Friday Notes
Dare to be Different!
Blog: Asking Questions and IMPLEMENTING Solutions
"As long as we are having the conversation, we are doing the right thing."
Completely wrong. How many things in our life do we talk about doing over and over again, yet never actually take action on? Paralysis by analysis is the bane of our existence. We often have meetings about potential changes. Then we plan another meeting - maybe put together a committee - to talk about the initial meeting, and then we all stare at each other looking lost.
Discussion is a great place to start....implementing something WITH NO FEAR OF FAILURE is the part that truly MAKES A DIFFERENCE. This stuff is hard. Have a good discussion, try something new, reflect on your actions, and try again. Tackle that same process over and over again. I mentioned something to a student earlier this week that is relevant here: " no matter the situation and no matter the setting, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING YOU/WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE YOUR SITUATION. There is no such thing as a dead end. Dead ends are fictitious barriers created in our mind.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mindset
Costumes
Canvas
ISTEP Assessment Manual Guidance
Worth a Read
This was an uncomfortable read for me, but one that made me think. While I do not connect with the to Kill a Mockingbird conversation (I only vaguely remember reading it), I do connect with the trust piece at the end. Do I trust the kid walking down the hallway during class, or do I assume they are doing something wrong?
BYOD Meetings
Flu Shots
School Closing/Delay Information
School Closing Info:
It is about that time of year where everyone gets excited about the weather and how it is going to impact our school day. I have attached updated flowcharts (for internal use) showing the process we follow to determine if school will be delayed, open or closed and who does what in relation to the decision making process. Attached are the following flowcharts:
1. Inclement Weather when school is in session
2. Inclement Weather when school is not in session such as a holiday break
3. Inclement Weather Early Dismissal
4. Cancellation of After School Events when school is in session
5. Cancellation of After School Events when school is closed
Our goal is to have made a determination by 5:30am in regards to school closings or delays. A two-hour delay could be used for extreme cold weather. A factor of making this decision includes whether or not it is predicted to have rising temperatures throughout the morning. While it may be very cold at 5am, rising temperatures throughout the bus travel/waiting times for students might be sufficient to not warrant a delay. We will continue to use our Connect Ed (robo call) system to notify parents as well as social media and news outlets as soon after 5:30am as possible if there is going to be a closing or delay.
When schools are delayed, teachers and support staff should begin their day according to the delay. A 2-hour delay means that school begins…2hours later. If an employee is scheduled to arrive at 7am they should arrive at 9am in this example.
When schools are closed/delayed all custodial and maintenance staff will still report to their assigned work locations as soon as it is reasonably safe to do so. If those staff members are NOT to report to work, they will receive information from their immediate supervisors.
All twelve-month staff members and Central office staff members should report to work as soon as reasonably safe for them to do so. A twelve-month staff member may choose to take a day from their available personal days.
Principals please review your two-hour delay schedule and share it with your staff. Also review what information you would share with your parents and post on your website.
OTHER REMINDERS:
1. We will clear snow from designated entries in the morning. Please make sure your staff knows which doors/entries will be cleared first. (If you are not sure, contact facilities.)
2. Parking lots are not plowed unless there is more than two inches of snow. Remind staff that appropriate footwear is needed.
3. Please try to use the walk off door mats in the buildings. However, even if this is done the tile/terrazzo floors can still become very slippery when wet.
4. Middle School East DOES NOT serve breakfast on two hour delay days
Our 2 hour delay bell schedule can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NL1Nk2Hi5lwKDDG3fxcwv56vBkw3IWWYrs8R6-nCuWo/edit
Mrs. Sego's sub is Ms. Amy
Chromebooks
#1 - Review the document located at https://www.smore.com/eqcys. PLEASE PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE DROP OFF AND PICK UP PROCEDURES. You must drop off the cart after use (between 2:15-2:30), and carts need to be picked up the DAY BEFORE they are used (between 2:30-2:45)
#2 - YOU MUST have a system in your classroom to determine what kid is using what Chromebook. As I have mentioned previously, I would just number your roster and require students to use that Chromebook. Why? When we need to track down what happened to a broken computer, or pull a log of what a student accessed, we have to have the Chromebook cart # and computer #.
If you have any questions about any of this let me know.
Evaluation Timelines
Counselors Corner
Kyle McClarnon
All 6th Grade
7th Grade Last Name A-M
Sarah Ready
All 8th Grade
7th Grade Last Name N-Z
November Canned Food Drive
East will host the annual Canned Food Drive the week of November 13th. All canned goods are used to support the SPARC Center. More information to come about student participation. For a donation of 2 cans per day, staff can wear jeans!
National Bullying Prevention Month
October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Check out this awesome video created by Burger King!
Counselor Sign Up Process
Counselor Request Forms are now 100% electronic. Students can sign up to speak with a counselor from any device that has internet access. Chromebooks are set up in the office for students to make a request. Teachers: you can save this link on your computer or ipad, and students can sign up directly from your room! As always, if a student is in crisis they will be seen by a counselor immediately.
Child Abuse & Duty to Report
An individual who has reason to believe that a child is a victim of abuse or neglect shall make a report to DCS or local law enforcement immediately. This applies to every staff member in the building. Please review the Child Abuse & Duty to Report information by clicking here.
High Ability Identification Process
The high ability identification process is outlined here. This process applies to current 6th and 7th grade students; with placement decisions for the 18-19 school year. Recommendations can be made from now until January 12th. If you have questions, please see Kyle or Sarah.