Week of January 2, 2017

Bus Duty: Angie Beck and Whitney Hamill

Monday 1/2/17 No school
Tuesday 1/3/17 Students return from Winter break;
Wednesday 1/4/17
Thursday 1/5/17- 
Friday 1/6/17 -

Monday 1/9/17 Venture Collaboration Day...8:00 CPR training in Library ($10 for card)
Tuesday 1/10/17 7:30 -2:00 SAT summit
Wednesday 1/11/17
Thursday 1/12/17- 

Friday 1/13/17

HUGE SHOUT OUT..... to Val, Angie,Whitney, and Heidi!!!!
Thank you for the two AMAZING holiday dinners you provided for students, families and staff and guests!   Thanks to your outstanding planning and preparation, the dinners were perfect.  The cookies were such a nice bonus for families, and everybody loved the cupcakes!  And... the tables were so pretty! I hope you all had a chance to see the hand painted invitations that Heidi made ... they were incredible! I know I speak for the entire staff when I thank you, Val, Angie, Whitney, and Heidi for the beautiful and thoughtful effort you gave to the holiday dinners.  

Another HUGE SHOUT OUT... to Bryan Alexander and Angie!!!!
Thank you for volunteering your time to Heroes and Holidays. Thanks to the many people, like Bryan and Angie, many children enjoyed a fun holiday experience.  We appreciate all you do to support our community!

A Must See Video about Whitney Elementary in Las Vegas...
This video, Click Here tells of a high-poverty school that changed the way they do business and became a high-performing school.  We are implementing some of these strategies.  I wonder if we might glean some ideas from Whitney Elementary.

Week of December 12

Bus Duty: Thomas (PM) Hook (AM)

Monday 12/12  7:00 cross district collaboration 8:30 Collaboration: Library;  Agenda
Tuesday 12/13
Wednesday 12/14
Thursday 12/15- Holiday Feast; activity schedule
Friday 12/16 -

Extended Learning and the Absent Student
If students are absent or are missing work for any reason, please remember to assign Extended Learning time for them.  The form can be found here and is also linked on the right hand side of the page.  If students aren't using extended learning time, please call home.  If they are not taking advantage of the many opportunities offered to help them keep abreast of their work, then I can talk to them about whether this is the best placement for them.  I believe most kids will follow through when they really understand how the program works.  However, many kids will also try find loop holes in the system.  This coming week is an ideal time to assign extended learning, call home if they aren't attending, and let me know if these efforts aren't working so I can follow up with students and parents.

Happy Holidays
I want to thank all of you for your patience and willingness to continue to brainstorm through some very complicated issues.  Virtually nothing we do is "business-as-usual" in the traditional sense of education.  We continually find solutions to problems that can feel quite insurmountable.  Your persistence and determination make a difference.  Thank you for your commitment to serve some of the most vulnerable people living in our area.  Any school would be lucky to have you as part of their staff, but you chose Venture.  What you're doing is good for the kids and I feel very, very lucky to be part of this staff.  I wish you a week-before-Christmas that is less stressful than you fear, and a holiday that is much more relaxing than you'd hoped for.