Wm. Adams Middle School
Faculty and Staff Newsletter • January 28, 2019
Duty Stations this Week
If you are unable to be at your duty station, please find someone to take your place.
Rebecca Wymore - Station 1: Flagpole
Margie Ysassi - Station 2: Outside near the gym doors that face east
OPEN - Station 3: Outside near the covered walk
Michelle Ballard - Station 4: Outside near the covered walk
Annabelle Barrera - Station 5: Outside the cafeteria
Jimmy Bassett - Station 6: Outside the cafeteria
Haylee Bell - Station 7: Outside the gym on the south side
Mia Campos - Station 8: Outside the gym on the south side
Richard Carrell - Station 9: Tree at the entrance of the campus drive way where students gather
Jessica Anderson- Station 10: Bus Stop
Parker Cordes- Station 11: Bus Stop
Richard De Los Santos - Station 12: East exit
Oralia Eberhard - Station 13: West side, bandhall exit (Presnall St.)
Augustine Erebia - Station 14: West side, bandhall exit (Presnall St.)
Morning Bus Duty:
*Patricia Erebia - Station 15: 7:15-7:45 (bus stop)
*Christina Garcia - Station 16: 7:15 - 7:45 (bus stop)
*Changes to Duty Assignments Forthcoming
Shout Outs
Thanks also to Kandace Fox, Judy Tiller, Angel Espinoza and Sally Hernandez for the work on the Bingo cards that we are going to put to very good use in the immediate future.
Thank you to Jessica Anderson and Emily Smith who took in one another's classes Thursday and Friday when each was stricken with stomach flu. Linda Paisley, Mia Campos also helped as did many we are unaware of who work silently behind the scenes to make things work.Thank you all!
DEAR Time - Are You Using it Effectively
How lucky we are to have a built in time within our school day for students and teachers to engage in reading. As the teacher, you must be monitoring your class to ensure that students are reading. There should not be a non-stop train of students leaving the classroom. You can monitor your students by calling them up one-by one, with their book, and asking them a few questions. You take their book, browse quickly through it, find a character's name and ask about that character. You should be able to tell right away if the student has been reading. You could have students write a book review, write their own summary as if they were creating a book jacket; or design a book jacket.
DEAR time should be treated with the same importance as every class period.
This link may provide you with additional information: http://www.readwritethink.org/resources/resource-print.html?id=141
With an Eye on the Prize
An article in "The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry" states, "Changing brains mean that adolescents act differently from adults. Pictures of the brain in action show that adolescents' brains work differently than adults when they make decisions or solve problems. Their actions are guided more by the emotional and reactive amygdala and less by the thoughtful, logical frontal cortex. Research has also shown that exposure to drugs and alcohol during the teen years can change or delay these developments." Making the right choice can be difficult for kids.
So, next time we become frustrated with our students, let us all stop, take a breath, count to 5 or 10 or even 20 if we need to, before we speak to the student. Yes, they sometimes occupy our invisible work baggage, but we must remember that they are children who don't always have the self-control that we should have. We have discussed where our students are academically, and we know that we have a monumental task in front of us. But know this: Your admin team knows that we are all up to the challenge. Your admin team knows when we keep our eye on the prize (Met Standard with distinctions!) we will make tremendous progress.
We have discussed our "witching hours" right before lunch and right after lunch when more discipline issues arise. We have also discussed that we need to change what we are doing at these times. Add some activities, or change your routine. (Talk to your social studies department. They have been incorporating different activities. They may have some ideas for you. Your admin team can also help. Talk to each other for ideas, too.)
So, keep on keeping on. Find your marigolds and walk away from the walnut trees. Our jobs are too important and our kids depend on us.
Article may be found at
Spring Fever is Here
Thank you for always alerting us to information you hear; it helps us be proactive in preventing fights and in finding contraband that we don't want on our campus. Let's adopt the motto "All for one and one for all" and strengthen our resolve to make Wm. Adams Middle School the school we want it to be in all areas, including safety.
Don't forget about your content vocabulary!
New Attendance Incentive
Each student and teacher (if they want to participate) will receive a YOTES card. Every day a number will be called. When a student has won, he or she must bring their card to Mr. Espinoza to be checked. This must be done by the end of school that day. Students must be present all day every day in order to win. Their attendance will be checked for every number that was called.
Prizes will vary from simple things like a free dress day to larger prizes like kick scooters, and electronic devices. Games will range from the traditional Bingo variations to blackout.