Friday Faculty Focus
News and Notes about #BeBCMS-
Welcome November !
November is a great time to be reflective and grateful and we truly all have so much to be grateful for! I am grateful to work with such amazing educators and staff who have dedicated your professional lives to grow children! Think about that statement! The work we do every single day impacts so many lives! That just brings such fulfillment!
I am also grateful when you take attendance! So please make sure you are doing this, especially during CLUB times!
I am grateful that we have FUN at this schoolhouse everyday. I just had a conversation with an ELITE group of teachers who were laughing so hard they were crying because of the sheer FUN they were having!!
I am grateful that Ms. Davis and Ms. Romberg are back with us on Monday! We have missed you both and are happy you are "home!"
I am grateful that we have a growth mindset as educators. 56.3 is not who we are and the goal is set. Keep your eyes on the prize as you plan amazing instructional designs.
A HUGE thank you to Ms. Amonda, Ms. Shelby, Ms. Ennis, Ms. Adams, Ms. Harvey, Ms. Adams, Mr. Wright, Mr. Scott, Ms. Crosby, Ms. Lothridge, Ms. Buchanan, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Franks for making the Fall Athletic Banquet ELITE!
Congratulations to Ms. Miller for being selected as our PBIS Staff of the Month!
#BeBCMS Elite PBIS update!
The PBIS School Store is open in the mornings!
The store will be open T/W/R for ALL grades at Breakfast time.
Mr. Dinkins will be ordering new items for the store!
The next PBIS event will be right before Christmas Break. We will use Quarter 2 data (beginning with Monday Oct. 16th) and use qualifiers: No OSS / No ISS-- we will begin to have those conversations with our scholars!
We need to be all hands on deck during BREAKS and BUS RAMP. We are seeing a spike in our behavior and our discipline.
October Data:
59 majors
183 minors
This is a 7% increase in majors and a 32% increase in minors compared to October 2016(note: we had four less days in October last year due to the Hurricane) ! Consider taking 5 minutes to realign your classroom practices and procedures. Almost 50% of our MAJOR referrals happened in learning environments (classrooms)
I have had scholars ask me about being excluded for PBIS events if they have earned ISS for a class period. We will say the ISS needs to be half day to full day ISS/OSS.
Leadership team on Thursday will be discussing PBIS and what actions we can take to increase our positive behavior supports. Let's set a goal to decrease in November.
RTI News and Notes (RTI: READY TO IGNITE-- Elite Interventions!)
RTI meetings are continuing. Please remember: TIER ONE IS ELITE Instruction for ALL scholars! I appreciate everyone's efforts making sure scholars are getting the correct services and working to understand the processes and procedures that we have in place.
Please be checking the RTI TEAM DRIVE for the watch notes.
Remember: Our focus is on the learning.
TEACHERS: participating in RTI meetings is not optional. They are scheduled during your planning periods, please make sure you are attending. This is TKES standards 9 and 10. You also need to bring information and conversation to the meeting. YOU know the scholars the best!
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
Keep the main thing: the main thing!
Staff Celebration Breakfasts!
The last Friday of each month will be a Staff Breakfast Celebration! Please bring your favorite breakfast dish to share with our schoolhouse. Breakfast items will be set up in the Parent Resource Room beginning at 7:20 and will be available all day!
Friday November 17th- All staff contribute
Friday December 15th- Office Squad and PTO
Friday January - 6th grade team
Friday February- 7th grade team
Friday March - 8th grade team
Friday April - Connections
Friday May - Office Squad
Important Events!
Monday- #CelebrateMonday,
Tuesday- #TerrificTuesday, Parent Academy 5:30 PM
Wednesday- #WinWednesday,
Thursday-#ThankfulThursday, Basketball game- AWAY- Toombs
Friday- #FocusFriday, Modified Schedule, Veteran's Day Assembly 9:30, Club Day!
Saturday- Basketball- AWAY SEB
Upcoming:
12/12 Holiday Concert and Art Gallery
12/12 Parent University Expo
12/19 Holiday Concert and Ary Gallery
Focus on..... QUALITY instruction...#HittingSixty
We know it and we own it and the goal is set: #Sixty
This week, as you think about your classroom experiences, reflect on these questions:
1. How many minutes did I spend talking?
2. How many minutes did each student get to talk?
3. How many minutes was I able to sit next to a student and give feedback?
During the time you have with scholars, do you talk AT them or WITH them?
Think about how much choice you give them. Choice is one of our active engagement strategies and it also is empowerment. Giving our scholars the ability to choose how they demonstrate what they have learned is giving them control and control gives them ownership in their own learning! Think about it as an adult learner! When I get to CHOSE how I learn and how I present my learning, I am far more engaged in it then if I am forced to do a worksheet, fill in the blanks, and present with my "group."
I am ExExExCited to see all the active engagement strategies in our classrooms this week!
Information from: Ditch that Homework by Alice Keeler (AMAZING tweeter, too) and Matt Miller
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 professional learning!
Preplanning: Q3 and Q4 offerings will be out in November so you can decide which quarter will be your passion project (off)
PLEASE DO this survey on our Innovation Center. We need this feedback so we can continue to work on providing the best professional learning opportunities for you to grow our scholars!
- Supervision: PLEASE make sure you are at your supervision spots on time. The supervision schedule is here:
If supervision at lunch does not improve, we will be assigning supervision posts.
- Lesson Designs: Make sure data is driving your planning and have your lesson plans uploaded in the Team Drive Folders and on your clipboards available. AB, KW, and I look at all lesson plans as we continue TKES classroom walk thrus. We are looking for ACTIVE engagement. Lesson plans are not optional. Get them updated and get them posted and accessible.
- November begins the FULL 30 minute TKES observations.
- CANNED food drive begins MONDAY! Our school goal is 2 cans per every PERSON in the schoolhouse! Winning homeroom wins a doughnut party! All food is donated to Bryan County Family Connection! We have many families who rely on Family Connection!
- Please start reminding scholars to eat breakfast as soon as they enter the gym. We need scholars to be ON TIME to class and we need to model and remind this basic LIFE expectation!
We invite all staff members to send in a picture of a family member who has or is serving in our Armed Forces. We will scan the photo and add it to our Veterans Day slide show. Please submit these as soon as possible. All submissions should be placed in an envelope with the student's name so that we can return it after scanning it. Submit to Mrs. Opper. Please note that we are adding these submissions to our existing slide show.
- Georgia Peach Books- Ms. Dyson will be meeting with each team to explain the structure. We will make posters with our contest as well! I can't wait to see who reads all the books first!
- Please take a look at this information in regards to building capacity as a Title 1 school for us as professionals. We will discuss this information at your next Team Meetings.
http://www.gadoe.org/School-Improvement/Federal-Programs/Partnerships/Pages/Handbook.aspx
- Compliance Checks - #CelebrateMonday with 5x5s! Lesson designs need to be standards based and match standards based instruction.
- Meetings Schedules: Monday: TEAM, Tuesday: RTI, Wednesday: Math ,Thursday: ELA , Friday: Science and Social Studies
- Thank you for participating in the McAlister Twitter Chat! I was one proud principal! Free JEANS for the month for those of you who participated!
- "YOU are LATE to school" passes will be on sale. Buy packs of 4 passes for $10.00 and come to school at 8:00 AM.
#LoveTheProcess
November Teacher Challenge!
Get ExExExCited for November! Beginning Monday, November 6th, every time I see an Active Engagement Strategy in your classroom, your name will be entered into the November Drawing. I will leave a ticket in your room to let you know you have been entered in the drawing!
The prize?
A day off the first week of December and I will teach your classes! You better leave me ELITE lesson plans! :)
I can't wait to see all ELITE level active engagement strategies in all your learning designs!
What I'm Reading....
I am reading two great books right now: Ditch That Homework by Matt Miller and Alice Keeler and Turtles All The Way Down by John Green; however after teaching Ms. Romberg's ELA on Friday, I am going to read To Kill A Mockingbird again!
Ditch That Homework is part of the Pirate group-- and you all know I love being a pirate! Such awesome, practical strategies in the book that support everything I know and believe to be true in regards to homework.
A great concept in the book is called "retrieval". Retrevial looks like this: I study new material. I stop studying. I retrieve old information out of my brain by recalling and restating the information in my own words. This is essentially practicing taking tests, but doing it performance based! Sounds great! I bet you do it more than you think! Pay close attention next time to how you ask your scholars to "study"
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
We did great participating in the #MESEdChat!
Also, tag me @missliz31 and BCMS @BryanCountyMS in all your awesome tweets please!
Bivins Miller @BivinsMiller 21h21 hours ago
A3-I am a hive fiving, hugging, make a funny joke kind of guy! Even on my worst - high fives for kiddos as they enter are a MUST! #mesedchat
Theresa Durrence @treadurrence 21h21 hours ago
A4: SET clear learning goals and reteach for mastery!!! #BEBCMS #MESEdChat
Drew Callaway @MsCallaway_GASO 21h21 hours ago
A3: Smiles!! Always greet a student smile to show students I am happy to be teaching and happy to have them in the classroom! #MESedchat
Cindy Jersey @cindyjersey 21h21 hours ago
A3. We our homeroom "family chat" time and I the hugs, morning excitement, and that they're happy to be at school! #MESEdChat
liz raeburn @missliz31 21h21 hours ago
Relationships First • Relationships ALWAYS••••and that goes for adult to adult relationships! We MUST model what we expect! #MESedChat
K Swindell @MsSwindell_BCMS 21h21 hours ago
More
A2: Positive Learning Environment: building relationships is #1 priority. #MESEdChat #BeBCMS
Sign Up to Help Winter Athletics
Winter Athletic Season is upon us! We are ExExExCited for both Boy's and Girl's Basketball. Please use this link to sign up for volunteering for Tickets and Concessions.
Thank you!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc_1OMOYKnSbHYTcz-Updx9acfZBlXreyGefYeiYjv2-0tpVg/viewform
WIN-- Whatever I Need!
WIN time is getting a make-over for the rest of the year.
Current Remediation groups will continue and we will work with you to develop your lesson plans accordingly.
Current teachers teaching non-remediation groups will be split by content. Scholars will remain the same. Chart is below.
NO scholars are changing at this time. During S2 we will look, based on data, at the changes needed for the scholars.
KAT has developed lesson plans for you. We will meet on Monday to discuss the planning during your team time.
We will continue this until the end of semester one. Beginning with semester two, Current Event groups will flip to math and math will flip to current events. We will examine our data of remediation groups and create a plan based on the data.
- ALL teachers will give a baseline short form MAP on Nov. 7th and a post test short form MAP on Dec. 12.
- Data will be tracked and teacher growth will be posted in the Parent Resource Room.
- When you sign out Monday, you are signing that you understand the expectations of WIN and that you have your lesson plans and will review them.
- There will be TKES observations during WIN time.
REMEMBER: WIN was a time we created, based on our SIP and CNA, intentionally designed to GROW our scholars. I know if we take this time as seriously as we do our content time, we will be able to GROW ALL SCHOLARS....which is the goal. I appreciate all the feedback that I have received regarding WIN and think these few tweaks will make this time more effective for you and for our scholars.
Counselor News and Notes
Ms. George is rocking the United Way Campaign this year! She has some exciting challenges planned for us!
- United Way
We will be pre-ordering Chick-Fil-A Chicken Biscuits for $3.00 with all proceeds going to United Way. Please tell your scholars and promote this delicious breakfast!
Holiday Help-Bryan County Children’s Fund (BCCF)
#RTB
Let me tell you a feel good football story! My two college friends and brother's roommates are coaching at Iowa State, the head coach and OC-- Matt Campbell and Tom Manning. I might be the only legit HAWKEYE that cheers for the Cyclones! Matt and Tom are amazing coaches and people and they have done an incredible job at Iowa State. Click the link below and watch and remember that failure and trap doors are there and they happen-- but we keep moving and keep pushing to learn and grow! That picture of Kyle Kempt in Norman on the field says it ALL. Stay the Course!
#KeepRowing #BeElite
Still my favorite BCMS football picture!
L