Friday Faculty Focus
News and Notes about #BeBCMS-Issue #2- 2018
January ExExExCitement !!
January is rolling! We are over half done with the first month of the second semester and first month of 2018! Time just flies in the schoolhouse!
Please make sure you are challenging yourself everyday to be the best you can be for our scholars. Are you greeting them at the door? Are you visiting with them at lunch? What conversations are you having with them in the hallway? Those #moments matter. Make sure you are capitalizing on any moment you have to impact a life!
We are getting close to January 26th. All TKES conferences should be wrapped up by then. We will be doing a lot of data DUMPing and analyzing lesson plans and instructional objectives during Learning With Liz. The Innovation Center begins this week. Class assignments are:
Engaging Students in Lesson and Classroom Designs: Parent Resource Room (1/31 start)
Setting and Maintaining High Behavior Expectations: Ms. Swindell's Room
Challenging Student to think critically: Ms. Waddell's Room
Helping to get the MOST out of Reading: Ms. Ennis' Room
SAFETY NETS are BACK! First rounds are due Jan. 31st. If you are new to BCMS, Safety nets are where we track failures and interventions of what we are doing to make sure scholars are supported and succeed. The link to Safety Nets will be below.
Please make sure to turn in your letters of intent/separation before you leave today!
Dr. Rice's class not meet until NEXT Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict, but you will have an introduction assignment that I will send out on Monday.
Still have questions or thoughts? PLEASE take time to fill this out. I would love for you to take some time to fill out this form to prepare for our Learning with Liz on Tuesdays. What questions do you have for me? What can I help clarify or understand? Fill this form out and I will make sure to get all your questions answered!
#BeBCMS Elite PBIS update!
PBIS updates for January:
Jan 2018 DATA to date:
Positive Behavior Referrals: 19 representing 25 scholars! WOW!
Educator's Handbook:
13 majors
49 minors
January 2017 Data (Full month)
80 Majors
133 Minors
Semester ONE 2016 compared to Semester ONE 2017
48% decrease in MAJORS and 21% decrease in MINORS!
OSS/ISS update:
To date:
195 days of OSS
173 days of ISS
This data supports that building relationships is ALWAYS the answer.
RTI News and Notes
Please take the time to review the RTI Tier 2 and 3 list so please bring any progress monitoring you have on those scholars. Check the list for updated information. Here is the most up-to-date RTI list. https://docs.google.com/a/bryan.k12.ga.us/document/d/1z0gCRzYHFIky-1apjSnooY0nqdOPAPPnkutAB_URbDM/edit?usp=sharing
Ms. Sines is working with a group during WIN of scholars on Tier 3.
Please make sure you are taking the time to keep up to date with the rosters and bring your progress monitoring.
Keep the main thing: the main thing!
Staff Celebration Breakfasts!
Our next STAFF BREAKFAST IS THIS WEEK:
Friday January 26th - 6th grade team
Friday February 23rd - 7th grade team
Friday March 30th - 8th grade team
Friday April 27th - Connections
Friday May 18th - Office Squad
Important Events!
Monday- #CelebrateMonday, GLRS Team here! Perfect Attendance celebration, 6th Grade Alternate Schedule for Weatherman presentation
Tuesday- #TerrificTuesday, Leadership, Learning with Liz, TKES reviews, Data DUMPs- Parent Resource Room 3;30
Wednesday- #WinWednesday, The Innovation Center, Data DUMPS- Parent Resource Room 3:30, Special Education Department Meeting, Room 102
Thursday-#ThankfulThursday,Leadership , Techie Thursdays with Dana (Media Center)
Friday- #FocusFriday, Kona Ice, HAT DAY $1.00,
Upcoming:
Kindness Week- TBD
Celebration of Black History Month - TBD
Focus on..... The Instructional Objectives
This week in LWL, we will focus on our Instructional Objectives and making sure they are aligned to the standard AND at an appropriate DOK level. Please bring a copy of your working lesson framework for that day. Be ready to share what your instructional objectives are as we begin to work through how to create IOs that will continue to grow our scholars. Depth of Knowledge is less about VERBS and more about critical thinking!
DOK 1: Memorize
DOK 2: Thinking
DOK 3: Strategic Thinking
DOK 4: NEW Thinking
Also, please make sure all lesson designs are updated in your collaborative team folder.
Also, please turn in a hard copy of your lesson plan in the main office before you go home on Friday.
Going forward, all lesson plans are due (HARD COPY) in the folder on your way out of the building Friday.
We are looking at the Instructional Framework and the use of the Instructional Objectives.
QUICK REVIEW of our instructional strategies 1-4
1. Instructional Objective: Have it visual, aligned, and reference it
2. Suffix/Root Words/Prefix: Have them visual and accessible. Model use
3. Gradual Release: I do, we do together, we do collaboratively, you do. How are you using this in your teaching?
4. Types of Text: How are you using both informational text and literary text
Remember:
1. Collaborative Planning is made up of three buckets:
- Lesson Designs
- PLCs
- Data Analysis / Digging
Learning with Liz times:
7th grade 8:45-9:15
6th grade 11:45-12:15
8th grade 2:00-2:30
Check out this lesson design template: (make a copy first) https://docs.google.com/a/bryan.k12.ga.us/document/d/1YGAYfD7wP-xieqvJk0PXu7CXLgonm7JfSTQAuTpWOKY/edit?usp=sharing
a. Come to School- BE AMAZING- Go Home! Repeat
b. Bell to Bell instruction
c. ALL instruction/teaching will be on grade level and standards based
d. Take a STAND for teaching and learning. Get up!
Some questions:
1. Where are your team notes located?
2. How are you using agenda/minutes to drive collaborative conversations
3. Are you special education teachers joining your content meetings
4. What kind of differentiation are you providing for your scholars?
Nuggets and News
- The Innovation Center: Please be on time and be intentional in your learning!
I am VERY proud of the work we are doing in The Innovation Center and we are ExExExCited for this incredible site based , intentional professional learning!
Q3 will be required by all staff.
TEACH LIKE A CHAMPION!
Sessions:
Engaging Students in your Lessons (Dr. Rice)
Setting and Maintaining High Behavioral Expectations (Ms. Swindell)
Challenging Students to Think Critically (Ms. Waddell)
Helping to get the MOST out of Reading: Critical Skills and Techniques (Ms. Ennis)
Classes will begin January 24th and run through Wednesday March 7th
Each class will have a class schedule.
(Dr. Rice's class begins 1/31)
- Supervision: NEW QUARTER: NEW SUPERVISION: If your team has made a different supervision plan, please discuss with Mr. Scott.
- Compliance Checks - #CelebrateMonday with 5x5s! The new High Impact Instructional Look For Document is the new instrument for 5x5- Data posted in Jan.
Focus is on: Instructional Objectives and the DOK level of them
- Meetings Schedules: Monday: TEAM, Tuesday: Learn with Liz (PL), Wednesday: Math ,Thursday: ELA , Friday: Science and Social Studies
- Keep up the ELITE work with the Positive Referrals!
- BETA nominations are DUE TODAY to Ms. Adams before you leave!
- Problem Solving Summit Committes will be released soon! Stay tuned!
- Semester Two JEANS passes will be on sale beginning Jan. 4th $15.00 For JEANS ON FRIDAY only....If you are wearing jeans on other days because you have old passes, please turn those in with the date to Shelby. Jeans passes are for FRIDAY's only!
- Techie Thursdays with Dana is optional Professional Learning but ELITE. Please consider being a part of the PL and implement your new strategies into your classroom designs.
- Feb. 20th is a district Professional Learning day at BCMS. Stay tuned for the schedule. Plan to have Vertical Content meetings also this day.
- EdCamp Bryan is March 16th. Participation is optional. Class selection will be out on Jan. 31st.
#LoveTheProcess
Awesome Engagement Instruction
Look out ELA classes! We are coming for you! What ELITE activity are you doing to grow your scholars! January is ELA month!
What I'm Reading....
#BooksForDay
#MomentMakers
I am doing two different Voxer book studies currently: both over books I have already read but love re-reading.
The first one is within the district. Debi and I have organized and are leading a "Principal's VOXER chat" on Ditch That Homework. It has been a great way to collaborate and hear what other Principals in our district are working on in their buildings.
The second book/VOXER PL is called Four O'clock Faculty-- and it is all about the redesign of Professional Learning. Check out VOXER for your own professional learning. It's great!
Of course, every day I try to take 10 minutes or so and do some re-reading and reflecting in my Moments book, since that is my #OneWord.
Reflect on this:
Moments of Pride:
Life in a middle school can be built on moments of pride. Consider:
"recognizing others is so important, how to handle the moment so it's most effective, and why the good feelings enjoyed by the recipient can boomerang back to the giver."
What are you doing to create these moments for ours scholars or the people in your life?
#MomentMaker2018
L
Tweet....Tweet....Tweet...
KEEP tweeting and telling our story! We are changing the narrative of what people know and think about Bryan County Middle School #OneTweetAtATime
Also, tag me @missliz31 and BCMS @BryanCountyMS in all your awesome tweets please!
Find five new people in education to follow on twitter!
More
Roman Nowak Retweeted Sarah Johnson
A7 My biggest passion is kindness. We need so much more positivity & kindness in the for better balance. I try to inspire, share words, support, encourage, celebrate others to constantly uplift. So many amazing people who deserve recognition & love. Be there. Be kind. #LeadLAP
Dave Burgess @burgessdave Jan 17
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2 kinds of people: The first constantly complains about what's missing. The second person sees what is missing, too...but they take action & make things happen anyway. Here's to the #SnowMakers http://daveburgess.com/make-your-own-snow/ … #tlap #LeadLAP #4OCF #Culturize
Adam Welcome @awelcome 14h14 hours ago
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Forget the haters and naysayers, if you think kids can do it, go make it happen. #KidsDeserveIt
Aaron Hogan @aaron_hogan 58m58 minutes ago
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How much misbehavior could be resolved with a reteach instead of escalated into an incident? #TeacherMyth #TLAP #KidsDeserveIt
Using your DATA
The expectations for WIN are clear and consistent. You need to be teaching LITERACY to your win group in the form of reading or math. We will be using SRI to monitor progress.
If you want to use a different tool, see me and we will work to create one on Performance Matters or USA Test Prep. If you are using other data to show progress monitoring other than MAP, please talk to KAT and I. :)
Basic Data Dumping 101 sessions will begin next week after school. These sessions are optional. We will begin to look at the ways that we look and DATA DUMP. Data Dumping stands for:
Data
D:Discuss
U:Understand
M:MAKE
P:Plans
We have to look at each quadrant of our data and analyze why each scholar scored where they did. EVERY scholar has a story. Once we know the story, we can being the intentional planning to grow them.
Take your latest MAP data and take a deep dive into each scholar. Meet with me next week: Tuesday and Wednesday 3:30-4:00 to learn more about your MAP data, using your MAP data, and analyzing your MAP data.
#TheOneWord and Black History Month
Our #OneWords rock! Soon, we will have our words represented all around the school. Now that we have them, we need to use them and sustain them! Think about ways to incorporate them into your day to day work with scholars and your day to day conversations.
Continue to talk to students about their one words to keep them fresh in their minds. We will use the one word project and connect it to our Kindness Project and Black History Month work. Dana is working on an elite week of activities for Black History Month that your class can sign up to participate in! Stay tuned for details and sign up in the next Friday Focus!
L
#BeBCMS
L