November 28th, 2016

Great Things Noticed:

Thank you to everyone who brought in food for the food pantry at St. Michaels.  It was a fun competition to benefit those in need.  Huge thank you to Ms. Hooker for setting it up with the PEER Leaders!

Last year we discussed ways to improve parent communication and many people discussed the possibility of sending out a newsletter but weren't sure how to do it or what to include.  Sometimes seeing one allows us the opportunity to see how it can be done.  The 5th grade recently sent out their November Newsletter and it was great.  They included information, pictures, and even recourses for parents to help their students at home.  Great work!

Nuts and Bolts:

Help us start our day on the right food by making some song selections!

There is a saying that the walls and halls of a school speak to what the school is like.  I am always amazed at the pride students take when they see their art-work displayed from Mrs. Naimo's class.  As we are approaching a change in bulletin boards please try your best to place great student work on display, and please remember to check your schedules for bulletin boards.

Also please be sure to consult the press-release schedule.  When you are submitting a Press - Release please be sure to send it us first so we can see it and then pass it along to Gerri for publication.

12 Days of Christmas is coming...be sure to check out what each day has to offer!

Advisory:  In our meeting with Team Leaders it was brought up that the advisory programs have not had a chance to bond as well as we would have liked because we were preparing for SLC's.  In order to allow for a chance to make this happen we will be having a Winter Wonderland competition.  Please see go to the Google Classroom Advisory page for more details.

Holiday Breakfast -- On December 16th we will be having a Holiday Breakfast and EVERYONE is welcome in the Teacher's Room to enjoy in the festivities.  Instead of having a certain team responsible for the breakfast we will be doing it pot-luck style.  Click here to sign up to bring to bring a holiday treat and make sure we don't have 12 people bringing in the same thing.

Second will be on Jan 20th before school.

Third will be the Super Bowl Competition on February 3rd -- Bring in your own soup or chili dish for others to try.

Grading -- As a school we have many different types of grading systems, and even within grade levels we have different grading systems.  Next year we are looking to have one type of grading system either points or percents.  As you meet in teams please make this a topic that is covered, as we will be looking for teacher input as to which system we will be moving towards next year.

Dates:

November 28      Faculty Meeting -- Departmental

December 5                 Faculty Meeting

December 9                 7th-8th Grade Dance

December 12               Faculty Meeting

December 13               Holiday Concert
December 16 Staff Breakfast
December 23               Winter Wonderland Assembly in APR-- 12:30 -- 


Tips:

The Best Books for Middle School According to My Students

November 14, 2016

Great Things Noticed:

SLC’s were a success!  All last week we saw students arriving who felt all different emotions from nervous, to excited, to apprehensive, but when they left after their conference was over they all seemed proud for being able to present their portfolios to their parents.  Thank you for all the work you put into these conferences!  We have all been working since the summer to make this a positive experience, and at least from the parent’s perspective it was successful.  Check out the results of our survey HERE.  If you haven’t already please be sure to fill out the teacher survey so we learn how the experience was for teachers.  

Nuts and Bolts:

• We removed the bells at the beginning and end of the day, but please remember to say the Pledge of Allegiance in your classroom on a daily basis.  

• Tuesday is Advisory, but we would like to learn from our students how they felt about the conferences.  During our Advisory time we would like students to meet with their Advisory Leader in the room you were practicing in to hear from the students how they think the program went.  We will be putting in a survey into Google Classroom that we would like all students to take.  We would also like you to help lead a discussion to learn what they thought was positive about the experience and what they would like to see changed or altered for the spring time.  

• Wednesday Grades are due, please be sure to have them posted by 3 PM.  This year we have changed the comments to match the Great Student Rubric.  If you have questions about how this works please see Tim or me.

• ELA Teachers we would like to have students complete the next round of STAR assessments by Wednesday of this week.  They can take the assessment Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.

• Wednesday is Parent Visitation Day.  We can’t wait for the parents to see the innovative and exciting lessons you have waiting for the students.  We will arrange for chairs to be placed in your rooms so the parents have a place to sit. 

• Food Drive Challenge! The Peer Leaders will be collecting non-perishable food items next week during lunch in the All Purpose room-place your food items in the correct box by grade level. The grade level to collect the most food items will receive a special treat!! Stay tuned for hints on what that may be.  Food collected starting on Monday, November 14th to Friday, November 18th

• Attention All 6-7 and 8th grade girls interested in joining the Rams Cheerleading Squad for 2016-2017 season. Forms are available outside of Mrs. Smith’s room 105. Please take a form quickly as all necessary paper-work is due by November 18th. I look forward to an exciting season cheering on our fabulous girls and boys basketball team.

• Support the 2017 6th Grade Trip to Frost Valley- clean out your closets and donate clothing, shoes, belts, and toys! Donations accepted now till November 16th – drop off at the main entrance!

• Newspapers are still needed for the Art Room.  If you have newspapers that you could bring in please send them to Linda, she could definitely use them.  

Dates:

November 14           Faculty Meeting

November 16           BOE Meeting
November 18 Spotlight 2:30PM in APR --Link is active

November 23 Early Dismissal

November 24-25     School Closed

November 28           Faculty Meeting

Tips:

What is gamification, and can I try it in my classroom?  Watch this brief video to learn what it is about.