The Middle School Falcon Files
Your Weekly Falcon Updates for Staff
February 3, 2020
Words of Inspiration
Behind every student success story is a staff member who championed for that student.
~ Jimmy Casas
A Special Applause To....
to all of you that have offered to help internal sub this last week. Friday was a challenge but we made it and couldn't have done it without you! Thank you!!
Professional Learning on the Go
Continue to sharpen your saw. Enjoy!
https://amp.edutopia.org/article/7-ways-spark-engagement?__twitter_impression=true
Professional Library for YOU!
I have created a professional library in the teachers' lounge. It is located in the cupboard by the TV for now. If you would like to check a book out, go to this link.
One of my favorite books in our professional library is Google for Littles by Christine Pinto and Alice Keeler. Christine is a kindergarten teacher. A young kindergarten teacher! I think she wrote this book in her second year of teaching. Anyway, she has her "littles" working in spreadsheets, collaborating in documents, etc. using Google apps as her platform. Although her ideas are focused for a more elementary classroom, her ideas can be tweaked and used by any grade. She also helps the teacher that is wanting to utilize some of the benefits of google docs to engage her students in the content. It really is a great book for all teachers.
Review by libib.com:
Are Littles ‘big enough’ to use technology in the classroom? Yes! Pre-K and elementary school-aged children are naturally curious about the world around them. They love to explore and play, in fact, that’s how they learn. That innate drive to discover and willingness to try is also what makes Littles great at embracing new opportunities. In Google Apps for Littles, author-educators Christine Pinto and Alice Keeler encourage teachers to tap into their young students’ curiosity, particularly when it comes to technology. The authors share a wealth of innovative ways to integrate digital tools in the primary classroom to make learning engaging and relevant for even the youngest of today’s twenty-first-century learners. Google Apps for Littles equips you with . . . Practical ways to approach technology with young learners Activities for integrating Google Apps in the primary classroom Easy-to-implement ideas for using G Suite as an educator Exercises that build important skills, such as critical thinking and collaboration Children already know that they don’t need to wait for a grown-up to give them information, and many are already familiar with smartphones and tables. By helping them understand how to use these amazing digital tools to learn and create, rather than just consume information, you are equipping them for their future education. Empower your Littles with experiences that place learning at their fingertips! It is time to have a shift your mindset and believe that the youngest kids on an elementary school campus can do more.
For the week of January 20th....
Monday, February 3rd
- Welcome to February!
Tuesday, February 4th
- Don't forget to nominate your student for the #fuelthepositive award. This week, Beth beam, Patty Ratliff, Sara Long, Robyn King, Sandra Holland, Michael Stewart, Dan Walker, and Jen Gantz will be nominating students. Here is a link to the spreadsheet.
Wednesday, February 5th
- National Junior Honor Society applications are due before 2:30 pm.
Thursday, February 6th
- Make sure your grades are up to date. Please call parents of students who have a D or F at this time.
- Your #fuelthepositive nomination is due
Friday, February 7th
- It is NO longer Jeans January Month but today is....FALCON FRIDAY! Feel free to wear your jeans and Clinton-Massie spiritwear.
- Interim grades are available. We don't submit those but parents do know that it is mid-quarter. We will print grades off for parents that don't have access. Please make your calls.
- #fuelthepositive awards will be given during Falcon time
Please Announce to Students
Library Cards - Students and teachers wanting to check out books on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from the Clinton-Massie Branch Library will have to have their card with them. The library is switching over to a new circulation system and can't check out books without the actual library card. So please remember to bring your card with you to school next week!
National Junior Honor Society - New member applications will be available until Wednesday, February 5th. All applications are due on the 5th by 2:30. This is for 7th grade and 8th grade students that have a GPA over 3.3. An induction ceremony for new members will be planned for Friday, March 6, 2020 at 1:00 p.m.
#fuelthepositive Award Opportunities
*Take a moment to introduce what you will be looking for and what will happen. We start again on Monday and go through Wednesday. We will present awards during Falcon Time on Wednesday. We will announce the Falcon of the Month at the assembly on Friday.
Falcon of the Month
*This student will be chosen randomly from the pool of #fuelthepositive award winners. Next Falcon will be chosen on the 20th.
Library Events for our Students and Families
*Dungeon and Dragons for students and parents on Wednesdays from 2:45 - 3:45.
*Retro Cinema - Fridays in January from 2:30 - 4:00 pm
*Kanapy - Movie Streaming App - If you have a library card (which also include teacher and classroom cards) you can download the app and stream various movies and educational films for your class and yourself! The service includes not only entertainment films, but also instructional films and lessons for k-12 students, as well as teacher education development videos.
Just login through your computer or download the app to your tv streaming device, create an account with your library card and you're there! Click Here to sign in.
All Grades
* Snap-On Cases MUST be on computers at all times. If they do not have them on, warning first, then an after school detention, then up the discipline matrix. Why? The cases protect our warranty which is void if they are not on. This is a new policy for us all. Please help me spread the word. If you have questions, please ask Rachel or myself.
What is happening in the classrooms?
8th Grade Science
7th Grade Science
Ms. Marsh’s 7th grade science classes working in teams as they go station to station exploring the sun, the moon, and earth! They are great collaborators!
6th Grade Science
#fuelthepositive Award Winners for Last Week
7th Grade Quiz Bowl
Falcon of the Month - Lillian Logsdon
Staff Member of the Month - Jen Henderson
Parents, please nominate a staff member for Staff Member of the Month next month!
Our One Word
Info For The Staff
Interims - Interim for this quarter is Friday. We don't print interims unless requested but parents should be able to expect grades will be up to date on Friday. I would also like you to call or email parents if their student has a D or an F at interim time.
Conferences - Conferences are February 13th from 3:30 until 6:30. Please reach out to parents if one of your students are struggling. This would be a great time to work on relationships and help provide support if needed.
Field Trips - Just a few reminders/procedures to ensure the safety of all of our kids! If any questions let the office or your team leader know.
Bring or have EMF’s accessible
Be aware of student allergies, epi-pen needs, etc
Sign out sheet if parents are leaving with their child before you leave
Remind parents to sign off on final forms permission slip and communicate date and time of field trip
Notify Nurse-the nurse will give you a first aid kit and other safety items needed
Notify Tracy Matthews-Food services
Notify Mr. Ford-transportation
Take attendance before leaving the field trip site
Fill out field trip form .
Writing Club - Jen Molitor kicked off the writing club before break during study halls and will continue for the rest of the semester. As mentioned in the TBTs, this is just an opportunity for students to write, collaborate, peer review, and explore their inner writer. This is extra-curricular that is student-paced and to be done once their school work is complete. We are really excited to see what happens with this and see where it goes!
National Junior Honor Society - Jana is having a meeting with the current members this Friday. Applications are available for 7th and 8th-grade students who would like to apply to be a part of this organization. The deadline to turn in the application is February 5th. We are looking for one more teacher to join the review committee. Please let Jana know if you are interested. We will have an induction ceremony on March 6, 2020 at 1:00 pm.
#fuelthepositive Awards - We begin again on Monday with new nominations. Please use the spreadsheet to let us know who is up for the award each week. You can find the spreadsheet HERE. If you can get the names in here by Tuesday evening this week, it would be helpful. I try to print the certificates if possible the night before.
This week the following will be nominating students: Beth Beam, Patty Ratliff, Sara Long, Robyn King, Sandra Holland, Michael Stewart, Dan Walker, and Jen Gantz.
Schedules - The BLT worked hard to create a schedule that met the needs of the students and provided some unique opportunities for our building. We are trying to tie up a few loose strings and will share our findings soon. Rachel and I are planning on using online scheduling for the schedule next year and would like to have student schedules complete by May.
Clinton-Massie Letterhead - If you are sending anything out to parents, please use the Clinton-Massie Letterhead located in our templates.
#fuelthepositive Website - Don't forget! Our day to post things is Tuesdays! 1st Tuesday is Admin, 2nd Tuesday is 6th Grade (Kate is with them), 3rd Tuesday is 7th Grade (Nicolin is with them), and 4th Tuesday is 8th Grade (Tammy and Robyn are with them). You all can decide if one person is responsible for the media that day....maybe do it once a month? Tell our story! It helps our culture! Please send to Lorinda and David.
A Couple of Dates you should know about:
- February 7th - Interims - Please call home if students have a D or F. This would be an opportunity to invite them to conferences to provide some support if needed.
- February 13th - Conferences - 3:30 to 6:30
- February 14th - Early Release - Professional Learning
- February 17th - Presidents Day - NO SCHOOL
- February 26th - 28th - Project Trust
- March 12th - End of third quarter
- March 13 - Professional Learning Day
- March 16 - 20 - Spring Break
- April 15th, 16th - AIR English
- April 22nd, 23rd - AIR Math
- April 29th - AIR 8th Grade Science
- May 4-6 - MAP
Helpdesk - A reminder to please send your technology requests to helpdesk@cmfalcons.org. There is no need to send an email to helpdesk, Michael, and David. In fact, it makes it more confusing on their end as to who needs to provide support. They are making a concerted effort this year to be more timely and responsive to helpdesk tickets. The start of the year is always tough but as they fill out their Tech Team and the Oaks Interns, they need their process to be clear. Thank you for your attention to this.
Digital Citizenship Discussions
Professional Learning Opportunities
Grant Opportunity for Professional Learning Opportunities
American Wilderness Leadership School
Storytelling through Animation Creation - February 26th - For ELA and History Teachers
Come talk to me about this if you are curious.
Storytelling through Animation Creation -
Storytelling through Animation Creation is intended for Middle and High School Language Arts teachers and Social Studies teachers who are interested in providing students alternatives for demonstrating understanding.
Use code to tell fun and interactive stories.
Program a conversation between two characters to explore the role of dialogue in storytelling.
Provide details about a character and use code to describe the character's actions, thoughts, and words.
Take an existing story and explore it from a first person and third person point of view.
Create a presentation using animation
You will also learn how to access Google's CS First lesson resources and how to access Scratch's lesson resources.
Important Session Information:
In this workshop, you will learn how you can leverage Google's CS First along with a free online program called Scratch to help your students tell stories by creating animations using code. You do NOT need to know how to write code! Scratch is an easy to use "drag-and-drop" program that is very intuitive and allows students to quickly create animations and stories. Furthermore, Google's CS First curriculum has lesson resources, videos, and how-to guides for you and your students to use that are aligned to the ISTE (International Society for Technology Education) standards and to the CSTA (Computer Science Teachers Association) standards.
Bring your own laptop. Lunch will be on your own.
Rapid Fire Google
Blended and Personalized Learning Tips
2019-20 Student Handbook
Birthdays
Nicolin Haines - January 20th
Stephen Ford - February 14th
Kayla Brown - February 21st
Our Gold Standards
Our Gold Standards
Email: lorinda.ottaway@cmfalcons.org
Website: cmfalcons.org
Location: 2556 Lebanon Rd, Clarksville, OH 45113
Phone: (937) 289-2932
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clinton-Massie-Middle-School-169983643627883/
Twitter: @CMFalconsMiddle