Hero Headlines HMS Staff News
September 14, 2020
General Announcements
- Plaster this link: http://bit.ly/HMSBlendedSupport everywhere in your student slides. This is the form that students will complete if they are stuck. Ben & Misty met with every blended student, told them to use this, and reinforced that students MUST be working at home.
- Please use this form on Tuesday (team meeting) to share ANY student concerns, this isn't just for blended students (although you can put them in here too). Leadership team & counselors will meet at least monthly to review our lists of student concerns. We will start this coming week with blended concerns first.
- Our district admin team has asked us to remind you to please go through a building administrator with facility questions. Do not reach out directly to the supervisors in our district.
- I recommend that you update your team slides for parents every week, to get them in the habit of looking. If you don't, they will stop looking. What you all have created is awesome - but at least do one new slide a week.
4-1-1 on Fall Conferences -
- Students will prepare a slide deck during advisory that they will share with parents/guardians at home. These slide decks need to be completed by the end of Thursday's (Sept. 17th) advisory.
- Teachers will send this letter to all of his/her advisory students on Monday, Sept. 14th along with a letter about HAC parent log-ins. They will be in your box by Monday morning. You can also share it however else you need to share it - perhaps in your weekly update slides or by emailing it to parents.
- Advisors will receive a google form (next week) that they will post in the google advisory classroom as an assignment. Teachers will select "grade importing" so that you will know who has/has not completed the process. (If you don't understand, watch this.)
- Parents will email individual teacher(s) if they want to have a conversation. Teachers will reply to the emails with a link to a Zoom room that will be open both nights from 3:30-6:30. You will need to enable the waiting room when you set up the meeting.
- If parents request a phone call, we will do that too.
- If you NEED to speak with a parent because of student concerns, you will reach out to the parent directly and schedule the meeting.
- When you are here on conference nights you may work on curriculum when not in parent meetings.
- There is also a required 45 minute training that will have to be completed about a new safety application that we are using instead of the Rave app. You will be getting info on that later. We have intentionally shortened the conference "window of time" to allow for this training to be completed on one of those nights.
Blended Learners
Also, if you need to see data on who has viewed your slides, watch this screencast!
Back to School PD
Northwest Arkansas Literacy Newsletter
Hellstern Professional Development Opportunities
- We do short "huddles" that last approximately 15 minutes. These happen each week and total about one hour a month - so this is in lieu of one faculty meeting. I then ask that each of you participate in six learning opportunities throughout the school year. I will keep a spreadsheet from your sign-in at each PD session.
- If there is a session you would like to offer, please let me know (If you present, this counts as two sessions).
- September 15 - GameChangers: A SpeedGeeking Extravaganza - This session will be FUN!!! Come prepared to share one quick tip/trick that has been a "game changer" for you. You don't have to share, but the more that do the better! Each share-out will be no more than 2 minutes!
- September 29 - Conscious Discipline Ch. 1 We are launching another Conscious Discipline book study. My goal is to meet as a group once a month and we will cover one chapter each month. If you are interested in signing up please complete this form.
- October 5 - Learn More Team Building Games w/Rhett Barrett
- October 13 - Reading Comprehension Strategies for All Content Areas w/Trina Pergeson: Learn strategies that you can immediately use in your classroom to increase student engagement and understanding of text. Details coming soon!
- October 20 - Conscious Discipline Ch. 2
- October 27 - Make-n-Take with Greek & Latin Roots w/ Trina Pergeson: Learn specific strategies and activities to help students read and comprehend better in your content area. We will learn how to make root matrices, create visuals for teaching roots, and spend time learning the roots used in your content area. This is a make and take session, so bring your markers and computer!
HERO HOUR
Monday - Advisory: Begin work on fall student conference slides, check grades, pass out any forms, organize binder, get ready for the week
Tuesday - Prepare for fall conferences
Wednesday - Prepare for fall conferences (complete today)
Thursday - Study hall
Friday - Character & team building (structured time/games outside is welcome)
Conscious Discipline Corner
Consider giving this survey during advisory. You will want to make a copy of it for your class. The google survey was adapted from this questionnaire - which will explain how to score it.
Lastly, this document gives ideas for how to support students based when executive skills are lacking.
Money for your classroom
Cool Hellstern gear from PTO
Additional Supports Available from Ozark Guidance
Ozark Guidance has received a grant in collaboration with FEMA, SAMHSA and the Arkansas Department of Health called Promoting Positive Emotions (PPE). This grant is designed to offer support and resources to any Arkansas resident free of charge. Anyone in the community can access a crisis counselor or get help connecting to resources by calling the PPE hotline at 833-993-2383.
Promoting Positive Emotions for Schools Information
Upcoming Dates
September
14 - Finish Vision & Hearning Screening for 6th grade (we will call alphabetically by last name)
14 - VB vs. Oakdale @ CJHS (4:30pm)
15 - Huddle (3:30)
15 - Change: GameChangers: A SpeedGeeking Extravaganza (3:45pm)
15 - VB @ Kirksey (4:30pm)
17 & 18 - MAP Testing (Both Grades, Both ELA & Math)
17 - Football vs. Woodland (AWAY - 5:30pm)
18 - 7th gr. MAP Testing Math & Reading
19 - XC @ Siloam Springs
21 & 22 - Student Involved Conferences (3:30-6:30)
21 & 22 - Make up MAP testing
21 - VB @ Lincoln (5:30)
22 - Huddle (3:30)
22 - CD Ch. 1 Book Study (3:45)
22 - VB vs. KMS (@HBHS)
24 - Football vs. HTMS @ HBHS (4:30pm)
25 - Drills during Hero Hour
26 - XC @ Berryville
Hellstern Middle School
Website: http://hellstern.sdale.org/
Location: 7771 Har-Ber Avenue, Springdale, AR, USA
Phone: 479-750-8725
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hellstern-Middle-School