The Leopard Print

Week "B" for Release Time (Computers = Non-Release time)

11/7-11/11 National School Psychologist Week

11/7 October SOTM Announced

11/8 Makeup Picture Day

11/9 Early Release: Teacher Planning Day #1

11/10 PTA Board Meeting

11/10 Report Cards Due to Principals

11/10 District Writing Performance Task Scores Due

11/11 Veteran's Day Holiday (No School)

Looking ahead

11/14 Evacuation Drill

11/16-18 Parent-Teacher Conferences

11/16 and 11/17 Minimum Day

11/18 Non-Student Day

Report Cards are due to administration soon. We will be working on how to streamline the process, but I hope you'll make reasonable efforts to meet our moral obligation and ensure that our non-English-speaking families are able to read whatever it is you send home. Our goal is to remove any barriers or burdens to doing so, and we will continue to work on ways that we can support you in the effort.

You should also have received the schedule for translators so you can ensure that an interpreter is available for families who need it. We currently only have Spanish translation, but if you have a need in another language, please let us know and we will see what support we can find.

The PBIS Cart is READY! Cynthia and Tessa will be bringing out the cart soon, stay tuned for specific details.

We need one grade-level representative (TK-5th) to perform 5 hours of adjunct this year. If you recall, we signed up for a 10-hour job and a 5-hour job to add up to the contractually required 15 hour adjunct hours total. Below are the current members who signed up; if your grade level is missing a name, please be sure to calibrate and let me know who will be supporting Social Committee from your team this year. It is a minor commitment that goes a long way in continuing the important traditions and celebrations that are so important to our Rio Vista Family.

*We're looking to see if it is possible to maintain a potluck prior to Thanksgiving Break

We have a student teacher who is looking for upper grade experience. If you are in 3rd -5th grade and are willing and able to host a student teacher, please let me know! The teacher has been with Donna Lopez so far this year.

THANK YOU! You have showed your commitment and our PTA is so grateful. As of today, 85% of our educators have joined the PTA. If you have not yet done so, I hope you'll take just a moment to take care of that so we can hit our goal of 100% participation.

For the few that still need to do so, the QR Code below will take you to our Totem site to make your $15 contribution for PTA Membership, or you can go to our TOTEM website and contribute there.

Thank you for leading by example!

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our first training on how to use the new TVs that will replace your Promethean boards over the next month or so.

**Please make sure you have removed any lighting or decorations around your Promethean Board so that it can be removed without damaging your items**

Here are some other important reminders:

• 10 rooms will be completed every Saturday from October 29th until Thanksgiving Break
• Each Monday after the new installation, there will be several IT support staff on campus to troubleshoot as needed
• Tessa is offering to provide a "crash course" 20-minute training at a mutually convenient time if that's better for you

Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns regarding this process.

We have seen increased support from PTA volunteers, which is great! But some of you have expressed concern about the use of the copy machine in the work room.

I have asked our volunteers to defer to teachers during the school day because you need to be able to take care of that during your release time.

They also wanted to make sure that you knew that any teacher can leave what you need copied in their PTA tray with instructions, and they will make them and deliver them to you!

If a district device including a Chromebook needs to be connected to WiFi use the information below:

Network Name: PYLUSD-MK

Network Key: g!cL/O(8&v19/

The O is a capital letter O

Our front of school dismissal duty crew had a calibration meeting last week and refined our practices which is already paying off!

One item that we need support with is helping to organize the students at the dismissal area. If you are walking your students to the front, your colleagues would greatly appreciate if you could take just a minute to ensure that they are lined up in the appropriate spot before you leave the area. This speeds up the entire process for everyone, so thank you for your teamwork.

This is a friendly reminder that instruction begins at 7:50am. We ring a courtesy bell at 7:45am to help students know that it is time to line up and so they are ready for you by 7:47am and in their seats at 7:50am. This also matches the messaging I've been sending home to our families that they should not be trying to arrive at 7:50am, because that is effectively late.

It might not seem like much, but 3 minutes every day adds up to almost 10 hours of lost time with your students! And those are some of the most valuable minutes for building relationships and community in your classroom.

If you are concerned about a student's mental health, remember you can use the Wellness Referral Form to put it on the radar of our amazing Wellness Team.

I know that so many of you are going through incredible challenges this year. Please know that there are resources available to you at no cost! I have personally utilized these services at times when my personal and professional challenges felt like too much. See the flier below for additional information and access.

Thank you to the many staff members who have already joined our 2022-2023 Remind. Please click the link below (or scan the QR code) to ensure you will receive any emergency notifications that Administration may need to send out.

LINK to join.

Halloween was FUN! Staff and students alike had so much positive feedback about our Costume Parade and the celebration of the holiday in a way that was exciting and memorable for our young Leopards.

It's important to find fun and joy at work, especially in a job as stressful as education! See below for the pictures of Cruella and a Dalmatian from Halloween :)