WBMS Staff Newsletter
Week of December 18-21
Dates To Remember
Dec 18-20-Finals
Dec 21- Staff Breakfast
Dec 21- Last Day of Fall Semester
Jan 4- Teacher Workday/ Faculty Meeting
Jan 5- County Professional Learning Day
Jan 8- 1st Day of Second Semester
December Meeting Schedule
January Meeting Schedule
Fall Final Exam Schedule
Dec 18th - Reading, World Language, and Social Studies
Dec 19th - Math and ELA
Dec 20th - Science and Health
Dec 21st - Staff Breakfast, Fine Arts Assembly
*No Advisory during Final Exams
Final Exam Help Sessions
World Language and Reading – Friday, 15th
English Language Arts – Monday, 18th
Math – Tuesday, 19th
Science – Wednesday, 20th
Reminder- No Advisory during Finals
Dec 21- Staff Breakfast and Ugly Sweater Contest
Spring Growth Academy
Action Items
Irma Hours- Log here: bit.ly/irma12hours
Faculty Meeting PPT- 12/5
Leadership Notes- 11/28
Teacher Holiday Special at the Bonefish Grill! Get free appetizer and 10% off your check when you bring this flyer in. Copies of flyers are in the mailroom.
Message from Benefits
December Birthdays
4 Monica Goodman 4 Greg Groover 5 Mia Schwob 7 Debbie Sheftel 9 Christian Bernhardt 9 Julie Swartz
10 Corinne Battani
16 Robin Walters
19 Lorena Galloway 19 Sunny Winfield 22 Mary Paradis 28 Becca O’Sullivan
See a Bug? Report it!
Anonymous Feedback to Ms. Perkins
Send feedback anonymously to Ms. Perkins by following this link: bit.ly/toperkins
Student Surveys: Using Student Voice to Improve Teaching and Learning
A student survey allows students to voice their issues, needs, and desires, giving feedback on how a teacher can change his or her instruction to help them perform better in class.
When Christopher Pagan, a physics teacher at Trinidad Garza Early College High School, reflected on his students' performance, he realized that they weren't meeting his expectations or their own potential. "I needed to come up with some way where I could improve how they were performing in class," recalls Pagan.
He didn't have all the answers, so he came up with an idea: he'd ask his students.
Knowing that his students had a hard time learning the content, Pagan wanted them to reflect on what would make them more successful in his class, how do they learn best, and what kind of in-class activities would benefit their learning the most. Furthermore, many of his students were not retaking the tests on which they under performed and were turning in their homework late, or not at all. He incorporated questions around those problems as well to learn how he could best help his students.
The survey took about five to ten minutes for students to fill out during class. "He got the information back, changed how he taught, and changed how he tutored," says Dr. Janice Lombardi, Trinidad Garza's principal. “It changed and informed his instruction. As a result, last year, his students' physics scores phenomenally increased. We decided this might be one of our best practices.”
Now, Trinidad Garza administers student surveys twice a year for all classes.
You can download Trinidad Garza's schoolwide survey (PDF) and use it as is or adapt it to fit your needs.
Read the rest of the article here:
More Resources:
Reminders
- Transfer all files to OneDrive
- Remind students to reboot surface while AT school.
Blunder Number Three: Only Allowing Gifted Students To Move Ahead When They Complete The Grade/Age Designed Work Assignments With 100% Accuracy.
It is important to remember that gifted students think and learn differently and can be extremely rebellious. No one -- not adults, not children and especially not gifted children -- likes to be bored! Gifted students, thanks to their ability to reason, will purposely choose not do something merely because they "must" do it, particularly if it seems pointless to them. They would rather spend their time thinking or reading than completing worksheets that are too easy. Focus on your students' strengths, not their shortcomings. Offer them opportunities that are consistent with their abilities -- lead them from where they are. Depending how long they have been in the system, it may take them a while to trust you. So, don't be surprised if there isn't a miraculous overnight change. Be consistent and positive and remember, you may be the first teacher who has offered them an opportunity to actually learn, rather than regurgitate and they may not know how to handle your responsiveness. Don't fall in to the trap of saying, "See, I told you he wasn't gifted, I gave him one tough assignment and he failed." Gifted students generally haven't had to work to succeed. Give them time to build their, often atrophied, wings in a safe environment.
Work Life Balance
Holidays around the world: November 28, 2017 - Jan. 6, 2018
Holiday lights - Botanical Garden: November 28, 2017 - Jan. 7, 2018
Aquarium holiday: November 28 - Dec. 31, 2017
A Christmas Carol: December 1 - 23, 2017
A Christmas Carol is Charles Dickens’ holiday classic about Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and three Christmas ghosts.
- Dec. 1 - 23 : Shakespeare Tavern downtown.
- Dec. 2 - 23: One man plays all of the characters at Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville.
- Dec. 8 - 24: Alliance Theatre, Cobb Energy Centre.
2017-2018 School Year
First Semester
August 1 – 4 ........................................... Preplanning for teachers
August 7......................................................... First Day of School
September 4........................................Labor Day (schools closed)
October 6 ......................................Teacher Workday (students off)
October 9 ......................................Columbus Day (schools closed)
November 20 – 24.............. Thanksgiving Holidays (schools closed)
December 21 ....................................... Last Day of First Semester
December 22 – 29 ...........................Winter Break (schools closed)
Second Semester
January 1 – 3...................................Winter Break (schools closed)
January 4.......................................Teacher Workday (students off)
January 5....................Professional Development Day (students off)
January 8.........................................First Day of Second Semester
January 15..............Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday (schools closed)
February 16*................... Student/Teacher Holiday (schools closed)
February 19 ......................President’s Day Holiday (schools closed)
March 9*.......................................Teacher Workday (students off)
March 12....................Professional Development Day (students off)
April 2 – 6 .......................................Spring Break (schools closed)
May 24........................................................... Last Day of School
May 25.................................................................. Post Planning
May 28...............................Memorial Day Holiday (schools closed)
* Designated as inclement weather make-up days (if needed).
Our School Release Days
These are the dates approved through the RFF process as part of School Governance. WBMS students will NOT attend school on the following dates:
September 1, 2017
October 5, 2017
January 16, 2018
March 8, 2018
Community Balance Days 2017-2018
September 20
October 25
February 21
March 21
The idea is that students will go home right after school to create balance in their lives. Staff members and students alike will take a night off. Club sponsors and coaches and directors may hold meetings and practices and games as needed. We feel students release stress through these extracurricular activities.
Please plan to enjoy yourself and work your assessments around these dates this school year.