KMS STAFF Newsletter Nov 6-10
Nov 6-10 STAFF NEWSLETTER
STAFF NEWSLETTER Nov 6-10
A Message from the Admin Team
Happy November Y'all!
A HUGE thanks to everyone for all your time and hard work this week with all the festivities! From decorating the hallways, dressing up, the Boo-grams, and throwing dodgeballs at kids....you guys made Halloween such a blast!!! Thanks to everyone for pitching in to welcome our kids and families at Family Fall Fest. Y'all never cease to amaze me with how you continue to go above and beyond for our kids, families, and each other. Kudos to all of you!
There is lots of information in the newsletter below. And don't forget to turn your clocks back this weekend....enjoy that extra hour of sleep! We are grateful for you! Have a great week!
-Amy, Meredith, Teresa, & Jimmy
Important Dates
EARLY Sunday AM: Turn your clocks back an hour
Tues, Nov. 7 | Election Day/Staff Work Day/ Student holiday
Wed, Nov. 8 | Spelling Bee
Thurs, Nov. 9 | Veteran's Day Breakfast
Nov. 20-24 | Thanksgiving Break
HOW ARE WE DOING?
We want to hear from you. How are we doing communicating all the things? What additional support do you need? Do you have suggestions or concerns? If you have any feedback, please feel free to submit a survey. You're welcome to keep it anonymous. Click HERE to fill out the survey.
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS
STUFF TO KNOW:
- PTA will be providing lunch on November 7th. Admin will provide a sweet treat in the afternoon.
- Nov. 7th is a student holiday. For staff, the morning will be professional learning and the afternoon will be a work day. We will begin in the library at 8:15. There will be time for you to go vote in the afternoon.
- PLEASE don't send students to any staff lounge, even with a pass. They aren't allowed to enter any staff lounges. Thank you!
- KEEP READING IF YOU LOVE TO WEAR JEANS OR SWEATS AT WORK......there is still time to qualify for both!
DAILY MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS: NOVEMBER
If you have any daily announcements that you would like to add to our 3rd period announcements, please CLICK HERE and scroll to the correct date.
TEACHER OF THE MONTH NOMINATIONS
It’s that time again to nominate your wonderful co-workers for Teacher and Staff of the Month! Our outstanding teacher/staff will be presented during professional learning on Tuesday, November 7, so please get your votes in by Sunday, November 5.
Nominating teacher/staff of the month:
Please vote using this link: Teacher & Staff of the Month
- Write the name of your nominee and a brief description of why you feel they deserve thenomination.
- Nominations will be shared with all nominees, so your kind words/observations will not go unnoticed!
- We have such a phenomenal staff, but please select only one teacher of the month and one staff of the month per month.
Please let Teresa know if you have any questions!
Staff Wellness
Drink the Stupid Water
If you're interested in listening to her podcast, she does very short (10 minutes) messages each week.
https://www.selfcareforeducators.com/post/episode-22-drink-the-stupid-water
At the very least, find one good thing to do for yourself this weekend. We have to take care of ourselves so we can care for others. Don't forget to put on your oxygen mask first.
-Amy
VETERAN'S DAY BREAKFAST
There are currently only a handful of veterans registered to attend. Please reach out to any veterans you know and invite them to attend! We would love to honor them!
NO-SHIVER NOVEMBER
Love wearing athletic pants?
If you want to wear athletic pants (joggers or sweatpants...no leggings) EVERY Tuesday and Thursday in NOVEMBER, be sure you have donated to Party Ponies! Click HERE to donate now!
JEANS JANUARY
Love wearing jeans?
If you want a jeans pass for all of January, ensure you've done these two things:
- You are a current member of Killian PTA for this school year
- Donate $10 (minimum) to Merry Mustangs. Simply bring your RevTrak receipt to Deidre and we will check off your name. (Click HERE to donate)
You will receive the coveted "JEANS JANUARY" certificate.
JOIN PTA!
Please join the Killian Middle School PTA. Our PTA does so many wonderful things for our students and staff throughout the year. For information about PTA, to join, or to purchase KMS Spirit Wear, visit the KMS PTA Website.
LISD Bond & VATRE
As a reminder, today is the last day for early voting.
Early voting times and dates for Denton County* voters are:
Monday, Oct. 30 - Friday, Nov. 3 | 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Remember, during early voting you can vote at any polling location within your county. For more information and a list of polling locations, visit LISDbond.com. Make a plan to vote!
*If you don’t live in Denton County, check your county elections website for voting times and dates as they may vary.
NOVEMBER STAFF BIRTHDAYS
Toni Harthun: 4
Mikayla Daniel: 13
Rachel Martinez: 17
Brittany Thomas: 23
Staff Shout Outs
- ALLLLLLLL of you guys for an amazing week of costumes and decorations!!
- Our Spanish teachers for creating incredible lessons around Dia de los Muertos! Check out the district Facebook page where they highlight the work! Thank you Ms. Garrido, Ms. Luces, and Ms. Rivero! Well done!
- Martinez, Fiaccone, Hill, Conn, Dismore, Sudovsky, Foote, Herring, NJHS, Taylor, Casey, Sibley, and PTA ..... for all their hard work organizing the Family Fall Fest! Great job y'all! It was amazing and all your hard work doesn't go unnoticed!
- Parent email about Sami Ray: "First I'll start with Mrs. Ray. Last year, [my students] both had a few issues in math - the teaching style just didn't line up with how they learned best and so it was a tough year. They started to not enjoy math as much, which was unfortunate. But this year, Mrs. Ray has completely turned their view around and they are enjoying it, which I love to see. I could tell during Open House that Mrs. Ray would be a really good teacher - she's the type of teacher that I remember enjoying in my school years. She has high expectations, but is fair and really encourages the kids to LEARN math vs. just get a good grade on the assignment. The kids enjoy the class and are motivated to do well. Assignments are always clear and rarely do I need to step in to help them understand their homework. Awesome job!"
- Parent email about Mr. Ousey and Ms. Lenhard:
This is [my child's] second year in band, and after almost a year and a half seeing Mr. Ousey and Ms. Lenhard's style, I can absolutely tell you that they are incredible. I had my first interaction with both last year when I shapparoned a field trip and a band performance last year. I was a bit nervous knowing there were 100+ 6th graders that we had to make sure got from point A to B, but it was done flawlessly. The kids were polite and Mr. Ousey and Ms. Lenhard were very clear with their expectations and the kids respected that. Specifically related to my child, I've been impressed over the last nearly 18 months watching his confidence improve. A few weeks ago he was asked to perform solo for the class. As he told me about it that evening, I was dreading the next words out of his mouth which I thought for sure would be that he didn't like it or he was nervous or something went wrong. Instead, he said he loved it and that he did really well and he enjoyed playing for the class. NO way would that have happened last year! Being in band has not only helped his confidence, it's also made him much more disciplined. I don't have to remind/ask/tell him to practice - he just does it every single night. Watching the band perform together is fun to see - it's a great group of kids and I'm so thrilled that he's able to be a part of it. Mr. Ousey and Ms. Lenhard are ALWAYS in the band hall seemingly at every hour of the day - kids know if they need help, they are there to help them. They are both great communicators - both to parents and to the students. Everyone knows where they need to be and when! Finally, they are both super passionate, which the kids certainly pick up on. In summary, the year is off to a great start for my student(s) and I appreciate all of the teachers and staff at Killian that are helping to make it a successful year. I can only imagine how tough of a job you and the team have, but know that your hard work doesn't go unnoticed. Great job!