WBMS Staff Newsletter
Week of October 30th-Nov 3rd
Dates To Remember
Oct 31- Faculty Meeting @ 7:50
Oct 31- Literacy Day- dress as you favorite literary character
Oct 31- County Policy Sign-Off Date
Oct 31- Mix It Up Lunch
Nov 1- Evacuation Drill @ 9am
Nov 2- Marigold Meeting @ 8am
Nov 6-8- JA Biztown for 6th Grade
Nov 7- Vertical Teaming Meeting/ Leadership
Nov 8-10- GaETC
Nov 10- SGC Meeting
Nov 10- PTA Luncheon
Nov 10- Last day of 2nd 4.5 Weeks
Nov 30- NWLC Walkthrough
October Meeting Schedule
November 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, Grandparent Coffee, Fine Arts Assembly
Oct 31- Celebrate Literacy! Dress as your favorite character
Select Your Growth Academy for Next Semester
The following link contains the 6 most popular topics we received for Growth Academies for Spring 2018. We are not capping these groups, however we need a minimum amount of participants in order for a group to form. Please select your 1st and 2nd choices.
Blood Drive
Congrats Lisa Beckett!
Budget Services was deeply honored to present a Certificate of Excellence to 66 Bookkeepers and 33 Program Assistants throughout the District for Excellent Budget Management in fiscal year 2017. Our very own Lisa Beckett was among them. Congrats Lisa!
Monitoring Fulton County Schools' budget is important not only because this aligns with the district’s new strategic plan, it ensures that all the needs of our students, faculty, and staff are met. These outstanding Bookkeepers and Program Assistants exceeded the district’s budget management standards and are to be congratulated.
Shout Out to Lisa Milian!
NEW: Webb Way Wowzers
WOWZERS!
- Congrats to Nicole McNeal for creating her first Padlet and allowing her students to share their projects with one another!- Katie Pardee
Shout out to Kevin Cooke and Christian Bernhardt for showing me how to use Teams and creating another way for us to collaborate.-Robin Walters
- Big thank you to Katie Haight for many hours spent together on essay grading, you are amazing! - Robin Walters
- Huge thanks to Kristyne Wood for once again converting all the CogAT test scores. This is a tedious and time consuming process – you are SO appreciated for doing this work to support our TAG students!!!- Mary Paradis
- Thank you to Michelle Garner, Ed Kaiser, Corinne Battani, Rebecca O’Sullivan, Mia Schwob, Barb Lyon, James Barket, Lorena Galloway, Sarah Boltz, Jane He, Christina Webber, Stefania Battaglia, Sonja Logan, Fredina Anderson, Mary Liming, Ashely Jones, Rosalind Cedeno, Joy Tadsen, Jocelyne Fragnito, Freid Omanovic, and Joe Juillaume for all the help with International Festival-----Beena Shah
- Webb Way WOWZER to Tina Mathewson, Leslie Nuckolls and Anne Ramsey for Rocking our café and UNITING our students! These women make me smile every day and make me proud to be a part of this fantastic school!!!!!!- Sarah Hendrix
- Wowzer to Sunny Winfield for her efforts to create the reading room on the 600 hallway to promote reading for fun!- Nan Brown
- Julianne Hunter and Tracy Sicchitano – for being there for our WEB Leaders during their 4th period meetings. Thank you for the support, supervision, and guidance you provide for our awesome kiddos. And Carmen Hurst – for tracking down a wayward student. -Jana Bernhardt
- Sarah Boltz – for taking on the concessions for International Night and allowing the WEB Leaders and Jr. Beta students to help you do so. You are a rockstar!-Jana Bernhardt
- Mia Schwob – for organizing your 6th graders to sing “It’s a Small World” for International Festival. While I never want to hear the song again (until next year that is), it is amazing that you give your students the opportunity to perform for the school and community – that is so the Webb Way.-Jana Bernhardt
- Thank you to the International Night committee members for a JOB WELL DONE!- Carmen Hurst
- Thank you to the counselors for a successful 1st Quarter Citizenship Breakfast, October Webster’s Awards and #UNITE!- Carmen Hurst
- Thank you to the 8th grade team for a successful Field Test!- Carmen Hurst
- Thank you to Katie Pardee for such thorough Friday Notes and Staff Newsletters.- Carmen Hurst
- Thank you to the 7th grade barista team for keeping me fully caffeinated each day with yummy coffee and all the necessary accessories.- Mary Liming
REMINDER-County Policy/Training Sign-off Due Oct 31
FCS requests that all employees review some essential policies/training materials annually, so that there is an awareness of the serious expectations outlined in each. The list of this information is accessed and submitted electronically in order to establish a record of the training. It is not an exhaustive list. Also, when policy revisions are made or new ones created, a systemic alert is made to notify district personnel of the policy change(s). (If you are a new hire this is part of your “First 30 days” requirements; please review the instructions listed on the New Employee portal page link).
Open Enrollment
October marks the time of year for Open Enrollment, when eligible employees make
changes to, or enroll in, the benefits program for next year.
This year, Open Enrollment begins Monday, October 16 and will end at 11:59 PM on
Friday, November 3.
For more information, you only need to visit one site: http://www.myfultonbenefits.com
This is the central place to find information and links.
Charitable Fund
It is that time of the year to open your hearts and help support The Fulton County Charitable FundDrive. The donation period will run for three weeks, from October 16 – November 3, 2017. I have attached the directions for making your donation on line and the difference between an annual election and one time election.
We would like to hold our traditional prize drawing for those who contribute, and I will need prizes donated from the staff. Great items are: gift cards, baked goods, hand-made items, etc.
Directions to follow:
- Make your on-line donation
- Complete the Microsoft Form to enter the drawing.
– Click Here for “I Donated” Link
If you would like to donate a prize:
- By Nov 3rd- Please complete the Microsoft Form stating the item you will contribute
Click here for the “I Want To Donate a Prize” Link - Bring the item for the drawing day during our December Faculty Meeting.
Thank you so much for supporting Fulton County. The attached brochure includes the organizations to help you make your choice a bit more meaningful. Please let me know if you need help or have questions.
Your kindness is greatly appreciated,
Katie Pardee
NWLC Walkthrough
We will have visitors from the NWLC community doing walkthroughs on Nov 30.
Annual Teacher Market Place for 2017- Vendor Info
If you are interested in being a vendor, complete the FORM with the items you plan to sell.
Past items sold in the Market Place:
Pottery painted -windows -jewelry -pillows -greeting cards -wreaths -picture frames -cake plates-ornaments -upcycled products-Lotion bars/soap -tooth fairy pillows -monogrammed trinket dishes- door hangers/decorationsPrevious vendors who could answer any questions you have: (and forgive me if I leave your name off accidentally)
Swartz- Garner- F. Anderson- Gillespie- Hedger- Okenica -Winfield- Runzo
Vendor Info:
- You get about ½ of a table to display your goods. Please let me know if you need more space or a particular area of the PLR.
- The room is unmanned, but each vendor has an envelope at his/her space where people will put payment. We are on the honor system.
- Items must be handmade by YOU…you cannot sell your best friend’s grandma’s crocheted handkerchiefs.
- You can sell an artistic service…for example, a family photo session if you are a photographer, a pet portrait if you draw. Teachers can sign up for these to be done at a later date. You would display examples of your work.
Webb Way Employees of the Week
Congratulations to Lindsey Weaver, Stephanie Dunn, Melissa Haas and Tina Mathewson!
Thank you for support the Webb Way and our students in the areas of Respect*Responsibility*Citizenship!
You have won the Webb Way Employee Parking spots thru Wednesday. The spots are marked with beautiful white signs with blue writing (where the Aps parked).
Enjoy and please continue to recognize our students exhibiting the Webb Way!!
October Birthdays
4 James Barket
4 Ashley Jones
5 Jenna Allenson
10 Katie Pardee
14 Jane He
16 Shadia Anderson
20 Kevin Cooke
21 Rickey Jordan
23 Vicki Nixon
24 Tina Mathewson
25 Joy Myrick
25 Tracy Lynn Wagner
28 Sandra Vegners
29 Susie McFarland
30 Avenot Benjamin
30 Mitch Tyniec
November Birthdays
5 Melanie McCutcheon 6 Lynette Okenica 12 Veronica Okwoche 15 Rocio Rodriguez 17 Meredith Desrosiers 17 Stephanie Turner 19 Anne Ramsey 20 Lisa Beckett 20 Jocelyne Fragnito 22 Leslie Buxbaum 22 Jill Muvdi 30 Caitlin Schmidt 30 Tracy Sicchitano
See a Bug? Report it!
Anonymous Feedback to Ms. Perkins
Send feedback anonymously to Ms. Perkins by following this link: bit.ly/toperkins
Reminders
- Transfer all files to OneDrive
- Remind students to reboot surface while AT school.
Tip #1: Let Go of "Normal"
Tips for Teachers: Successful strategies for teaching gifted learners
From The Davidson Institute
Being a classroom teacher of gifted students can be both an exciting and overwhelming experience. There are so many curriculums to cover, so many standards to meet, and so many things to learn. It can seem as though you're being stretched in an infinite number of directions. And, the most challenging part generally isn't the teaching; it is managing student behavior. Without a doubt the most difficult student in your classroom is generally the one who finishes every assignment in less than five minutes and requires constant redirection. Here is a helpful tip:
Tip #1: Let Go of "Normal"
In order to be an effective teacher, whether it's your first year or your 30th, the best thing you can do for yourself is to let go of the idea of "normal." Offer all students the opportunity to grow from where they are, not from where your teacher training courses say they should be. You will not harm a student by offering him/her opportunities to complete work that is more advanced. Research consistently shows that curriculum based on development and ability is far more effective than curriculum based on age. And, research indicates that giftedness occurs along a continuum. As a teacher, you will likely encounter students who are moderately gifted, highly gifted and, perhaps if you're lucky, even a few who are profoundly gifted. Strategies that work for one group of gifted students won't necessarily work for all gifted students. Don't be afraid to think outside the box. You're in the business of helping students to develop their abilities. Just as athletes are good at athletics, gifted students are good at thinking. We would never dream of holding back a promising athlete, so don't be afraid to encourage your "thinketes" by providing them with opportunities to soar.
Work Life Balance
ATL Hawks Night
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.