WBMS Staff Newsletter
January 22-26
Dates To Remember
Jan 22- TOTY observations
Jan 22- Math Olympiad #3
Jan 24- Basketball at Autrey Mill @ 5:30pm
Jan 25- GMEA In-Service Conference
Jan 26- Webster Awards
Jan 26- Basketball at Sandy Springs @ 5:30
January Meeting Schedule
AHS/WBMS University is BACK!
Do you have a tool or a practice that you use in your classroom that makes you a more effective teacher? Have you attended a professional learning session with the district or other organization that your colleagues would benefit from? If so, please consider presenting a course at our March 8 AHS/WBMS University session. You can volunteer to present a 40 minute session for 20 AHS/WBMS staffers by completing this VERY short form: http://bit.ly/wbmsuni18
Deadline to submit form is Feb 8th (presentation is not until March 8th)
Action Items and Important Links
Faculty Meeting PPT- Click here for the link
Please take some time to complete the following items:
- Local Intent Form- Due January 30, 2018- bit.ly/wbmsintent1819
- Schedule Feedback- bit.ly/wbmsschedule
- Georgia School Personnel Survey- http://gshs.gadoe.org/personnel
- Irma Hours- Log here: bit.ly/irma12hours
Mindfulness @ The Webb
2018- Spring Semester- Before Lunch During JAG HR
To begin enjoying the benefits of your Inner Explorer program, please click here innerexplorer.org and login. Your credentials to get started are:
- •Your School Email
- •Password: mindful2017 (use the Forgot Password link if Mindful2017 doesn't work)
When you log in, click on the play button on the home screen.
Next go to “playlist” on the bottom left hand corner.
Change to middle school
The prelaunch program was designed to provide relevance to middle and high school students. The program consists of five days of three minutes each and we recommend you do the prelaunch before beginning the normal program. There are three videos and two activities. You can access the prelaunch once you have logged onto the platform.
A few resources which explain usage of the program are attached below.
Bookmark www.InnerExplorer.org to simplify daily access.
January Birthdays
4 Kirk Stroud 11 Deb Terrell 16 Betsy Hedger 17 Leslie Meenan 18 Brooke Maurer 18 Neeta Seletsky 27 Kaitlyn Haight
See a Bug? Report it!
Anonymous Feedback to Ms. Perkins
Send feedback anonymously to Ms. Perkins by following this link: bit.ly/toperkins
Good (and not so Good) Instruction for Gifted Learners – Excerpt #1 - From the National Association for Gifted Children
Good curriculum and instruction for gifted learners… begins with good curriculum and instruction. It's difficult, if not impossible, to develop the talent of a highly able student with insipid curriculum and instruction. Like all students, gifted learners need learning experiences that are rich. That is, they need learning experiences that are organized by key concepts and principles of a discipline rather than by facts. They need content that is relevant to their lives, activities that cause them to process important ideas at a high level, and products that cause them to grapple with meaningful problems and pose defensible solutions. They need classrooms that are respectful to them, provide both structure and choice, and help them achieve more than they thought they could. These are needs shared by all learners, not just those who are gifted. But good instruction for gifted learners must begin there
Inappropriate Instruction for Gifted Learners… Instruction for gifted learners is inappropriate when it asks them to do things they already know how to do, and then to wait for others to learn how. Many advanced learners regularly complete assignments calling on materials, ideas and skills they have already mastered. Then they wait for peers to catch up, rather than being pre-assessed and assigned more advanced materials, ideas and skills when they demonstrate competency.
Work Life Balance
Shakespeare comedy January 11 - 28, 2018
A fast, funny, and wild play by William Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors features slapstick comedy about mistaken identity at Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse.
Atlanta Gladiators- Hockey January 13 & 28, 2018
Watch the Atlanta Gladiators play a home game at Infinite Energy Center in Duluth.
Wine party January 20, 2018
Atlanta Winter Wine Fest offers 50 wines to taste with live music, a DJ, and food for sale at City Winery for age 21+. Repeats in April and August.
Indoor arts festival January 20 - 21, 2018 (preview Jan. 19)
Callanwolde Arts Festival features 86 fine artists, demonstrations, live acoustic music, and gourmet food trucks at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.
The Big Fake Wedding Atlanta- January 21, 2018 (5 p.m.)
Attend an emotional wedding ceremony, have a drink and appetizers (included), and dance at a reception while you check out wedding vendors in action at The Big Fake Wedding Atlanta at Foxhall Resort & Sporting Club in Douglasville. No gift required!
Jewish film festival- January 24 - Feb. 15, 2018
The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival shows films from around the world that explore themes of Jewish life, culture, and history. Vote for your favorites and see guest filmmakers, actors, authors, and academics. Films that sell out may be repeated on the last day.
Chinese New Year dinner January 27, 2018 (6:30 p.m.)
Feast on an multi-course dinner of traditional Chinese dishes at Chinese Lunar New Year Banquet with Chinese Southern Belle at Canton House Restaurant in Chamblee, which includes food history, cultural trivia, calligraphy, and audience participation for age 12+.
2017-2018 School Year
First Semester
August 1 – 4 ........................................... Preplanning for teachers
August 7......................................................... First Day of School
September 4........................................Labor Day (schools closed)
October 6 ......................................Teacher Workday (students off)
October 9 ......................................Columbus Day (schools closed)
November 20 – 24.............. Thanksgiving Holidays (schools closed)
December 21 ....................................... Last Day of First Semester
December 22 – 29 ...........................Winter Break (schools closed)
Second Semester
January 1 – 3...................................Winter Break (schools closed)
January 4.......................................Teacher Workday (students off)
January 5....................Professional Development Day (students off)
January 8.........................................First Day of Second Semester
January 15..............Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday (schools closed)
February 16*................... Student/Teacher Holiday (schools closed)
February 19 ......................President’s Day Holiday (schools closed)
March 9*.......................................Teacher Workday (students off)
March 12....................Professional Development Day (students off)
April 2 – 6 .......................................Spring Break (schools closed)
May 24........................................................... Last Day of School
May 25.................................................................. Post Planning
May 28...............................Memorial Day Holiday (schools closed)
* Designated as inclement weather make-up days (if needed).
Our School Release Days
These are the dates approved through the RFF process as part of School Governance. WBMS students will NOT attend school on the following dates:
September 1, 2017
October 5, 2017
January 16, 2018
March 8, 2018
Community Balance Days 2017-2018
September 20
October 25
February 21
March 21
The idea is that students will go home right after school to create balance in their lives. Staff members and students alike will take a night off. Club sponsors and coaches and directors may hold meetings and practices and games as needed. We feel students release stress through these extracurricular activities.
Please plan to enjoy yourself and work your assessments around these dates this school year.