov. 3
The agenda will include discussion about ELO plans and building allocations. If your grade level rep is unable to attend, please arrange for a sub to attend.

ELO Update - Coordinator Needed (Cert Staff Only)
The CSIP team approved the use of our ELO funds to support Read Naturally Sessions and Math Sessions focusing on Number Sense, Computational Fluency, and Problem Solving.

A $1,000 stipend is available for a Teacher Leader who can be the ELO Coordinator of this year's ELO sessions. ELO Coordinators must be organized, have good communication skills, be able to solve problems as they arise, and make decisions without immediate direction. This person will work closely with the Principals to:

1. help use the data and teacher input to identify kids who may benefit from ELO experiences


2. coordinate the materials needed to work with student groups


3. help teachers/paras communicate with parents via phone or fliers
   
4. help manage the paperwork and data collection from Pre/Post Assessments

If this sounds like something you would like to be a part of, send an email to Rebecca by Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2009.

6th Graders Are Goin' To College
Last week, Jeff Foerster's class joined the Wildwood team for a campus visit to the University of Puget Sound. The other 6th graders will head to UPS on Thursday, Nov.19. The goal of the visit is to give every student a shared experience that promotes the idea of a higher education. Students were greeted by a college student who gave them a walking tour of the campus, answered questions. The sixth graders completed a scavenger hunt and ate a sack lunch before returning to the Elementary World of School. When you bump into a sixth grader, be sure to ask them about their experiences.

Every Monday Matters

Principal at Sunrise Elementary, Terrie Garrison, wrote the following to her staff...I couldn't agree more or resist posting it on our Blog. Thanks, Terrie, for sharing your words with me and my staff!

We are approaching "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" - are they joking? I think it is the most stressful time of the year, especially for teachers. Let's try and stay ahead of the stress. There are a few things we can all do to reduce stress:

1. Plan ahead - the more prepared and organized we are the easier our tasks will be. I know this takes time but it pays off in the end.


2. Communicate - when you are feeling overwhelmed or when you need assistance - tell someone. We are all in this together.


3. Don't Delay - lesson planning, correcting papers, report cards, conference preparation, parent phone calls...The list seems endless at times. When these things are done at the very end it increases stress and is less effective.
   
4. Take care of yourself! - Exercise, eat right (with an occasional self-indulgent treat), get plenty of sleep. You will be no good to anyone if you don't take care of yourself.