Friday Faculty Focus
News and Notes about #BeBCMS-Issue #6- 2018
February...Fast and Furious
Can you believe the mid-point of the month is upon us! CRAZY! February is a month that always flies by!
We have already tested almost the whole school for their Reading Inventory score. Please make sure that you are having conversations with our scholars regarding that important number. Help them realize what it means and why we do it!
I appreciate everyone's willingness to cover! We are hoping to be out of the fog of illness now...but I am so grateful to work in a place where everyone is family. Please take this weekend to take care of yourself!
We have a Valentine's Dance this week and Candy Grams and Carnations will be delivered. Valentine's Day in a middle school will be full of fun times!
Learning with Liz Pop UP PL this week will be focused on Data DUMPing and making sure our instruction is focused on growing our scholars in Reading and ELA.
I will be doing 5x5s this week with a focus on your instructional objectives aligning to the standard that you are referencing and that is being taught! I will also be looking for references to your data dumping and digging. What have you done this week with that data? How has your instruction changed?
Rest up this weekend!
I am looking forward to an ELITE week of instruction!
#BeBCMS Elite PBIS update!
Our December PBIS Scholar Celebration will be Tuesday during LUNCH!
Our January new Scholars of the Month will be announced Monday at 3:00. Please make sure your nominations are in the google form!
February Data:
5 MAJORS
43 MINORS
Please remember that some behavior is a minor. Make sure you are recording everything so when a scholar does earn that sixth minor, it needs to roll into a MAJOR.
If you need a review of the matrix, please let us know!
OSS/ISS update:
To date:
209 days of OSS
206 days of ISS
This data supports that building relationships is ALWAYS the answer.
RTI News and Notes
Please take the time to review the RTI Tier 2 and 3 list so please bring any progress monitoring you have on those scholars. Check the list for updated information. Here is the most up-to-date RTI list. https://docs.google.com/a/bryan.k12.ga.us/document/d/1z0gCRzYHFIky-1apjSnooY0nqdOPAPPnkutAB_URbDM/edit?usp=sharing
Ms. Sines is working with a group during WIN of scholars on Tier 3.
We are cross checking the WIN groups with GMAS Achievement Level Descriptors and MAP predictors. Your WIN groups may changed based on this data. We will begin discussing this in LWL.
Please make sure you are taking the time to keep up to date with the rosters and bring your progress monitoring.
Keep the main thing: the main thing!
Staff Celebration Breakfasts!
Staff Breakfast Celebrations:
Friday February 23rd - 7th grade team
Friday March 30th - 8th grade team
Friday April 27th - Connections
Friday May 18th - Office Squad
Important Events!
Monday- #CelebrateMonday , 8th grade TEAM meeting with Mr. Tucker, Soccer HOME
Tuesday- #TerrificTuesday, Leadership, , Learning with Liz, PBIS Celebration (December scholars) Baseball HOME, Girls on the Run
Wednesday- #WinWednesday, The Innovation Center, Valentine's Day Dance! 3:30-5:30
Thursday-#ThankfulThursday, Leadership, Career Day with BCHS- schedule coming in email, GLRS on campus, Parent University Night-6:00, 6th grade BAND concert 7:00
Friday- #FocusFriday,
Upcoming:
Valentines Dance after school 2/14
Spring Formal Dance-- Date TBD
Disney Trip Feb. 21-22-23
Kindness Week- February 26th - March 2nd
Kindness Field Trip: Feb. 28th and March 1st
Celebration of Black History Month - Sign up with Ms. Mattos for your Black History Month Breakouts!
SRI (RI) Testing; This Week- Results are IN!
Great work making sure all scholars took and were excited about taking the SRI test. That Lexile score is a wonderful piece of data that helps us truly understand where our scholars are performing and what areas we need to focus on. Make sure you are having conversations with our scholars about why this test MATTERS and what it tells us! The more ExExExCited we are about this test and our increased achievement, the more effort and engagement we will see!
I will have the data loaded into performance matters this week!
Focus on..... Intentional Instruction
Remember our #BeBCMS Moral Imperatives to an ELITE school?
a. Come to School- BE AMAZING- Go Home! Repeat
b. Bell to Bell instruction
c. ALL instruction/teaching will be on grade level and standards based
d. Take a STAND for teaching and learning. Get up!
Intentional Instruction needs to happen every period : every day! Are you telling scholars what they will be learning today or simply posting it on a side white board in your room? Students need to hear you tell them and then they need it reinforced and talked about-- continuously! Those frontal lobes need as much repeating as we can give them !: :)
Please make sure that you are using your instructional frameworks to make every second count in your learning experiences.
ALL lesson plans need to be turned in before you leave on Friday! (today)
Remember: Depth of Knowledge is less about verbs and more about critical thinking!
DOK 1: Memorize(factual knowledge)
DOK 2: Thinking (procedural knowledge)
DOK 3: Strategic Thinking (strategic knowledge)
DOK 4: NEW Thinking (extended knowledge)
QUICK REVIEW of our instructional strategies 1-4
1. Instructional Objective: Have it visual, aligned, and reference it
2. Suffix/Root Words/Prefix: Have them visual and accessible. Model use
3. Gradual Release: I do, we do together, we do collaboratively, you do. How are you using this in your teaching?
4. Types of Text: How are you using both informational text and literary text
Remember:
1. Collaborative Planning is made up of three buckets:
- Lesson Designs
- PLCs
- Data Analysis / Digging / DUMPing
Learning with Liz times:
7th grade 8:45-9:15
6th grade 11:45-12:15
8th grade 2:00-2:30
Check out this lesson design template: (make a copy first) https://docs.google.com/a/bryan.k12.ga.us/document/d/1YGAYfD7wP-xieqvJk0PXu7CXLgonm7JfSTQAuTpWOKY/edit?usp=sharing
Think Abouts?
1. What data are you using in your instructional design planning?
Nuggets and News
- The Innovation Center: Please be on time and be intentional in your learning!
I am VERY proud of the work we are doing in The Innovation Center and we are ExExExCited for this incredible site based , intentional professional learning!
Q3 will be required by all staff.
TEACH LIKE A CHAMPION!
Sessions:
Engaging Students in your Lessons (Dr. Rice) (Data Room)
Setting and Maintaining High Behavioral Expectations (Ms. Swindell)
Challenging Students to Think Critically (Ms. Waddell)
Helping to get the MOST out of Reading: Critical Skills and Techniques (Ms. Ennis)
Classes will begin January 24th and run through Wednesday March 7th
Each class will have a class schedule.
- SPRING SPORT SIGN UPs! Every staff please sign up for TWO spots this spring for supervision. Forms are here: If you don't sign up this week, Mr. Wright will sign you up and let you know what you are covering.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OC9uSswNY4xjM3gFDpJBjbGr6zGKJ1hak8eRRXVdSbQ/edit?usp=sharing (baseball)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A5Q3xHHslCpXxX9CCMzZ8AQXyLijqydsWIphbp4u9jA/edit?usp=sharing (soccer)
- Compliance Checks - #CelebrateMonday with 5x5s! The new High Impact Instructional Look For Document is the new instrument for 5x5-
Focus is on: Instructional Objectives and intentional instruction!
- Meetings Schedules: Monday: TEAM, Tuesday: Learn with Liz (PL), Wednesday: Math ,Thursday: ELA/Soc.St. , Friday: Science
- January PBIS Pizza Party will be This Tuesday!
- NEW PBIS Scholars announced Tuesday as well!
- Our new NORTH end Technology Specialist is housed in room 218. She will serve hardware needs for all the schools on the north end. Please introduce yourself when you see her out and about!
- Keep up the ELITE work with the Positive Referrals!
- Problem Solving Summit Committes will be released soon! Stay tuned!
- Jeans passes are for FRIDAY's only! (Earned Jeans passes are for any day)
- Techie Thursdays with Dana is optional Professional Learning but ELITE. Please consider being a part of the PL and implement your new strategies into your classroom designs.
- Candy Grams will be delivered on Valentine's Day
- 2/14 Valentine's Dance by PTO after school- 3;30-5;30
- AT LUNCH: Voting for the Front Office Mural....iPads will be available!
- Feb. 20th is a district Professional Learning day at BCMS. Stay tuned for the schedule. Plan to have Vertical Content meetings also this day. All co-teachers will meet with Katherine and Blaine as well.
- EdCamp Bryan is March 16th. Participation is optional. Sign up is live! If we get 100% participation, we will have a FULL STAFF CELEBRATION day on Monday March 18th!
- Chrome Cart Splits: We will be making some adjustments to our sharing of Chrome carts beginning Quarter 4 (March 7th) Stay tuned for that!
NEW TECH: Are there items you would LOVE to get for your learning experiences! Fill out a TECH WISH REQUEST to let me know to be in consideration! The link is here:
EdCamp Bryan is HERE!
Have you ever attended an EdCamp? NOW is your chance! PL designed for US by US!
If we have 100% participation of teachers in this day, we will celebrate on Monday March 18th! Please keep up to date with EdCampBryan by following the Twitter: @EdCampBryan
EdCampBryan is Friday, March 16th from 8:30-12:30PM.
Here is the link to register:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/edcamp-bryan-tickets-41396166047
Amazing sessions, ELITE colleagues, and ExExExCellent learning and door prizes! See ya there!
#LoveTheProcess
What I'm Reading....
Jimmy Casas has joined the Pirate Community and his new book "Culturize" is ELITE!
Mr. Casas was the Principal at Bettendorf High School in Iowa while I was in Iowa. Bettendorf is an elite, large high performing high school.
In his book: he outlines four core principles of school culture:
1. Champion for ALL students
2. Expect Excellence
3. Carry the Banner
4. Be a Merchant of HOPE
As I reflect on his core principles, I try to see if I can see them here at BCMS.
1. Champion for ALL students: AKA: Every Child, EVERY day!
2. Expect Excellent: AKA: Striving for ExExExCellence
3. Carry The Banner: AKA: Telling our Story: #BeBCMS and #IChoose.....
4. Be a Merchant of HOPE: AKA: Being change agents every day!
I know that the work we are doing here embodies those four core principles! We are on that come up-- with your relentless work and efforts!
Culturize will be a book that is featured at our Book Tasting on Feb. 20th! I can't wait!
#ReadersAreLeaders
#RTB
#Moments
L
Tweet....Tweet....Tweet...
KEEP tweeting and telling our story! We are changing the narrative of what people know and think about Bryan County Middle School #OneTweetAtATime
Also, tag me @missliz31 and BCMS @BryanCountyMS in all your awesome tweets please!
Find five new people in education to follow on twitter!
Coming Soon...the #BeBCMS #SlowChat.......coming in April!
Brad Weinstein @WeinsteinEdu 16h16 hours ago
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Perhaps the most powerful thing you can say to a student is "I am proud of you." This is true no matter if they are a preschooler or college student. #kidsdeserveit #teachergoals
Molly Babcock @MollyBabcock 12h12 hours ago
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No matter what happens during the day, make sure to greet your students in the morning and say goodbye, have a great night, I can't wait to see you tomorrow when they leave. #KidsDeserveIt
Jeff Hiser @jeffhiseredu Feb 7
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"Young people need models, not critics." - John Wooden
#edchat #leadupchat #joyfulleaders #kidsdeserveit
I love this post!
Using your DATA- Sub-Group Style - Next LWL
Great work in Tuesday's LWL learning how to build your baseball cards.
NOW, this week, we will take a deeper dive into that data and look at our sub-groups.
Remember: While our work needs to be focused on our ALDs we never can allow the data to replace the face of our scholars.
D:Discuss
U:Understand
M:MAKE
P:Plans
I am excited to review SRI/Lexile scores with you on Tuesday and begin to make plans as we prepare for our #LevelUP GMAS Experience!
#LevelUP WIN Pilot groups
Beginning Tuesday, Ms. Ennis and I will be teaching two WIN pilot groups using curriculum we are designing using the ALDs and GOFAR.
We will teach 3 weeks (total of 9 days)
Day one will be a pre-test and day nine will be post test leaving 7 days for instruction.
On March 26th we will begin our full school GMAS #LevelUP Experience with our scholars! We will use our Pilot groups to help guide us in these conversations.
I am VERY excited to get back into the classroom!
Thank you Ms. George for being ELITE!
#BeBCMS
A day in my life! :) A text conversation from my middle child (L) to her dad...on National Signing Day!
#SelfiesMatter :) #SuperBowlSelfies #YourBestSelfie
L