This week’s post includes a number of disconnected piece of information (as is usual for these first several weeks each year). To make sure that nothing falls through the cracks, if you aren’t reading this with your calendar, to-do list, and pen in hand, go ahead and grab those things. That way, you can glean everything that applies to you and make decisions as to what you need to do about each one without having to go back and reread during later.

1. Rick Shelton will be with us on Tuesday. I will be getting to you a schedule of what classes he will visit and when. That will be my top priority for Friday so that you will have this information as you make plans for next week.
   

2. SAT-10 results (Grades 4-6)—The "Home Report" for your students will be placed in your boxes. This should go home in the first Tuesday folder. I have placed the entire grade level in one teacher's box, so if you will pick out your students and pass the folder to the other teacher on your grade level.

3. Accelerated Reader Update—We have done a slight update on Accelerated Reader (from version 6.3 to 6.35). The first time you go into the management program, you will be asked if you want to upgrade. Choose yes. It would be good for everyone in the building who has Accelerated Reader on a computer to go ahead and do this now rather than have some computers updated, some computers not updated, and then six months down the road wonder why you are getting a strange message.

4. Fall Pictures—You will be receiving in your box a set of cards for your class. Please tear the cards apart and hang onto them until picture day. When your class goes to the library for pictures, give the cards to the students.

· If you receive cards for students who have withdrawn, you may throw those away.

· If you are missing a card for a student (because the student is new), let me know who the student is and we will make one.

· On picture day, turn into the office the card for any student who is absent. We will need those when we do picture make-ups.

· On picture day, we need for every faculty and staff member to have his/her picture made. We will use these as the yearbook pictures. Those who work at several campuses should have your picture made before you leave Graham in the morning. We are looking at setting up the Community Classroom. You will also receive a card in your box for yourself. Bring it when you have your picture made. That card will allow them to match the picture and name.

Wednesday of next week, you will be receiving stickers to remind students about school picture day. To emphasize using their planners, you may want to have them stick the sticker on Tuesday’s square.

5. Crisis Plan—If you do not have one, please let me know. If will be printed on blue paper and will tell you what you would do (and in what order) for any type of emergency. The plan is different for each position, so the one for a teacher will differ from the one for an instructional assistant, etc.

6. Meal count on STI Classroom-We will begin this on Monday. The office will give the lunchroom the meal count each day. On Friday, the office will print a list so that Mrs. Cooper will know which children ordered chicken.

7. Report cards from last year which were not mailed will be put in your boxes. Please send them home in the Tuesday folder.

8. The Junior Welfare League donated some supplies to our school. An assortment of pens, dry-erase markers, etc. have been placed in the supply cabinet in the Staff Room. The donation included several reams of paper. I have credited each certified teacher with 1/4 of a ream of paper.

9. School store—This will be located in the Community Classroom when it opens. Lost and Found will also be located there to make it more easily accessible to children.

10. Breakfast program will begin August 29.

11. Daily Schedule—Let's have all of those in by Aug 26.

12. Posted on the Staff Room bulletin board is an address list for our school employees. Please check to see that your information is correct.

13. Retirement System Counseling—Posted on the Staff Room bulletin board is a schedule for counseling sessions. To attend, you must be within 3 years of retirement. To schedule an appointment, you must mail a "Retirement Counseling Appointment Request." (No calls or faxes.) Several copies of the form are also posted along with the schedule.

14. Substitute Folders & Emergency Folders—Please be sure to get these prepared and to the office

15. If you have extra planners, handbooks, demographic sheets for students who did not show up, you may turn those in to the office this afternoon. As other students come in, we will issue those things from the office.

16. Just a reminder, students should be returning the following items. (You may send all of this to the office). If a student has not brought it back after a couple of days, be sure to have the student write himself/herself a note in the Assignment Book.

· Last page of the handbook

· Demographic information (computer printout)

Lunch forms

17. We have several new Ellison die cuts (banner, open book, cupcake, flag) plus a storage rack. We received these free as a result of the promotion Winn Dixie offered last year. Those who registered their Winn Dixie cards earned points for the school every time they made purchases with that card. In addition, we also received a free overhead projector and stop watch. (Both of those already have homes.)

18. Plan books—Is there anybody who still needs one? I had given out all that we had and was a few short. Over the last few days, a few people who use a different style of plan book have returned theirs. I now have one extra plan book if somebody needs it.

19. American Fidelity—If you did not meet individually with the representative from American Fidelity earlier this week, please look at this schedule and makes plans to take care of that by going to another school. (I have a list of 12 who need to do that.) A representative will be at Houston on August 19 and 22, Young on the 19th, and Ellis on August 23 and 24. Probably Ellis is going to be your best bet because it's so close.

20. Lynn Campbell has been approved for catastrophic leave. If you would like to donate days, I have the paperwork.