Warrior Beat
Student Focused-World Class
Word for the Warrior...
WE create the culture and reality here at Sevier.
During my first year teaching at Lincoln Elementary School, I had a post conference with my principal, Mr. Abbott, and he asked me how the day was going. I responded by telling him that I was having a rather rough day and I wasn't sure whether the reason was me or the kids. He responded with some rather profound advice that I have never forgotten. He said, "Holly, you better hope and pray it's you. Because if it is YOU, you can change it. If it's the kids, you have no hope." I remember this advice EVERY day that I work. The change HAS to be us. WE make the difference. When I get to the point in my career when my only hope is that either kids change or those higher up from me make my job easier, I need to find another career. WE MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. I see YOU making the difference every single day. Each day, I end the morning announcements by saying, "It's a GREAT day to be a Warrior! So CHOOSE to make it a great one!" The choice really is ours.
At the beginning of this year, I sent this article to all NEW teachers. I have decided that its message is relevant and critical to ALL of us and so I have modified it's original content. I will paste the original article below the Word for the Warrior. Please take time to read it and consider who YOU are to others and consider who the marigolds are in YOUR life who will breathe life into you and make YOU stronger. When we are positive and feel good about who WE are, this will be what we pass on to our students.
Welcome to your (insert your years of experience here) year of teaching. This year will test you more intensely than just about anything you’ve done up to now. It will deplete all your energy, bring you to tears, and make you question every talent or skill you thought you had. But all these tests, if you approach them the right way, will leave you better and stronger than you are today.
Advice is available everywhere you look, and some of it is very good. Still, with everything you have to do right now, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it all. And the fact is, a lot of those tips won’t work very well if you fail to follow this one essential rule:
Surround yourself with good people.
By finding the positive, supportive, energetic teachers in your school and sticking close to them, you can improve your job satisfaction more than with any other strategy. And your chances of excelling in this field will skyrocket. Just like a young seedling growing in a garden, thriving in your first year depends largely on who you plant yourself next to.
THE MARIGOLD EFFECT
Many experienced gardeners follow a concept called companion planting: placing certain vegetables and plants near each other to improve growth for one or both plants. For example, rose growers plant garlic near their roses because it repels bugs and prevents fungal diseases. Among companion plants, the marigold is one of the best: It protects a wide variety of plants from pests and harmful weeds. If you plant a marigold beside most any garden vegetable, that vegetable will grow big and strong and healthy, protected and encouraged by its marigold.
Marigolds exist in our schools as well – encouraging, supporting and nurturing growing teachers on their way to maturity. If you can find at least one marigold in your school and stay close to them, you will grow. Find more than one and you will positively thrive.
Few teachers will be lucky enough to be planted close to a marigold – being assigned to one as a mentor, co-teacher, or team leader will be rare. You will have to seek them out. You can identify them by the way they congratulate you on arrival, rather than asking why anyone would want this godforsaken job. Or by the way their offers to help sound sincere. Or just by how you feel when you’re with them: Are you calmer, more hopeful? Excited to get started on a teaching task? Comfortable asking questions, even the stupid ones? If you feel good around this person, chances are they have some marigold qualities.
Once you’ve identified your marigolds, make an effort to spend time with them. Having a hard day? Go to your marigolds. Not understanding how to operate the grade reporting system? Go to your marigolds. Confused by something the principal said at the faculty meeting? Marigolds. They may be on the other side of the building, out of your grade or subject area, or otherwise less convenient to reach than others. If your school is especially toxic, you might have to find your marigolds in another school, or even online. Make the effort. It’s worth the trouble.
BEWARE THE WALNUT TREES
While seeking out your marigolds, you’ll need to take note of the walnut trees. Successful gardeners avoid planting vegetables anywhere near walnut trees, which give off a toxic substance that can inhibit growth, wilt, and ultimately kill nearby vegetable plants. And sadly, if your school is like most, walnut trees will be abundant. They may not seem dangerous at first. In fact, some may appear to be good teachers – happy, social, well-organized. But here are some signs that you should keep your distance: Their take on the kids is negative. Their take on the administration is negative. Being around them makes you feel insecure, discouraged, overwhelmed, or embarrassed.
WALNUT TREES ARE POISON. Avoid them whenever you can. If you don’t, they will start to infect you, and soon you’ll hate teaching as much as they do.
Doing this may be a challenge: Your supervisor might be a walnut tree. You may be co-teaching with one. You might work on a whole team of walnut trees, spending hours with them every week. Touching base with your marigolds will help flush out the toxins that build up from contact with the walnut trees. On top of that, simply identifying certain co-workers as walnut trees can help dilute their power over you. If I’d had a label I could mentally place on certain people in the schools where I worked, they would have had far less of an impact on me.
So in the spirit of identification, here are some common walnut tree varieties to look out for:
Kid-Hatin’ Kate, who will snort every time you share a positive anecdote about your students. Spend enough time with her and you’ll believe every single one of them is a lying, cheating little sneak and you’re a fool if you think otherwise.
Retirement Dan, who regularly reports on how many years he has left before he’s “outta here.” He then adds with a chuckle that you have about thirty, right? Dan will find your enthusiasm about school “cute,” but will then tell you to “just wait…it’ll wear off.”
Twenty-Page Tina, who sets impossibly high standards for her students and brags when kids fail. You had your kids write a five-page paper? Tina assigned twenty. Your mid-term had fifty questions? Tina’s had a hundred and fifty, and only a dozen kids passed it. The students say her exams are the only ones they ever have to study for. After talking to Tina, you’ll feel the urge to triple your kids’ workload and add at least ten trick questions to your assessments, just to get your average down.
Badass Bobby, who overhears you talking about your students acting up in class and says, “They would never try that crap in my room.” Whenever you leave a conversation with him, you go and scream at your kids.
Hattie-Who-Hates-the-Principal. Self-explanatory.
Lawsuit Steve, who sees you touch a student’s forearm and says you better watch out. He “had to give up hugs years ago” and is always reminding you to “be careful.”
My-Time Margaret, who counts the number of minutes she got for lunch, complains about serving one more day of car-rider duty than anyone else, and knows precisely what time she’s legally required to be in the building each day (not a minute earlier).
And Good-Old-Days Judy, who hates anything new and never fails to mention how much better things used to be.
Be especially vigilant during PDs, when you’ll find yourself in a veritable forest of walnut trees. It will be the worst when the presenter asks you to perform some task – read student work, for example – in groups. The trees will slowly turn toward the center, leaves rustling, snarky comments dropping off their branches like walnuts whacking the table. It won’t matter how potentially interesting the activity might be, as soon as they huddle up it will be snark, snark, ugly, ugly, hate, hate. When this happens, recognize that you are surrounded, hold tight to your roots, and remember your marigolds.
GET WHAT YOU CAN, WHERE YOU CAN
Your search for marigolds will yield imperfect results: Not everyone is all-marigold or all-walnut tree. There will be some in the building who just make you happy – go to them for a mood boost. Some who aren’t terribly good at the teaching part, but love the kids to death – seek them out when you need to be reminded of how much you love them, too. Others will take care of you – encourage you to rest, slack off a little, not beat yourself up. And some who are intensely into the craft, who always have a great strategy on hand and keep up on current research – they can really help you stretch your abilities. Learn who has what marigold qualities and get what you can from each of them.
Finally, try to find some compassion for the walnut trees. Their toxicity comes from a place of real pain, and they themselves probably fell under the influence of the walnut trees who came before them. Plus, it’s not like their complaints have no basis in reality. Teaching is a ridiculously hard job, some say almost impossible – like climbing Mount Everest (if you’ll allow for one last metaphor). Still, you’re aware of the difficulty, and though many before you have failed, you have accepted the challenge.
Before you climb that peak, you’ll need to choose a sherpa to escort you through the trek. The first option is Walter Nutt, who starts by asking why in the world you’d want to do something like this. He describes the many others who have died trying to do this climb, how sick you’ll get, how people have polluted the trail, all but destroying what was once a pristine and beautiful mountain. The second option, Mary Gold, congratulates you on your courage, sits down with you to map out some important strategies, and finishes off by saying It’s a crazy-hard, mammoth task, but you know what? We’re going to kick that mountain’s behind.
Who do you want leading you up that peak?
Find your marigolds and stick close to them. Grow big and strong. Kick that mountain’s behind. ♦
Week of the Warrior
MONDAY: April 23rd
- Any 8th grade students interested in applying to DB
Excel should submit an application by May 1.
Applications are available in the Counseling Center.
- All DC forms and medicines for the trip are due by
April 30
- Sevier on Stage Forensics will practice after school
until 4:30pm in Mr. Graybeal's room
- JV Track Meet at Liberty Bell. Varsity athletes will not
practice. This meet is really fun! JV athletes will get
an opportunity to run in multiple events they have
not had an opportunity to run this year. We will
travel by bus with JV runners, and plan to return
home at approximately 8:30 pm. If JV runners are
not running in the conference meet, this will end
their season and they should return uniforms. We
will go over the JV roster with runners before this
meet and let them know if they will be attending
practice/running in conference.
- Golf Practice at Cattails @ 3:30pm
- Cheerleading Practice 3-5
- Sevier Baseball Practice at Brick Yard Park from 3-
5
TUESDAY: April 24th
- TESTING!!! :) Be present and on time
- Any 8th grade students interested in applying to DB
Excel should submit an application by May 1.
Applications are available in the Counseling Center.
- All DC forms and medicines for the trip are due by
April 30
- Student Council meeting Tuesday 3:00-3:30 in Mrs.
Wagner’s room. Athletes, and others dress out
from 2:45-3:00, attend meeting until 3:15, and then
join team.
- Sevier Softball game vs. Church Hill at Church Hill
@ 4:30
- Track Varsity practice 3-4:15 (only runners running
in conference)
- Sevier Baseball Varsity Baseball at TA Dugger No
JV practice
WEDNESDAY: April 25th
- TESTING!!! :) Be present and on time
- Any 8th grade students interested in applying to DB
Excel should submit an application by May 1.
Applications are available in the Counseling Center.
- All DC forms and medicines for the trip are due by
April 30
- Track Varsity practice 3-4:15 (only runners running
in conference)
- There will be a JRROTC meeting each Wednesday
after school. The meetings are 3:00-4:00. Please
see Ms. Moore in room 106 if interested.
- There will be a Sequoyah Scribe staff meeting from
2:45 to 3:30 pm in room 340. All staff members are
required to attend. The editorial staff and newscast
staff will meet until 5:15 pm.
- Cheerleading Practice 3-5
- Sevier JV baseball game at Robinson at 3:45 No
varsity practice
THURSDAY: April 26th
- TESTING!!! :) Be present and on time
- Any 8th grade students interested in applying to DB
Excel should submit an application by May 1.
Applications are available in the Counseling Center.
- All DC forms and medicines for the trip are due by
April 30
- Sevier on Stage Forensics will practice after school
until 4:30pm in Mr. Graybeal's room
- Natural Helpers meeting 2:50-4:30pm
- Golf Match vs. Johnson City at Cattails G. C. (4:00)
- Conference Track Meet at Dobyns Bennett High
School hosted by Sevier. This is our BIG meet! We
can only enter the top 3 athletes in all events
(including the 800). ** If athletes score TOP 4 in the
Conference Meet, they will advance to Sectionals
on May 5 TH (we will give more information for this as
it gets closer)
- Sevier Baseball Practice at Brick Yard Park from 3-
5
FRIDAY: April 27th
- TESTING!!! :) Be present and on time
- Any 8th grade students interested in applying to DB
Excel should submit an application by May 1.
Applications are available in the Counseling Center.
- All DC forms and medicines for the trip are due by
April 30
- Track celebration in the atrium for ALL TRACK
ATHLETES (Varsity, JV, Practice team). We will
serve pizza and have refreshments. We will give
out track participation certificates, conference
awards and plaques, and team awards.
- The JSMS Natural Helpers fundraiser at Barberitos
Friday April 27th.
- Sevier Softball Game at Sever Vs. North @ 4:30
- Sevier Baseball Practice at Brick Yard Park from 3-
5
Save the Date:.
- April 28 th Sevier Baseball Varisity tournament -
Sevier plays at 1.
- Any 8th grade students interested in applying to DB
Excel should submit an application by May 1.
Applications are available in the Counseling Center.
- All DC forms and medicines for the trip are due by
April 30
- 6 th Grade Awards Program May 23 rd from 8:00am to
9:00am
- 7 th Grade Awards Program May 23 rd from 1:30pm to
2:30pm
- 8 th Grade Awards Program May 24 th from 9:00am to
10:00am
- Tyler's Light presentation May 8 th at 10:00AM for 7 th
and 8 th Grade only
JSMS JAM...
Flex time
- For classified staff, all flex time must be used before the end of the year. Talk with me about flexibly scheduling this time off so as to not have too many out on the same day.
KCS Reminders...
- Please remember that fundraising sites like "Go fund Me" ,"Donor's Choose" and "Fundly" are not allowed in KCS. No KCS employee raising money for KCS, your classroom, or school events can use these sights to raise funds. Secondly, if you are applying for any kind of grant you must follow KCS procedures. This means that you complete an Intent To Apply form. This form starts the process with the district to "register" your fundraiser and clarifies any district wide concerns with a particular grant or grant funding. You may not apply for a grant unless this form is completed accurately, returned to ASC, and gets Board approval. Amy Doran (378-2174 ) can answer any follow up questions.
Calling all LA Teachers...WOW Awards...
This is the week LANGUAGE ARTS teachers will be identifying WOW Award recipients. I have attached the positive referral form for you to fill out. Below are the instructions for how to identify a student and what you need to do.
1. Each teacher will identify 2 students that meet the criteria of showing Respect, Responsibility, and Effort.
a. One student should be someone who always does what they need to and easily meets this criteria.
b. One student should be someone who has a history of struggling with behavior, but has done really well recently.
2. Fill out the form including a brief narrative of your observations of the student and how they have shown Respect, Responsibility, and Effort.
a. Try to identify a specific example of how the student has shown either Respect, Responsibility, or Effort. You may also add a general narrative about the student’s overall behavior.
3. Contact parent and share how this student has done well in your class…ideally, this would be done with the student present so they can hear you brag on them, but this may not always work out.
4. Send a copy of the positive referral to the grade level administrator by this FRIDAY so we can also call down and recognize the students and give them a small reward. (6th – Roebke, 7th – Hubbard, 8th – Flora).
Your input is needed on the 2018-2019 KCS Handbook!
All,
It's that time of year where we are starting the process of reviewing and revising our core documents (Student Handbook, Employee Handbook, Administrative Procedures). If there are items you know need to be changed for next year or things you think we need review for potential revisions, send those to me by April 30.
We'll take the month of April to compile information and the month of May to review and revise, allowing us to get things ready to go to print by the beginning of June.
As always, let me know if you have questions.
-Andy True
NO SMART WATCHES DURING TESTING
SMART phones are not allowed during testing. Students cannot even have them in their pockets, etc. Please help us by having your student keep all SMART watches at home during testing.
JSMS Clothes Closet
Belts-both boys and girls
girls leggings or pants with elastic -any sizes
boys shoes-highest need is 9's or 10's
Jump Start
Kingsport City Schools Accepting Zoning and Tuition Applications for the 2018-19 School Year
Kingsport City Schools are accepting Zoning and Tuition Applications for students in grades K–12 for the 2018-2019 school year until Monday, April 30, 2018. Read more >>
WARRIOR WHOOP!
Warrior ROCKstar! You ROCK!
Sean & Liesel (aka the "Co-Teaching Dream Team") - YOU ROCK!!!