Daisy Daily for the Week of September 28, 2020

 Daisy Faculty & Staff,

Welcome to Week #5 of the 2020-2021 School Year!

Some highlights of the past week:

We celebrated Kindness......

We recognized students who made their Summer Goals in Reflex Math in a broadcast "Good News" Assembly, which is also posted on our Daisy website.....

We held our School Photo Sessions outside with Joseph's for the first time, with much success......

We wished Trooper Wayne Buck well on his retirement.....

We worked hard and we played hard.....

As always, thanks so much for everything that each one of you is doing to make it possible for our students to learn in school--as well as remotely from home--during these challenging times!

Please remember to check our Daisy Staff Google Calendar daily, as we continue to add important updates, meetings, etc., to this staff calendar:

Daisy Ingraham Staff Google Calendar

This week features:

• Grade-Level Meetings (with Administrator & Specialists) with Pre-K, K and 1st Grade (as noted on Staff Calendar)
• STAR Online Assessments, details to be announced
• Daisy Leadership Meeting on Wed., from 3:15-4:00 pm.  This will be a virtual meeting and a representative from each grade level and special area team are invited to join administration, lead teacher and PLC leaders.

Looking ahead:

• October 6 & 8:
• Early dismissal at 1 pm for Parent/Teacher Conferences (to be held virtually)
• Please feel free to contact families re: setting up Google Meet Conferences
• Teachers may conduct these remote, virtual conferences from school or home, at your convenience, per Interim Superintendent Pat Charles.
• We won't hold a Faculty Meeting on Wed., Oct. 7, due to Conference Week.
• October 12--Columbus Day Holiday

Let's make it a fabulous week!

Ruth

Welcome to Week #4 of School: September 21, 2020

 Daisy Staff,

The first three weeks of the 2020-2021 school year have just flown by!

Thanks so much to all that everyone has done to ensure the safety of our students while we have adjusted to new, COVID-related protocols.  It is hard work-- engaging our students in-person as well as remotely-- and I appreciate all that you are doing to make this work!

Thanks for giving our students an opportunity to decorate masks last Friday, designated as "Create a Mask" Spirit Day......

As we head into the 4th week of school, here are a few notes about the upcoming weeks:

• Wednesday, Sept. 23 will feature:
• "Good News" All-School Assembly--to be livestreamed; time TBA.
• "Kindness" Spirit Day--Please wear any of your "Kind" T-shirts; theme of All-School Assembly *
• 3:15-4:00 pm--Joint Department PLCs (ELA, Math, Special Ed at Daisy); theme--State Flexibilities for Teacher Evaluation Plan (Virtual Meeting)
• 6:30-7:30 pm--Virtual PTO Meeting
• Thursday, Sept. 24:
• School Photo Day (to be conducted outside in a socially-distanced manner, as previously detailed in email)
• Friday, Sept. 25:
• "Westbrook Purple" Spirit Day *

* Notices will go home to Daisy Families re: Spirit Days

• October 6 & 8 feature:
• Early dismissal at 1 pm for Parent/Teacher Conferences
• All conferences will be virtual
• Please feel free to contact families re: setting up Google Meet Conferences
• October 12--Columbus Day Holiday

For those applicable, please plan on attending Grade 2, 3, and 4 Team Meetings this week, as scheduled.  

As always, please check our Daisy Staff Google Calendar daily, as we continue to add important dates, meetings to this staff calendar:

Daisy Ingraham Staff Google Calendar

We're so fortunate to have three dedicated building substitutes from Kelly Services and Delta-T.  They are truly a part of our Daisy family and have helped in a multitute of ways already.

Left to Right: Tovah Vincent, Lori Tomko, Brandi Andrade.

The updated procedure for securing a teacher or paraprofessional subsitute is as follows:

As soon as you know you need to be out, please email Alicia, Lisa and myself.  (I prefer email because I can access this 24/7 and if you leave a message on one of the office voicemails, we can't all access that.)  We will deploy one of our building subs, if available.  Tovah and Lori can cover as a teacher or para (through Kelly) and Brandi provides services as a paraprofessional (through Delta T.)  If we can't cover additional absences, we may ask you to contact Kelly or Delta T to ask for an additional substitute.  The same paperwork applies as in the past; that is, please fill out an absence form after the absence.  As always, requests for a Personal Day or Professional Development Request, must be made in advance as approval must be given before that type of absence.

Please also welcome Meredith Werner, who joined us just lask week as a paraprofessional in Kate Cote's Preschool Classroom.  We are very fortunate to have two of Meredith's children with us at Daisy this year as well.

I understand staff concerns regarding supplies that have been  back-ordered, especially some of the additional "COVID" staple supplies as well as instructional materials.  Please know that our office staff is tracing these so that I will be able to give you an update this week.  Fortunately, all of the PPE supplies that we needed to start the school year were in place before the first day of school.

The other big-ticket item is ensuring that every student has access to a Chromebook for school use, as well as for any possible change in our Re-opening Plan, which might move us into Hybrid or Total Distance Learning.  The priority in getting all Chromebooks back in school and updating was to get Chromebooks into the hands of all current remote learners and then we worked backwards from Grade 4 to PreK, so that students would have what they need in school.  Grades 1 through 4 should be all set now and we may still have some matches to make in Grades K and PreK.  Thanks to all for your patience as we have had an influx of new students in PreK and across all grade levels, which is good.

Again, thanks to all, for making this work.  We must work together and we need to be patient with our students as well as with our colleagues.  You are all doing an amazing job in the most challenging circumstances.

Let's make it a great week!

Warmly,

Ruth

Our students are so enjoying our new playgrounds.....