#sparkinfo. Weekly Update
Week #28- March 18th-22nd
There's so much good happening. How can we make it even greater?
On Friday, it was good to have everyone together for professional development in the morning! The presentation from Catherine Latiff and April Hendricks from special services was important. I appreciate the open dialogue as we work to serve our large population of special needs students even better than we already are. The conversation which followed regarding academic support and our overall schedule was also an important one. Please share your feedback regarding the minor changes to next year's schedule. We want to be intentional with our time, and everyone's input is valuable to this process.
I thought it was noteworthy that several people commented about student behavior on Friday with the Hoops for Heart event. Nurse Hickey noted that there were no visits for the day outside of medicine. Mr. Ashley commented on the behavior of several boys who are usually hard to keep on-task were very motivated in that they didn't want to miss the afternoon games. This is similar to what we have heard from the several schools doing Finnish Fridays. How can we make the model work best with these things in mind?
Thank you for continuing to strengthen relationships with students as we enter the second half of March. We all know that once Spring Break arrives, it will be over in a flash. Let's continue to grow our students as much as we can, and challenge them to be excellent. The fourth nine weeks will officially begin this week. Let's finish strong!
As always, I will remind you to keep the positive rolling out with good news, excel cents, and positive reinforcement! Have a great week!
Chris Bartley from Clemson Life spoke.
Sixth Grade St. Patrick's Day Green
Coach Baxter speaks at morning assembly
Instructional Focus
We have had a large number of SLO conferences this past week and final results meetings. Remember that the process you have carried out for the SLO is just as important as the product with % of student growth. As I said last week, thank you for setting lofty goals for student growth. We don't ever want to underestimate what our students can do.
As MAP testing begins, please encourage students to do their very best. Remind them that their results will help determine what classes they will be eligible to take next year. We want to be intentional with widening the circle for those taking advanced classes. Student data is the best way to do this with fidelity.
From now through the end of the year, we will continue to do walkthroughs and informal observations so that we can continue to provide instructional feedback. Please let us know if you need anything.
This Week's Agenda!
Monday, March 18th-
Intramural Championships at Lunch
Bus Evacuation Drill at Lunch
Tuesday, March 19th-
End 3rd Grading Period
Wednesday, March 20th-
Pelican SnoBalls at Lunch
7th Grade ELA/8th Grade Math MAP testing
Thursday, March 21st-
Momentum Bike Club (3:30-5:00 PM)
7th grade ELA/8th Grade Math MAP testing
Instrument Fitting for Band in the Cafe’ (5:30-7:30 PM)
Friday, March 22nd-
7th grade ELA MAP testing
3rd Nine Weeks #sparkcelebration
(#sparkfun schedule)
SPARK SPOTLIGHT!!!!
A shout out from your colleague!
We have a lot of spotlights this week! Thank you for recognizing great things from your peers! If you know something incredible, spotlight them!! Thank you for building each other up! We have so much to spotlight everyday, and we are building a winsome culture. Pickens Middle is truly a great place to work and learn!
Erin Allen and Jennifer Hendrix- Jennifer and Erin did such a great job organizing and putting the pageant together. They put many hours into the pageant and it was a huge success because of their hard work!
Misty Patnode and Janet Chastain- Both of these ladies helped out on a very long day of IEP meetings. The day ran so smoothly because of their help. It made my day so much easier! Thanks so much to these ladies!
Jennifer Hendrix- Mrs. Hendrix is always willing to go the extra mile to provide opportunities for her students. Although she has not been able to go on the Disney field trip, she plans a large portion of it every year and works hard to make it a special trip for those who do go. She co-organizes the school's pageant with Mrs. Allen and always does a excellent job. Mrs. Hendrix also is one of the sponsors for Student Council and she plans our big awards night. She does all of this without complaining and all the while teaching! We are blessed to have her on our staff and our students are fortunate to have such a selfless teacher.
Shana Dalton- Mrs. Dalton is a great asset to our Pickens Middle staff. She works tirelessly at keeping our media center neat and easily accessible for our students. I am so thankful for all the assistance she has provided me this year. She is often times behind the scenes, yet without her hard work many things would not be accomplished. Thank you Mrs. Dalton for your faithfulness and contribution to our school!
Cindy Whittemore- I was in the workroom and I heard a very energetic voice talking about Rhyme Scheme. I thought to myself, "Wow, that sounds exciting, I would be paying attention in that class. And if I had been in a class with a teacher that excited about poetry when I was in Middle school it might have more sense to me." Cindy is awesome at holding students attention and helping them develop a love for her subject.
Sarah Chastain- Mrs. Chastain is always smiling and always excited to be working with her students. She is growing lettuce through hydroponics in the 6th grade science lab and her students are able to taste organic lettuce. How cool is that?
Melissa Hernandez- Melissa is an amazing Art teacher. The artwork that has been produced by students this year, due to her inspiration, is beautiful and really captivates you as you walk down the hallways. Our students and we are lucky to have her at Pickens Middle.
Olivia McCoy and Mike Council- As teachers we all know a workplace with a culture of kindness has the power to make our daily grind more meaningful and effective! Olivia and Mike are people I can vent to, but also rely on for honest feedback. We need friends who will hold us accountable and who will keep us laughing. These two are both straight shooters. They also played an awesome math game with the kiddos on the black top for our tutoring session as I sat on my bottom and rested my foot! The kiddos love them and so do their colleagues!
Brad Tankersley- Mr. Tankersley is a walking encyclopedia! It's an honor to teach along side a former teacher of mine! I think he has taught half the teachers on our hall! He provides encouragement, humor, and wisdom! When I second guess myself he provides perspective, support, and feedback! I am so thankful for him!
Jill Baxter- Coach Baxter put on a great Hoops for Heart event raising over $1500.00 for the American Heart Association! We appreciate her efforts to this great cause! This was not something she had to do, but it made a difference for not only AHA but for our students and how we view the power of these events.
Click on the link below as you see and hear great things happening in the building. Please let us know about them by filling out the form. You may want to bookmark the link as we will be "Spotlighting" teachers and staff all year.
From Sparks of Knowledge Grow Flames of Success
Email: jamesking@pickens.k12.sc.us
Website: http://pms.pickens.k12.sc.us/
Location: 140 Torch Lane, Pickens, SC, 29671
Phone: (864) 397-4100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pickensms/?scrlybrkr=85865011
Twitter: @pmssparks