Booker T Washington Staff News
If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.
April 22, 2024
School Mission
To challenge our scholars academically at high levels, develop them socially, and uplift them emotionally.
School Vision
Tichenor's Reflection
Happy April BTW Family!
We are really on the homestretch now. With less than 27 days remaining in school, it is imperative that we continue to teach students from bell to bell. We will blink, and the year will be over. 3rd, 4th and 5th grade teachers, KSA style questions and strategies should be embedded in your daily routines.
We have entered the time of year where we need to use or lose some of our leave time. Keep in mind that I can only approve 2 personal day requests on the same day. That doesn’t mean you can’t use leave, it means it can’t be personal leave. In order to make this process fair, we created the google form to request days so that we have a timestamp of when request are made. Please get your request in ASAP. If you have any questions, see myself or Ms. Rodriguez.
I'll conclude with another Inspiration/ reflection from Suzanne Dailey's "Teach Happier this School Year"
"The Fourth Quarter Is Yours"
If we want to feel happier, we have to be disciplined about prioritizing practices that are based in positive psychology. Remember, its not what we do every once in a while that makes a difference but, rather, small, incremental shifts applied frequently that make an impact over time.
There are some points in the school year when this kind of discipline is especially necessary, and this is one of those times. You are in the final stretch--managing parent conferences, report cards, and transition meetings; assessing what's left to teach before the end of the year; and preparing for traditional end-of-year traditions and celebrations. It's bananas.
Did you know that some college football teams hold up four fingers at the beginning of the fourth quarter?... When teams hold up four fingers as the 4th quarter begins, they are signaling "The fourth quarter is ours." No matter the score, its a reminder that players must remain all in and play their hearts out until the final whistle.
As a teacher, how do you enter the fourth quarter of the school year with a disciplined happiness? The answer should be familiar by now: Scan for what is going right for you this school year. Locate the wins, both big and small.
In this last quarter, its easy to become hyperfocused on our perceived shortcomings. But positive psychology invites us to scan for the strengths when we want to default to our perceived weaknesses. So look around at your students, classroom, and overall achievement and notice the wins:
- What child began this school year with anxiety and can now walk into the classroom ready to learn? High five.
- Which student told you in October that he'll "Never read unless my teacher tells me to" and now can't put down a series you introduced him to? Fist bump.
- Which new comer student who arrived mid year reading on an A level, but now reading on a J. Big hugs all around.
Here's the thing: Kids don't do as we say; they do as they see. Kids will remember how we finish the school year.
Oprah Winfrey (2017) has a sign in her meeting room. It says, "You are responsible for the energy you bring into this space." So scan for the wins, strengthen your relationships, and end this unique year strong, no matter the score.
You are entering the fourth quarter. This is it. Rekindle the optimism and enthusiasm you had in your first week to round out the year. The fourth quarter is yours.
#WEGOTTHIS
Donte’ Tichenor
Staff Announcements
- 4/22- Spring MAP Begins- 4th and 5th Grade
- Qtr. 3 Awards Ceremony during specials
- Perfect Attendance Bike Raffle
- 4/23- District Site Visit (Chief Hutchinson) 8-10am
- 4/23- Staff Meeting 3pm (Library)
- 4/25- Qtr. 4 Midterms go home
- 4/26- Club day will be moved to April 26th. Please see email from Ms. Jenkins
- 4/30- P.O. Cut off for FY 2023-2-24. Get request in ASAP.
- 4/30 SBDM 3:15 in Library
- All personal leave request must be requested using the google form.
- With 27 days remaining in school, it is important that everyone is teaching the full block to get as much content in to students as possible. We can’t afford to cut anything short. Time is not on our side!
- Food Truck- If you have a request, see Ms. Davis. She is responsible for booking food trucks the remainder of the year!
- Replenish Emergency Lesson Plans if you haven't done so already.
- Your evaluator will be reaching out to schedule formal observations soon.
- Remember to call/ Text/ Email both Ms. Mitchell and myself when you are going to be absent or late.
- Please continue to stand outside your doors in the morning greeting students. Thank you!
- Learning Intentions, Success criteria should be posted daily on White boards
- Please respond to families within 24 hours per district policy. Document conversation in the contact log located in eOS.
- Email Ms. Chrystal and copy me if you are in need of any custodial assistance.
- Be on time to your supervision post.
Student Support Team Updates
Tier 1 Attendance: Action Steps for Contacting Parents When a Student Misses School
Follow up with a phone call:
The classroom teacher should make a phone call to ensure the parent is aware of the student's absence and to gather any necessary information, provide necessary assignments or offer make- up work.
If the parent does not respond to the phone call, write a brief note or email to the parent concerning the student's absence.
Maintain a record of all communication: Keep a log of each attempt to contact the parent and any responses received in PLP.
If the student continues to be absent regularly, please make a Focus referral to collaborate with the school social worker or support staff.
The teacher and student support staff will explore possible underlying issues and develop a plan to address them, i.e. scheduling a parent conference, making a home visit and offering interventions.
Clinic Updates
Field Trip Reminders
- It is required by FCPS to provide the RN notice of a field trip two weeks prior to the scheduled trip.
- There must be at least ONE medication trained staff memeber going on the field trip. If one is not avaliable to go, the trip must be canceled and rescheduled for when a trained staff member is able to go.
Medication traning can be done anytime throughout the school year. The training is avaliable on SafeSchools. Complete the training and online exam. Once you've passed the exam, print off your certificate of completion and email 165.ashleyatkins@fayette.kyschools.us to schedule a skills check off. This will take approximately 10 minutes at the most.
Medication traning must be done on an annual basis. If you completed the training for the 22-23 school year, it is no longer valid for this school year.
Front Office Reminders
- Please remember to post student attendance in Infinite Campus as well as on the roster in the purple folders by 8AM daily. If you mark a student absent after 8:15AM, if you need changes to be made, please email Ms. Hernandez as soon as possible.
- IOUs from the Staff Bistro are all due at the end of the pay period.
- Please submit your leave forms as soon as you return from being out.
- All absences need to be entered in Smartfind which can be found under the Staff Tab on our website.
- In order to request a personal day, please click here and complete the form. You will receive an email with a response if approved or denied. If approved, please remember to submit your absence in AESOP/Frontline and complete a leave form prior to your leave.
- Submit supply request using the form in the BTW resources drive. Please do not simply help yourself. This allows us to keep accurate inventory and order more supplies when they run low.
Staff Shout Out
April Staff Birthdays
Marie DeBiase - 18
JerRicas Gentry - 21
Kathy Brooks - 21
Kristen Segebarth - 30