Leverett

JANUARY 22, 2016
Friday, January 22
           Talent Show- 6:30
            Game Night- 7:30
Tuesday, January 26
            Public Forum: LES Budget Review &  Discussion- 7:45-8:30am
Monday, February 1
            School Committee Meeting- 6:00pm
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Liberty Tax in Amherst (voted Best of the Valley 2014 & 2015) has a special offer for friends of Leverett Elementary School: Any new client who files their taxes at Liberty in Amherst by February 13 will receive $50 and LIBERTY TAX WILL DONATE an additional $25 to LES for our FIELD TRIP FUND! See card attached and please be sure to tell them before you file that you are a friend of LES! Thank you and please help spread the word!

IN THE SCHOOLHOUSE

As this Friday Post goes to press, teachers are in the midst of preparing report cards. It is something in which LES teachers invest a great deal of time and thought, wanting to be sure that the report card is an accurate portrayal of the child’s learning. The work on report cards actually began in December, when we met to review the software changes that have been made recently in the report cards, which are prepared electronically. After the teachers prepare the report cards, they are given to me for review. While this is a time-consuming task, it is one that I enjoy, because it offers me a defined glimpse into each child’s progress. While it is rare for me to suggest an actual change to a report card, the drafts often acquire a plethora of sticky notes containing my questions and comments to teachers. It is my chance to ‘wonder’ about each child and his or her learning, looking through a different lens than I do in my myriad daily conversations with teachers. We are constantly communicating about children, curriculum, field trips—the list is never ending!

In my role as building administrator (though I prefer ‘Senior Learner’), communication is at the heart of what I do. Technology has made communication both easier and more challenging. It is easier to ‘chat’ with each other, but it can make us more impatient to get very speedy answers. I can leave my office to spend an hour visiting classrooms and come back to find a dozen or more emails have arrived during that time. If I have other meetings, or have a child needing my attention, some of those emails sometimes don’t get my full attention until the end of the school days. That is why we remind parents that if a communication is time-sensitive, a phone call is the surest bet!

Home-school communication has many different purposes. Making sure that parents know what their children are learning and doing is very important. In looking at the classroom blogs recently, I realized that we can do better as a school at keeping that information current, and including a wider range of information. Beginning in February, we will set aside one teacher meeting each month to updating classroom blogs, and to sharing other ways that teachers are communicating with parents and caregivers.

And, speaking of sharing information, just a reminder that coming up on Tuesday, January 26th, from 7:45-8:30 a.m. will be an informational session on the proposed FY17 school budget.  Superintendent Jennifer Haggerty, Director of Finance and Operations Aaron Osborne, and representatives of the School Committee will be on hand to give an overview of the proposed budget and to answer questions. Light refreshments will be served, and childcare will be provided. We hope that many parents will be able to attend!

                                                -Margot Lacey

FROM THE KITCHEN:

We are looking for a few good kitchen subs.  We occasionally need someone from 10-1:30 to chop vegetables, serve lunch, and run our fancy-pants dishwasher. We move fast and generally have a pretty good time. Stop by the office and talk to Kate.