Weekly Middle School Update
December 8, 2017
MTSS Update
Monday & Friday PLC: This time can be used for common planning, IEP meetings, grading, parent/student phone calls, office hours.
Tuesday PLC:
These meetings will have more of a focus on individual students. Team members will use the Academic and Engagement rubrics to track student progress, and communicate with family coaches, learning coaches, counselors, special education staff and administrators to ensure students are receiving effective support interventions. Special education teachers will join to offer strategy suggestions for students.
- During these meetings, learning contracts should be developed for students who need support interventions for students not being successful in the classroom.
- (Sample of Tier 1 interventions are listed in the MTSS folder)
- Documentation of the strategy and effectiveness should be monitored by teacher for 4-6 weeks.
- After monitoring and documenting support strategies for 4-6 weeks, if the strategies are not successful, the student should be escalated to the MTSS coordinator using the referral form.
- Additional support strategies will be discussed with MTSS leadership team.
- If needed, an action plan will be developed by the MTSS coordinator with the leadership team for the student/parent. A meeting to discuss the plan (depending on situation) will be held either via Collaborate or F2F with principal.
- Ongoing documentation will continue.
Wednesday PLC: Curriculum Meeting
Teachers who teach common content within grade levels will be meeting to align curriculum, align common summative assessments, plan lessons, and share best practices. It is important that core curriculum be delivered commonly across teams.
Thursday PLC:
This time is reserved for meetings with MTSS leadership team to meet with teachers to provide updates or gather additional information pertaining to students who have been escalated to MTSS coordinator using the referral form.
What is happening in the middle school......
Michelle Klara has been using a random number generator so that when kids volunteer for something, nobody gets upset if they don’t get picked! Another interesting effect though is that students seem to love taking part in this…so more of them raise their hands. Eighteen students volunteered to do math problems on the board in this morning’s class.
Courtney Skelly handling a general education student concern that needed crisis intervention. The student was having suicidal thoughts but felt comfortable talking with Courtney. She did an excellent job helping the student feel comfortable and supported as well as to ensure that crisis was contacted.
Ashley Smith sent Barb Harvey her recorded sessions of her Earth Science class to use for the 6th grade Team A students to help provide instruction for those students. Barb and Cathy also deserve a shout out for helping to ensure the lessons are ready for the students. Barb is now working in grade 7 but still helping to support the 6th grade 6A students with science. Thank you to each of you!!
Curriculum Updates
- Grades 6-7-8 Social Studies will meet on Tuesday 12/12 at 3 pm to start talking about vertical alignment and standards saturation in the curriculum. If you would like to participate, please respond to the invitation sent to you from the curriculum department. They would love to have your voice and suggestions!
- Grades 8 and 9 ELA will meet on Thursday 12/21 to talk about curriculum overlap between the two courses.
Long Term Substitutes Update
- Currently interviewing candidates for teachers who will be going out for maternity leave in December and January.
- We are also interviewing for the Science 6 Team A position. Round 1 was completed this week and next week the final round interview will be completed for the Science 6 candidates.