Upper Allen Elementary

Faculty and Staff Newsletter - October 18, 2024

Mr. McIntosh

Each month I receive a PATHS Newsletter designed to offer support and to generate ideas to be used in the classroom. (Some of you may also receive this newsletter.) I thought I would share some of their Halloween related suggestions.

Halloween and SEL: Using Fun to Build Social Skills

As October comes to a close, Halloween offers a fun and engaging opportunity to incorporate SEL into the classroom. With costumes, games, and class parties, Halloween activities can be used to teach important social and emotional lessons in a playful way:

Encouraging Inclusivity: Use class activities to promote inclusivity and teamwork. Whether through group games or collaborative art projects, encourage students to support one another and celebrate everyone’s contributions. This fosters a sense of belonging, reducing social anxiety for students who might feel left out.
Managing Excitement and Stress: Halloween can be an exciting but overstimulating time for some students. Teach emotional regulation strategies like deep breathing or quiet moments during the day's festivities. This helps students manage their excitement and stress, keeping the focus on fun.
Practicing Empathy: Engage students in discussions about different costumes and how they make others feel. This can open up conversations about perspective-taking and respect for others’ choices, which strengthens empathy and emotional awareness.

At Upper Allen we also have to be considerate of those students or families who do not celebrate Halloween. The suggestions from PATHS may not be appropriate in your classroom.

Fall Celebrations

Fall classroom celebrations will be held on October 31st this year. Please review the party guidelines in our Staff Handbook. (Find Handbook link at bottom of newsletter)

Wildcat Way-In The Hallway

Hello Teachers,

Below is the link for your feedback on following the Wildcat Way in the hall. Students are also self-evaluating. We can’t wait to share the data with you at the November Faculty Meeting!

Thank you for taking the time to complete this.

Feedback For Wildcat Way In the Hallway

Unity Day

Unity Day

We will be celebrating Unity Day on Wednesday October 23, 2024. We ask that students and staff wear orange!

Below is the link for the google slides to use in your morning meeting that day.

During lunches I will be reading The Little Spot of Fall book.

Then in your classrooms please decorate your class pumpkin with positive messages. (Big thank you to Mrs. Salter who is helping me make them) (We will get these to you next week)

Many teachers in the past have put their class name in the middles and then the positive messages all around it.

I also am putting in your mailbox copies of 3 pumpkin sheets (blank one, Be Kind, and You are amazing). Feel free to use these as you would like, you don’t have to use them at all, but you can run your own copies if you want to do any extensions in your room.

Any questions reach out to Dana

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1y0siwlAcK8fseEsIRa8kPEGH7srXJZPDfzBHQwaESRQ/edit?usp=sharing

Counselor's Corner

Conferences are right around the corner. This is a great time to celebrate student successes with their families and share how we are supporting their growing.

If you…. Anticipate a challenging conference or would like support

Then, reach out to a member of the team. Case managers, Specialist, John, and Dana are happy to support you.

If a concern arises during conferences:

-Specifically for special ed support services (academics, behavior, speech/language, OT, PT), teachers should pause the conversation and offer to speak with the team and follow up with the family. The team or related service provider will review the concerns and determine any next steps.

*Teachers should refrain from offering or suggesting screenings or evaluations without discussion with the team first.

Enjoy spending time with your students’ families!

The Speech Bubble

Conferences are coming!

My time during conferences will be split between two elementary buildings. Please contact me as soon as possible if you anticipate a conference that may include speech and/or language concerns so that I am able to block off time to attend with you. If concerns arise unexpectedly, please pause the conversation before discussing a screening or evaluation and tell the parent that you will contact me. We will discuss and generate a plan. Also, as a reminder, we generally follow a process of screening and intervention prior to completing an evaluation.

If you have conferences for any of my identified students and would like me to attend, please let me know!

Reach out any time with any needs!

Emergency Forms Update

A note from the Health Room

Reminder - Please be sure to stop in the health rooms to update your emergency contact form if you have not done so already. It is essential for us to have updated information in an emergency.

The Social Committee Presents: Staff Bingo Night

Don't let the kids have all the fun, join us at TJ Rockwell's on Wednesday October 23rd for staff bingo night. Please let the social committee know if you plan on attending.

District Phone List

Dr. Bowman has created a live-update district phone list for employees to use. On the first sheet of this workbook, you will find key numbers for staff at the district office and in each building. Each building will then have a tab to list all employees and their extensions. Please let Sara know if you find any errors or omissions.

Important Dates- New Dates Added Weekly (Dates are also on the building calendar)

October

Wednesday, October 23rd-Staff Bingo Night
Wednesday, October 30- Fall Teacher/Parent Conferences 3-7:00 PM

November

Friday, November 1 - Fall Teacher/Parent Conferences 7:30 AM - 3:00 PM (No School for Students)

Tuesday, November 5 - PTO Meeting 7:00 PM
Wednesday, November 6 - Faculty Meeting 3:00-4:00 PM
Monday, November 11 - Professional Development Day #2(No School for Students)
Wednesday, November 13 - Picture Retake Day
Monday, November 18 - World Expo Day at Upper Allen
Wednesday, November 20 - Curriculum Connections 3:00-4:15 PM
Wednesday, November 27 - Contracted In-Service Day (No School for Students)
Thursday, November 28 - Monday, December 2 - Thanksgiving (No School for Students & Staff)

December

Tuesday, December 3 - PTO Meeting 7:00 PM
Wednesday, December 4 - Faculty Meeting 3:00-4:00 PM
Wednesday, December 4 - First Trimester Progress Reports Due
Friday, December 6 - Student Progress Reports Sent Home (First Trimester)
Saturday, December 21-Sunday, January 5 - Winter Recess

Please follow link at bottom of newsletter to access District Calendar for additional dates.

Mandated Training - Safe Schools

As required by law, all staff working with students must complete mandated training in (1) MASD Mandated Reporter Training, and (2) MASD Suicide Awareness & Threat Assessment Training. Each training has been posted through SafeSchools Training via online learning modules.

Please complete the required 2 hours of training by December 31, 2024 to ensure you have the information and tools you need to best support students.

Your trade-off time for this training will occur during the last hour of the Professional Development days on November 11th and March 14th. If you have completed both hours of training by November 11th, you will be permitted to leave an hour early that day.

The trainings are now available and can be accessed through SafeSchools Training website. There is a user guide attached to assist you. If you have difficulty accessing your account, please contact Tina Rensel, HR Coordinator, at tirensel@mbgsd.org

Elementary Student Handbook & Code of Conduct

Link to Student Handbook

Mechanicsburg School District Employment Opportunities

Looking for full time or part time employment? Please follow the link to learn about employment opportunities in the Mechanicsburg Area School District. Link