FMS @ a Glance Staff Meeting
August 28-September 1, 2017
Welcome Back
The video attached is one of my favorite videos that sends a great message on the importance of our everyday encounters with students or with people in general. It most certainly fits in with our PBIS kick off.
No matter if you have seen this video once or twice since I have shown it or if this is the very first time you have seen the video, it is well worth the few minutes of time to listen to the message being sent and reflect about how your everyday interactions really do mean so much to the people in our building.
Welcome to FMS for the 2017-2018 school year. Let's make this a great year to be a FALCON.
Bully Procedures
Below you will see the procedure that we will follow when a student reports a potential bullying situation. You may often time be the first person a student talks to when they feel bullied or harassed. It is important to always listen to the student and send a caring message to them. Keep in mind that we have very specific procedures we must follow so be sure to tell the student that you will follow up with a Principal or our Behavior Interventionist.
Be sure to check with me, Kelly, or Amber if you have any questions.
FMS Bullying Procedure: (All completed within 72 hours of the initial report)
Listen to the student, take notes to document the situation. Ask these questions:
Tell me what happened.
Have you shared these concerns with anyone else? (teachers, office staff, etc.)
Go through Bullying Definition to determine if it is bullying. (See: XXXX)
If not, handle the situation. Make sure it is documented in the Student Check-in Spreadsheet and handled appropriately.
If bullying, the student needs to fill out bullying interview form with Principal or Asst. Principal.
The administration will conduct the interview and complete the process.
Student interview form (target)
Tennessen Warning
Actor interview form
Tennessen Warning
Talk to involved students regarding findings and next steps
Communicate with parents via official bullying findings letter
Once investigation is complete put paperwork in FMS Bullying Binder
Fight Protocol
Special Services Director Rob Dehnert sent this out last year and serves as a great resource for staff that finds themselves stuck in an uncomfortable situation.
Our Special Education Department is trained in CPI retraining practices and many Special Education teachers will be carrying 2-way radios. We have also purchased 2-way radios for our PE/H Department, specifically for our PE teachers that typically do not have easy access to a phone.
Breaking Up Fights
Basic Techniques for School Personnel
by NEA Staff
Found in: Classroom Management
Occasionally, arguments between students escalate and erupt into fights. It is important that school personnel know basic techniques for breaking up fights and dealing with students who are physically aggressive. Here are some suggestions from Johns and Carr,1995:
- Never ignore aggression. If ignored, small acts of aggression can quickly grow to more violent aggression.
- Go toward the scene of the violence. Sometimes just the presence of an adult will stop a potentially violent situation.
- Quickly review the situation. Try to determine what has happened, who is there, and what is likely to happen. If the situation includes members of rival gangs, send an onlooker for more adults.
- Look to see if there are any weapons present.
- In a strong voice, tell students that they must stop doing what they're doing. Sometimes students are hoping an adult will tell them to stop fighting so they will have a "graceful" way out.
- Tell any onlookers to leave the area. Call students by name if you know them, and tell them specifically where to go. For example, "Brian, go back to your class now!" is more effective than saying, "Everyone get out of here now!"
- Tell onlookers, and those involved in the aggression, the consequences of not following your directions.
- Make a mental note of the names of onlookers.
- Never get between students who are fighting.
- If the situation does come to blows, tell the students to stop. Sometimes just directing students to stop fighting -- in a loud, demanding voice -- is enough to make them stop. Again, in many cases the students actually are looking for an excuse to stop.
- After the incident, document what happened, and share this with other adults as required.
- Support victims in any way you can. Get them any help they may need.
Reference
Johns, Beverly H., & Valerie G. Carr. 1995. Techniques for Managing Verbally and Physically Aggressive Students. Hawthorne Educational Services, Inc.
FMS Master Calendar
1. Speak with Mrs. Johnson to see if the date and space(s) are available.
2. Speak with Mrs. Vininski to request your activity to be placed on the FMS calendar.
3. All requests will be presented to the admin team at our weekly Monday admin meetings.
4. Notification will be sent out indicating approval or denial of the requests. Approved request will be placed on the FMS calendar and facilities calendar.
All dances and fun-nights must have an administrator present. Mr. Hawkins, Mrs. Dahlstrom, Mrs. McDermott and myself are the available administrators that will be rotating the supervision duties. We will assign nights on a case-by-case basis.
Field Trips
The District Office is very clear, and our building administrators fully support, that if an "educational" field trip is planned and warrants taking students out of their regular schedule it is then important enough for all students to attend. Discipline concerns should not be a reason to withhold an education opportunity from a student. In extreme situations, a student may be given an alternative assignment rather than attending the field trip. Administration approval is needed and, again, I will stress that granting the removal of the student will be only in extreme situations.
"Fun" field trips really only happen the last day of the school year and serve as a celebration for the student body. As with the "educational" field trips, all students will be allowed to attend these celebrations and only in extreme situations will a student be prohibited from attending. FMS administration may be available to attend a field trip if discipline is a concern.
Miscellaneous field trip reminders:
1. The School Nurse must be notified of all times that students leave the building. This includes all-day trips and partial-day trips.
2. Sodexo, our Food Service provider, must be notified when groups of students will be gone over the lunch periods.
3. Staff must get administrative approval for all student trips and must notify all staff that may be affected by having students missing from their classes. Check with Judy to confirm your requested dates are available and then put your request in with Minda.
See me if you have any questions or concerns.
Open House
Times: 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Staff hours: 3:30 pm - 8:30 pm
(one of my pet peeves over the years is to see staff leaving the building before parents)
Display tables will be placed near the entrance of the building to showcase activities, organizations, and special opportunities. The more display tables the better.
I sent out an email on August 23rd with some brief statements on course syllabi. Please refer to that email on expectations.
Parent Conference sign-up sheets need to be available. Remind all parents that you visit with to sign up right away with their child's advisor. Please see Kelly or me to get our Advisory based sign up sheet.
Teachers will be handing out schedules, locker assignments, MCA results, a PBIS introductory letter, a permission form, a Remind introductory letter, and having parents sign up for parent conferences. This information will be passed along to you at our staff meeting on Tuesday.
Thank you Drew Tinaglia, Casey Lake and custodian staff and Laura McColley.
Laura McColley and her Girls Scouts troop are responsible for the new school colors displayed on the walls entering each team.
Their flexibility and hard work does not go unnoticed. THANK YOU!! You are most definitely FALCON STRONG!
PLC's
The FMS schedule will be as follows:
September
13 - Collaborative Inquiry PLC and Department PLC
20 - Staff meeting
27 - Technology PLC
October
4 - Early Out / Collaborative Inquiry
11- Technology PLC
25 - Staff meeting
November
1 - Technology PLC
8 - Early Out and staff assembly on Texting and Driving
15 - Staff meeting
December
6 - Early out / Collaborative Inquiry
13 - Technology PLC
20 - Staff meeting
January
10 - Collaborative Inquiry / Department PLC
17 - Staff meeting
24 - Technology PLC
February
7 - Technology PLC
21 - Collaborative Inquiry / Department PLC
28 - Staff meeting
March
7 - Early Out / Collaborative Inquiry
14 - Technology PLC
28 - Staff meeting
April
4 - Technology PLC
11 - Early Out / Collaborative Inquiry
18 - Staff meeting
May
2 - Technology PLC
9 - Early Out / Building agenda
16 - Staff meeting
Split Lunches (7th grade)
In a nutshell - the period will start at 11:03 am and end at 1:07 pm. Teachers will choose to send their students to lunch at 11:26 am (and then back to class at 11:59 am) or send their students to lunch at 12:11 pm (and back to class at 12:44 pm). The cafeteria needs to know how many students will be coming in at each time. Staff will have their personal lunch at the same time they send their students to lunch. Teachers will have the flexibility to switch their lunch times at quarter breaks if they see a need for a switch.
Confused? See Kelly or myself.
Announcements
Some changes to the morning routine will take place this year. The Pledge will be read one time each week rather than every day. Our PBIS VIP's is the only other regularly scheduled announcement. If things need to be added we will let you know.
Morning announcement:
Monday - pledge & theme based announcements
Tuesday - theme based announcements
Wednesday- call down VIP & theme based announcements
Thursday - theme based announcements
Friday - theme based announcements
Afternoon announcement:
* when needed, “big” announcements only/ read at start of 7th hour
* Weather related cancellations and other "emergencies" will be read right a way.
Community School Update
Faribault Public School District has been awarded a 21st Century grant turning the dream of an FMS Community School into a reality.
Interviews were held on August 23rd and 24th for the Community School Director that will be housed here at FMS. Charles Cooper III has officially accepted this position and will be jumping in and moving this program along.
The Community School program will be up and running sometime in mid-September and will include FREE meals for any student 18 years old and younger. This meal program will run from 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Monday through Thursday when school is in session.
After school programs will be offered Monday - Thursday from 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm.
Evening programming is in the planning stages and will be held two nights a week running from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Staff is welcomed and encouraged to present or be part of the Community School experience. More information will be presented as the time nears.
A special shout-out to Anne Marie Leland for all the financial support that has been provided to help with office furniture and equipment.
EMT/Emergency Trained?
Guest Teacher Folders
In order to be prepared for the last minute or emergency staff absences - "Emergency Guest Teacher Folders" are required of all staff.
Please be sure to have the following materials in your folder:
1. All the different class schedule (with times listed) that makes up the different days.
2. Student lists (be sure to update this regularly)
3. An activity the will keep the students occupied and productive. Remember this could be a 93 minute period of time - so plan accordingly.
4. Directions for Advisory and Academic Seminar. This should be addressed by your team as to how to work together to address emergency sub situations.
5. Identify a "teacher buddy" that you have arranged with to help the guest teacher get through the day if lesson plans were not left due to the emergency situation.
This folder needs to be completed by September 22nd. Minda will store the folders in the front office.
Internal sub coverage reminder
*CPT is untouchable*Advisory
1. Teacher will make plans for subs
2. Michael S./Counselor/SW/BI/Asst Principal/Principal will cover if needed
*Academic Seminar -
1. Teachers will make plans for subs
2. Teams will cover when team member leaves last hour or two each day
Important Dates:
September 20, 2017 7th grade Youth Frontiers
September 29, 2017 Falcon Fun Friday / Homecoming Week
October 5, 2017 Hearing and Vision Screenings
October 16 & 17, 2017 School Picture Days
October 17 & 18, 2017 Parent Conferences
November 2, 2017 Hearing and Vision re-screenings
November 8, 2017 Early Out and 8th grade Assembly on Texting and Driving
November 8, 2017 WE Day Minnesota
February 15 & 16, 2017 Parent Conferences
February 28, 2018 Orchestra Festival hosted at FMS
May 10, 2018 Spring Celebration Evening
May 18, 2018 Falcon Fun Friday
TBD - Career Fair (tentatively scheduled for 7th and 8th grade)
Furniture needs
Our building capital budget has been exhausted for the 17-18 school year and new furniture will not be purchased. See me if you have questions.
Student Passes
1. A student must have a pass if they leave your classroom.
2. Do not limit the amount of passes a student can receive to go to the bathroom.
It is up to the teams/grade levels to establish a system for student passes. The planner book will have pass pages included; you can use the planner or come up with a lanyard, clipboard, etc. system for your students to use.
Our young adolescents are going through stages of life that may require more bathroom breaks. We get parent phone calls from time to time stating their concerns and frustrations about their daughter (or son) needing to use the bathroom for personal reasons and being denied the time to take care of these personal needs. Parent phone calls will be directed back to the teacher or team if we receive them from this point forward. If a student is developing a "distracting routine" with bathroom requests, a phone call ahead of time to the parent or to an administrator will probably clarify the situation and make it more comfortable for all involved.
New Staff Workroom
Use as needed and let the creativity flow!