Blaze Bulletin
Edition 18 - January 3rd
Greetings...
Dear teachers,
Just have to say again that I'm incredibly proud of you. Only two RCS high schools received an overall level (5) on the Tennessee State Report Card. I've been meeting with various PLCs, and I know why we achieve what we do - dedicated teachers who take the preparation of our students seriously in every class, every day, every week. Thanks for being fully present for our kids; they succeed because you expect them to do so. And I know that's hard, draining work.
So, now you deserve a restful break. Enjoy your family or friends or just peace and quiet!
See you January 3rd at 8:30am in the auditorium. Students don't return until January 4th, so we get to ease back into it. Scott has a fun opening session planned for us!
Happy Holidays!
lj
Grade Verification Sheets
When you have finished entering ALL grades for EVERY class, you need to turn in a verification sheet for the whole semester ( Q1, Q2, MT, S1).
Please make sure that there are no blank grades. You will need to carefully check for any errors, make corrections, sign & return them to me. If you need me to print your verification sheets for you, just let me know. I am happy to help. Let's get this done and enjoy our break.
MUST READ....
Congratulations Dr. Amy Connifey-Marlin
The TASSP is proud to announce the selection of Dr. Amy Connifey-Marlin as the Assistant Principal of the Year for the state of Tennessee. Ed Foster, executive director of the TASSP, made the announcement on Monday, December 12. "We are excited about the selection of Dr. Connifey-Marlin. Her resume, references, and work experience made us very confident in our selection.” Dr. Connifey-Marlin will receive a four day, all expenses paid trip to Philadelphia, PA, in early July. During this event, she will compete with all of the state winners for the NASSP Assistant Principal of the Year. Dr. Connifey-Marlin currently serves as an assistant principal at Blackman High in Murfreesboro, TN.
Dr. Amy Connifey-Marlin has been in public education for almost 30 years, with 24 years in Rutherford County Schools. Dr. Connifey-Marlin taught at LaVergne Primary and Blackman Middle School before moving into administration in 2004. She has been an assistant principal at Blackman Elementary, Blackman Middle, LaVergne Middle, LaVergne High, and Blackman High School. Dr. Connifey-Marlin’s diverse experience helps her to understand the impact of transition challenges that students face as they move from elementary to middle school and from middle school to high school. She believes rigor in the classroom is one of the key components to student achievement along with positive relationships between students, faculty, and administration.
Dr. Connifey-Marlin has a B.S. in Education from the University of Alabama, Masters and Ed.S degrees from Middle Tennessee State University, and a Doctorate degree from Union University. She is married to Joe Marlin and has a daughter Sarah Connifey; both are educators.
United Way Update.....
hanks again to each and every one of you who donated. We will be drawing for prizes at the faculty meeting in January and will announce the jeans week and pizza party as they get closer. The total amount was about $9500 which is a little down for us as a school, but PLEASE KNOW that all is appreciated and it will make a big impact in our county.
MUST READ....
MEDIA CENTER UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Shout out to Dario Rudas...
Shout out to Coach Watson...
Shout out to Mr. Patton...
The Select Chorus sang at the RCBOE School Board Meeting on 12/6.
Shout out to Chef Pinnix...
Congratulations!
Your hospitality program has been named to the 2017 Elite 50, an annual selection of the top 50 secondary school hospitality programs from across the nation.
More than 350 schools designated as Hospitality Programs of Distinction were invited to apply for the honor of being named to the Elite 50 list. Your program was chosen based on the high quality of hospitality training and experiential learning opportunities you offer. This recognition is well deserved and confirms your place among the best hospitality schools in America.
Be on the lookout for your Elite 50 award materials, which will include a plaque and banner to display at your school as well as resources for your students and information on how they can order their free Elite 50 t-shirts.
On behalf of all of us at the National Center for Hospitality Studies at Sullivan University, congratulations on maintaining a high standard of excellence for your program as you prepare and inspire tomorrow's hospitality professionals.
Keep up the good work!
CAMPUS CLEAN-UP
PESG REMINDER...
PESG REMINDER....
Blazercize...
Thanks for your patience on Blazercise - now it's time to implement per the law and RCS policy!
The plan and some suggestions/examples/ideas are in Sharepoint:
Just go to email, click on the app launcher in the upper left hand corner > Sharepoint > Blackman High School > Blazercize
Social/Emotional Tip of the Week
"Affirmation Jar"
Affirmations are positive sentences/phrases that you read each class period to start or end the class. Some students find a daily positive reminder helpful in setting goals and expectations and even growth mindsets! You can have students write entries and then you choose the ones to keep in the jar to be read to the whole class. Examples: "I can do it!" "I can handle whatever comes." "I'm making positive decisions in my life." You can read it at the beginning of class to start it off in a positive manner - or you can read it as the last thing they hear from you. What a cool thought!
New to BHS & Administrative Meetings
February - Wednesday, Feb. 8, 7:45am Pedigo
March - Wednesday, Mar. 8, 7:45am Connifey-Marlin/Reed
May - Wednesday, May 3, 7:45am Lawless
Donate your old smartphone to BHS!
Your old smartphone will help us to provide our students with a wonderful learning experience, because we will use it as part of a Google Expeditions lab. The lab will be available for all BHS classes to use. What is Google Expeditions? Learn more here! Our goal is to receive fifty donated smartphones.
Here is what we need:
- Smartphone (iOS/Android) four years old or newer
- In working order
- Wifi capable - we won't need to connect to cell service
- Reset to factory defaults before donating
- Charger included
- No cracked screens
- An iPod touch will work, too
- Drop off at BHS front desk
You will receive a letter of donation to file with your taxes when you drop off your working smartphone. Questions? Contact Holly Hunter, instructional technology coach, at hunterh@rcschools.net or 615-904-3850 ext. 22924. Thank you!
Just for Fun
Check out the fun winter-themed calendar at www.bing.com Each day during December, Bing will reveal a new seasonal treat.
Technology Minute
The Answer Pad student application is used in conjunction with www.TheAnswerPad.com. Use a cutting edge technology to engage your students in a 21st-century learning environment. Deliver and capture data from any device by using a Web browser or the The Answer Pad app. With its flexible access and time-saving functionality, The Answer Pad is an ideal tool for your flipped or blended classroom. Go Interactive provides six different ways to take a snapshot of student understanding in the classroom. For example, the Draw feature allows students to draw their answer or annotate on a customizable template such as an axis or graph paper. In addition, teachers can upload their own custom graphics. With The Answer Pad application, you can connect with your students like never before and adjust your instruction accordingly.
Assessment Tool
Socrative - http://www.socrative.com/
- Make quizzes with multiple choice, true/false and short answer
- Supports importing images
- Quizzes are easily shared with other teachers
- Launch a test, students log into your class and first question come up automatically
- Reports come in realtime
Edlio – Editing Your Class Webpage
As a reminder, here is how you log in to edit your Edlio class webpage.
Prior to January 3:
Go to the BHS website > Teacher Resources > Edlio Teacher Login > Login with Office 365 (If you are at home, enter your full email address and email password) > Choose the page you want to edit.
January 3 and Later
Scroll to the very bottom of the new BHS website > Click Login at the bottom right > Click Login with Office 365 > Choose the page you want to edit.
Hour of Code
Do you need something meangingful and interesting to do after students finish their test or their review? Check this out! Rutherford County is ready to get our students immersed in Computer Science! We are participating in the nation-wide Hour of Code movement by providing activities at every school to give each of our students an opportunity to code! We want to "demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics." If you have time and students, do this:
1. Reserve and go to a lab. (Or not! There are mobile options available, too.)
2. Go to http://rucoschoolscode.weebly.com/high.html
3. You will see self-guided activities based on abilitiy level (beginner, intermediate, expert). If you are are using BYOD instead of lab, many of the choices work on mobile devices, or students can choose from the iOS/Android category.
4. Tell the students to choose an activity under the category that best suits them
5. The students can work independently. The activities are designed to be self-directed.
6. The idea is to expose the students to coding. It’s ok if they and you are novices.
7. Questions? Ask Holly! She will be happy to help!
DID YOU KNOW....RISO COPIER TIPS
- WASTE DISPOSAL DRAWER - MUST BE EMPTIED EACH USE SO AS NOT TO RUIN GEARS...
- PAPER TRAY - BE SURE TO CENTER PAPER AND MAKE SURE THAT PAPER IS INSTALLED NEAT AND TIGHT - PREVENTS JAMS
- COPIER TRAY - DO NOT LEAVE COPIES BEHIND - WEIGHT BEARING TRAY NEEDS TO BE CLEARED OF ALL COPIES
Technology Inservice at BHS - December
Monday 12/5 – 3:45-4:45 – Advanced Edlio: Teacher Webpages Made Easy
Contact Holly Hunter to sign up.
Reminder....
Department's Proposal to Amend State Board's High School Policy
Thursday, Dec. 15, the State Board of Education will vote on final reading regarding the department’s proposal to phase in EOC scores into high school students’ grades beginning this school year and continuing during the next few years. Also in the proposal, the department is recommending to provide districts with students’ raw score points earned out of the total available instead of the conversion score that the department provided previously, commonly called quick scores. Please reference this memo (here) and FAQ document (here) for additional context.
If the proposal passes at the state board meeting, this policy becomes effective immediately for all 2016 fall block courses taking EOCs.
Congratulations....
Lady Blaze bowling defeated Oakland 17-10 to take the District 7 championship!
Let's play who is that? HIGH SCHOOL YEARS REVISITED....
NAME THAT HIGH SCHOOLER?
BHS PICTURE DATES
Senior Cap and Gown Pictures – February 23rd: During Senior English Classes – Main Gym Lobby
Underclassman Spring Pictures – February 23rd: Announcements by grade – Auxiliary Gym
Junior Orientation (Senior Portrait Meeting) – April 11th: Primetime - Auditorium
Faculty Meeting Schedule - 7:45 a.m. in the Auditorium
JANUARY 3RD (8:30 am)
FEBRUARY 7TH
MARCH 7TH
APRIL 4TH
MAY 2ND
RCS TEACHER RECRUITMENT FAIR - NOW HIRING FOR 2016-2017
Signing preliminary contracts
Signing bonus for hard-to-staff areas
Meet all our administrators in one stop!
Excellent benefits
Follow us on Twitter: @rcs_jobs
FEBRUARY 11, 2016 9 AM - 11 AM
BLACKMAN HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM
Freshman Orientation
RCS announces 2017 graduation date for BHS
SATURDAY, MAY 20TH at 2:30 pm MTSU Murphy Center
IN THE KNOW...
Sign up for Remind by texting @drjstaff to 81010
SEND US YOUR NEWS!!!
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
Dec 11th – Mr Minardi
Dec 14th – Coach Watson
Dec 20th – Mr Wortham
Dec 25th – Ms Askland
Dec 26th – Ms Walker
Dec 27th – CoachBarger & Mr Connor
Dec 30th – Ms Soeder
Dec 31st – Ms Mancuso
Jan 3rd – Mr Mosier
Jan 5th – Ms Farrington
Happy Holidays from your Admin!