Meadow Hall Staff Newsletter

Thank you to Anna Hur and Heather Rybacki for sharing out their best practices at our last staff meeting! We would like to continue hearing from colleagues each meeting, so please let us know if you have something you'd like to share with the staff. Our next whole staff meeting is this Tuesday, September 20th for our Equity PLC. Unlike past years, all staff members are now a part of the monthly Equity PLC meetings. We will meet in room 12 (since the book fair is in the Media Center).

This week administration also plans to meet with Grade 2-5 teams during the last 20-30 minutes of Curriculum Study to finalize focus group time. This will occur on Tuesday and Wednesday (Sept. 20-21) for grades 2-5 only. K and 1 are starting focus groups a bit later.

We have up to $6,000 worth of stipends, ready to be claimed. Read below for details and let Ilana know if you are interested.

Future Planning:

• We will schedule Fall Festival parties on October 28th from 2:30-3:15pm.

• The MAP and DIBELS testing window has been extended through Friday, October 14, 2022.
• On the next Early Release Day - Friday, September 30th - we will hold a meeting starting at 1:15pm for para-educators and any part-time teachers that miss our usual Staff and Equity meetings. This will be a 'make-up' session so everyone is receiving the same information and professional development.

Just a reminder - grades should be entered in gradebook according to the following document:

Minimum Grading Expectations

Interims grades will be pulled on October 7th at 5pm. However, parents logging into ParentVue can see grades in real-time. Please make sure your grades are updated on a regular basis.

The class coverage Memorandums of Understanding for MCEA and SEIU expired on 6/30/22. Class coverage (CLC and IAC) posting should be handled per the contracts for each union effective 7/1/22.

MCEA (CLC)

Class coverage is addressed on page 42 of the 2021-2022 MCEA Contract (Article 17, Section P4). Below are some key points. Please review the contract for complete rules.

• Teachers are compensated for class coverage provided during their scheduled planning time when the need results from the inability of the sub calling system to provide a substitute teacher when a job has been called in.

• Class coverage is compensated at the stipend rate of $15.

• A teacher who provides class coverage during their planning period should be reported for 1 hour of CLC.

SEIU (IAC)

Class coverage is addressed on page 16 of the 2020-2023 SEIU Contract (Article 7, Section F). Below are some key points. Please review the contract for complete rules.

• Class coverage premium is paid when a paraeducator works to ensure the continuity of instruction in the absence of a teacher and no substitute teacher is present.

• If a paraeducator is not available, the principal may designate another qualified support staff employee.

• Class coverage premium is compensated at the rate of $9 per hour.

• Coverage must be provided for a minimum of 1 hour or a class period of at least 45 minutes in a given day for an employee to receive the class coverage premium.

• So long as hours do not exceed 40 hours in a week, qualified staff may provide emergency class coverage at their contractual rate if it exceeds their normally assigned duty hours.

• Only permanent SEIU employees are eligible for class coverage premium.

Greetings MHES Teachers!

We hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! We wanted to just send out a few updates and reminders for the Scholastic Book Fair that may affect you!

BOOK FAIR HOURS

The Book Fair will run through this Friday, September 23. The following are the Book Fair's open hours:

• MONDAY: 8:15-8:55am, 10:50am-12:40pm, 3:15-3:45pm
• TUESDAY: 8:15-8:55am, 10:50am-12:40pm, 1:00-2:15pm, 3:15-3:45pm
• WEDNESDAY: 8:15am-12:40pm, 3:15-3:45pm
• THURSDAY: 8:15-8:55am, 10:50am-1:20pm, 3:15-3:45pm
• FRIDAY: 8:15-8:55am, 10:50am-12:40pm, 3:15-3:45pm, 7:00-8:30pm

If you haven't yet, be sure to sign up to take your class to visit the fair here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ym3saz920cfyNrHaMR7f2PvgxHa3Oh7hccZVzUq3Ux0/edit?usp=sharing

You will be given Book Fair Hall Passes for you to use for your students who are ready to make purchases. You can send your students (no more than groups of 5 at a time please) at any time during the Book Fair's open hours and there will be someone there to assist them.

CLASSROOM DONATIONS

We have received some questions about parents who want to donate a book or funds to purchase books for students who may not otherwise be able to afford one. This year, we will be encouraging parents to contribute books to your classroom libraries so that all can enjoy the donated books. If you could take the following steps to make this a possibility for parents of your students, that would be great!!

• Set up an eWallet account that parents can contribute funds for books to. Then use your eWallet account to shop at the book fair. The process is very easy! Set it up here (https://www.scholastic.com/bf/meadowhallbookfair) and then email your share link to Whitney at whitneyswain@gmail.com. Be sure to let parents know your link on Class Dojo as well!
• Look through the Scholastic Books (https://shop.scholastic.com/parent-ecommerce/parent-store-2.html?fairId=5157191) and create a wish list. Be sure to either email that list to Whitney at whitneyswain@gmail.com or drop it off in the PTA mailbox in the front office.

ICE CREAM SOCIAL

We also encourage you to visit us on our last day of the book fair for our Ice Cream Social (Ice Cream & Books). It will take place Friday, September 23 from 7 to 8:30pm. PTA members get free ice cream (join here: https://www.mhespta.org/membership/join-the-pta) and non-members are $1/person. Bring your entire family for yummy ice cream and to finish using up your eWallet donations. And please make sure to send home handouts about this event to your students. We hope to see you there!

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Whitney Swain, our Book Fair chair this year, at 317-439-3938 or whitneyswain@gmail.com.

Thanks for all that you do!

-Your MHES PTA Board

2022-23 Elementary Social Studies (SS) Resources & Professional Development (PD) Opportunities

This document contains listings of social studies related Professional Development opportunities and resources to enhance social studies lessons.

Social Studies Curriculum Canvas Self-enroll Link

Use this link to gain access to the social studies Canvas course that houses curricula materials.

There are three stipends available for staff around restorative justice and wellness. If you prefer, staff members may choose to share the responsibilities and stipend of one of the positions. See below for details. If you are interested, please let Ilana know by Wednesday, September 21st!

1. Restorative Justice Coach - $3,000 total

• Click here to read about Restorative Justice Coach Role and Responsibilities

2. Wellness Coordinator - $2,000 total

• continue and expand the work of wellness initiatives at the local school level.
  

3. Wellness Data Tracking - $1,000 total

• support the work of data tracking and reporting specific to student well-being initiatives
  

** the wellness coordinator and wellness data tracker could be combined into one person/stipend of $3,000 OR shared by more than one person.

Click this link to sign up your class to visit the book fair. Plan for 15 minutes at the book fair and the last 5 minutes to line up and finalize any purchases.

Book Fair Sign-Up

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming up soon from September 16 through the 23! The PTA would like to help you get books to supply your classrooms. There are a couple of ways that we can help!

• We have $5 coupons for you to use on personal $20 purchases. These will be in your mailboxes shortly before the sale begins.
• If you are a PTA member (join here: https://www.mhespta.org/membership/join-the-pta), you can get reimbursed up to $50 for supplies and needs for your classrooms (this includes books!)
• We plan to make "Teacher Wishlists" so that parents and students can take the opportunity to donate books to your classroom. If this is something you would like to participate in, first go to https://shop.scholastic.com/parent-ecommerce/parent-store.html/ and look through the book catalogue. Select individual books (no packs please) that you would like for your classroom and email a list of those items to Whitney Swain (whitneyswain@gmail.com).

Book Fair Hours

MONDAY: 8:15-8:55am, 10:50am-12:40pm, 3:15-3:45pm

TUESDAY: 8:15-8:55am, 10:50am-12:40pm, 1:00-2:15pm, 3:15-3:45pm

WEDNESDAY: 8:15am-12:40pm, 3:15-3:45pm

THURSDAY: 8:15-8:55am, 10:50am-1:20pm, 3:15-3:45pm

FRIDAY: 8:15-8:55am, 10:50am-12:40pm, 3:15-3:45pm, 7:00-8:30pm (evening hours Sept. 23 only)

September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic Heritage month. Facts about Hispanics and Hispanic-Americans will be shared each day during announcements. Staff is encouraged to highlight and use information about all cultures in their lessons. However, if we can find ways to implement facts about Hispanic culture during this time that is great!

Health Awareness Trainings

• ALL SCHOOL STAFF MEMBERS must view the presentation, PDO course number 91273 Level 1: Introduction to Anaphylaxis by Friday, September 23, 2022.

• ALL MCPS STAFF MEMBERS must complete Professional Development Online (PDO) course number 91179, Level 1: Overview of Diabetes 2022-2023, by Friday, September 23, 2022.

• ALL SCHOOL STAFF MEMBERS must view the presentation, PDO Course Number 91182 Opioid Awareness and Response 2022–2023, by Friday, September 23, 2022.
• Bloodborne Pathogens - https://mcps-md.safeschools.com/login (log in with Outlook username) ** required

September 16-23

• Book Fair Week! Here is the Book Fair Sign Up Sheet

Tuesday, September 20th

• Equity PLC for all Professional Staff - 3:45-5pm

Friday, September 23rd

• Ice Cream Social - 7-8:30pm

Email: Ilana_N_Simhon@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/meadowhalles/
Location: 951 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-5260