In the Middle Newsletter
September 13-20
Principal Ponderings: Suicide Prevention Week
This week is National Suicide Prevention Week. I doubt that I am alone in the fact that I have had individuals close to me who have taken their own life when the burdens they felt in their life were too heavy of a load to bear.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 10-25. It affects both male and female, wealthy and poor, young and old. Feelings of loneliness are higher among 18-year-olds than it is for individuals 72 years of age and older and only going to get worse. This is why there is such a push for social-emotional learning in today's environment. Something so small as learning and using a child's name in frequent interaction can have a major impact. It's the little things that can make the biggest difference.
Thank you for being involved in the work we do with children. I said it yesterday, teaching is hard, but it's hard because it is so important.
Administrative Items
- Lunch Duty (6/3-7 and 6/10): Goulette/Lint, Hooper, Veldman
- Lancer Leader of the Week: 6th Lakeshore
- Late Start: Course
- P2: Curiosity Week. It is great to see character strengths being posted on student lockers. Encourage students to see character strengths in their daily conversations, interactions, and observations.
- Lancer Leader Tickets: You all received Lancer Leader tickets in your mailbox. Have a goal of one a day. Last year we handed out 559 tickets beginning in mid-November. All staff can hand these tickets out. Use SBI feedback when doing so. "Timmy, when you encouraged your friend to volunteer in class it really gave her the confidence to explain her thinking. Thanks for taking care of each other." BAM! Lancer Leader ticket for taking care of each other!
- Sharing is Caring: Please, share your lesson plans and Google Classroom with Allison and I.
- Pre-Inquiry Meetings: For staff on the observation schedule, you received an invite to a meeting next week. Have growth plan and self-assessment completed so we can have a conversation on where you want to take your instruction this year and how I can best support you.
- Go over fire drill procedures with your students. Do add that "Karen" will tell them to go to the nearest exit, however, we first stage and pause, and wait for an announcement from me before proceeding to the nearest exit.
Upcoming Dates and Events
9/16-20
- Pre-Inquiry meetings
9/19
- REED/IEP, 8:00 (Bacon, Blough)
- IEP, 9:00 (Rhodes, Southard)
- IEP, 11:00 (G-U, Porter)
- IEP, 1:00 (G-U, Veldman)
If I've missed your birthday, please, let me know.
Two Resources Worth Sharing
Julie passed along this great resource for a number of things to do with Google Tools.
If your college program was similar to mine, special education was not heavily present (or lightly present) unless you were specifically going into special education. I was ill-equipped as a general education teacher with special education students. Thankfully, I had my sister (a special education teacher and now a PBIS trainer/consultant) to assist me along the way. Here at LMS, we have experts in our building to utilize and get support from. We have supports at RESA who we can make connections with when needs arise. We have colleagues who we can lean on for strategies and supports. We have terrific special education programming in both our county rooms and grade-level resource rooms. To quote High School Musical, "Everyone is special in their own way, we make each other strong, we're not the same, we're different in a good way together's where we belong."