After - School Tutoring

Teachers,
Please see Dr. K if you are interested in assisting with our after-school tutoring program. The sessions begin on January 28.

PE Shelter

Construction on our new PE Shelter officially begins today. The construction crew is expected to place a temporary fence. Please see one of the administrators if you have any questions or concerns.

Parent Conference Day

Our second Parent Conference Day will take place on Tuesday, January 15 from 12:15 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. Please click the title bar above to attain the memo which looks very similar to the memorandum you received for the first Parent Conference Day a few months ago.

Faculty Meeting Agenda

Please click the link above to access the agenda for today's faculty meeting

DIBELS Testing

DIBELS testing will begin on January 24 and end on Feb. 7.

The same person who tested your students from the last assessment will test them again. If you have any questions, please see Ms. Fogelson.

"Do the Right Thing"

"Do the Right Thing" nomination forms are due to Ms. Schwartz by Thursday, January 10, 2008.

Mathematics and Science Update

Please click the title bar above for this week's mathematics and science information.

School district, teachers reach deal on healthcare plan

Source : Miami Herald

The Miami-Dade County School District and the United Teachers of Dade reached a tentative agreement Monday on how to pay for the rising costs of healthcare insurance.

Under the plan, the district will cover the cost increases until June 30. After that date, employees electing the most comprehensive plan will share part of the expense, district spokesman John Schuster said. The cost of dependent coverage will also rise.

Student Arrival

In order to help ensure a safe environment, all YMCA morning students will now be assigned to room 70 and the cafeteria and the remainder of the building will be locked until breakfast begins at 7:45 a.m. on school days. Please see me if special arrangements need to be made.

Voyager Schedule

Please click the title bar above to access your listed Voyager Schedule.

Spelling Bee - Grade 2

The second grade spelling bee will take place on Tuesday, January 8 at 8:45 in the cafeteria.

Please try to be prompt, and be ready to enjoy a fun filled morning of spelling!!!

Reading Reminders (Grades 3-5)

Please click the link above for this week's reminders.

Cafeteria Assignments

As we begin the 2008 Calendar Year, allow me to thank the many of you who drop off and pick up your students in the cafeteria at the correct times.

Please review with your students the seating arrangements and line order that you established for them in the cafeteria, so we may help make these last three days operate as smooth as possible.

New Jersey teachers claim $49.5 million lottery prize

Source: Associated Press

A group of teachers and secretaries from Morris Knolls High School in New Jersey -- calling themselves the "Lucky 12" turned in a winning lottery ticket for some $45 million in Mega Millions money, lottery officials said today.

The group won half of the $163 million jackpot from the Dec. 18th Mega Millions drawing. They bought the ticket at a Wharton convenience store and chose the cash option, which means they will receive about $49.5 million before 25 percent is taken in federal taxes.

2008-2009 12 Month Pay Option

All participants in the 12-month deferred payment plan must re-enroll for the 2008-2009 school year. Deferred Compensation occurs when eligible 10-month employees choose to have their wages paid over a 12-month period, causing them to defer part of their “earned” income from one calendar year to the next.

The IRS has specific guidelines and requirements that must be followed and adhered to if electing to participate in the Defer Pay Plan:

• Eligible employees must complete a written election form. (SEE FORMS SECTION OF BLOG)
• The election must be made before the first work day of the school year.
• The election is irrevocable; it cannot be cancelled during the school year.
• This election will remain in effect until a cancellation form is received for the subsequent school year.
• The accumulated deferred wages will be paid during the months of June, July and August depending on the school year calendar.

2008 Payroll Highlights

Please be advised of the following Payroll Highlights for 2008:

* W-2 forms for calendar year 2007 will be distributed as soon as they are available, but no later than January 31, 2008.

* The Social Security taxable wage base is increased to $102,000 the maximum social security tax at $6,324.00.

* The 1.45 % Medicare tax applies to all of an employee's FICA-covered wages, there is no maximum for the Medicare tax limit.

* Advance EIC payments: Eligible employees must file a new W-5 form every year.

* If you are exempt from Federal Withholding, a new W-4 form, attesting to the exempt status, must be filed by February 16, 2008.

December 21 - Not an Opt Day

Please be aware that December 21st is NOT a Teacher Planning Day. As a reminder the upcoming opt days are January 18, March 21 and 28. If you intend to be absent at any point next week, please give Ms. Tillman ample notice to make the necessary arrangements.

New testing standards for mentally impaired students

Source: Sun-Sentinel

One FCAT milestone in recent years was when some of the exam scores of students with various disabilities began counting toward school letter grades.

Another significant testing hurdle involving the special needs population is coming in March. That's when schools will begin administering a new Florida Alternate Assessment for children in grades 3-11 with the most severe mental impairments.

Scores from this special assessment — designed for children classified by the state as profoundly mentally handicapped, among other disabilities — will likely count toward school grades in the 2009-10 school year.

Upcoming Paychecks

Please note the following for the paycheck of December 7, 2007:

• All changes authorized during the United Way campaign will be reflected on this paycheck.
• 2007-08 MEP Salary increases will be reflected on this paycheck. No retroactive payment necessary, as the effective date is November 16, 2007 (the first day of the pay period).
• 2006-07 Advanced Placement (AP) Bonus payments will be included in this paycheck.

Please note the following for the paycheck of December 21, 2007:

· 2007 Fall Coaching lump sum payment will be paid.

· 2006-07 Outstanding Teachers In D/F Schools Bonus will be paid.

Web Site Helps Teachers Boost Classroom Resources

Unlike other grant-finding resources, this unique site is specifically designed to assist educators.

Tardy Students

As a courtesy to our chronically tardy students, we began sending wake up calls via the connect-ed system each morning. We started it yesterday with one student. Please e-mail me the names of the students that you would like to be included in this intervention.

Pictures from the Florida Marlins on Junior Achievement Day

Please click the link above to view the pictures that the Florida Marlins staff took on Junior Achievement Day at our school.

These pictures can also be found on the Major League Baseball Website.

Copy Request Policy

Colleagues,
Effective immediately, Ms. Johnson has been directed to return your copy requests to you no sooner than the following school day. In addition, make sure to provide her with enough paper to meet your request.

Please see one of the administrators if more clarity is needed.

Math and Science Reminders

Please click the link above for this week's mathematics and science reminders.

EESAC Meeting

Our next EESAC Meeting wil take place on Thursday, Decemebr 13 at 3:15 p.m. in the Media Center to discuss the Mid Year Review of our School Improvement Plan.