Warrior Beat
Student Focused-World Class
Week of the Warrior
MONDAY: November 27th
-Action Team Meetings-3:00 (Information Below)
- Boys Basketball game vs. T. A. Dugger at Sevier @ JV-5 and Varsity-6
- Lady Warrior Basketball Game vs. T. A. Dugger at T. A. Dugger @ JV-5 and Varsity – 6
- Wrestling Practice 3-5
- Cheerleaders need to be at JSMS by 5:30 for a Boys Basketball game
- Students singing for the Christmas Tree Lighting will rehearse from 3-3:30 in the chorus room.
- If you would like to receive a JSMS 2017 Yearbook please turn your order form and money in to your homeroom teacher
- The second payment of $200 for the Washington D.C. trip is due on Nov. 30. Bring payments to Mr. Trent or Mr. Moore.
TUESDAY: November 28th
-Warrior Academy Action Team-3:00-Library
- Boys Basketball game vs. Liberty Bell at Sevier @ JV-4:30 and Varsity-5:30
- Lady Warrior Basketball Game vs. Liberty Bell at Liberty Bell @ JV-5 and Varsity-6
- Cheerleaders need to be at JSMS at 5 for a Boys Basketball game.
- Wrestling Practice 3-5
- Swim Meet vs. Church Hill at DB warm up at 4:45 and meet at 6
- Students singing for the Christmas Tree Lighting will rehearse from 3-3:30 in the chorus room.
- No Student Council meeting on the 28th
- If you would like to receive a JSMS 2017 Yearbook please turn your order form and money in to your homeroom teacher
- The second payment of $200 for the Washington D.C. trip is due on Nov. 30. Bring payments to Mr. Trent or Mr. Moore.
WEDNESDAY: November 29th
- Boys Basketball practice 3-5
- Lady Warrior Basketball practice 3-5
- Wrestling Practice 3-5
- Students singing for the Christmas Tree Lighting will rehearse from 3-3:30 in the chorus room.
- There will be a Sequoyah Scribe staff meeting from 2:45 to 3:30 pm in room 340. All staff members are required to attend. The editorial staff and newscast staff will meet until 5:15 pm.
- If you would like to receive a JSMS 2017 Yearbook please turn your order form and money in to your homeroom teacher
- The second payment of $200 for the Washington D.C. trip is due on Nov. 30. Bring payments to Mr. Trent or Mr. Moore.
THURSDAY: November 30th
- Boys Basketball game vs. Gate City at Gate City @ JV-6 and Varsity-7
- Lady Warrior Basketball game vs. Gate City @ JV-4 and Varsity-5
- Wrestling Match vs. Greenville Middle at Greenville Middle @ 5:30 and 6:30
- Students singing for the Christmas Tree Lighting will rehearse from 3-3:30 in the chorus room.
- If you would like to receive a JSMS 2017 Yearbook please turn your order form and money in to your homeroom teacher
- The second payment of $200 for the Washington D.C. trip is due on Nov. 30. Bring payments to Mr. Trent or Mr. Moore.
FRIDAY: December 1st
-Grade Level Meetings-Planning Time-This will likely take the entire time because we will combine these with Academic Intervention Meetings by team (to focus on students who were failing classes at the mid-term)
- Boys Basketball Practice 3-5
- Lady Warrior Basketball practice 3-5
- Wrestling Practice 3-5
- Students singing for the Christmas Tree Lighting will rehearse from 3-3:30 in the chorus room.
- If you would like to receive a JSMS 2017 Yearbook please turn your order form and money in to your homeroom teacher
Save the Date:
- Wrestling match December 2nd Virginia Duals Tournament at Virginia High @ 9:00 am
- Swim Meet December 2nd Kingsport Aquatic Center (Championship Meet) at 2pm
-December 11 @ 7:00 pm- Sevier Band, Orchestra and Chorus 6th Grade Holiday Concert (at Sevier)
-December 14 @ 9:00 am and 7:00 pm-Sevier Band, Orchestra, Holiday Concert (at the Eastman Employee Center)
-December 18th-Tribe Classic-JSMS/RNR Trip to DB Dome for JSMS/RNR Girls and Boys Basketball Games
JSMS JAM...
Action Teams
The function of Action Teams continues to grow and evolve at Sevier. The Leadership Team functions as the Guiding Coalition of our School and is the decision making body for our school. The Action Teams are the small focus groups that include Leadership Team representatives, but also include teacher volunteers who are not on the Leadership Team. This allows for opportunities for all teachers to be involved and have a direct impact in our work. The action teams do the tedious work of focusing on specific target areas identified by the Leadership Team.
Highly effective schools are made up of a staff where everyone is invested in ways they feel they can best own and support the work. Effective schools have structures in place that long outlast principals because of the involvement of the entire school staff. The Leadership Team and the Action Teams are vehicles for your voice to be heard and the input of our faculty to make decisions to support our work.
Action Teams will meet tomorrow (Monday, Nov. 27). Of course, many of our Action Teams meeting more than once a month, but tomorrow, in an effort to systematize our work, we need all Action Teams to meet to do the following:
1. Clarify and Articulate the PURPOSE of the Action Team.
2. Identify three (or less) goals for the year.
3. In preparation for our collection of feedback for Action Teams, please determine whether the suggested open-ended questions are sufficient to receive the input needed for future work of the Action Team. Our hope is that we can use a consistent feedback tool for each Action Team (with slight modifications if needed...that is what we need you all to decide):
1. What celebrations do you have to share regarding the work of the ________________________ Action Team? What worked or is working?
2. What work is still needed?
3. What suggestions do you have?
4. What other comments would you like to share?
Please consider joining and becoming an active member of an Action Team. You are welcome to be a part of more than one.
Current Action Teams:
Way of the Warrior-monthly (This team will meet in Nick's office)-Nick will facilitate.
Culture Club-quarterly (This team will meet in Tony Weaver's room)-Tony will facilitate.
Tribe Time/Clubs-as needed (at least once a semester)-This team will meet in the Counseling Conference Room-Kelli will faciliate
Scheduling (monthly during the Spring semester)--WILL NOT MEET TOMORROW
Transforming Teaching and Learning: Grading (this team has not met this year, but will resume meeting monthly)-This team will meet in the Office Conference Room-Holly will facilitate.
Duties/Hallways/Transitions (as needed/at least once a semester-Leslie Hardin will facilitate. This team will meet in the sped office on the 6th Grade Hall.
Staff Communication/Collaboration (quarterly)-Leila will facilitate. This meeting will take place in the library
New Teacher Mentoring (quarterly, but this Action Team may meet more frequently this semester)-Stephen Baker will facilitate. This meeting will take place in Stephen Baker's classroom.
Warrior Academy-This work will be done on TUESDAY since this Action Team is already meeting on Tuesday.
We need all voices heard. Please choose an action team to join and be a part of building and sustaining the structures that create a positive school environment and help us achieve our vision.
JSMS Data Reflection and Action Plans
I am going to email all of you a copy of our JSMS Data Presentation that reveals the achievement and growth in each grade level and content (Math/LA/Science). Please review this data together with your team. Please identify areas of strength and areas for growth for your grade level department. Specifically, for areas of growth, please identify what changes we need to be making to support growth in those areas.
For areas of need, being specific about what we will change in order to yield more positive growth. Many of these have already been identified and are already in the works. This does not always require a major change....example: It may mean that changes have been made in how frequently student work is being assessed. It may mean that students are being grouped for reteaching in a more specific way following an assessment.
Simply said...for areas of need.... We know that we can't continue to do the same things we did last year and get different results.
Please consider how we can best utilize the district supports available to us in Dwain Arnold, Brian Cinnamon, Michael Hubbard, Pam Stidham, Emily Helphinstine, Jacki Wolfe and Stephanie Potter. These people are available and willing to support us. I will be meeting with them very soon to develop plans that include their involvement in our work and would like to share your input.
I know that this work is hard. Alone, it can be seemingly impossible. TOGETHER----we can do this!
Be positive and think about POSSIBILITIES. With your ideas and "what ifs..." please also identify what support we need to make those possibilities a reality.
It is critical in this work that we force ourselves to stay true to our norm: WE WILL REMAIN SOLUTION FOCUSED. WE WILL TALK ABOUT ONLY THAT WE CAN CHANGE.
Focusing on the negative, focusing on what we can change, playing a blame game...these actions will only make us feel defeated and they certainly won't change our reality.
SO! Let's roll up our sleeves, be the WARRIORS that we are...and let's make change that we believe will best support our kids!
Professional Learning
Please find attached and at the link below the 10-day PL Calendar Agenda.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1T7BafVFrDrlP8ETRnp04JGggHr4TtY3F
Call All Math Teachers!
Hello Teachers,
The 2018 Eastman Scholar MathElites program is scheduled to be held at the Kingsport Center for Higher Education during July 9-20, 2018 and is open to math teachers in grades K-Algebra I. The program is scheduled 9:00-3:00 daily (Monday-Friday of each week) with classes for teachers in grades K-2 (taught by Dr. Jamie Price), grades 3-5 (taught by Dr. George Poole), and grades 6-8 + Algebra I (taught by Dr. Ryan Nivens). The MathElites program provides an opportunity for teachers to deepen mathematical content and pedagogy and to network with other teachers in our area. Teachers who successfully complete the program receive 3 hours of graduate credit at no cost, $700 for classroom math materials (check made payable to the participant’s school), 1-year membership to Upper East Tennessee Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and a personal stipend of $1000 (based on $100 per day). Participants are expected to attend the all sessions.
Kingsport City Schools has a limited number of positions available in the program. Teachers who have participated in the program in the past are not eligible to participate this year. Teachers who would like to be considered as a participant in the 2018 MathElites program should email Pam Stidham by Friday, December 1st and include the appropriate grade level class. If possible, we will try to accommodate all teachers who are interested in attending.
I hope you will consider joining MathElites this summer!
Pam
Calling all ELA Teachers!
Participating in an assessment committee is a great learning experience and you have a voice in the assessment. Please see below for the link to apply.
https://www.tn.gov/education/topic/assessment-educator-opportunities
Assessment Educator Opportunities
Spring 2018 Educator Opportunities: Assessment Committees
The department is seeking educators to participate in the ongoing development of the Tennessee assessment program.
Each year Tennessee educators from across the state come together to help build our Tennessee-specific statewide assessments by participating in educator assessment committees. This valuable experience provides committee members the unique opportunity to provide feedback on the passages and items that will become a part of the TNReady state assessments. Tennessee educators are an invaluable resource as we continue to build our unique assessments.
Participants are needed for the following committees:
· TNReady ELA Content Assessment Committee: Grades 2–8 and EOC
· TNReady ELA Bias Passage Review Committee: Grades 2–8 and EOC
· TNReady ELA Item Writer Committee: Grades 3–EOC
· TNReady Math Item Writer Committee: Grades 3–EOC
The application window to be a part of these committees will open on Nov. 8 and close on Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. CST. The application can be accessed here.
News from the ASC
FREE - Restorative Practices Training
Restorative practices have been proven effective in reducing misbehavior, bullying, violence, and crime among students while improving the overall climate for learning in schools. In collaboration with STARS Nashville, the department will provide the following free training opportunities. Space is limited for these trainings, and registration will close on Nov. 20.
- Introduction to Restorative Practices training will cover the basics of restorative practices and how to use classroom circles as a restorative practice. For details and registration information, click here.
- Restorative Justice Conferencing training designed for administrators will cover how to facilitate restorative conferences. For details and registration information, click here. Note that Introduction to Restorative Practices is a required prerequisite for this training.
tnAchieves Seeking Mentors for Class of 2018
tnAchieves is seeking mentors for students who will graduate in Spring 2018. The mission of tnAchieves is to increase higher education opportunities for Tennessee high school students by providing last-dollar scholarships with mentor guidance. Mentors invest about 10-15 hours each year (typically less than one hour per month) to serve as a resource for high school seniors/college freshmen. Requirements to be a mentor include being at least 21 years of age, applying to serve by December 1, passing a background check, completing the one-hour mandatory mentor training, attending two one-hour meetings per year with your students and communicating with students every two weeks via email, phone or text as they transition from high school to college. Click here for more information about tnAchieves. Click here to apply to become a mentor. To chat with KCS personnel who have already served as mentors, please contact Misty Keller or Scott Pierce, Megan Bryant and Amy Ardire
Starting Jan. 3, 2018, Kingsport City Schools will move from the current Microsoft Outlook email/calendar/contacts provider to Google G Suite.
Ultimately, Google G Suite was selected by the TAC as the best path forward. The move (migration) from Outlook to Google G Suite will increase email/calendar functionality, provide better collaboration and availability features, and offer unlimited storage, which our current systems cannot provide. This was recommended as the most cost-effective solution for our district.
WHO: All KCS Employees.
WHAT: Outlook emails, calendars and contacts will migrate from Outlook to Google G Suite (Mail, Calendar, and Contacts).
WHEN: The migration of data has already begun and will continue through Winter Break. The last day to use Outlook will be Jan. 2, 2018. Starting Jan. 3 only Google G Suite will be used.
WHY: The move to Google G Suite will increase email/calendar functionality, provide better collaboration and availability features, and offer unlimited storage, which our current systems cannot provide.
HOW: Migrations will be ongoing until Jan. 2, 2018 via the KCS technology department.
A few key things: If you have anything on K drive or other network drives that you want saved, they need to be transferred to Google drive
IF your password for email and computer log on is few than 8 characters, you will need to change it
See Lucy for details-she is still learning, so we can ask Hope for help if needed
JSMS Student Survey
We have been asked to give the following survey to ALL Sevier students. As a grade-level, please determine how you want to give this survey that is most desired by your grade level. It needs to be completed by THIS FRIDAY, November 17th. There are only three questions and it should not take more than 10 minutes for students to take it.
Here is the link:
? I would probably just ask each grade level to work out how they want students to take the survey by a certain date.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfS6RNBj7u_Y7ph1iafZP3Nh0bQRHXjdWJpHa1hmbiBZLyPIg/viewform