Super Sixth Week Complete

Can you believe it is October this weekend!! What a busy and successful first month of school. Thank you for working so hard setting up a positive classroom culture with your students. Enjoy this beautiful fall weekend! You all deserve time to relax & enjoy with family and friends.

Info to Know...

IPI (Instructional Practices Inventory)~Our IPI team will be gathering data on Tuesday, October 24th. Teams of 3 certified teachers will be taking inventory throughout the day on the various levels of our students' engagement. Please remember this day is supposed to be a normal teaching day. Do not stress about this or plan any special activities. Just be your fantastic self. The IPI team will review this process shortly at our upcoming staff meeting.

Next Week....

• Monday, October 2nd
• Vision & Hearing Screenings
• BIT Meeting 1:30
• Tuesday, October 3rd
• Vision & Hearing Screenings
• Wednesday, October 4th
• Apple Vanguard 3.0
• Melissa, Mike, Sharon, Noel, Katlin, Jihan & Shelly
• Please check with Cheryl B to confirm sub
• Thursday, October 5th
• Cheryl & Kristin at Administrator Academy at District Office All-Day
• Paw Collection
• Friday, October 6th
• Professional Learning Day~Early Release Day
• Schedule for the Professional Learning afterboon will be coming soon from District Office
• Schedule Here 

Looking Ahead...

• Monday, October 9th 
• No School
• Tuesday, October 10th
• Erin's Law Presentations with Tom Kress in Music Room. Schedule here. 
• Wednesday, October 11th
• Staff Meeting: Please meet for 5 minutes in the media center prior to the room-parent meeting
• CST Team Meeting at 1:30
• Thursday, October 12th
• Paw Collection
• Lockdown drill at 2:00
• Friday, October 13th

#HPTPride Week 6

Click here to see our #hptpride week 6 story. Thank you to Katlin, Meg W, Katharine, Jill & Katie for joining the #135edchat on Tuesday night. It was great to have High Point so well represented. 

Pawesome Staff Shout Outs

 

Thanks to Lynn for all you do for our students and me. Couldn't do it without you!

I can't say enough about our High Point staff! Proud to have the privilege work alongside YOU! #blessed #hppride

I can't say enough about our High Point staff! Proud to have the privilege work alongside YOU! #blessed #hppride

Thanks to Cheryl and Elise, our two super heroes! You are always there to save us!

Thanks to all my High Point family for being so thoughtful and supportive during tough times! Dean

Thank you, Nancy W, for responding so quickly to my many Help Desk requests!

Thank you Elise for helping me organize the Art Club attendees.

Shoutout to Nancy for all of her tech help! We appreciate you :)

FAB Fifth Week

Thank you for a great week. This week we accomplished a lot! Thank you to the entire High Point team for the professionalism and perspective in our data meetings. Everyone was so proactive for our students and truly shows how we are "child driven" not just data driven. Thank you!!

The High Point K9's choice is....APOLLO!

Enjoy this summer weekend with your family. Stay cool!

Cheryl & Kristin

Important Information:

Progress Reports: Progress reports are due by Thursday at 8am. Please let Cheryl Burns know if you need her to print them. Progress reports go home on Friday, September 29th. 

Party Money: There is a yellow letter in your mailbox to go home to parents for the party $. The due date on the letter should be Friday Oct. 6th.  Please let the students know. Please keep track of  the $ that comes in.  We hope to have most of the students turn it  in before the room parent meeting on Oct. 11th.   At that time $3 will go to the room moms and $2 will come to the office for the classroom treat.

Fire Drill Update: Great job in getting our students out quickly, safely & making sure all students and staff are safe. Please make sure your classroom doors are closed with leaving the classrooms for a fire drill. Thank you.

Technology Updates: 

• Per district office:
• You can update your iPad to iOS
• You can update you MacBook to OSMac Sierra which can be found in the App Store
• DO NOT update your MacBook to OSMac High Sierra (it will cause all Office programs such as Word to stop working). 
• Please see Nancy with any questions.
• If you have an iPad Mini:
• 1. Log into Self Service on your iPad Mini and install the "Staff iPad Mini Swap-out" request form. Then find and launch the "app"  from the home screen to request a new iPad. (This will only show up on iPad Mini Self Service.)
• 2. Once completed, you will receive and email confirmation with directions on how to prepare your iPad Mini for collection.  In order to receive your new iPad you will have to turn in your Mini with the steps completed.
• 3. Wait for email stating the your new iPad is ready for you at your building.  This email will provide directions on where and when your device will be available.  Again, be patient, this is the largest swap out to date.
• If you have an iPad mini, we will only be accepting requests for a replacement for the next two weeks.  Please request a replacement by September, 25th.
• Please email your building help desk if you do not have Self Service or do not see the "Staff iPad Mini Swap-Out" icon in on your iPad Mini.

Critical Thinking Activity: STRING GAME: The activity sessions begun today. The schedule is here.  

Hachiko Golden Statues for PAWESOME Classes: Check out the classrooms here that have already received a Hachiko statues. Keep your eyes open for some pawesome classes that maybe haven't been recognized yet.

5th Grade Teachers: Girls in your class will be turning in forms for "Girls Can Do Anything". Please send them to the office.

Next Week....

• Monday, September 25th
• Tuesday, September 26th
• Art Peer Coaching
• Wednesday, September 27th
• IEP Meetings in the AM
• 504 meetings with Kristin & team members in the PM 
• 1:30 CST Team Meeting in Conference Room 
• IPI: Katlin, Katharine, Heidi (Check with Cheryl B for Sub)
• Thursday, September 28th
• Progress reports are due by 8am: All Grades
• Paw Collection
• IPI: Katlin, Regina, Lindsay Zilly, Jen O. (Check for Cheryl B for sub)
• Friday, September 29th
• 1st Quarter Progress Reports Go Home
• 5th Grade Field Trip to Naper Settlement: They will not eat in in the lunchroom.

Looking Ahead....

• Monday, October 2nd
• Vision & Hearing Screenings
• BIT Meeting 1:30
• Tuesday, October 3rd
• Vision & Hearing Screenings
• Wednesday, October 4th
• Apple Vanguard 3.0
• Melissa, Mike, Sharon, Noel, Katlin, Jihan & Shelly
• Please check with Cheryl B to confirm sub
• Thursday, October 5th
• Cheryl & Kristin at Administrator Academy at District Office All-Day
• Friday, October 6th
• Professional Learning Day~Early Release Day
• Schedule Here 

Great Minds Think Alike...

#HPTpride

Thanks for sharing our story here at High Point School.  Check out this week's story here. I found this article about how sharing all the great things happening lead to great collaboration & ideas sharing. If interested, read here.

Tidbits You Can Use...

Wondering how to meet the needs of all our learners in the classroom? Check out this math blog for some ideas on how to structure your math block. 

Pawesome Staff Shout Outs

Thank you Denise for listening and answering my questions about some 3rd grade friends at lunch on Wednesday!

Sandy, thank you so much for your seamless transition into my classroom. I love having you!

Thanks for the morning walks ladies!

Thank you Donna for my sweet treat! You really made my morning!

Thank you to Elise for organizing a nice luncheon for all of us today!

Thank you to Eve, Meg W & Nancy for being so prepared for our data days. And for bringing treats.

Fabulous Fourth Week

Woohoo! MAP TESTING is COMPLETE!!

Thank you for everyone being a great team player and conquering the MAP testing with our students. A big thank you to Nancy Watt for helping everyone out!

Important Information for Next Week:

Critical Thinking Activity: STRING GAME: Please sign up for a lesson for Cheryl & Kristin to come to this fun and engaging activity with your class. Sign up here.

Hachiko Golden Statues for PAWESOME Classes: Check out the classrooms here that have already received a Hachiko statues. Keep your eyes open for some pawesome classes that maybe haven't been recognized yet.

School Vote for Orland Park's K9!: Please have your homeroom votes for our whole school submission using this QR code form. Each child can vote by scanning the form or use this link https://goo.gl/j8f89T.  Please submit by Wednesday, September 20th.

To Be Seen Not Heard Presentation: Tom Kress will be back to lead the an his presentation on child abuse on Tuesday, October 10th in the Music Room. Please check the schedule here. Music will be held in the classrooms on this date. (Thanks Katie). There will be NO math classes. As an FYI, here is the letter that went home with students.

5th Grade Teachers: Girls in your class will be turning in forms for "Girls Can Do Anything". Please send them to the office.

Yellow Paperwork: Please turn in ALL completed paperwork to Elise. Thank you!

Next Week...

• Monday, September 18th
• 1:30: BIT Meeting
• Tuesday, September 19th
• 4th Grade Data Meetings in the morning (Check in with Cheryl B for Sub.)
•  Resource teachers can attend meetings. Let Cheryl B know if you need to attend. These are 1/2 day meetings.
• 5th Grade Data Meetings in the afternoon (Check in with Cheryl B for Sub)
• Resource teachers can attend meetings. Let Cheryl B know if you need to attend. These are 1/2 day meetings.
• Wednesday, September 20th
• 3rd Grade Data Meetings in the morning (Check in with Cheryl B for Sub)
• Resource teachers can attend meetings. Let Cheryl B know if you need to attend. These are 1/2 day meetings.
• Grade Level Meeting at 2:40 in the Media Center
• Special Education Team Meetings All-Day in conference room. Schedule here. 
• K9 vote for High Point's name for the Orland Park Police dog due. Vote here.
• Thursday, September 21st
• 504 meetings with Kristin & team members. If you have a student with a 504, please check your calendar invites for meetings. A sub will be provided to your classroom for the 30 minute meeting. 
• Friday, September 22nd

A Look Ahead...

• Monday, September 25th
• Tuesday, September 26th
• Wednesday, September 27th
• 504 meetings with Kristin & team members
• 1:30 CST Team Meeting in Conference Room 
• Thursday, September 28th
• Friday, September 29th
• 1st Quarter Progress Reports Go Home
• 5th Grade Field Trip to Naper Settlement

Tidbits You Can Use...

Explain Everything: It has an awesome update. You can get the updated app by just having your students choose update/reinstall Explain Everything in Self Service. Check out its new features here. 

NCTM Bright Ideas: Check out this month edition here of new ideas to try to implement in your math instruction. 

Great Graphic: Powerful Questions to have our students ask themselves about their learning or for use to ask our students as we provide formative feedback about their learning. 

High Point Pride

Share & celebrate our students learning by sharing on Twitter. Use the #hptpride hashtag when tweeting! Check out Week's 4 Story here.

Pawesome Staff & Moments of the Week

Thank you to the School Improvement Team for openly sharing ideas,concerns and solutions about how we can provide the absolute best experience for our students and families. You also help Kristin and me to reflect on how to make our meetings the most productive. The open dialogue and communication is key to our collaboration. What a great team!

Thanks Jenai for listening and making me laugh!

Thanks to all staff for setting the expectations for our students to be respectful and productive with their learning. These first few weeks are critical to their success and our success!

Thanks to Megan Shuster for the lunch count idea!

Thanks to Noel for helping our newly registered friends and their family feel so welcome! They are very happy to be here at High Point!

Thanks Noel for your help and compassion with our new students!

Thanks Debbie for making the pictures pretty and symmetrical!

Thanks to Cheryl Burns and Denise Hazen and Noel's facilitation for getting some basic items to help a family transition to their new home.

Thank you Nancy Watt for all your help with Apple classroom and walking me through many things on my iPad. I appreciate all your help with everything.

Thank you to all the ladies in the office who do all our copying for us and don't mind when we sneak in for a quick copy or two during the school day.

Thanks Lisa for your pawsitive attitude and graceful help. Your impact on students is remarkable!

Thank you Seida and Karyl for sharing snacks! Thank you Cheryl B. for going shopping for food! Thank you Cheryl F. and Hazen for making sure ALL of our students have what they need! What a kind and generous staff we have here at High Point... Thank you all so much.

Thanks to this great staff! We reaaly do work together and support each other!

Thank you Lynn for being my partner in crime in math. I really appreciate all of your help!

Thanks, Shelley, for your encouraging advice!

Lynn, Thank you for our talks and checking in with me for moral support!

Thanks to the TEAM SPIRIT in 104 :)

Love the staff birthday board! Thank you to the team members who created it. So cute!!

Thanks, Lynn for all your help and support! I would e lost without you!!

Thanks Kathy for all your hard work and dedication to my class! The kids love when you work with them! You make such a difference!

Thank you Lesley for being so supportive and helpful! You're the BEST!

Thank you, Noel for being so hands on and supportive! You are so helpful!

Tremendous Third Week

#HighPointKind

Thank you for participating and donating to our Hurricane collection. We raised over $1,500 so far!!  It truly shows how generous and kind our High Point Family is. Thank you. 

Important Information:

• Make-Up MAP testing: Please check this list here to make sure you absent students are on this list. (Click on the absent tab at the bottom) If not, please let Kristin & Nancy know. We will be making up tests Monday & Tuesday. Thank you!

• Police Dog Naming Contest: Please submit your homeroom name for the dog by Friday. We will have the whole school vote the week of 17th. Attached here are the ADORABLE pictures. He is only about 10 weeks old now, and will be going into a year-long training program beginning in October.  They need to know what his name will be prior to beginning training. The winning class will be recognized at a village board meeting, and they will receive a pizza party sponsored by the OPPD.  The school will receive a plaque, PLUS, when the pup comes back to OPPD in October of 2018, the winning school will get to host an assembly to meet the dog.  The winning class will also receive 'pupdates' from the OPPD as the dog makes his way through training over the next year.

• Pawesome Water Bottles: Classroom teachers will be receiving a bag of water bottles and certificates. Please hand these out to pawesome students when they receive their first paw. We will continue to have paw collection on Thursday at the beginning of recess. Thanks for your help. 

Next Week...

• Monday, September 11th
• MAP testing continues. Schedule here.  Make-ups today
• Wear Red, White & Blue for Patriot's Day
• Kristin at CPI training in the morning
• Star Readers Begin
• Tuesday, September 12th
• Kristin at CPI training in the morning
• MAP testing Make-ups
• Wednesday, September 13th

• SIP Meeting at 7am in Art Room
• IPI training (Please let Cheryl B know) 
• Mary Joy
• Maureen 
• Meg W
• Thursday, September 14th
• IPI Training (Please let Cheryl B know)
• Jill
• Joanne
• Friday, September 15th
• Recess Fire Drills during Lunch times
• Mayor Pekau speaks to 4th grade at 1:15 in the Gym

A Look Ahead...

• Monday, September 18th
• MAP testing continues 
• 1:30: BIT Meeting
• Tuesday, September 19th
• 4th Grade Data Meetings in the morning (Check in with Cheryl B for Sub)
• 5th Grade Data Meetings in the afternoon (Check in with Cheryl B for Sub)
• Wednesday, September 20th
• 3rd Grade Data Meetings in the morning (Check in with Cheryl B for Sub)
• Grade Level Meeting at 2:40 in the Media Center
• Special Education Team Meetings All-Day in conference room. Schedule here. 
• Thursday, September 21st
• 504 meetings with Kristin & team members. Schedule to come. 
• Friday, September 22nd

Neat Ideas to Check Out...

• Check out these listening center QR codes here. One of the Center School's 1st grade teacher's dad created them. Lots of great pictures books!
• Saw this article this week~As you build your classroom community, here are 5 questions to ask your students. Article here. 

#HPTPride Week 3

Check out the #hptpride this week! Use the #hptpride hashtag when sharing our story on Twitter!

"PAWS"itive & "Pawesome" Staff, News & Moments

Thanks to Nancy for her MAP efforts! Thanks to Cheryl and Elise for ALWAYS helping us out and keeping us held together.

Thank you to Nancy Watt for her assistance with making sure MAP testing ran smoothly.

Thank you to Kristin for patiently working with the small groups which needed accommodations for MAP testing.

Thanks to Joe, a.k.a., MOTY, for delivering the Science kits to each of the homerooms as soon as they arrived.

Thank you to all of the classroom teams which met for team meetings this week. Your collaboration and communication on behalf of the students is essential for their success. The teamwork you display is admirable!

What a proud week for us as we were #HighPointKind together! We are helping our students learn a very important lesson of giving back! Way to go role models!

Thank you Debbie for jumping right in to the classroom & helping the kids be the best they can be every day!

Katharine thanks for letting me vent this morning!!

Karyl thanks for always always being so supportive! So happy to be working with you again!

Thank you Lunch Lady Crew for making all the tracks, paw die cuts and for hanging all the lanterns! The hallway looks great!

Thank you to Sharon & Mike for welcoming me to the team and being so helpful at the start of the year! A HUGE thank you to Cheryl B, Elise, and Lisa for helping figure out the best way to do choir attendance. I so appreciate the fact that I get to start the 80 students with singing right away; thank you, thank you, thank you! Thanks to Cheryl F for attending the Music Parents meeting last night! Finally, a big thank you to all classroom teachers for being so patient with me and my schedule as I am learning the best way to coordinate students leaving and entering the music room. I have enjoyed my first two weeks at High Point so much, and I am excited for what this year will bring! Katie K ♪

Thank you so much Seida for helping me contact a parent!

Thank you to everyone for making my birthday here at Highpoint so "pawesome". I feel so lucky to be at High Point School.

Thank you to Cheryl F for all your help as I figure out my new role!

Thank you to Nancy Watt for all your help with the MAP testing this week!

Thank you to Eve for being so proactive when trying to meet our student's needs.

Doggone Great Week

We did it! Thank you for your pawsitivity throughout the week~it was quite a week! Open House was a wonderful night for our families. Thank you for your professionalism, compassion for our students & your smile.

Our Apple Distinguished Book Application was submitted on Wednesday. Thank you to everyone who contributed. Our team worked very hard over the past 4 months collaborating, collecting and documenting the innovative happenings here at High Point School  We are very proud of all the 21st Century learning experiences our students are having here. You can check out the book here. (You can download it on your MacBook, Open it is iBook Author and tap on the "Preview" button in the top toolbar to be able to see the interactive features of our book.)

Next Week...

• Monday,  September 4th 
• NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday,  September 5th
• MAP testing begins
• MAP testing times here and small groups are listed here.  Please let Kristin know if you have any questions. Thanks!
• Directions for MAP testing can be found here. Please review carefully prior to testing since many groups are testing at the same time. 
• Student Introduction Script for MAP testing can be found here. 
• Tornado Drill at 10am
• PJ Day: Pennies & Nickels for paws in new homes
• Staff Lunches begin for ordering 
• Wednesday, September 6th
• Staff Meeting at 2:40 in the Media Center
• The Curriculum Department will joining us.
• Wacky Clothes Day: Dimes for Dog
• Thursday, September 7th
• Picture Day: Schedule Here
• Pictures taken in Music Room
• Lock Down drill at 2:00
• Top Dog: Wear your "top-dog" outfit and dollar dog days
• Friday, September 8th
• Lunch Room Drills:
• 3rd Grade: 9:40
• 4th Grade: 8:40
• 5th Grade: 10:40
• Quirky Hair Day: Quarter collection

A Look Ahead...

• Monday, September 11th
• MAP testing continues 
• Wear Red, White & Blue for Patriot's Day
• Kristin at CPI training in the morning
• Tuesday, September 12th
• Kristin at CPI training in the morning
• Wednesday, September 13th
• SIP Meeting at 7am in Art Room
• IPI training (Please let Cheryl B know) 
• Mary Joy
• Maureen 
• Meg W
• Thursday, September 14th
• IPI Training (Please let Cheryl B know)
• Jill
• Joanne
• Friday, September 15th
• Recess Fire Drills during Lunch times
• Mayor Pekau speaks to 4th grade at 1:15 in the Gym

Important Information:

• Website Updates:
• Newsletters: Please upload your newsletters to your website in order to keep your site filled with current information. Thanks!
• Specials Section: Please make sure you have lunch/recess times listed for parents 
• Background: If you would like to add more information about your background or your welcome letter, you can.
• Here are directions about updating your website if you forgot. 
• Lunch Counts:

• As we figure out the best system, we appreciate your patience and flexibility. Please write down on the sheet in pen your lunch counts according to each choice. This will make sure we are ordering the correct number of choices. Please see Elise's email for more information. Thank you. 
• GCN Training
• The completion due date is October 31st. The code is the same as last year. Login to see what modules you have to complete. Attached here are the directions. 
• Classroom Teachers:

• Collect all paperwork in envelope provided. Send emergency contact & health information to the office immediately.
• Help Desk
• If you have any issues with logins, etc. Please complete send an email to hpthelp@orland135.org. This now includes Angelique at DO as well. Thanks for your patience as we get the technology rolling. 
• Seesaw
• Your students need to use Google login. This will help connect their accounts of all their classes especially if non-classroom teachers create accounts. If they login using their Google login, they can join the class that each teacher creates.  
• PL Day Schedule 
• Thanks for a great morning! A few tweaks had to be made~thanks for your patience. Schedule Here. 

#HPTPride Week 2

Check out the #hptpride this week! Use the #hptpride hashtag!

"PAWS"itive & "Pawesome" Staff, News & Moments

Thank you to every single High Point staff member for making our families feel welcome and positive about sending their precious children to us for 6 1/2 hours a day. Parents were very impressed with our message of respect and learning. BE VERY PROUD!!!

I would like to thank Joe Sendra for being speedy with assisting me adjusting desk heights at the appropriate heights for the kids in Mrs. Shuster's 3rd grade class. That is definitely 'pawsome' of Joe!!! Thank you Megan Shuster for bringing up an OT related concern for your kiddos. The desks in your room did need to be adjusted to fit the height of your students. Great job keeping an eye out on your students and their needs!! Thank you Dean Pappas for all the answers and quick replies to my questions I have regarding EasyIEP since it's a new system for me to learn and providing me some recommendations. Thank you Alyssa Beukema for being a supportive colleague and I don't feel I'm alone in this journey of being new to the district. Thank you to Maureen Bober and Kathy McNicholas for being great colleagues and very welcoming classroom roommates by sharing your space with me. We will have a great year together. Thank you Kristin Beeler for acknowledging my efforts in making my school webpage!!! Thank you High Point team for being so welcoming and I'm excited to be a part of this school. ~Christina Siwa, MSOT, OTR/L

Thanks, Jen, for offering to fix the falling border on my 40 book challenge board!!! :-)

Thank you, Ellen, for your lantern update and handles.. it is great to have you at HP!

Thank you Debbie and Lynn for all your hard work and flexibility.

Thank you Kristin and Cheryl for your continued support in the lunchroom this week!

Hazen does such a great job keeping 55 kids engaged in a room during Second Step. She rocks!

Thank you Vicki for being so helpful. The kids and I are so lucky to have you!!

Megan, thanks for the surprise. It was so thoughtful!

Noel, thanks for the creative writing activity for my students. The parents loved reading the stories!

Jenai, we love having you as part of our team. You are so on top of everything!

Thank you Vicki for being so helpful. The kids and I are so lucky to have you!!

Thanks Eve for ordering and picking up dinner on Wednesday.

Thanks Julie, Nancy, and Eve for helping me and my classroom on Wednesday morning.

Thanks Kristin for all your technology knowledge and experience. We are so lucky to have you.

Thank you to my 4th grade team members for the warm welcome to the team. You helped make my birthday a little more special this school year. ;-)

A huge thank you to Donna Rehm and Lisa Fink with all of you support for my "little buddy" this year!