Permenter Staff Check-In
Week of August 29 - September 2, 2022
Message from the Principal
Week 2 is done and I see some promising things. Thank you for your contributions and commitment. I do have one directive (I rarely use that word): do not hang your heads. We can be convicted, we can be inspired, we can be motivated and we can even be challenged. What we will not do is proclaim embarrassment or defeat. So please remove those words from your vocabulary. Onward and upward beloveds. Here is our word cloud, we'll be coming back to that. I promise I haven't forgotten it.
Nevertheless....Here are some reminders as we move forward with the great work of developing undeveloped minds:
- We need you in the hallways in between classes: talking, encouraging, moving, and observing with action. All teachers are expected to come out of your rooms when the bells ring to create a presence and pose a threat to mayhem brought on by our cherub scholars. If your room is tucked in a cubby, come out of that cubby and join your peers in the hall. Your presence is the greatest deterrent to physical altercations. Come on out.
- Safety drills: You'll get more feedback from Mr. Linthecum, but here are a couple in the spirit of safety and continuous improvement. 1) Have your rosters with you so you can know who you are supposed to have with you and who you are missing. 2) Talk to your students about the expectations of being silent. They can't hear instructions if they are being loud and they could jeopardize the safety of others.
- Water fall challenge: Mrs. Padron received word that students are drinking from each other's water bottles and either spitting or squirting the water on students. Adult presence should curb these incidents and please correct any students you see doing this.
- Lesson plans: If you don't have access to the lesson plan folder, please let me know so I can correct that. All lesson plans are due on Thursdays and should be submitted 2 weeks at a time. We have been living in a grace period because I know the beginning of the school year is well....Let's just say tiring. But now it is time to ensure we have a rigorous plan of instruction for our scholars so we can move the needle. It is #RakeItUp time (we'll talk about this one later).
- Staff Meeting: We will have our bi-weekly staff meeting this Wednesday beginning at 4:30 in the library. Dr. Hudson and members of the communications team will be present. Remember, to be early is to be on time. We do understand about those who have duty. Just please arrive as soon as you can. We know that time is different.
- Department Budgets: All departments have a budget. If you are unsure of yours, please reach out to your department leader and they can get with Ms. Crowe. I want everyone to know where they stand and please think of instructional resources needed for your scholars.
- Title I/Curriculum Night/Hispanic Heritage: Our Curriculum Night has been changed. The new date and time frame is September 28th, 6-7:30 PM. All staff are expected to be in attendance and there will be more information to come about planning and logistics.
- Parent Communication: Have you shared a parent newsletter of introductory information with your parents? Have you entered any grades? Have you let parents know of any celebrations or preliminary concerns about their scholar?
- 4th Period SEL Lessons for the Week: Here are the SEL lessons for the week. Remember these are to be shown and discussed with your 4th period classes. There is a lesson for each day of the week.
- Before/After School Duty: The expectation is for you to be at your duty station. In doubt about location or expectations for the duty station? Please see Mrs. Dawn.
- Permenter PTSA: Please join. The goal is for 100% staff membership. The Longhorn bundle comes with a t-shirt and membership for the year. More information available here.
Faithfully,
Mrs. Lemons
PLC Reflections
We had our first structured PLC meetings for the school year last Tuesday. When there is much work to be done and an urgent need for change, our spirits can wane. Do not be discouraged. I challenge you to ignore the temptation to focus too much on the past or be defeated prematurely. We are moving onward and upward and that begins with spending time in our data. Please be sure each team has completed the following prior to our PLC meetings this Tuesday:
- Complete section 1 of the data dig form using either previous STAAR data for your current scholars, previous DCCAs (the comprehensive one used as a final exam is acceptable), or any other common assessments you have access to from last year. We are looking for patterns, spiraled TEKS that may reappear this year, vertical alignment opportunities, and talking points for presenting to our students and families a clear and factual snapshot of where they are and where we need them to be.
- A timeline and plan for speaking with your students about previous performance and goal setting.
- Bring your teacher devices charged to PLC meetings so you can access data and other relevant documents.
- Resources that should be accessible by each department member during each meeting: pacing guide for this school year, TEKS, any relevant student data, lesson plans, relevant instructional resources, and of course commitment to the process of continuous improvement.
- Please remember that while we have 2 structured PLCs each week with either admin or academic team members, you can meet on your own more. This is time for planning, calibrating and discussing best practices to increasing student achievement.
- A designated space and plan for incorporating data walls in your classrooms.
- A plan for developing competition among your class periods for student achievement.
- We're going to be looking at some frameworks and instructional stems to help with rigor.
Staff Member Birthdays This Week
Please make note of the following staff members with birthdays this week. Try to send them some happy birthday wishes and encouragement.
- Ms. Washington (ELAR) - Today, August 28th
- Ms. Hubbard (SpEd) - Thursday, September 1st
- Mrs. Dominick (Receptionist) - Saturday, September 3rd
Happy birthday ladies!
Note: If you didn't complete either the New Longhorn form or Returning Longhorn form, I do not have your birthdate. Please let me know if I need to re-send the link.
September 5th - School Holiday
At the conclusion of this week, we will have a 3 day weekend to enjoy. We are out of school Monday, September 5th for Labor Day. While I rejoice in the upcoming holiday, I would be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to remind all about staff attendance. Please do recall blackout dates before and after a school holiday as it relates to absences.
Dismissal & Transportation Forms
Because #TogetherWeThrive, there has been a systemic process developed for dismissal. Chief concern: safety. The more we can control the doors that are consistently opened and closed during a time that can be chaotic, the more preventative our actions are against accidentally inviting problems on campus. If students are exiting any doors of their choosing, how can we be sure someone isn't waiting to seize that moment to enter those unmonitored doors and cause harm to those on campus? The system has been developed for a reason. It is tried and true.
If you make a decision to ignore the system and arbitrarily release students from your classes not according to their mode of transportation home or out of any door, you are putting everyone's safety in jeopardy. If we need to start watching videos to pinpoint, we will. But it really shouldn't take all that. Follow the procedure, know how your 8th period scholars get home, and communicate expectations to your scholars.
You will be getting new transportation forms this week due to the schedule changes that have taken place. At the end of week you will receive more information on what to do with those forms. For now, have them completed and keep the new one.
New NWEA MAP Testing Dates
Permenter 2022-2023 Bell Schedule
2022- 2023 T-TESS Information
CHISD 2022-2023 School Calendar
Permenter Middle School
Email: katrina.lemons@chisd.net
Website: www.chisd.net/pms
Location: 431 W Parkerville Rd, Cedar Hill, TX 75104, USA
Phone: 972.291.5270
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chisdpermenter
Twitter: @PermenterCH