Bulldog Weekly Update
November 8th - November 12th
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Notes from the Principal's Desk
This week was packed with many great moments at the Butler Middle School. A deep focus on the school's culture appeared to be at the heart of it all. From Monday Morning SEL to our whole-school professional development day to the range of classroom and after-school activities taking place, intentional practices that lifted up students and teachers alike could be found in instances large and small. Read more below to learn about the ways the Butler Middle School takes care of one another.
Spotlight on School Culture and SEL
In Mrs. Barlow's 5th grade class, students grappled with the concept of an upstander during their SEL block. In order to fully understand an upstander, students drew on their knowledge of a bystander, co-constructing a definition of what it means to stand up against bullying and stand for treating one another with kindness and respect.
In the 5th and 6th grade halls, you may have noticed post-it notes on the teachers' doors. Students have been encouraged to drop anonymous notes of kindness and thanks to those teachers making an impact on their lives. What a wonderful way to show appreciation and to practice the habit of giving praise.
Finally, in the main office, you may have noticed our growing Gratitude Tree. Several members of the team have already added to it the people, places and things they value most. We hope to see your leaf on the tree soon and share in what brings joy and contentment into your lives.
Classroom Highlights
6th Grade WIN finished up a mini-research project on something they would like to change in their communities. Many students chose to focus on pollution, trash and litter, while others chose more specific causes like reducing cussing and swearing in their neighborhoods, or reducing mail theft. Students wrote about something that mattered to them, sharing anecdotes about their personal experiences and supporting their claims with evidence quoted from articles written about their topic. One noteworthy feature of this project was the collective awareness that came from learning about Lowell's waterways, channels, and outflows to larger bodies of water. Students recognized that in many of Lowell's neighborhoods, there are channels with moving water that end up carrying runoff from pollutants on the roads, sidewalk, and grass--even when physical trash and litter cannot be seen in the water. Big thanks owed to BMS Tutor, Mrs. Arnold, for leading the way in class!
Students in Art Class recently completed projects in depth-perception. Their projects are being displayed directly outside the main office. Some students chose to paint while others drew or used mixed media to create (often natural) landscapes with a vanishing point at the center of their work. Make sure you take time to swing by the office and check out the students' contributions to BMS' art scene!
During after-school programming, several students in the Poetry Club with Ms. Cooper tried their hand at some different forms of poetry and creative writing. First, students selected Monster decals and forged a little background story for their creatures with the option to write freely or attempt a 5-line AABBA rhyme scheme, similar to a children's limerick. Then, students were given the option to write about something that matters to them, that brings them joy, or something that they love. One of our students chose MATH and offered a hearty ode to Mrs. Farrell whose challenging work keeps this student super engaged.
One of the biggest highlights of this week includes the full-day of in-person training the team had on Tuesday. In several pieces of training co-facilitated by teachers and admin, Butler's staff body spent much time reviewing, analyzing, and reflecting on the school's cultural and academic data. The day's capstone included a visit by UDL Coach and Advisor, Laurie Casna, who spoke in detail about the teachers' roles in creating substantial opportunities for classroom planning and participation among support staff in the room. Optimizing the utilization and function of all team members is a priority this year given the teacher and paraprofessional shortages experienced not just at Butler but across our district, and across schools in urban communities throughout Massachusetts.
Upcoming Events
Butler's Scholastic Book Fair will be back this year, on site, beginning the week after Thanksgiving. Additional details will be coming out this week and promotional materials will be given to students to take home at homeroom. Please start discussions with students about what they can do at the book fair and how the book fair is an important part of helping students to build their at-home libraries. Many students and teachers may want to consider using the Book Fair to pick up holiday gifts for friends and family. You can look for these updates in the Morning Announcements.
Important Dates Next Week
Tuesday 11/9 Online Training for All Teachers with Laurie Casna on Building Your Playlist. This is paid time for teachers and begins at 3:10p running exactly one hour. Please use the sign-up so we can keep track of your hours. The meeting agenda and sign-up will be sent in a subsequent email Monday morning. Please reply before 5:00p that night. We need at least 5 attendees to run these paid trainings.
Awesome work to all!
Great Job to everyone as we continue to empower, encourage and educate!
Please see a few notes from my desk below
Quarter 1 grades close on November 8th and X2 window for posting is Nov. 4 -15th. Posting must be completed on November 15th at 10:00 am. Report cards will be sent home with students on Wednesday, November 17th.
Parent Conferences will be on November 17th from 6-8 pm. Teams will need to review scheduling plans this week and submit them to me for review and posting for parents. Let me know if you would like me to come to Team meetings when you are planning for conferences. Teachers will communicate conference scheduling procedures to parents by Tuesday, November 9th. Please make this is on newsletters and Remind notices to all parents.
Let's Stay Healthy- Please make sure all student desks are arranged in rows with each desk 3ft apart. Students need to sit and remain 3ft part at all times with masks on!!! You will need to continue to monitor the separation and keep a seating chart for close contact tracking. This will help us all stay healthy!
Hallway Presence - Please remember to be at your post in the hallway. We share a mutual responsibility to ensure student safety. If you hear something concerning, come out of your classroom, look, listen--and get involved.
Bathroom protocol: 10-minute expectation- Bathrooms will remain locked during the first and last 10 minutes of each period. Mr. Chhim and Mrs. Horm will be supporting classrooms and will not be providing additional supervision in hallways. Please make sure you have bathroom logs posted in your classroom for students to sign in and out of class when they leave your classroom. This expectation has been helpful when in place and when we need to follow up on hallway misconduct.
Week at a Glance
Monday 11/8
School Operation 3:15- 3:45 (in the small conference room)
Tuesday 11/9
- Student Support 8:30 (big conference room)
- RJLT 3:15
- PTO meeting via zoom or in person
Wednesday 11/10
ILT 3:15
School Site Council 6pm
Thursday 11/11
NO SCHOOL
Friday 11/12
Fun FriYAY! Wear your favorite New England sportswear(Red Sox, Pats, Bruins) or wear your Butler Pride gear
ILT Updates
Team meeting Wednesday after school
RJLT
Team meeting Tuesday after school
PBIS
The PBIS team has been hard at work with building staff morale and organizing school-wide systems. You will be hearing from us with surveys for students, staff bitmojii fun, and our school-wide PBIS paw shop. See your grade level PBIS rep for more information.
Monthly Motivation
It's always great to start on an inspiring note.
Staff Birthday Shoutouts ~ November
Deanna Goyette 11/9
Kevin Freeman 11/13
Kadeen Healy 11/15
Jennifer Fraser 11/25
Sharon Dowd 11/27
Butler Community
Email: jmoody@lowell.k12.ma.us
Website: https://www.lowell.k12.ma.us/Domain/10
Location: 1140 Gorham Street, Lowell, MA, USA
Phone: 978-937-8973
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lpsdbutler/