BAMS Staff Newsletter
December 15, 2013 - Volume 1, Issue 12
BAMS Staff,
I hope everyone has a pleasant last school week of 2013. I'm really excited for everyone to get a chance to "get away"; you deserve it! I'm definitely going to enjoy the last moments we have with our students and each other before our long break.
Although many of us are looking forward to some time away and time with our family, remember that some of our students may not being looking forward to this time off. For some of our students, the holidays can be an anxious time. Please be aware that we may see these feelings come out in student behaviors.
Thank you for all that you do!
Adam
Bessie Allen Middle School - SLO
By the end of the 2013-2014 school year, 100% of an identified population of struggling readers in 6th-8th grade will increase their Reading RIT score on the May MAP assessment.
Out of the Office
- December 16th - 8:30am - Announcing Geography Bee
- December 19th - 7:30am - 2:30pm - 7th Grade Math Teacher Interviews (DMR)
News and Notes
- Staff Lunch Friday, December 20th - Leave your bag lunch at home on Friday! I will be ordering Jimmy John's party platters for us all to enjoy. I will have the platters of food in the DMR at around 11:15 until 1:00. Please come to the DMR to enjoy each other's company before we leave for break. The only catch is you cannot talk about any school related topics. Keep your conversations focused each other and the holidays. I will also have water available. Thank you for all that you do!
- Please continue to have discussions with your team about doing routine fidelity checks with students iPads. This is a great way to maintain safety. The majority of our students are being safe and appropriate with their device. Don't forget to celebrate that fact, as well.
- Staffing Update - We had 18 applicants for our 7th grade math opening. The posting closes tomorrow and I will be calling candidates to invite them in to meet with our team on Thursday. We will be interviewing 6 finalists. The interview will consist of a 30 minute Q&A session and a building tour. Joan will be helping with the tours, and will not be in and out of the office on this day. Jennifer will be available to help with any office needs.
- Our ELL Cultural Night was a huge success! Damaris did a wonderful job putting the event together. We had great food, singing, laughing, more food, and good times. About 30-40 students, parents, siblings, and staff were in attendance. A very, very cool night for all involved!
- Bullying Report Forms - Please remember to complete a Bullying Report form if you feel a situation has escalated to that level or if a parent or student feel that bullying has occurred. The counseling team and I take these incidents very seriously. We rather investigate an incident and determine that it hasn't risen to that level, than find out later that certain behaviors could have been avoided. Stop in the office if you ever need a copy of the form. This information is also reported to the state at the end of the year.
- As the snow continues to fall, please be cautious entering and leaving the building. Our maintenance team puts snow and ice removal at the top of the list on these days, but there still might be a need to be careful. Safety is no accident!
- You may have heard about the mice that were discovered in two of our rooms last week. Please help students to keep our rooms clean of any left over food. We don't want any mice thinking our building is a place to find meals. Dave will be bringing in an outside source to address these incidents.
- All Walkie Talkies on Channel 2 - To eliminate any confusion with what channel you need to be on if you have a walkie talkie, we will now be using Channel 2 for all radio communications. If there is a need to switch channels, that will be communicated through Channel 2. Please let me know if you have any questions.
- This is the last newsletter for 2013. The next newsletter will go out January 5th.
Oriole Way
- Thank you all for our discussions about our Self Assessment Survey at the staff meeting last week. The Oriole Way Team will be discussing this further at the team meeting this week.
- Please continue to look for opportunities to recognize positive behaviors in our students. Also, look for opportunities to remodel, reteach, and redirect.
- How many BAMS Bucks have you handed out this month?
- Next Meeting - December 18th at 7am
OASYS and Teacher Effectiveness
- First formal observation for Year 3 Staff - Due before January 15th
- Mid-Year Review of SLO - Due Mid-Year (no specific date)
- 2 visits to another classroom - Due by the End of the Year - Instead of 3 visits, the number has changed to 2 visits.
Dates to Remember
- December 16th - Geography Bee 8:30am
- December 16th - Board Meeting 7:00pm
- December 18th - "Grazing" - Bring some food to snack on :)
- December 18th - Winter Band Concert 6:30pm
- December 19th - 7th Grade Math Teacher Interviews
Staff Meeting Agenda
Next Staff Meeting: January 14th, 2014 - 2:50-3:15pm
Agenda: TBA