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- Manatee Musings: Week of 2/24/25
Manatee Musings: Week of 2/24/25
Rick Mohrien
February 23, 2025
The Week Ahead
Table of Contents
AIG Updates & Information
Morning Meeting Updates
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback and thoughts regarding our Morning Meeting process. Moving forward, each day, we ask that you add the following Morning Meeting elements to your classroom daily (which you probably already are doing):
Good Things
Daily Preview (What to Expect)
Social Contact Review
Between that and our Manatee Morning News, many of you let me know that you don’t have much time left. In that time, you’ll be given a “menu” of items that can be used in the classroom—lessons, videos, challenges, etc. This will allow us to integrate the key elements of the CKH Framework, while also providing support for autonomy in the classroom. Let me know if you have any questions!
Upcoming Family Engagement Nights
We have two upcoming Family Engagement Night Events scheduled:
Family Math & Game Night: February 26 (Wed.) from 6-7:30 PM
Spring Fest: April 2 (Wed.)
As shared at the Staff Meeting, we are asking that staff, if possible, be present at both events, but you are only required to be at one of two events. We do ask that you work with your team to ensure there is proper coverage for both events from each team. Also, if you are interested in being a potential “dunkee” in the Dunk Tank at Spring Fest, let us know (in the sign up sheet below)!
Math Madness!
Next week is our Math Family Game Night- we have prepared a list of 8 classroom activities that will be provided for this night. There will be a pizza dinner in the cafeteria and a family board game room set up in the gym. Students and families will float through each of the rooms to play the various games- having a "Math Madness Game Bracket" to check off as they go.
Each staff member who signed up to attend "Math Night" we need you to sign up to lead an individual room, as listed on the following {Link} (and below). The materials will be provided to you ahead of time, so you are able to familiarize yourself with them and make adjustments as needed. The teachers hosting the event will be responsible for setting up the materials and cleaning up the room prior to leaving. We are very thankful for the teachers who are allowing us to use their room on this night!
Forgot which date you signed up to attend? Math Night or Spring Fest?
Read Across America Week!
This year’s Read Across America spirit week will fall during the week of March 3-7. Please read below for more information to help you in planning for that week.
Reading ROCKS with Pete the Cat!
Monday – one Pete the Cat book will be provided to each homeroom. These can be added to your classroom library after reading it with your students! Pete the Cat stickers and/or bookmarks will also be provided for each student. (see the grade level list below to find out more about the book you’ll be getting)
Tuesday – Pajama and stuffed animal comfy reading day – please plan on providing a little bit of time in your classrooms for students to have some relaxed choice reading.
Wednesday – The Hornets Book Bus will be visiting 1st and 2nd graders, which may require a schedule adjustment. More info about that will come as soon as I have it. To welcome Hugo and the Book Bus, the dress up theme that day will be Charlotte sports teams.
Thursday – book character dress up day! Have fun and please send me pictures if you do a team costume. 😊
Friday – Read-a-Thon day! Details about this day went out on 2/5/25 from Erica Anderson. We’ll share more as the day approaches, and there will be updates and reminder on Parent Square as well.
For your planning purposes:
The official Pete the Cat books website is fantastic – there’s a whole ton of resources there. Videos, printables, activities… definitely check it out if you want to do more Pete related stuff throughout reading week.
Sora has LOTS of Pete the Cat books available, and a lot of them are read alongs. For the best availability, add the NC Kids Digital Library to your Sora account (some of you already have if you were here last year and did it when I came to planning meetings to talk about Sora).
To add the NC Kids Digital Library, click on Sora from your Launchpad/Classlink, then click the three lines in the top right corner of the Sora screen. Click the +Add Library button. Start typing in NC Kids, then select NC Kids Digital Library (you’ll probably see Alamance County with it because it lists counties alphabetically, but click it anyway because it’s for the whole state). You’ll have to enter a library card number the first time you check a book out, and that is CMS+your 10 digit NC Ed Cloud number, so CMS1234567890 for example.
Books I’m ordering for each grade level:
Pre-K – Go Pete Go (a tortoise and the hare reimagining)
K – Robo Pete (about self control and playing together)
1 – Firefighter Pete (about a class trip to visit a firetruck)
2 – Out of This World (Pete goes to Space Camp)
3 – Pete the Cat and the Treasure Map (working together and braving a sea monster)
4 – Pete the Cat and the Supercool Science Fair (working together and building a volcano)
5 – Pete the Cat and the Mysterious Smell (it’s hilarious – trust me)
SBS – Pete the Cat’s World Tour (Pete’s band travels all over the world)
You’re welcome to share between grade levels and use these however you’d like – they will be yours to keep!
If any 4th-5th grade teachers are willing, it would be great if a few of your kids could practice reading one of these to take to a younger classroom and read to them as some of our Read-a-Thon guest readers!
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thanks for all you do to support a culture of reading in our school!
Connections w/Crystal: Support Staff Edition
Thank you for your engagement and participation in our "Connections with Crystal" session that was held on Thursday, January 30th. Your active involvement and thoughtful questions demonstrate your commitment and dedication to Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. Here is the slide deck from our presentation for your reference and future use. Here is the recording as well.
Your input is invaluable as we work to strengthen communication across our school system. We appreciate your dedication to this initiative and look forward to our continued collaboration. Please complete this link to share upcoming topics that you would like to hear more about in our next "Connections with Crystal."
Future Support Staff Connection with Crystal: 3/13/2025 @ 1pm ; 5/8/2025 @ 10am
Teacher Leader Pathway Pool Open
Are you an educator interested in earning more money while leading in your school, expanding your reach and gaining access to exclusive professional development? The Teacher Leader Pathway is a career advancement opportunity for educators who have demonstrated excellence in education. The annual Teacher Leader Pathway talent pool will open tomorrow, February 10. For more information, please visit bit.ly/CMSTEACHERLEADER.
Upcoming PTA Fundraiser: Read-a-Thon
On Friday, March 7th, we will have our first Read-a-Thon fundraiser, sponsored by the PTA. It will benefit the Media Center and general literacy projects throughout the school – like purchasing classroom sets of books. This will be a single day, in-class event.
In the three weeks leading up to event day, students and families will collect per-minute sponsorships online (like they do with Booster/Fun Run). In class on event day, students will complete 60 minutes of reading, broken into four 15-minute segments:
A guest reader – the Sign-up genius for that will go out soon
Teacher reading – your choice of book to suit your class
Two segments of students reading a book of their choice on their own (lower grades should feel free to do three ten-minute segments or extend the teacher reading time as needed)
Information was sent to families via Parent Square on Friday, February 14th. They will need to register their student(s) on the Read-a-Thon website. They will NOT need to track reading at home as all reading time will be done on event day. Every student will reach the 30- and 60-minute goals and receive the prizes for those goals.
PRIZES:
Parent sends ten text messages through the Read-a-Thon system = Pajama Day pass (This also enters the student into a nation-wide drawing across all participating schools for Spring 2025. The prize for that drawing is a trip for four to Disney World.)
Parent posts on Facebook through the Read-a-Thon system = a Pajama Day pass (yes, they can get 2)
Student reads 30 minutes = custom Mint Hill Manatee Read-a-Thon bookmark
Student reads 60 minutes = movie with popcorn and juice (movie will be classroom teacher’s choice on the afternoon of event day. If that time overlaps with Enrichment schedule, the Enrichment teacher will go to that classroom to supervise to allow the classroom teacher to keep their planning time.)
Student raises $100 = Lunch with the Librarian, date TBD
Student raises $250 = Be the Librarian for the Day, dates TBD
Compensation Study Update
We are pleased to announce that the Board of Education voted in favor of the recommendations from the Classified Compensation Study during their meeting on January 28, 2025. This approval marks an important milestone in aligning our compensation structures with current market conditions and reinforcing our commitment to equity, competitiveness, and excellence across CMS.
What Happens Next?
With this approval, we will move forward with the implementation of the study's recommendations as planned:
February Paychecks: Eligible employees will begin seeing the increases in their February paychecks, reflecting the approved adjustments.
Individual Notifications: By the end of February, all classified employees will receive an individual email detailing their placement within the new structure and how the changes will impact their compensation.
Increases Retroactive to July 1, 2024: Pay increases will be applied retroactively to the start of the fiscal year.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we worked through this process. Our team is committed to ensuring a smooth and timely implementation, and we are excited about the positive impact these changes will have on our workforce.
If you have questions after receiving your individual notification, please contact compensation at [email protected]. Thank you for your unwavering dedication to our students and community. This is another step forward in building a brighter future for CMS together.
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CMS Legal Records Management Policy & Updates
This legal alert provides information impacting every CMS employee when they create, share, and destroy records. Public records policy and law affects everything from emails, to text messages, to lesson plans, and beyond. Because records management is a part of North Carolina law, make sure you are aware of the following wildly important facts that are linked below.
Clothing Support For Students (MHES PTA)
The PTA understands the importance of having clothing items readily available in classrooms to address students’ needs quickly and discreetly. This ensures that if a student has an accident and needs a change of clothes, they won’t have to walk to the front office in wet or soiled clothing to access the Manatee Care Closet.
The MHES PTA is committed to minimizing classroom interruptions and supporting you in addressing these situations effectively. To help, we will help provide essential 2-4 sets of clothing items that can be kept in your classrooms. To request clothing for your class, please complete the form linked below:
You can use this form to restock as needed throughout the school year. Since this is a work in progress, we may adjust the form based on your needs and feedback. While the MHES PTA will do its best to fulfill all requests, please understand that our ability to gather and distribute these items depends on donations, volunteer support, and available funding. We respectfully ask for your patience as we work to meet these needs.
We also strongly encourage you to remind families to include a change of clothes in their child’s backpack, regardless of grade level. The PTA will share this reminder in our weekly updates to help ensure students are prepared for unexpected situations. Thank you for your unwavering dedication to our students. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or if you have additional needs.
CMS Good News Submissions
Share good news with CMS Communications! Did you win an award? Have a colleague you'd like to give a shout-out to? Or maybe you have a classroom strategy you think is unique? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you.
Reminder: Atrium Clinic for Staff
As a reminder, our Atrium Virtual Health Clinic isn’t just for students—staff can utilize it as well! If you need to see a provider, please reach out to Rick and/or Nurse Haley.
MHES 24-25 Yearbook
Drop your pictures from this year in this folder so that they can be shared in our MHES yearbook!
FAC Notes & Updates
Previous FAC Notes
Here are the notes from the Performance Area Advisory Council (PAAC):
Updates & Information
MHES Resources | CMS Resources |