Sept. 12, 2018
MONTHLY CHECKLIST

Click on the link below for a list of important tasks that affect students and families, budgeting, communications, professional development, building operations and more. All checklists can be found in the Administrator Handbook .

ACTION ITEMS
PREPARE YOUR REFERENDUM SITE TEAMS
Principals and district staff play a key role in any referendum campaign. You are trusted sources of information. That’s why all principals are charged with creating a referendum site team at their schools. Your team’s time commitment will be a two-hour group training session and about 1-2 hours per week from late September until Election Day on Nov. 6.

Please complete the following:
  • Review the Guidance on Activities Related to Upcoming Elections 2018 (including the referendum). For example, staff cannot advocate during work time, but they can share any of the factual information and materials provided by the District.
  • Review all referendum materials located at spps.org/referendum2018, including the most frequently asked questions. Share the information with your school communities: staff, parents, students, volunteers, partners and neighbors.
  • Follow the steps listed below to create a site team.
DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 12
CREATE A REFERENDUM SITE TEAM
Please complete these steps no later than Wednesday, Sept. 12.

  1. Review the Site Teams Overview and Instructions to begin creating a site team.
  2. Identify a few staff and parents to invite to your team. Your goal is to have a team of 4-6 people, plus you as the team leader.
  3. Use this email template to invite your staff and parents who may be interested in joining your site team.
  4. Attend a two-hour training in September. Site teams are trained as a group in a two-hour workshop. RSVP by selecting the date you prefer for training. Two options are available: 6-8 p.m. on Sept. 19 or Sept. 20 at Washington Technology Magnet. You should pick one date for your team to attend. Please bring a laptop and charger. A light meal and childcare will be provided.
  5. During site team training, you will log in to your SPPS Google account and fill out your site’s Site Team Communications Plan to be shared at a later date. 
TITLE I FEDERAL PROGRAMS:
REQUEST ACCESS TO CRATE
SPPS Title I Federal Programs purchased a new documentation system called Title I Crate.

Title I Crate:
  • Replaces the current folder application developed in Google Drive.
  • Can be accessed with your Active Directory credentials on the Title I Crate webpage. 
  • Gives access only to individuals identified on the Google Survey completed by principals. Principals are encouraged to identify multiple staff members who should have access to documentation and be assigned to specific upload areas.

Principals and staff members responsible for uploading Title I documentation should sign up for one of the following Title I Crate trainings on PDExpress:

Course Title: Title I Crate Training

Sept. 18
8:30 - 10 a.m.
360 Room F

Sept. 18
1 - 2:30 p.m.
360 Room F

Sept. 25
8:30 - 10 a.m. 
360 Room K

Sept. 25
1 - 2:30 p.m.
360 Room K


Additional resources can be found in the “Title I: Family Engagement & Compliance Resources” Schoology Group. (access code: 8N48Z-7N8BV )

GOOD TO KNOW
OFFICE OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Please review the following updates from the Office of Family Engagement and Community Partnerships for important dates, updated processes for working with partners and other news.

Please contact heather.kilgore@spps.org with any questions.
MATH DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
Over the summer teams of teachers for grades 2-6 and for geometry created resources for all teachers including:

  • Grades 2-6 Beginning of Year Assessments (BOYA)
  • Grades 2-6 BOYA Instructional Planning Guides
  • Updated Scope and Sequences for grades 2-6 and Geometry
  • Sample ‘Conceptual Lessons’ in light of Task, Question, and Evidence (TQE)
  • Sample ‘Unit Plans’
  • Tasks/Resources

The above resources can be found in the Math TQE document .

These resources will be available to all teachers in the Elementary and Secondary Math Schoology groups. They will be asked to give feedback so the math department can better plan for math curriculum adoption processes and professional development phases outlined here .

Please contact ishmael.robinson@spps.org with any questions.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
September Principal Meetings
Wed., Sept. 19
8 - 11 a.m.
6-12/9-12 Principals meet at 360 Colborne Room 5A
K-8/Middle School Principals meet at 360 Colborne Room B
Elementary School Principals meet at Hub Center at Harding High School

Wed., Sept. 24
8 - 11 a.m.
Location TBD
September Assistant Principal Meetings
Cohort B:
Wed., Sept., 19
1 - 4 p.m.
Hub Center at Harding High School

IMPORTANT DATES
Important holidays, no school days, special religious days and family engagement events are available online at spps.org/calendar.
Sept. 18-19 - Yom Kippur
Jewish Day of Atonement. Begins at sunset, Sept. 18 and ends at sunset, Sept.19. Devoted to prayer, fasting and repentance.

Sept. 18 - Regular Board of Education Meeting
5:30-9 p.m.

Sept. 19 and Sept. 20 - Site Team Training (Referendum)
Principals and their site teams will choose a date to learn about the referendum and receive instructions and documents to share with their school communities.

Sept. 23-30 - Sukkot
Feast of Tabernacles, Jewish festival of thanksgiving, harvest and the remembrance of the Jews who wandered in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt. Begins at sunset, Sept. 23 and ends at sunset, Sept.30.

Oct. 11 - Referendum Information Session
6-7:30 p.m., District Administration Building, 360 Colborne St., Saint Paul
DATE TO AVOID
Nov. 6 - Election Day
No school events or meetings after 6 p.m.
The Principal's Playbook is a collaboration between the Office of Leadership and the Office of Communications. The Playbook is the main source for communicating with principals. This weekly newsletter includes department action items, professional development opportunities and other updates that directly affect principals and other school leaders. Each Playbook also includes communications and marketing content to help schools communicate with their families.
Jada Wollenzien
Program Manager, Leadership Development
Office: 651-744-5074