Moorhead Faculty Weekly News
July 20, 2020
Mission Statement: Moorhead Junior High believes in its students, supports their achievements, and builds a positive learning community. Moorhead Junior High is a student centered school where learning comes first.
Core Beliefs
• We will build relationships.
• We will meet our students' needs.
• We model Dignity.
• We believe everyone is Valuable.
Focus for 2020-2021
1. This year we will focus on PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports) at our school. We will focus on structure within each classroom and in common areas.
2. We will focus on CANVAS, our online learning management platform.
3. In PLCs we will target and individualize after school instruction for students.
While continuing to implement past initiatives:
1. What Great Teachers Do (Our Instructional Model) and Kagan - Cooperative learning and student engagement
2. Tracking individual student data in order to ensure that we move students from failing to approaches, approaches to meets, or meets to masters.
3. The PLC process - Don't forget how powerful the Marzano conference was last summer!
Welcome New Moorhead Panthers!
I hope that your last days of Summer 2020 are productive and restful ones. I am very excited about our new school year with its many promises, blessings, and challenges for our students, staff, and parents. Also, I am very glad that you are an important member of our family and winning instructional and support team at our great school!
I look forward to meeting with all of our new teachers in our library from 8:00am – 11:30 am on Monday, August 3, 2020, for a campus orientation session. This meeting is an important one in which we will be sharing items of interest and general campus procedures. We are very fortunate to have a highly talented group of support staff, grade level counselors and principals, and I know you’ll enjoy working closely with them on our many projects throughout the year. Also, please make a note that our building hours will be extended in August for your work and usage in preparing for our opening.
Please remember that you must attend the VIRTUAL CISD New Employee Orientation from July 29 - 31. On Wednesday, August 5, our campus and district staff development sessions begin.
I look forward to a great school year. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you!
A Word from Mr. Garcia
Hello Moorhead Family!
Welcome back to the new school year! I hope everyone is doing well, staying safe and enjoying your summer. I want to touch base on just a few things as we get ready for the new school year.
- We are starting school August 12th with students in the building. As you are aware, students will be given the choice of in-person instruction or online instruction. We have not worked out the details on who will be teaching the online curriculum, but those teachers will be required to report to campus everyday just like in-person teachers. They will have a few additional duties as well.
- ALL teachers (core and electives) will be required to utilize Canvas on a daily basis for assignments, notes, assessments, etc. We will have multiple in-depth trainings the week you all return.
- The C&I department are creating scope and sequences for all subjects. We will need to follow their plan closely this year. We will not be able to stray from their plan due to students being in two different instructional settings and may cross over at any time.
- This year, students will report directly to first period upon arrival starting at 8:15am. Those staff members that do not have a first period class will assist with duty on a daily basis starting at 8:15am.
- All staff will be required to wear a mask or face shield.
- Meet the Teacher Night is cancelled. I will be asking each of you will create some type of a "welcome" video introducing yourself and creating a virtual tour of your classroom.
What's up this week?
Monday - Friday - Building is open from 8am - 4pm
Don't forget to log in and complete your annual health insurance enrollment!
ONLINE LESSON UPDATE
Below please find a preview of the online courses the C&I Department and CISD teachers are creating for all CISD teachers for the implementation for Remote/Online learning.
Kindergarten Sample
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aPbqFoTbkjrWMUZeweYu09zBPtSGKhop/view?usp=sharing
4th Grade Math Sample
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S7hK6Wj3XD8bXXXz3HAHGg7Rt73GAPHj/view?usp=sharing
5th Grade Math Sample
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10jhyF5D4i3tpcQrIwSDXTqSrc6nygcEz/view?usp=sharing
7th Grade Texas History Sample
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hnbrICdAZYwmZ24NEgRIuaj-TCzO3Y0v/view?usp=sharing
7th Grade ELA Sample
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z61Li6NTxUJhpqgs9PslOkchvO8A180q/view
World History Sample
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vhpJIqMO7ljOKhvki8n35dlHTtStQ2FM/view?usp=sharing
The first 9 weeks of each course will be ready to copy for teacher use by August 3rd, and the 2nd nine weeks will be available by September 21st. All our online courses follow the District’s scope and sequence documents for each content area that can be found in the respective Canvas courses for each department. The review of these courses and how to access and use this content created for teachers will be one of our main focuses for District Wide Staff Development on August 6, 2020 from 8:00 – 11:30 a.m.
A special thank you Moorhead Staff members who charged with the task of creating the online lessons for all of CISD.
Ms. Barr- 7th ELA
Miss Porter - 8th ELA
Miss Moore - 7th Math
Mrs. Mohr - 7th Science
Mrs. Lopez - 8th Science
Mrs. Brown - Art
CISD - Road Map to Reopening FAQs
Safe Schools
Don't forget to complete Safe Schools. The district has added a couple more modules in the last couple of weeks!
The additional training sessions that have been added to the Safe Schools portal are the Conroe ISD Employee Handbook and Trauma and Grief Informed Practices.
The Employee Handbook training link is very user friendly and you should have no difficulty accessing the material.
The Trauma and Grief Informed Practices session requires an additional step. I have attached the PDF tutorial for accessing the material. I've added pictures of the instructions below.
Employees new to the District will need to create an account at login, while returning faculty and staff should be able to login using their existing email and password. I had to create an account.
The training will take you through different virtual scenarios. Please do not forget to check the small box at the conclusion of the training session prior to hitting the finish button in order to receive credit for the course.
Social Media
Social media - Please think about what you post, comment on or "like". What we post can be perceived in many different ways. Remember that we are public employees. Be cautious on what potential message you could be sending. Sometimes it's best to remain neutral in open or public forums.
New Copy Machine!
The new copy machine is up and running. Your copy code to access the machine is your 6 digit employee id number. Please contact Rachel Zimmerman if you EIN isn't working.
And please remember to wear a mask in all common areas and wipe down the machine after each use!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Heather Thompson 7/18
Kim Raverty 7/22
Sara Howell 7/23
Dayan Muniz 7/24
Chris Stafford 7/25
Reminders - Staff Dues
Our staff dues this year are $60 for professional staff and $30 for paraprofessional staff.
Those who choose to pay dues will be allowed to wear jeans on Wednesdays.
Don't forget to support our PTO. PTO dues are $10. Our PTO does a lot for our staff and students throughout the year including providing us with teacher appreciation meals, Sonic drinks, and snacks!
Kagan Online Discussion Board
Food Truck Schedule
TBA
Super Staff!
Back to School Bash
Looking Long Term
July
29 - 31 New to CISD Teacher Orientation - (Virtual)
August
3rd - New to Moorhead Teacher Orientation
4th - Exchange Day
5th - 10th - Staff Dev.
11th - Work Day
12th - First Day of School
September
7th - No School (Labor Day)
15th - Open House 6pm - 7:30pm
16th - After School Staff Dev.
14th - 18th Homecoming Week
19th - Homecoming Dance (Tentative due to COVID conerns)
Fall Sports Schedules
Leadership Team Belief
Team Lead / Instructional Leadership Team Meeting Notes
Agenda 8/19
Lesson Plan Documents approval
Targeted Tutorial Lesson Plan / Sat. School a. sign up and b. target groups
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Moorhead Walkthrough form approval
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Covid Procedures
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Online teacher - record and post lesson
Possible Agenda Points:
Backpacks: With the district/state pushing not using community supplies do we need to stress bags of some kind? The students will need a bag for their supplies and even their notebooks. I used to keep notebooks in class, but that is not really socially distancing or sanitary as an example.
Early trainings at school: I have had several people ask if we will be put at tables with lots of other people or will we be distancing?
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Staff Dev week -
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review agenda - CANVAS training and PBIS focus
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Would your teams feel comfortable going bowling for team building? I've cancelled the Back to School Bash and Meet the Teacher Night.
Additionally, the Feeder zone pep rally and Celebrate Our Schools are cancelled. (Celebrate Our Schools will be virtual). I think we all agree that
team building and building a sense of community is important. I thought we could have a team bowling tournament on Wednesday Aug. 5 at 500 Bowl. The bowling ally has agreed to put us in every other lane. Everyone must wear a mask and there will be hand sanitizer at each lane. I already have the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place trophies.
I would make attendance optional. Ask your teams if they would want to bowl so that I can get an idea of how many would participate. The other option is to do team building activities on campus. Escape rooms? BOWLING HAS been rescheduled to Nov. 3 .
The 4 PLC Questions
What do we want our students to learn?
How will we know if our students are learning?
How will we respond when students do not learn?
How will we enrich and extend the learning for students who are proficient?
COVID precautions
We have taken some steps to help everyone who is at school remain COVID free!
1. We have hand sanitizer stations in key locations.
2. All teachers will receive hand a sanitizer bottle for their classroom. NOTE*** please DO NOT throw the pump away once it is empty!! Your pump will be refilled, so PLEASE DO NOT throw it away, just let Zimmerman or a custorian know and we will refill it!
3. Clorox wipes will be placed in high traffic areas and near the copy machine, microwaves, etc.
4. We are ordering signage for our school with social distancing and screening information.
5. Doors in high traffic areas will be propped open.
6. More to come!
COVID Reminders for Staff
1. Prescreening: Staff members should not come in if they are sick or exhibiting symptoms related to COVID-19 or if someone in the household has symptoms. Remember to complete the self-check-in in SSO.
2. Hygiene: Use sanitizer upon entering the facility. Stations have been placed appropriately throughout work areas.
3. Limit food sharing and remember to wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
4. Mask/Face covering. Staff members should wear face coverings while working near others or in common spaces. Do not touch face coverings and to wash hands frequently.
5. Distance: The expectation for our work environment is that we allow for safe physical separation.
6. Limit the number of people in the same area.
7. Clean and Disinfect: Regularly wipe down shared equipment and common hardware.
COVID Suggestions for Bus Drivers / Coaches
Transportation has a number of related requests we will discuss in the coming weeks including:
1) Please encourage students to wear masks as it will help keep everyone safe, including students and drivers.
2) Support the driver/monitor when enforcing the seating chart. This is a non-negotiable that should have a secondary impact of helping you with any potential bus investigation. Primarily this has to occur for contact tracing.
3) Coaches are encouraged to clean their bus after field trips and raise the windows. .
District is working to have remote control gates, and clickers, for all coaches utilizing buses from all bus barns. This should increase the safety for all returning drivers.
Interested in coming in early for extra duty pay?
This year morning arrival and dismissal may require more staff than in past years. We have received additional funds in our Safety and Security budget.
Extra pay duty hours are 7:45am - 8:15am. All staff members are eligible to work. Paras may only log 2.5 extra hours per week and will be paid their hourly rate. Teachers will receive
$25/hour.
Please email if you are interested.
Three Strategies for Better Online Discussions
Teacher Collaboration During a Global Pandemic
Successfully Taking Offline Classes Online
Moorhead Jr. High Decision Making
Decisions Made With Teacher Discretion
1. Classroom set up
2. Classroom rules and Procedures
3. Lesson Planning and Activities
4. Dates and Times to Meet with Teams
5. Classroom Management
6. Techniques including Rewards and Consequences
Decisions made with Teacher and Administration Collaboration
1. Campus and District Calendar
2. Curriculum Purchases
3. Classroom Maintenance
4. Scheduling
5. Student Placements
6. Personnel (Hiring Panels)
7. Materials and Major Purchases
8. Discipline
9. PLC Agenda Items
Decisions made with Administrator Discretion
1. Budget
2. Effect Campus as a whole
3. School Policies
4. Personnel Management
Moorhead Schedule Change Procedures
Teacher Initiated:
Step 1: Talk to all teachers that would be affected. Everyone must approve.
Step 2: Call and inform the parents
Step 3: Get approval from asst. principal or principal.
Step 4: Email changes to counselor
Parent Initiated:
Step 1: Parent/Teacher conference or phone call
Step 2: If both feel a change is needed, teacher will check with other teachers that will be affected. All teachers must approve.
Step 3: Get approval from asst. principal or principal
Step 4: Email changes to counselor
Student Initiated:
Step 1: Get schedule change form from grade level office.
Step 2: Fill out and get signatures needed (teachers, parent, APs)
Step 3: Turn in form to counselor