The Yuletide Villager
Staff News 8/21/2017
Important Dates for our Beginning of Year
Weekly Schedule
August 21
Breakfast @ 8:30 in Media Center
Welcome back TAs
Back-to-school Staff Meeting
Grade Level Welcome Letters for Parents due to Rice for reading
Staff Goal Setting
Bring your Chromebooks
August 22
Elementary School Mini-Conference @ Ashbrook High /School Broadway Theme
Did you remember to register?
AU Classrooms Orientation @ 6:00 PM
August 23
Convocation @ Stuart Cramer
7:50 Meet @ McAdenville and Carpool with friends if possible leaving at
8:00 a.m. Arrival begins at Stuart Cramer
8:30 a.m. Schools seated in auditorium; program begins with welcome from host principal and feeder school principals
***At this time with the help of an Instructional Technology Facilitator (ITF), you will record and upload a 10-second “cheering” video clip for viewing by all schools at 8:55 p.m.
8:35 a.m. Feeder area celebration of schools
Work together to share accolades, shout-outs, etc. similar to what has been done in past years during our traditional Convocation.
8:55 a.m. Showing of “cheering” videos from across the county (ITF will assist)
9:00 a.m. Viewing of Convocation video message (ITF will assist)
9:30 a.m. Employees exit and on their way back to home schools.
- 10:30 PLC Planning
Lunch on your own
Room and Hallway Preparation finalized for Open House
August 24
Modified Day - 11:00 AM
McAdenville Wesleyan Church Lunch provided at 4:00 PM
Orientation Meeting begins @ 6:00 PM
Parents in Classrooms by 6:20 PM
August 25
Teacher Sum It Up Meeting @ 9 AM with Rice
iReady Training for Teachers - 12:00 PM -1:30 PM
Lunch @ MES
Teachers work in classrooms
August 26
Check with Rice for a work schedule if needed
Breakfast
No matter what your preference there's food for you!
Breakfast is served! Eat up!
Become better than you ever thought possible
Why are some people so good at what they do whereas others struggle with the most basic of tasks? Have you ever wondered if you were capable of achieving more in your work and life?
This question is what researcher Anders Ericsson has spent most of his career pondering. And the answers might surprise you.
In his recent book, Peak, Ericsson points out the obvious fact that many people in our world appear as if they are endowed with certain genetic gifts and abilities that seem downright superhuman. But where do these gifts actually come from? Can anyone become an expert? Or is that category reserved for only the elite?
Take the example of famous composer Mozart, who at the age of seven years old appeared to have “perfect pitch.” He understood music at a level of expertise that is uncommon for most adults.
Surely, that was a gift. Wasn’t it? Maybe not.
Starting at the age of four, young Mozart began working full-time with his father, who was also a musician, on practicing the violin, keyboard, and other instruments. By the age of seven, he had put in more hours than most students graduating from Juilliard School in New York City.
So was Mozart born with some special ability to discern musical notes in a way that most people cannot? According to science, no. Nonetheless, Mozart was gifted. He had the same gift we all have. He had his brain, a brain that is capable of achieving a level of performance that looks a lot like magic to those who don’t understand it.
The “gift” that we often talk about is your ability to learn, and grow, and adapt. And that’s a gift we all are born with. In other words, you’re closer to reaching your personal peak than you may realize.
I learned this in reading my last book, The Art of Work, in which I studied Ericsson’s research on deliberate practice and compared it to my own study of individuals who had discovered their life’s work. And what I learned surprised me.
The hundreds of people I interviewed, people who appeared to be “gifted,” were, in fact, no more gifted than you or I. They had just learned how to practice.
So here are three tips for how to accelerate your performance and reach your own peak sooner:
- Master your mindset. What you think about, you become. And if you are still caught up believing that some people are “just born with it,” that’s going to create a limitation on what you think is possible. Ericsson encourages another mindset that he calls the “deliberate-practice mindset,” which argues that anyone can get better if they take the right approach. So this approach begins with thinking a personal breakthrough is even possible.
- Practice with purpose. Not all practice is necessarily equal. Sometimes, trying harder doesn’t get you better results. “If you are not improving,” Ericsson says, “it’s not because you lack innate talent; it’s because you’re not practicing the right way.” To reach peak performance, you must push yourself past what you think is possible. If you’re not doing that, then you aren’t really practicing. You’re just spinning your wheels. You have to put in the hours, but you also have to put in the effort.
- Get around greatness. It’s not just mindset or practice that affects our performance. It’s also our environment. This means that putting yourself around others who will challenge you and help you grow is essential to mastering any skill. In Peak, Ericsson shares a fascinating study about London cab drivers, in which the cabbies’ brains were measured before they became licensed cab drivers and then years after. What they found was the part of the brain responsible for navigation had grown significantly larger after years of intense daily training in the same environment. So if you’re not achieving greatness, then it may be time to surround yourself with others who will challenge you to grow.
We all love heroic tales of overnight success, but the truth is expertise is never an accident. Without the right training, peak performance is practically impossible.
We love heroic tales of overnight success, but expertise is never an accidentThe good news, though, is anyone can achieve expert status if he or she understands the process and are willing to do the work.
Remember: it starts in the mind, works itself out in your daily practice, and is cemented by the company you keep.
Question: What changes do you need to make in your mindset, practice or environment to achieve greater levels of success?
Are you an Exceptional Employee?
They’re willing to delay gratification. One thing an exceptional employee never says is, “That’s not in my job description.” Exceptional employees work outside the boundaries of job descriptions. They’re neither intimidated nor entitled; instead of expecting recognition or compensation to come first, they forge ahead in their work, confident that they’ll be rewarded later but unconcerned if they’re not.
They can tolerate conflict. While exceptional employees don’t seek conflict, they don’t run away from it either. They’re able to maintain their composure while presenting their positions calmly and logically. They’re able to withstand personal attacks in pursuit of the greater goal and never use that tactic themselves.
They focus. Student pilots are often told, “When things start going wrong, don’t forget to fly the plane.” Plane crashes have resulted from pilots concentrating so hard on identifying the problem that they flew the plane into the ground. Eastern Airlines Flight 401 is just one example: The flight crew was so concerned about the landing gear being down that they didn’t realize they were losing altitude until it was too late, despite alarms going off in the cockpit. Exceptional employees understand the principle of “Just fly the plane.” They don’t get distracted by cranky customers, interoffice squabbles, or switch to a different brand of coffee. They can differentiate between real problems and background noise; therefore, they stay focused on what matters.
They’re judiciously courageous. Exceptional employees are willing to speak up when others are not, whether it’s to ask a difficult (or “embarrassingly” simple) question or to challenge an executive decision. However, that’s balanced with common sense and timing. They think before they speak and wisely choose the best time and place to do so.
They’re in control of their egos. Exceptional employees have egos. While that’s part of what drives them, they never give their egos more weight than what is deserved. They’re willing to admit when they’re wrong and willing to do things someone else’s way, whether it’s because the other way is better or it’s important to maintain team harmony.
They’re never satisfied. Exceptional employees have unparalleled convictions that things can always be better—and they’re right. No one is ever done growing, and there is no such thing as “good enough” when it comes to personal improvement. No matter how well things are going, exceptional employees are driven to improve, without forgetting to give themselves a healthy pat on the back.
They recognize when things are broken and fix them. Whether it’s a sticky desk drawer or an inefficient, wasteful process affecting the cash flow of the entire department, exceptional employees don’t walk past problems. “Oh, it’s been that way forever,” simply isn’t in their vocabulary. They see problems as issues to be fixed immediately; it’s that simple.
They’re accountable. If you’re a manager trying to decipher a bungled report, “It’s not my fault” is the most irritating phrase in the English language. Exceptional employees are accountable. They own their work, their decisions, and all of their results—good or bad. They bring their mistakes to management’s attention rather than hoping no one will find out. They understand that managers aren’t out to assign blame; they’re out to get things done.
They’re marketable. “Marketable” can mean many things. Inside the organization, it means “likeable.” Exceptional employees are well liked by co-workers. They have integrity and leadership skills (even if they’re not in an official leadership position) that people respond to. Externally, it means they can be trusted to represent the brand well. Managers know they can send these employees out to meet with clients and prospects without worrying about what they’ll say or do.
They neutralize toxic people. Dealing with difficult people is frustrating and exhausting for most. Exceptional employees control their interactions with toxic people by keeping their feelings in check. When they need to confront a toxic person, they approach the situation rationally. They identify their own emotions and don’t allow anger or frustration to fuel the chaos. They also consider the difficult person’s standpoint and are able to find solutions and common ground. Even when things completely derail, emotionally intelligent people are able to take the toxic person with a grain of salt to avoid letting him or her bring them down.
Workday Attendance Procedures
- All staff should work the same required hours on workdays as on normal instructional days or make arrangements to take the appropriate leave.
- On Staff workdays, you MUST sign in and out by the electronic system located in the school lobby.
- Optional workdays means that the district and/or the school cannot hold required meetings on those days.
- Mrs. Smith or Mr. Beverage will distribute a form prior to specific holiday workdays and end of year that asks you to indicate whether or not you will work; this must be returned to Mrs. Smith by the indicated deadline.
- On rare occasion, Ms. Rice reserves the right to negotiate optional workdays as flex-time with teachers for extended hours services to MES. Please do not assume that you can take time for a service without Ms. Rice's approval. You will lose annual leave/vacation, sick, personal or extended (bonus) leave time if you do not have flex time approved.
- Please begin signing in and out on Wednesday our 1st day back.
If you do not work, please submit a leave request. Here is the link: LEAVE REQUEST You must also use the ASEOP system to key your absence. (Optional or Mandated Workdays)
National Board Certification Information
Good afternoon,
This flyer contains details about two information sessions in September for potential initial and renewal candidates. Thank you for promoting this high-quality professional development opportunity. Be sure to let me know if you have questions or need additional information.
National Board Certification Information Flyer
Thank you!
Katherine
MES Social Worker - Whitney Hill
MES School Counselor - Eric Otis
McAdenville Elementary School
Email: lrrice@gaston.k12.nc.us
Website: https://www.gaston.k12.nc.us/mcadenville
Location: 275 Wesleyan Drive, McAdenville, NC, United States
Phone: (704)836-9117
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/McAdenvilleElementary/
Twitter: @msprincipalboss