Principal’s Scorecard

CitizenshipThis past month our students have been participating in a number of citizenship activities to learn more about the freedoms of our country and the sacrifices of our veterans.  Two weeks ago, we saluted over 40 veterans who served our country in the armed forces. This past Monday LTC. Don Koonce spoke to the students about his love for our country and how it started with a great education.  Mr. Koonce also brought a WWII veteran to meet the students and staff.  We live in an awesome country.

PTO – Cookie Dough Pick-upLast week, PTO organized the most efficient “Cookie Dough” pick-up in the history of cookie dough.  Families walked into the Intermediate gym, were greeted with thanks, checked-in where runners picked up their “goods” and took it to their cars.  Congratulations to the PTO for another successful sale and pick-up.

Parent Advisory – Summary This past week I met with a few of our parents to dialogue about the achievements of our building and to answer any questions that they had.  Overall, they were excited about the direction of our school and the achievement of our students, but questions focused on class size and future boundary lines.  It was a positive exchange with our parent community and if you have any questions about building level achievement or any other issues, please feel free to call or stop by the office.

Common AssessmentsThis week and during the first week of December our students will be engaged in a grade level common assessment.  This is a common test administered to all students to measure how much students have mastered during the first semester of the year.  We use this data for trends and adjust lessons prior to the MAP (Missouri Assessment Program) exam in April.  If you have a question on how your student is performing, please feel free to contact your classroom teacher.

4^th Grade Privilege TimeSchool Mission:  We are a learning community that inspires greatness for all.  This week we are starting fourth grade privilege time for students who displayed greatness thus far in the year.  Students who have achieved a 95.1% attendance rate for the 1^st quarter, have C’s or better on their report card and have no discipline referrals will be given special privilege time.  Privilege will allow students to bypass the gym in the morning and choose a special zone:  computer lab, library or the 600 hallway to hang with their friends under teacher supervision.  Students can lose this privilege if they fall behind in their classroom work, start to miss school or are disrespectful.  The privilege list will evaluated each four weeks during mid-quarter and end of quarter reporting.  We think that this will be special for our students who are showing great character at school.

Mid-Quarter Mid-quarter grades will be due on Nov. 21^st and we’ll plan to send them home on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break.

MAP Action Plan – Week 1 (Dec. 1^st)Over the years we have developed a twelve week MAP (Missouri Assessment Program) review to help prepare our students for the types of process questions measured on the MAP test which we administer each April as part of No Child Left Behind. This also will expose parents to the rigor of the exam.  Starting Dec. 1^st, teachers (3^rd / 4^th) will be sending this review home with students to start the process of getting everyone ready for this important exam.  Most teachers assign this as homework and collect a grade to ensure accountability.  However, the best part of this intentional assignment is the review / model / dialogue that takes place between students, parents and teachers. 

 Parent PortalThe parent portal is open and ready for parents to view their child’s lunch account, classroom grades and attendance records.  Over the next couple of days, the office will be activating each account which in turn will send out an email with a password explaining how to access this information.  This is a new service for our families and we hope that it helps close the information gap between school and the classroom. Mrs. Sheets will be hosting a parent portal workshop on December 1^st at 5:30 p.m. in West cafeteria to help parents navigate this new program. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the school for more information. 

Astronaut to answer students’ questions from space   Last week, NASA astronaut Sandra Magnus, a graduate of Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, MO launched into orbit aboard Space Shuttle Endeavor for a four-month stay aboard the International Space Station. During her stay, she will be contributing to a Missouri S&T blog called spacebook (http://spacebook.mst.edu) aimed at getting more kids interested in science.   I would encourage you and your family to use the spacebook blog as a learning tool.

 Bus/Pick Up PassesJust a reminder to write your child’s teacher a note or call the office in regard to any transportation changes. Write the child’s first and last name, teacher’s name, and give specific instructions where they need to go after school.  Student safety is our highest priority and communicating proper instruction ensures their safety.  Thank you.

Thanksgiving Break Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break with your families.  School will be closed Wednesday, November 26 and resume learning on Monday, December 1^st. We’re thankful for the opportunity to serve your students with the best possible education. 

Parent Conference Week - First, thank you for scheduling and attending your parent / teacher conference this week.  Teachers will be sharing a number of items regarding your child’s academic achievement.  You should expect to receive information on your child’s Fall NWEA testing.  NWEA is a good gage on how your student is growing and areas we can focus on in the future.  I’m a big believer that parent conferences should not just happen during an announced week in October, but should happen all of the time. Teachers and parents should continue to meet, communicate and update each other on academic progress.  Please be proactive and arrange any follow-up meetings you feel that are necessary. Students will be dismissed at 11:45a.m. on both Oct. 23rd and 24th.

1st Quarter Attendance Rate

2008   531 Students,   96.7% Average Daily Attendance

For the first quarter, we averaged 96.7% for school-wide attendance. This is amazing and something we should all be very proud of.  Research shows a direct collation between school attendance and student performance.   The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recognizes schools with over 95.1% as “exceeding standards”.  We are defiantly inspiring greatness. Thank you for encouraging your children to attend school each day.

Oct. 27-31 Red Ribbon Week

During the week of Oct. 27th Branson Schools will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week.  Mrs. Powell, in conjunction with Student Character Council, has designed a week full of activities and dress-up days to assist students with making positive choices. (Monday – Backwards Dress; Tuesday – Crazy Socks; Wednesday – Class Choice; Thursday-Crazy Hair Day; Friday-Red, White and Blue)   Our School Resource Officer, Kip Teitsort, will be kicking off the week with a special message of “making good choices”at our Monday morning character assembly.  Have fun and show your spirit for making healthy behavior choices.   

Oct. 27 – Honor Roll Recognition

On Oct. 27^th during our Character Education Assembly, we’ll acknowledge all of our honor roll students and announce our Principal Award winners.  This is a special time to honor our students for their achievement and we hope you can join us.  The assembly is only 30 minutes, and students will be recognized as a grade level for their academic achievement.

District Seeks Volunteers for Community Focus Group
The District Office is forming Community Focus Groups for the school year and looking for volunteers. They will convene to gather input on plans for district expansion; discuss district strengths and weaknesses; and provide information on topics that are of interest to parents.

If you would like to be a part of this Community Group for your school district, please call Brenda Romine, communication director (334-6541, ext. 9009) or e-mail bgr@branson.k12.mo.us.

Oct. 30^th  - DARE Assembly –

Once again, our DARE officers have arranged a special speaker for East / West Elementary. It’s scheduled for Oct. 30th @ 10:15 in the East Gym.  You don’t want to miss this special “gladiator” who will inspire greatness and positive choices.

Pirate Time Begins

This week Branson Elementary West embarked on a new journey to meet the needs of our students by providing intentional, targeted intervention.  The RtI (Response to Intervention) team has been meeting, investigating and planning for this targeted intervention since January.  Their work stems from the No Child Left Behind legislation.  Students entering this intervention have been identified using their Fall NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) reading score and the DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment).  Identified students are receiving intensive support in the areas of phonics, fluency or reading comprehension.   Starting today, we hope to close the achievement gap and inspire greatness. If you have any questions, please feel free to call, write, talk with your classroom teacher or stop by.

PTO Meeting – Oct. 2^nd

PTO will be meeting Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in room 608 to conduct monthly business. This is great opportunity to get involved and learn about the many different committees and services that PTO provides. 

Cookie Dough Kick Off Assembly – Oct. 3rd

It’s that time of year when we welcome the Cookie Dough representative to the building and hype the PTO’s annual fundraiser event.  The all school assembly is scheduled for 10:30 am on October 3rd in the gym to showcase the prizes and review safety procedures.   Parents, you are more than welcome to attend.  Sales and safety information will be sent home with students October 3^rd.  All sales will be due on October 14^th and pick-up is scheduled for November 14^th from 4:00-6:00 at the Intermediate Building.   Cookie Dough helps fund a number of PTO projects including classroom supplies, learning materials and supplement field trip costs. Show your support and sale that dough!

Fire Prevention – Oct. 6th

Branson Fire Department will be conducting their annual Fire Prevention assemblies on October 6th.   The following times have been arranged and confirmed by Mrs. Detig and Chief Martin;  2^nd at 9:30, 3^rd at 10:25 and 4^th at 11:20.  Parents, you are welcome to attend and participate in these informational assemblies which could help you and your family construct a home safety plan. 

McTeacher Night – Oct. 7th

Branson Elementary will be participating in McTeacher Night on October 7^th from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the McDonalds on 248.  This special event helps raise money for the school and creates a great family friendly activity.  Teachers and staff will be on hand to greet you, clean tables and help you at the drive through.  This year the funds raised from the event will be used to buy additional playground equipment. This is a great opportunity to build partnerships with our business community.  Stop by and join the fun!

WATCH D.O.G – Begins!

Wow! The WATCH D.O.G. kick off was great!  The men that attended are motivated to serve our school. We estimated over 800 people (men and children) attended our kick-off event. Between the three schools we estimated that 90% of our sign-up calendars were booked with committed men to serve and protect our schools. 

We start on Monday with our two volunteers.  I want to thank Ellyn Lennon, Pam Powell^, Sandi Attaway, our teacher volunteers, kitchen staff, TOP DOGS and Brenda Romine for all their organization, promotion and preparation to make this kick-off a success.  This is a special moment for our kids, school and community and I’m proud of the way the staff has embraced this movement. 

Thanks again.  If you have a suggestion to make our kick-off more successful for next year, please email me or Mrs. Powell your suggestions, ideas and thoughts.  The DOGs are in the house!

Book Fair Week -

This week the PTO has arranged to sponsor our annual Scholastic Book Fair. The PTO was here late on Friday preparing Room 504.  I appreciate their leadership and volunteer spirit.  Our 1st quarter Family Book Night is Tuesday from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. in the East Gym. Special thanks to Mrs. Matzat for her leadership and everyone who is volunteering to make this a great event.  The proceeds from this event are “books for the library” where we invest the dollars raised right back into our library collection to ensure our students with the newest and greatest literature.  We appreciate your partnership with the PTO and for visiting the book fair.   

Picture Day / Staff Picture – Sept. 25th

Picture Day is scheduled for Sept. 25th.  Life Touch will have three cameras at school and all photos will be taken prior to lunch recess. 

Dear WATCH D.O.G.S.

On behalf of the school and staff I want to thank you for investing in our students.  The WATCH D.O.G.S program has many benefits to the school, providing an extra layer of security and support, but how did you benefit from the experience?  What would you tell the next guy coming to school about your day at Branson Elementary West?

Thanks again for your leadership and service.

Mr. Dawson

New School Year 2008-09 – Blast Off with Good Character

This blog is designed as a link to help keep our families and community notified and involved within the hallways and classrooms of Branson Elementary West. Our school puts students first and cultivates a school culture that is positive, caring and nurturing and fosters professional collaboration to increase student achievement.

The following staff members have joined our school for the 2008-09 academic year and we welcome them, their talents and their positive attitude.

New Hire – Congratulations to Mrs. Starnes.  Karen was married in June to Kyle Starnes.  Karen will be new to our school this year and assigned to teach fourth grade.  She is originally from Lebanon and is a recent graduate of C of O.  Karen has been on the President’s List and awarded the Wilder Work Award. She’ll be a great fit.

Welcome Aboard   Elementary West also extends a warm welcome to our transfer teachers: Donna Baker (2^nd), Katrina Dukes (2^nd), Joshua Hart (PE), Vanessa Hogan (2^nd), Erin Ipock (2^nd), April Mulnik (2^nd) and Sara Pardeck (3^rd).  Each brings expertise and leadership.  I’m thankful to have this new crew and look forward to getting to know them and their families.

Registration “Fast-Pass” Feedback This summer we implemented a new enrollment procedure to help better serve our families.  We expanded our registration window from one day to five weeks.  Parents were sent their full registration packet at the end of June and strongly encouraged to stop by their school office between July 7–August 8 to deliver their registration materials in person.  Once all registration materials were completed, families were issued a “fast pass” which allowed them to by-pass any long lines and walk directly to the class assignment table at Registration / Open House on August 19^th.  We believe this practice was more family friendly and a win-win situation for everyone involved.  Families were able to register in the office at their convenience and each school received the necessary safety / transportation information they needed prior to the start of school.