Hope and Potential

Thank you for your flexibility, creativity and desire to offer your students the very best we can provide. Thank you for continually challenging yourselves, stretching and growing. South Side is an exciting place for people to learn, children and adults alike! I'm so grateful that you see our children for all the hope and potential that God created these little beauties to be. If you have two minutes, please take a peek at this clip on creativity and broadening our children's thinking in school.

Creativity in Schools

Collaboration Days
Next week we have more time set aside for teachers to collaborate as a grade level and move forward in the upcoming teaching points for Reading Workshop. All work will once again take place at the administration office.

• Thursday, 7:15-9:15 First grade 
• Thursday, 9:45-11:45 Kindergarten
• Friday, 7:15-9:15 Second grade

Elementary principals are planning to attend each session to guide the discussions and help in any way to ensure this time you are taking away from your class is as productive as possible. Please don't hesitate to ask, comment, suggest. I'm open!

Discovery Assessment
The testing window for math and reading begins February 2 and ends February 13. Although I haven't tried it with my class nor have I seen it in action, I'm told Discovery Assessment goes smoothly on students' iPads. We'll talk. If you would prefer to administer this test on your iPads, I'll help you get set up. Otherwise, we'll haul out the mobile lab.

Data Meetings
Our data meetings will be coming along soon. This offers us the opportunity to review what we're doing and ensure it's the best for our learners. If we don't see the growth we're hoping for, we'll brainstorm together and make necessary changes. These meetings will take place in the staff center at South Side.

• Thursday, February 19 12:45-1:45 Second grade
• Thursday, February 19 2:00-3:00 Kindergarten
• Friday, February 20 12:45-1:45

Report Cards

We will begin printing report cards on Thursday morning, January 22. Please try to have your grades entered by the morning of the 22nd...even if that means finding a quiet spot at your son's wedding reception to work on comments for a while. I'm sure he'll understand ;) Your class set of report cards will be given to you in time for your Thursday (Sarah) Friday (everybody else) folders.

Thank you for appreciating the incredible gifts that God has blessed you with by growing them, stretching them and sharing them with all of those blessed people who encounter each of you. We may not be perfect, but we sure are doing everything we can to be faithful! Thank you! I'm so excited for the new season of tours and for prospective parents to meet with you, even if briefly, at Discovery Night. There's a whole lotta awesomeness up in here!