Principal's Weekly Update
Success is our only option!
Mustangs on the Move!
Weekly Message for 3-20-2018
We will be consistent and pervasive with effective instruction, assessment, and monitoring (aligned with the AKS), by collaboratively planning lessons that implement the Gradual Release Instructional Framework and Formative Instructional Practices.
Greetings to All:
You are just a few days away from a well deserved and needed break. We will have visitors from Des Moines, Iowa visiting our building on Tuesday, March 27th. Let's make sure that we put our best foot forward. As we continue to strive for excellence don't forget to post your AKS, Learning Target, and Essential Question - EQ. Both your learning target and your EQ must be aligned to the AKS. Remember, that children must be supervised at all times. Please make sure that you are walking your children to connections. Let's continue to hold our students accountable for upholding LMS Academic and Behavioral expectations. Remember, what we do now sets the tone for the remainder of the year May. Continue to be firm, warm, and help our students to soar! Thanks LMS!
Have a great week LMS Rock Stars!
Yvette
Have you used technology to transform learning, lately? How does our usage compare to that of other schools?
"The Release of Learning" by Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey
Video and Reflection: Watch the video illustrating how a teacher facilitates a small group
- Watch the video: As you watch the first video, notice 1) how the teacher facilitates learning; 2) what strategies did she use to help her students build deeper understandings.
Mustang KUDOs:
Congratulations goes to our Social Studies team for having some of the highest growth on the interim district assessment. Take a bow!
If any names were accidently omitted, please let me know so that I can add them.
Teachers Matter the Most! Be a "Top 20" Teacher!
Let the drum roll begin for 6th, 7th and 8th grade math teachers our percentage of proficient and distinguished performance on the interim district assessment is 60-80% for our accelerated math classes! Awesome!
Please invite us to your classroom and/or send us a photo or a brief summary of the great learning happening in your classroom!
Success is our ONLY option!
Our 8th grade physical science scores are superb. Over 50% of our students scored at the proficient and distinguished levels! Great!
Thanks!
To Do:
- Schedule students to check out books in the media center.
- Complete your Pineapple Gradual Release Observations and Data Digs before your collaborative planning sessions (before March 27th).
- Make sure that you have a student sweeper and table washer to clean your tables and silent lunch table too! All students must pick up their trash from the table and floor before being dismissed to pass to the garbage cans.
- Complete and update eCourse Pages as required
- Check gradebook weights and percent of spread
- Continue to implement to align all student work and learning activities to the rigor of the AKS, along with implementing all gradual release learning phases in every lesson, every day. We must check for understanding every 8-10 minutes, so that we can properly intervene and help students correct misunderstandings!
"Better Learning Through Structured Teaching" Quote of the Week
"Student do not become proficient with academic English (or any other language) unless they produce the language... In other words, students' use of domain-specific and general academic vocabulary and language is the main way we assess how well they understand concepts and ideas. Without extended opportunities to engage in discourse about their own thinking, students are stunted in their ability to think", pp. 71-72)
Please make sure that the following teacher and student actions are occurring in every lesson, every day.
-Nancy Frey and Doug Fisher
Let's make sure are students have daily opportunities to read, discuss, think critically, and write!
Important Dates
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JA Biztown 6th Grade– Week of March 19th
New Teacher Mentoring 4:40 in the PLR – March 21
8th Grade Fashion Show during Connections – March 22nd
Faculty Meeting - March 23rd at 8AM.
Lilburn MS Drill Meet (County) – March 24th
Visitors from Iowa, Collaborative Half-Day Planning Language Arts (9-12) and Social Studies (1-4) – March 27th
Collaborative Half-Day Planning Science (9-12) and Math (9-4) – March 29th
March 30th
Spring Break – April 2nd -April 6th
Return from Spring Break Students and Staff – April 9th
Georgia Milestones Testing Begins on April 11th.
Check the calendar on the LMS Training page for additional dates.
Lilburn Middle School "What's coming up next?"
Reminder: The three snow days built in to the calendar for second semester will be used to make up the days missed last week as a result of Tropical Storm Irma. Plan to be at work on Friday February 23rd, Friday March 9th and Friday March 23rd.
Summer 2018- Massive work on the building, begin saving boxes now. All personal items must be removed and taken home, bulletin boards must be taken down. EVERYTHING must be packed (6-8 grade building, closets, data rooms, and storage rooms too) by Thursday, May 24, 2018. Please take home most materials by Spring Break. The building will be open during Spring Break (April 2-5th from 7-3)
Amended Master Schedule and Bell Schedule
Addition of Independent Reading (8 minutes to read and 2 minute written response)
Common Assessment 101
◦Building Task Specific Rubrics for Constructed Response Items
Technology PD –eCourse Page development and usage to transform and differentiate learning
Gradual Release – Digging Deeper with lesson observations- “Y’all do” - Collaborative Learning Phase; “I Do” - Focused learning Phases, make sure that you are leaving enough time for “You Do Alone” - Independent
Instructional “Look Fors” –Positive Classroom environment; Alignment of student learning activities, work, and assessment with the rigor of the AKS-Achievement Level Descriptors; Implementation of the four learning phases of Gradual Release.
Connecting with our parents through ClassDojo
Digital Learning Days - 4th and subsequent school closures for inclement weather
Additional Reminders:
For a full list of our LMS activities, please view the calendar through the LMS eCLASS Home Page
- Read the Principal's Weekly Update.
- Supervise students at all times.
- Students should not listen to music in class. Make sure that student put their earbuds away before leaving class.
- Staff members must be present by 8:30AM and standing at doors to welcome students at 8:50AM.
- Grades must be updated in gradebooks, with the appropriate number of assignments for each category
- Graded student work is expected to go home in Wednesday Folders
- Provide progress reports during conferences.
- Make sure that you speak with administrators prior to sending them references.
- Staff members hours are 8:30AM-4:30PM
- Jeans may be worn with LMS spirit wear are permitted on Fridays or with a sticker only. Sticker must be visible Staff members not in dress code will be asked to change.
- Computers should only be reserved for no more than a month in advance, unless an administrator has given permission for extended reservations.
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Staff members must walk their students to the buses at the end of each bus load. Staff members can't leave before walking their children to the second load of buses.
Leaving the building during the school day requires approval from your assigned administrator. You must sign in and out at your grade level office.
Students should not use their personal internet. They must link onto the school internet only. Do not touch their personal devices. Call for an administrator, if a device needs to be removed from a student.
Please make sure that you have your students pick up all trash from your classroom floor before leaving for the day.
- No personal leave can be used the day before or after a student holiday. Personal Leave used on these dates will be uncompensated (see GCPS No personal leave used calendar). Sick leave used on these dates will require the submission of documentation of an appointment.
- Leaving the building during the school day requires approval from your assigned administration-sign in and out at your grade level office
- Lunch: Please make sure that students are cleaning their areas before getting up and that you have assigned a table wiper and sweeper.
- Wish List Opportunities: http://www.donorschoose.org/
- Grading: Please make sure that all grade books reflect the grading weights emailed out to your per the GCPS policy. Please make sure that you have the appropriate number of grades and that are being entered in a timely manner. You should have 5-7 grades in the Summative Category by the end of the semester.
- Dismissal: Students should be in their dismissal location by 4:05PM, thus they should have exited their 4th academic by 4:03PM. Staff members should work together to make sure that students are supervised in the halls during dismissal. All students should have gone to the restroom by 3:40PM.
- Course pages should have the following items (homework updated): Course syllabi, Calendar that contains homework assignments, test/project due dates, daily agenda. Helpful resource links for students and parents. Online Textbooks/digital resources
- Lesson Plans should be attached to your grade level course pages.
Grading Information
Only LCAs and classroom assessments can be reassessed. District Assessments (DAs) can NOT be reassessed.
Local Common Assessments (LCAs)
Regular Test (multiple choice) weighted 85% of the LCA grade. The grade goes into the “Summative” grading category.
Constructed Response (SS, MA, SC) or Extended Response (LA) is weighted 15% of the LCA grade. The grade goes into the “Summative” grading category (combine with the 85% from above)
District Assessment (DA)
Interim County Assessment - goes in the “Interim” grading category.
6th & 7th Grade: Local School Constructed Response will be developed and given in MA and LA and goes into the “Classwork” grading category. Science and Social Studies will have a county writing task embedded in their interim district assessment.
8th Grade: Local School Constructed Response will be developed and given in MA and LA, SS, and SC and goes into the “Classwork” grading category
Final County Assessment (Post Test) – goes in the “Final Exam” grading category
All Grades: Local School Constructed Response will be developed and given in MA and LA, SS, and SC and goes into the “Classwork” grading category
** Semester 1 Final Exam (ONLY): For HS Physical Science, Algebra 1, and Accelerated Algebra 1 (ONLY)- The Semester I Final Exam should be weighted 15% of the Comprehensive Final Category (20%) for the high school courses earning Carnegie Unit Credit, and the corresponding local school performance task/writing final would be 5% of the overall 20% of that category.
Zeros and Reteach and Retest Opportunities
When a student retakes an assessment, please make sure that you are not averaging the two test grades. If the reassessment grade is higher you should be replacing the old grade with that new grade based on the example below.
John received a 67 on the first assessment. John did a retake and scored a 79. You would enter in the score as "79.067". This will allow you to indicate to the parent that the grade for that assessment indicates that John earned a 79 on a reassessment, but the original grade earned was a 67.
If John's reassessment grade is lower than the retake grade. Please keep the old grade.
Zeros
Please use:
ABS for assignments if students were absent when the assignment was completed.
NTI for assignments if students were present, but he/she did not turn in the assignment or when make-up work was assigned and the student didn't turn it in.
Use EX for excused (i.e. the student enrolled after the assignment was due), please use
Use IP for assignments that are in the progress of being graded/completed (i.e. projects).
ABS and NTI will count as zeros when entered and will be immediately reflected in the student’s average.
EX and IP will not be counted as zeros.