September 25th

Communication - 

Language Development -- it will be important to continue to teach all students during core instruction. We will continue to work on adding in vocabulary in a variety of ways.

Staff Photo - We will be taking our staff photo on Friday September 28th at 8:00 in the front of the building. Please wear (or change into) your new Underwood Polo.

School Family Picnic - We are excited about seeing our families at School Family Picnic on Thursday night. You can pack a dinner or purchase food from one of the three food trucks that will be on site on Thursday the 28th from 5:30-7:00.

2017-2018  Flu Vaccine Information - Getting a flu shot is easy and convenient for State Health Plan members through Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina's "What’s True About the Flu" program. Members eligible for the "What's True About the Flu" program are members on the 80/20 Plan, Consumer-Directed Health Plan and the 70/30 Plan. 

Getting Your Flu Shot

The flu vaccine is available at no charge to all Plan members when you receive a shot at a worksite clinic, any in-network doctor's office, in-network health department, participating Convenience Clinic, or through a participating North Carolina immunizing pharmacist. 

For frequently asked questions about the flu shot program, click here

Flu Prevention Resources

For more information about the flu and how to prevent it, check out these Centers for Disease Control and Prevention resources 

Collaboration 

Quarterly Planning Days -- Items to complete during first quarter planning days 

-ELO's-  

-Common Assessments

-Supports for students that already have mastered/not mastered the standards

-Team Learning (EL, NKT (K-2), supports/strategies to help ESL and/or newcomers, tech)

-Powerschools

-PDP's

Critical Thinking 

Social and Emotional Well-being -- Thank you all for being a captive audience during our vision presentation and work with learning more about Conscious Discipline. Here is the link to our vision presentation - Our Vision. 

Feedback -- If you have more feedback (things that have worked or things that could be better regarding the beginning of the year) you would like for us to consider, please feel free to email, discuss or fill out this form. https://goo.gl/forms/XNwhdAo6gU8lOfck1

Accommodations for testing (IEP, 504, LEP) - Classroom teachers will need to review accommodations for students if - Testing accommodations --- submit settings form to secure a staff member that can administer the assessment in the appropriate setting per their plan.

MDA Lock-up - On September 27th, I will be "locked up". Every day, kids and adults are diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases that take away the most basic freedoms – the freedom to walk, talk, hug and even breathe. If you are willing to donate - click click on to donate. 

Creativity 
United Arts - United Arts supports our community in so many ways. This is the time of year where we are given the opportunity to support them. If you are able, please donate to United Arts. I will send you a few reminders of the next 2 weeks since that is how long the campaign has left. You can donate by filling out the attachment, printing it, and returning it to my box. You can also donate online. Choose to give through payroll deduction or to give a one-time donation. If you need to wait until payday, no worries. The last date for donations is Friday, October 5th. 

Upcoming Events:

September 26th-Leadership/SIP meeting at 7:45am

September 26th-Q1 Interims go home with all students

September 27th - Mr. Shillings will be Locked Up to support Muscular Dystrophy Association. 

September 28th-School Family Picnic 5:30-7:00pm

September 29th-Early Release; Cultural Arts Event (Latin Music Performance)

September 29th - Early Release (Unpacking Standards part 2 and Cohorts)

October 3rd - Business Meeting - Benefits representative, order materials, elective balance, etc.

October 6th - Fall Pictures 

October 10th - Leadership Meeting

October 13th - Unicorn Trot Pep Rally k-2 and 3-5.  
October 14th-Grounds Day 8:30am-12pm

October 20th - Unicorn Trot 

October 20th - Early Release 

October 24th - Leadership/SIP 

October 30th - End of Quarter 

October 31st - Teacher Workday 

*Dates for mandatory/optional school-wide events for all staff are listed here.

September 18th

The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. H. Jackson Brown, Jr. - Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/hjacksonb382774.html

Communication

Uni-news -- https://sites.google.com/site/ugtmuninews/home

Interims go home with all students on Tuesday, September 26th.

With electives starting, please help ensure smooth transitions by having a conversation with your class prior to dismissing them for electives focused on walking on the right side of the hallway and staying quiet.  Also, standing in the hall monitoring students is helpful if you are able and willing.

Elective changes can be submitted here.  Check your rosters daily for the first week as many changes will be made.  If a student isn't showing up on your roster, please let Ashley know.

Educator Celebration-  Quail Ridge Books is having an Educator Celebration on September 29 and 30th.  By just attending their are some great giveaways!  Please RSVP by September 18th-  For more information and to RSVP-  http://www.quailridgebooks.com/educatorcelebration

Creativity

Reflections- Students are able to create products to share in the 2017-18 reflections - "Within Reach".

Critical Thinking

We are listening and being reflective-  The admin team has been collaborating to address/reflect on the feedback we have received about the beginning of the year.  Based on some of the feedback, here are some solutions we have discussed and/or planned for next year or as an immediate response: 

• No period 1 special on the first day of school
• First 2 weeks of school-get 50 minutes of planning for Grades 3-5
• Admin “adopt” a grade level to support with coverage in 3-5
• Beginning of the year checklist
• Push Open House to 3rd week of September and School Family Picnic first week of October

If you have more feedback (things that have worked or things that could be better) you would like for us to consider, please feel free to email, discuss or fill out this form. https://goo.gl/forms/XNwhdAo6gU8lOfck1

Have a child that may need clothes? - Brittany Bailey (organizes lost and found) has asked that you complete this doc - List with sizes . She will check the spreadsheet before donating to Note in the Pocket. And will update as needed, thanks. 

Collaboration

Building Literacy Connections for K-3 Parents: Conferencing with Reading 3D's Home Connect
September 28th @ 3 pm

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2764636611229958915

What does that "yellow" dot mean? My child needs to be a "Level M" but I don't know what a "Level M" is! Have you ever had these conversations with parents? If so, this webinar provides insights and ideas for school leaders and teachers in informing parents about literacy connections and strategies to support all students, at home and in the classroom. Please join us as we go “beyond the colors” and “the levels” using your Reading 3D Home Connect letter as a framework for facilitating effective parent-teacher communications and conferences.After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Brought to you by GoToWebinar®

Accommodations for testing (IEP, 504, LEP) - Classroom teachers will need to review accommodations for students if - Testing accommodations --- submit settings form to secure a staff member that can administer the assessment in the appropriate setting per their plan

Interested in teaching a TEK afterschool club? Clubs will run Oct. 25-Dec. 6 (skipping Thanksgiving week). There will be 6 club sessions from 4:15-5:45pm. Contact Duval with your club proposal/grades preferred and for more information: duval@tailoredenrichmentkids.com   by September 18th.


Upcoming Events:
September 18th-TEK club proposals due (duval@tailoredenrichmentkids.com)
September 21st - Workday 8am-12 noon (Suicide Prevention, EOP training, Conscious Discipline)
September 26th-Leadership/SIP meeting at 7:45am
September 26th-Q1 Interims go home with all students
September 28th-School Family Picnic 5:30-7:00pm
September 29th-Early Release; Cultural Arts Event (Latin Music Performance)
September 29th - Early Release (Unpacking Standards part 2 and Cohorts)
October 6th - Fall Pictures 
October 3rd - Business Meeting - Benefits representative, order materials, elective balance, etc.
*Dates for mandatory/optional school-wide events for all staff are listed here.

September 11th

Communication

Electives begin Wednesday, September 13th. Elective slips will go home with students in Tuesday folders on September 12th.  Submit all elective change requests on the document here.  Please do not send students down to the IRT/Magnet office.  We have magnet funds to support and enrich your elective content-submit requests here.  Please complete elective Q1 signs in the shared folder  and upload elective letters by Monday, September 11th.  

Uni-news -- https://sites.google.com/site/ugtmuninews/home

As a Magnet School, we are fortunate to have numerous opportunities to showcase our program throughout the year.   Your attendance and participation at school events supports our students, your colleagues and send a strong message of partnership to parents and community members. Dates for mandatory/optional school-wide events for all staff are listed here.
The creation of this system is due to a number of factors:  

• For most of us, building relationships with students and families is part of our “why”
• Students and parents look forward to seeing staff members at these events
• It is important that events are attended by a wide variety of staff members
• Giving our time to attend is a way to give back to the PTA and Foundation that generously support our school

Creativity

Outlook (previously Lotus Notes email). We are pleased to share that we have migrated the first group of employee email accounts to Outlook.  We will continue to migrate accounts by school and department in the coming weeks. Technology Services will send an email to employees about a week before their accounts are migrated to advise of the upcoming change. 

What you need to know about moving to Outlook:

• Your email address will not change.
• Once your account has been migrated, you will access your Outlook email through the WakeID Portal at wakeid.wcpss.net. If you have not claimed your WakeID account, please do so as soon as possible. If you need more information about this process, visit mywakeid.wcpss.net
• You will have READ-ONLY access to email in your Lotus Notes account. Your existing email contacts and folders will be migrated to your new Outlook account.  Any mail rules you have set in Lotus Notes will not be migrated.
• Once your account is migrated, you will be able to access your WCPSS Outlook email from the web, a mobile application and a client application already installed on staff computers as part of Microsoft Office. Use of the locally installed Outlook e-mail client to access WCPSS e-mail is prohibited on personal computers.

Please help us spread the word about this upcoming change by printing and posting this flyer in your school or workspace.

Critical Thinking

Wake ID (assisting students) - Remember that you can find just about anything about students that you need to keep your class moving smoothly in the PROFILE and MY STUDENTS tabs in your wakeID portal.  This includes the ability to reset forgotten passwords.

Collaboration

Accommodations for testing (IEP, 504, LEP) - Classroom teachers will need to review accommodations for students if - Testing accommodations --- submit settings form to secure a staff member that can administer the assessment in the appropriate setting per their plan

Interested in teaching a TEK afterschool club? Clubs will run Oct. 25-Dec. 6 (skipping Thanksgiving week). There will be 6 club sessions from 4:15-5:45pm. Contact Duval with your club proposal/grades preferred and for more information: duval@tailoredenrichmentkids.com   by September 18th.

Upcoming Events:
September 12th-Leadership/SIP meeting at 7:45am
September 12th - 3rd BOG (electives are down)
September 12th - Open House 5:30 - 7:30
September 13th-Electives start
September 14th-PBIS/CD meeting at 7:45am
September 18th-TEK club proposals due (duval@tailoredenrichmentkids.com)
September 21st - Workday 8am-12 noon (Suicide Prevention, EOP training, Conscious Discipline)
September 26th-Leadership/SIP meeting at 7:45am
September 26th-Q1 Interims go home with all students
September 28th-School Family Picnic 5:30-7:00pm
September 29th-Early Release; Cultural Arts Event (Latin Music Performance)
September 29th - Early Release (Unpacking Standards part 2 and Cohorts)
October 6th - Fall Pictures 
October 3rd - Business Meeting - Benefits representative, order materials, elective balance, etc.

September 4th

Communication

Uni-news -- https://sites.google.com/site/ugtmuninews/home

District Shutdowns -- Often when there is a system wide issue with WCPSS software or if you are having log in issues, it will be posted on the intranet front page (www2.wcpss.net).  You can check there if you have trouble rather than try to find someone to ask about it.  

Elective updates:  Elective registration will continue this week. Elective slips will go home with students on Friday.  Elective start September 11th, are "down" September 12th due to BOG testing, and then resume on School Family Assembly  9:30 AM on Friday the 8th
Give yourself time to get your class into the multipurpose room and seated so that we can begin on time.  

• We will sit by grade level - K in front, 4th in back, 5th in a large circle AROUND the perimeter of the rest of our classes (just inside of where the teachers usually sit).  If you're facing the stage Nightingale will sit down the right side, Goto down the left side, Vinson across the back and Fichter-Venners across the front.  
• To try to ease some of the congestion all K-2 classes will enter through the gym doors while all 3-5 classes will enter through the cafeteria doors (I suggest you take your classes down the "Up" stairs by 3rd grade, then out the door at the foot of the stairs and over to cafeteria doors to avoid the gridlock that takes place by the "down" stairs at the end of the 2nd grade hallway).  Please encourage your students to move quickly and quietly into the multipurpose room. 
• When you enter the multipurpose room we will be playing calm music.  Encourage your students to take that time to take deep breaths and calm themselves before the assembly.

Collaboration

EdCamp Wake -- Have you heard of EdCamps? If not, check out this video. We are looking for more WCPSS Educators to join us for a morning of personalized PD (we currently have 219 educators registered). We'll provide the space, breakfast, drinks and snacks and you provide the ideas and discussion. The fall session of EdCampWAKE will be held Saturday, October 14 at Washington GT Magnet Elementary from 8:00 - 12:30.  You can register at our Eventbrite link HERE.

Learning Central is where you will go to find all of our instructional resources that will support Standards & the 4Cs, Dynamic Learning Experiences, Professional Learning Teams and a Multi-tier System of Supports in one place. Using this comprehensive and organized dashboard will help to best support our vision for learning and teaching. Alexandria will be sharing more information about Learning Central at your planning meetings. 

Creativity 

--- PRIDE --- Be sure to work with your classroom family to review and discuss the PRIDE expectations.

Critical Thinking 

Accommodations for testing (IEP, 504, LEP) - Classroom teachers will need to review accommodations for students if - Testing accommodations --- submit settings form to secure a staff member that can administer the assessment in the appropriate setting per their plan.

#weareunderwood -- As a magnet school there are many times that we have events that showcase the awesomeness of our school. In thinking of many of our whys -- About the students! It is important that we show our students how important they are to us. Expectations for attending school wide-events. There are five events that all staff members attend throughout the school year. In addition to the mandatory events, the expectations is that all staff members will attend at least 6 additional school events.

Mandatory - Attending and Actively Participating

• Open House  

• Back to school Picnic
• Winter Carnival
• Arts Pleasure
• Reflection / Spotlight on students

Attend 6 events - hand in the work

• Magnet Fair
• Parent Nights
• Moonlight reading
• Garden Saturdays (2)
• Pieces of Gold
• k-1 , 2-3 and 3-5 theater production
• Holiday Performance
• Foundation Gala
• CAM events  
• Docent Program (one night a week)

At our September staff meeting we will have a discussion: How will we hold each other accountable?

Upcoming Events: 

September 4th - No School (Labor Day)
September 5th-Kindergarten first day; Parent Coffee 9:15am
September 5th-Business Meeting at 7:45am
September 8th-ILT (formerly MTSS) meeting at 7:45am
September 8th-School Family Assembly at 9:30am
September 11th - Electives Start
September 12th-Leadership/SIP meeting at 7:45am
September 12th - 3rd BOG (electives are down)
September 12th - Open House 5:30 - 7:30
September 13th-Elective resume
September 14th-PBIS/CD meeting at 7:45am
September 21st - Workday 8am-12 noon (Suicide Prevention, EOP training, Conscious Discipline)
September 26th-Leadership/SIP meeting at 7:45am
September 26th-Q1 Interims go home with all students
September 28th-School Family Picnic 5:30-7:00pm
September 29th-Early Release; Cultural Arts Event (Latin Music Performance)
September 29th - Early Release (Unpacking Standards part 2 and Cohorts)