Feb. 27, 2008

Principal’s Corner

Have you ever wondered what we are doing on Professional Learning Community early release days? I will focus on a different grade level team each week and the work they are doing during this important time.

This week I will focus on the Kindergarten Professional Learning Community. This community of learners have created essential learning outcomes for reading and math. They shared these with parents during their Curriculum Night last fall. They have also created the following goals for their teaching and student learning. At the end of the year, 85% of the students will receive 3’s or 4’s on the report card for vocabulary in reading. At the end of the 2nd quarter, 90% of kindergarten students received 3’s or 4’s on the report card for vocabulary. The efforts of both teachers and students have really paid off! Teachers then create an action plan for re-teaching those students that have not yet mastered the vocabulary goal during their PLC time.

The Kindergarten Professional Learning Community has established the following goal for math: 85% of the students will receive 3’s or 4’s on the report card in number sense. At the present time, only 71% of the students have 3’s or 4’s on number sense. The team then created an action plan to support those students not mastering number sense. They will assess students frequently to see how they are doing. They will write numbers at least once a week as one way to monitor their learning.

Next week I will focus on the First Grade Professional Learning Community work.

Dismissal Procedures: Remember that we pick up students on the basketball court at the end of the day. This helps us keep our students organized and accounted for. Please do not come in the building or block the doorway so that students may get out in an orderly and quick fashion.

Please make after school plans that are the same most days for your students. Make sure each morning they know what they need to do when school dismisses. We cannot be responsible for communicating a change of plan during the school day.

Remember that we don’t pick up students in the staff parking lot. This is an area where students walk through to get safely home.

We appreciate your help in keeping our students safe at dismissal time.

Lincoln Public Schools ExCITE and Head Start Program: Register your preschooler for this program at Clinton on Wednesday, March 19th from 3:30-6:30 p.m. Bring your 2007 income verification, certified copy of your child’s birth certificate or passport and immunization records of the child. For more information contact Lincoln Public Schools at 436-1995 or the Lincoln Action Program at 471-4515.

Schoolwide Rules and Procedures: At Clinton School we have the following rules: Be Safe. Be Respectful. Be Responsible. We are teaching students procedures around the building. This week we are focusing on “waiting in line” behavior. Students that are caught using these procedures may receive an “I Got Caught” sticker. If your child wears one home, ask them how they earned it.

Be Safe

--Hands and feet to self

--Face forward

Be Respectful

--Keep hands and feet to self

--Listen to directions

--Quiet voices

Be Responsible

--Keep in personal space

--Line order

--Follow directions from adult supervising

Don’t ARRIVE until 7:45 a.m. Adults will be out to supervise at 7:45 a.m. for our students safety. Please do not bring your children until that time. If you need before school care, please contact Kristi Chambers at the Clinton Community Learning Center at 437-8835 or 770-8606.

Attendance: Attendance Goal for 2007-08: Let’s set our goal to have a 95% average daily attendance rate for the 2007-08 school year. Students that are in school learn!!

As of February 22, 2008, we have an average daily attendance rate of 95.21%.

Kdg= 92.75 %

Grade 1= 95.23 %

Grade 2= 95.63 %

Grade 3= 96.09 %

Grade 4=95.92 %

Grade 5= 96.19 %

Dates to Remember:

Schools dismiss at 1:33 p.m. today for teachers to meet in Professional Learning Communities.

--Thursday, Feb. 28th—Parent Group Popcorn Presales—Bring a quarter today so that you can purchase popcorn and receive it on Friday at the end of the day.

--March 4th—Nebraska Teacher Recognition Day! Thank someone that helped you learn today!!

--Tuesday, March 11th—3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Parent Teacher Conferences for those that have not had one yet.

Tuesday, March 18th, Professional Learning Community Early Release Day. Students are dismissed at 1:33 p.m. today.

--Tuesday, March 18th—7:00 p.m., Parent Group Meeting, Clinton Cafeteria. All parents are welcome.

--Week of March 24-28—No school for all LPS Students—Spring Break.