Sope Creek

1. Sope Creek Survival Guide Nuts, Bolts, & Navigation of The Creek

2. Sope Creek Elementary 3320 Paper Mill Road Marietta, GA 30067 770.916.7085 phone 770.916.7087 fax http://sopecreeklibrary.typepad.com/blogs Principal: Martha Whalen 2009 – 2010 School Theme: Going Global: Shining on the World’s Stage

3. First Week of School Day 1: • Make sure you know how every child is letting home. • Review your class procedures • Send home communication with parents that includes: • A welcome letter • Your contact information (email address and phone extension) • Information on how to access your blog. • Your expectations and procedures. • Daily schedule • Open House Dates and Times; • INSERT DATE • INSERT DATE It is VERY important to build relationships and to build a community. You will be able to accomplish more throughout the year if you take steps to build a community and established routines/procedures in the first weeks of school. OPEN HOUSES: INSERT DATE INSERT DATE Small Group Special Education: Communicate with parents which night you will attend. You do not need to attend both. Inclusion Teachers: Attend with your grade level.

4. Where Can I Go When I Need Something?The Administration has an Open Door Policy. If you need something we will do all that we can to help you. This guide should point you to quick help whenever you need it!

5. Alphabet SoupInterpretation of All Those Acronyms

6. Alphabet Soup ContinuedInterpretation of All Those Acronyms

7. Comments from the Custodians • We have five custodians: • Amelia Garrett (Head Honcho) • Michael Williams (Next Head Honcho) • Joe Dalton • Jackie Paden • Thery Joseph • They are extremely helpful and take great care of our school. • There is a custodian assigned to every hall. You can find their name at the beginning of each hallway with the sign, “This hall is professionally cleaned by………..” • They will do the following daily: • Vacuum • Empty trash • Clean hallways • Clean bathrooms • You will be responsible for the following daily: • Emptying pencil sharpeners • Cleaning your dry erase board • Notifying Amelia if a ball gets kicked on the roof • Reporting any problems (including heat and air OR bug issues) to the front office or to Amelia • Picking up the floor daily (have the kids do this): • Large pieces of paper • Crayons • Paper clips • Markers • Kleenex • Books • Notebooks • Please do not: • Leave liquids in your trash cans • Pour paint down the sinks. Hours on teacher workdays: 6:30 am -5:30 pm Hours during the school year: 6:00 am – 8:00 pm

8. FAQ’s What time do I have to be here? You need to be in your classroom and ready to receive students at 7:15. Who do I call if I need a substitute? From the first day of school until December: Jessica Appleyard From January until the last day of school: Becky Grindstaff **If you know ahead of time that you need to be absent, you can call and arrange a substitute using the Sope Creek Perferred List OR ask Angie to put the request into SubFinder. You need to always fill out a Report of Absence form. They can be found on the Sope Creek Staff Handbook site or under the teacher mailboxes. When are meetings? Tuesday afternoons. Please keep your schedules free on Tuesday afternoons until 4:00 pm. Do I have to go outside the school to find staff development opportunities? You are surely welcome to do so, but we provide school focused staff development here at Sope Creek. You will receive credit for the work we do on Tuesday afternoons and on Early Release Days. If I see “Happy Motoring” what does that mean? It means that you can leave as soon as the students go…as soon as you know that everyone has made it to their dismissal locations safely. Do I have a mentor? YES! You have a mentor who will be your go-to person if you have any questions They will be most helpful in assisting you and navigation of The Creek. Is there a Coke Machine? Yes! Cokes are 50 cents. Snacks are 50 cents. USE ONLY QUARTERS IN THE SNACK MACHINE. Water is free. Bring your own cup for the water cooler.

9. Response to Intervention:How are we working together to provide opportunities for ALL students to succeed?

10. RTI Continued What happens in a Tier 2 Meeting? Teachers who have a student of concern will bring a packet that has some general information filled out regarding that student. (name, birth date, parent contacts, background information). RTI Tier 2 Groups consist of teams of teachers. At the meeting, you will have a turn to discuss the student, their difficulties, and receive feedback on strategies to implement until the next meeting. You will implement the strategies and keep data on the success of the strategies. At the next meeting, you will share the data with the team. They will help you determine next steps. What happens in a Tier 3 Meeting? You will be invited on a Wednesday morning (classroom coverage will be provided) to join the RTI team. Members may include: Counselor Special Education Lead Teacher, Michele Zarrilli Special Education Teacher Speech Pathologist, Joan Crawford or Alicia McInnis School Psychologist, Lauren Koren Administrator Parents You ESOL Teacher or Reading Recovery Teacher The counselor will facilitate the meeting. You will share the interventions that were applied and their success rates. The team may make suggestions of other interventions to try and track. They may also make the determination that more data is necessary and make a referral to special education. **IF you are implementing an intervention, you must do so with consistency and fidelity. It is important that you track data on students who are struggling.

11. Put Specials Schedule Here

12. SpecialsThere is a rotation for each grade level. Let’s chart your students’ first month of specials. Start Here. • Notes about Specials: • Be sure you are on time to pick up and drop off students. • Notes that exempt students from PE also exempt them from recess. • Specialists will provide you with grades for report cards. Be sure that these are the grade you assign students on their report cards.

13. Sope Creek Foundation The Sope Creek Foundation is a non-profit corporation whose sole purpose is to raise funds and provide resources beyond those provided by Cobb County or Sope Creek PTA for the benefit o fall Sope Creek students. FYI: • The Foundation has sponsored the following purchases: • Phone systems in all classrooms • Playground track • Climbing wall in gym • New carpet in Annex • Media Center renovations • SMARTBoards in every homeroom classroom • Sponsored Events/Activities • Sociables: Tickets are sold to themed events hosted throughout the year. • Teacher Outings: Teachers donate their time and outings are bid upon during a silent auction. Bids are taken during Octoberfest. • Fun Run: Includes a 5K race and 1 mile Fun Run. Open to all Sope Creek families, community members, and other serious runners. • SMARTKids Campaign: A letter campaign asking parents to donate money to fund extras. • After School Foreign Language: French and Spanish classes are offered after school for a fee. A percentage of proceeds benefit the Foundation. • KidChess: After school Chess Club • Brainy Builders: After school lego building club. • Tennis: After school tennis program.

14. Sope Creek PTA We have THE BEST PTA in all of Georgia!!!! They advocate for students, teachers, staff, and public education!!!2009-2010 theme: Going Global: Shining on the World’s StagePTA Presidents: Lisa MacDougall & Jana Brubacher FYI: • Be prepared to join the PTA during preplanning. They will host a luncheon on Thursday. • Save school-related receipts for a $100 reimbursement. • Any money that the PTA collects will typically be sent to the office in a REGULAR ENVELOPE…not a school money envelope. Sponsored Events/Activities • Art Day: Visiting artists deliver enriched curriculum of the arts. • Birthday Book Club: Students are invited to donate and dedicate books to the media center during their birthday month. • Book Fair & Mini Book Fair: Scholastic Book Fair operates during Conference Week. Proceeds benefit the PTA. • Cooks Corner: Provides lunch during Early Release Days and snacks during Conference Week.