The Chronicle
November 27, 2022
December is near...
I pray that each of you had the most wonderful holiday weekend with family, friends, and loved ones. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it combines two things I love - being together with people I love and eating great food! It is one of the last memories I have of my grandmother... her beautiful smile holding a cast iron skillet with homemade cornbread for dressing. This memory reminds me that there is so much to be grateful for if we take the time to see the good.
Can you all believe that this week it will be December? This quote stood out to me as one I wanted to share as we approach the close of 2022 together. For those who are waiting on growth, opportunity, change, progress, or whatever it may be, I hope you will embrace the power of "yet." As you align your actions with your goals, consider what support you need to be most successful as we close out the year. How can we "reset" and approach the sometimes challenging holiday season with a growth mindset and a grateful heart? How can we prepare ourselves to take good care of ourselves to be able to provide the most love and support to our students? Our most important and valuable asset is each other. I am appreciative of the dedication you show on a daily basis, and I look forward to finishing this year strong with you.
Have a great week,
Leslie
Happy Birthday!
Kimberly Jones November 18
Edmund Daulton November 20
Benjamin Watts November 20
William Laney November 21
Giovanna Arici November 23
Beth Burgard November 23
JoAnna Morelli November 28
On the horizon...
11/29: Specialist PLC 8:45 AM
11/29: Winter I Team Member Preseason Meeting (KIVA I) 4:15 PM
11/29: Winter I Parent Preseason Meeting (Auditorium) 6:15 PM
12/1: Select holiday luncheon item (use google form below)
12/1: Academic Challenge vs Brandon (away) 5:30 PM
12/1: Basketball vs Brandon (away) Girls at 5:30 PM/Boys at 6:45 PM
12/2: Principal’s Student Advisory Committee meeting (Library) after morning announcements
12/2: Hallway Showcases decorated by 2nd nine weeks groups
12/3: Plaza Leadership Workshop 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
12/5: IB Learner of the Month Ceremony (library) after morning announcements
12/5: Academic Challenge vs Princess Anne (home) 5:30 PM
12/5: Basketball vs Princess Anne (home) girls 5:30 PM/boys 6:45 PM
12/6: Fire Drill 2:50 PM
12/6: Chorus Concert 6:30 PM
12/7: Community Conversations virtual meeting 5:15 PM
12/7: BINGO Family Night 6:15 PM
12/8: ILT meeting 8:45 AM
12/8: SCA General Assembly meeting (KIVA I) 3:00 PM
12/8: Academic Challenge vs Bayside (away) 5:30 PM
12/8: Basketball vs Bayside (away) girls 5:30 PM/boys 6:45 PM
12/9: Angel tree presents due to Mrs. Wydra
I Make a Difference Award
The next I Make a Difference Award recipient will be announced in next week's newsletter.
Staff Shout-outs
- Shout out to Kristin Hoffman for recognizing a need in our building and working to ensure it is met. Mrs. Hoffman learned of one of our families who was struggling and would not be able to provide a Thanksgiving meal for her family. She immediately went into action and rallied several faculty and staff to assist in ensuring this student and his family would have an amazing Thanksgiving. Thank you Mrs. Hoffman for your tremendous heart and to all who assisted in meeting this need!
A shout-out to the amazing staff members (you know who you are) that came together to provide an unbelievable, homemade Thanksgiving dinner for a family in need. We found out Monday morning, and my trunk was completely full by Wednesday afternoon with all the fixings. This staff is like no other; more like a family than co-workers #trulyblessedTrojan
A shout-out goes out to Amber Nordwall for her willingness to always dive into any idea or project you are working on. Chances are that she will come up with an activity, and a rubric and is willing to not only help you design it but is eager to come into the classroom to help with the lesson and to build relationships with students.... #naturalrockstar
Bingo Night - December 7th
December 7th at 6:15pm we are having a Bingo Night! We have prizes, food, and lots of fun planned! Please feel free to bring your families. Sign up through our
Thank you and farewell!
December 2 will also be Marjorie Wynne's, Discipline Secretary, last day at Plaza. We are thankful for all she has done for us in the main office and we wish you well as you travel on to your next chapter.
SEL Data
Technology Assistance Reminders
- 8:00 AM- 11:00 AM: Room 125 Open for Staff Walk-Ins
- 9:30 AM- 11:00 AM: Room 125 Open for Student Walk-Ins
- 12:00 PM- 3:00 PM: Room 125 Utilized for Student Appointment Follow Up
Please continue to use the Cloud Service process outside of the walk-in times.
Holiday Luncheon
Our Faculty Holiday Luncheon will be held Friday, December 16. Please select what you’d like for lunch using this google form: https://forms.gle/uZ2aWMg2nB3S4tYA8
ALL FORMS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1.
12 Days of Positive Cheer
From December 7 through December 22, we are asking that staff members write additional positive referrals to a diverse group of students. The names of the positive referral recipients will be added to the daily announcements slides, as part of Plaza's Positive Cheer list (see below)! In addition, we will be drawing a positive referral, for each grade level daily (not just on Fridays). Students will have the opportunity to win a large prize from the student treasure box. Positive referrals will be cleared out after each drawing so please help us encourage positive behavior by writing multiple referrals within the week. Additional positive referral cards will be placed in your box. If more are needed, you can find them in a basket by your time sheets.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to PBIS Co-Chair, Ryane Hernandez at reyonce@vbschools.
5 Days of Plaza Spirit
It's time for some holiday cheer! The PBIS team will be hosting the 5 DAYS OF PLAZA SPIRIT from December 12 through December 16. We hope all staff will join in on the holiday fun! Spirit day fliers will be placed in your box. Please hang these up in your classrooms and remind students of the spirit days.
There will be a grade level spirit competition again for our 5 Days of Plaza Spirit! Please locate the Google Form for our competition in the hub. Please make sure to submit your total student participation daily in your FIRST CORE class only.
The grade level winner will win the spirit stick and the opportunity to sit where they would like at lunch on Wednesday, January 11
. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to PBIS Co-Chair, Ryane Hernandez at reyonce@vbschools.
Thank you so much for your support and Happy Holidays from the Plaza PBIS team!
Student Activities Update
HALLWAY SHOWCASES:
Thank you to the teachers decorating the showcases for the second quarter. Showcases should highlight students work and be visually appealing for everyone to enjoy! Showcases need to be completed by December 2.
WINTER I TEAMS:
Congratulations to the students selected to represent Plaza on the Academic Challenge team, Boys Basketball team and Girls Basketball team.
Thank you to our amazing coaches! Please reach out to them with areas of praise or concern for our student athletes.
*Academic Challenge: Amber Nordwall and Laura Purvis
*Boys Basketball: Derick Collier and Steven Berry
*Girls Basketball: Brooke Sloan and Kiara Norman
BASKETBALL ASSISTANCE NEEDED:
Please contact Mrs. Wydra is you are interested in helping keep the clock and/or book at our home basketball games in December and January.
HOLIDAY TROJAN TREE:
The Trojan Tree tags are on the tree! Staff members are invited to choose tags off the tree! Please return the new, unwrapped gifts (along with the tree tags) to Mrs. Wydra by Friday, December 9. Thank you for assisting our Plaza students this holiday season.
CLUB SPONSORS and MEETINGS:
The Club Slideshow and Club Calendar are linked in the All Staff and Students Canvas course. Students who want to join a club must return a Consent and Emergency Form to the club sponsor before the first meeting date. The consent forms are outside of Mrs. Wydra's office.
STAFF MEMBERS WHO STAY AFTER SCHOOL WITH STUDENTS:
*must inform the security desk of their location and provide the desk with a list of students who are with them.*should verify how the students are getting home - getting picked up by a parent or riding the activity bus home.
*will walk to the bus loop at 5:50 PM with students and ensure students meet there parent or get on an activity bus. Buses leave at 6:00 PM. Student's whose parents are not here, must get on an activity bus.
There will be an administrator at the bus loop who can assist staff and students, if necessary.
Progress Reports
IB Learner Profile: Communicator
At an IB World School, we strive to provide opportunities for students to learn ways to communicate by:
Creating a safe environment. Create a safe and supportive environment where students feel comfortable to open up and express their thoughts and ideas. An atmosphere that allows students to ask if they need help is crucial to their academic success.
Encouraging teamwork. Creating teamwork and group work is a great way to take the focus off competing with one another and concentrate more on working together to get the best results. This can encourage communication, cooperation, and collaboration and help students talk more and effectively express themselves with their peers.
Not standing at the front of the classroom. Teachers move around the classroom, and getting involved with the students will create less of a student-teacher feel. Moving away from the front of the classroom and joining them either at their desks to discuss ideas and getting involved in small discussions will help them feel more comfortable and more likely to open up.
Active listening. Listening to your students enables you to provide better assistance and consequently a better education. Helping to teach your students both the value and the skills of active listening will both help to improve their ability to understand instructions and lessons as well as their ability to connect with their peers.
Give positive feedback. Feedback has been shown that students that receive praise are more likely to believe that they can accomplish tasks and be successful. Other benefits are that it can help to build a student’s confidence, create a good rapport and supportive environment.
TalentEd Reminder - Peer Observations
FACE Model Professional Development
Plaza teachers and staff work hard every day to make their students feel welcome, build relationships, and meet each child's needs. We know that to continue to support all of our students we must also engage families in the hard work we do with their children at Plaza every day. One of our PCI action steps is to develop programming to engage families and parents in our Plaza community.
The FACE Office supports schools in that process and gives guidelines to ensure that schools are working toward more family engagement through the process of becoming a FACE Model School. This FACE Model Professional Development (15 minutes) focuses on explaining the process of becoming a FACE Model School and provides further information on the guidelines suggested by the FACE Office. It also provides guidance on using our language service, Voiance, which will allow you to communicate in home languages with families.
Please complete this asynchronous PD and by January 3rd. The only action required on your end is to view the presentation and complete the Google Form for your PL points. Know you have Voiance as a resource moving forward to engage families who you may need additional assistance to communicate with, and continue doing great work to reach out and connect with families to support the children in your classroom at Plaza.
“You’re Awesome” Postcards are here!
Monday, you will find a 'You're Awesome' Postcard in your mailbox. These postcards are another way to acknowledge the amazing work our students do each day and engage our parents and families in the great things going on at Plaza!
Here’s how it works:
- Fill out the postcard with your positive words about the student.
- Option 1: Address it to the student with their mailing address to be sent home within the week (if you’re lacking on time just drop off in the library and it will get addressed).
- Option 2: Add the student’s name and distribute the postcard to the student. Just remind them to bring it home to share with their families.
Additional cards can be found in the library and the mail room.
Plaza Middle School
Website: www.plazams.vbschools.com
Location: 3080 South Lynnhaven Road, Virginia Beach, VA, USA
Phone: 757-648-4900
Twitter: @plazamiddle