Dear Teachers and Staff,
We would like to extend a warm welcomeand thank you to everyonethathas joined the Park Ridge Elementary Family. An amazing journey awaits us all!! Our students and community are fortunate to have a dedicated and talented group of educators and staff that will, “Make a Difference in the World”.
The next two weeks is a critical time for all teachers and staff as we prepare for the inaugural reopening of Park Ridge. On August 24th. As you begin to prepare yourself and your classroom, we would like to remind everyone of a few things in order to have a smooth opening:
During the next two weeks, dress is casual and comfortable, yet school appropriate.Although there is a lot of moving around, we will have several parents and district personnel visiting the school.
The week of August 10-14, 2015,the building will be open from 8:00am to 6:00pm. While you are welcome to stay as long as you like during the time the building is open, due to TIF funding we can only pay teachers a stipend for a maximum of $15 per hour for 7.5 hours per day. We have meetings, trainings and networking opportunitiesscheduled to take place during this week between 10:00 am-2:00 pm and ask that you plan on being here on time to participate in the meetings. The remainder of the hours isyours to prepare your classroom and work in your teams. (Please note that all scheduled meetings are subject to change). A detailed day-by-day agenda will be available very soon!
Please sign in and out each day in the front office. If you leave campus for lunch you will need to sign out and sign back in on your return. (You will be paid for a 30 min lunch on preplanning days)
During the week of August 17th-21st, teachers’ hours will be from 8:00 am-3:30 pm, However, teachers must secure their classroom and leave the building by 6:00 pm. to allow for cleaning and other facility maintenance.
Keys are available for pick up. Please see Ms. Lubin to sign out your room keys.
Laptops are available for sign out. Mr. Hurst will call for your grade level to sign laptop property passes.
The back of the media center is equipped with bulletin board paper, construction paper and the laminating machine for you to use. Please make sure to clean your area after use.
Each teacher will receive a bag of teacher supplies. If you need additional supplies, see Mrs. Davis. We will get you whatever you need!!! We will also be calling grade levels down to get additional student and classroom supplies as well.
During the preplanning weeks, please complete a copy request form for any copying and the office staff will make copies for you. Eventually copy codes will be assigned and each team will receive copier training. After your training, you are free to use the copy machine or you can continue to use the forms and they will be done for you.
Please check your mailbox and your CAB daily for updates and announcements. If you currently are not on CAB we are hoping to get you on by Friday. Your Team Leader will keep you informed until then.
Our facilities staff is on a very tight schedule to complete all the work orders and renovations prior to the opening of school. If you need their assistance with anything, there is a facility request form in the teachers’ mailroom. Fill it out and the work order will be processed for you. In addition:
- In order to address the critical issues of the school, hundreds of thousands of dollars andthousands of man-hours have gone into preparing the school. Therefore we are asking you pleasedonotdrag or push any heavy objects across the freshly waxed floors. Our facilities staff will assist you in order to assure that the surface is not damaged and that you do not get hurt moving anything. If you fill out a facilities form, please identify what is being moved and where you would like it moved (be specific or draw a diagram).
- All classrooms have been repainted, therefore we ask that there isabsolutely NO STAPLES or TAPE on the walls. Additionally, because the paint has not completely cured, please use sticky tack or painters tape sparingly and use bulletin boards or tackable surfaces when appropriate. This includes doors as well. We all want to preserve our beautiful new school!!!
In order to respect your time and the time of others, it is a school norm to report to meetings on time. We also ask that you leave work behind, including laptops, unless asked to bring them. This way all of us involved can be fully engaged in the professional learning we are going to participate in.
Children are welcome during teacher planning days. However, we ask that they remain in your room and are not walking around the campus unsupervised. For safety reasons, no children are permitted outside or on the playgrounds unless you or another adult are supervising them. Additionally, we would like to remind you that all meetings, trainings and events are for staff only. Unfortunately, we do not have the space to accommodate additional people.
During the next two weeks, you will have many opportunities to meet new people and make new friends. As part of the positive culture we are establishing at Park Ridge, we encourage you to find someone that you have not met yet, and introduce yourself. We have a lot of life changing work ahead of us and it is imperative that we collaborate and support each other as we come together to Make a Difference in the World. Above all, remember that we are here for you. If you need anything please do not hesitate to ask. Here is to a new and bright beginning!
With Gratitude and Love,
Joe, Arlene and Sam