Principals’ Notes-december, 2015
Important Dates:
December 21-January 1- Holiday Break
WE Families,
Thank you for your attendance and follow up feedback about our “Nights of Wonder” in
November. Overall, it was a huge success with strong attendance. Your comments will from the survey
will help us with our future planning.
Select Committee on School Finance-This district committee is comprised of employees, patrons, and
parents with the goal of providing information about the financial needs of our school district. There are
five evening sessions January-April, 2015, with one session devoted to a Tour of Facilities across the
district. This is a great way to become informed about the challenges surrounding school funding. If you
interested in being part of this committee, please notify Suzanne Lair by Tuesday, December
15. suzanne.lair@jenksp.org
Congratulations to Mrs. Allison Conch, West Elementary Teacher of the Year! Mrs. Conch is in her fifth
year of teaching at West Elementary. She is a speech/language pathologist who works with students in
Building F. We are so proud to honor Mrs. Conch as our Teacher of the Year!
Exciting News for West Elementary! WE was one of three school sites across the state to receive
$10,000 in a Healthy Community and Healthy Schools incentive grant provided from the Tobacco
Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET). Grants are awarded to communities and schools that have
implemented strategies to increase healthy opportunities for residents and students. Movement is
incorporated into instruction in every classroom, every day at West Elementary. Using action based
learning lab stations, Go Noodle, and other opportunities, teachers help students engage both sides of
the brain preceding the teaching time which results in a higher level of student engagement and success
in learning. We have also crafted our master schedule to allow for recess before lunch for all
kindergarten through fourth grade classes. The result has been students slowing down to eat their
lunches rather than rushing through lunch to get to the playground. With the grant funds, we look
forward to adding more equipment that encourages students integrate movement and learning
throughout the instructional day.
Homework-We recognize the importance of family time as well as the importance of meaningful
homework. In order to best support your child at home, teachers have developed various frameworks to
provide purposeful reading and math activities. Please continue to encourage your child to read at home
on a regular basis! Finding a favorite author, book series, or genre (humorous fiction, non-fiction,
biographies, etc.) is a great way to motivate your child to read outside of school. We also encourage you
to take time to read aloud to your child. Math homework opportunities should support concepts in which
students are already familiar. Please refer to your child’s teacher if you have questions about meaningful
homework.
STEM-If you are looking for additional opportunities to enrich learning outside of school, check out this
great website from PBS Kids that supports creative thinking and problem solving! The Design Squad
website is a free resource that gives students a stronger understanding of the design process, and the
connection between engineering and the things we all use in everyday life. The site targets kids ages eight and older
and features creative activities, engaging video, and interactive games. http://pbskids.org/designsquad/
Thank you for your continued partnership!
Suzanne Lair, Site and Building B Principal
Jazzman Peaden, Building A Principal
Angela Hobson, Building D Principal
Kim Kittelson, Building F Principal