WBMS Staff Newsletter
March 5-9
Dates To Remember
Mar 5- Evacuation Drill
Mar 6- Leadership Meeting
Mar 7- No PLC meetings
Mar 7- Hat Day- Pennies for Patients
Mar 7- Georgia Walk to School Day
Mar 8- Release Day
Mar 9- PLC's and Digital Learning Day
Mar 9- Faculty Meeting and Exceptional Children's Week Staff Breakfast
Mar 12- Make Up Day- school in session
Mar 13- No Vertical Teaming
Important Upcoming Events
Mar 21- Community Balance Day
Mar 23- Talent Show
April 2-6- Spring Break
April 12-24- Milestones
April 20- Wacky Webb Day (taking place of TOWB)
May 10-11- Geobots 6th Grade
May 11- 8th Grade Dance
May 12- Relay for Life
May 17, 18, 21-Finals
May 22, 23, 24- The Clash of the Webb Heroes
May 21-24- Device Collection
May 22- 8th Grade Awards Ceremony @ 7:00pm at AHS
March Meeting Schedule
AHS/WBMS University
3/8- Please park in the back to allow room for our AHS colleagues.
March 8th Release Day
If you have not done so already:
Sign Up for Courses- Once you’ve reviewed the Session Guide and selected the courses you’d most like to attend for Session 1, Session 2, AND Session 3, please take a moment to officially sign up for the courses of your choice here: http://bit.ly/ahswbmsuni38signup
Session Guide- Please take a moment to review our Session Guide for the different AHS & WBS University courses being offered for Session 1, 2 and 3 by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ahswbmsuni38
*if you have trouble viewing, start off by making sure that you are scrolled all the way over to the left and are at the top of the page
Items to Remember:
· Sign up as soon as possible as each course is capped at 16 people
· Sign up for one course for session #1 and one course for session #2 and session #3
· If your classroom is being used, please make sure your door is open for the session
What is AHS/WBMS University?
A Conference For Teachers, by Teachers
Teacher led professional development is powerful. According to a recent article from Education World, "Teacher-led professional development fosters accountability, collegiality, professionalism, and pride. Teachers feel appreciated and respected for their contributions and knowledge, and they become confident and more competent in their own teaching practice."
WBMS is teaming up with AHS to present AHS/WBMS University, a mini conference for our staffs. We are looking to provide a variety of learning opportunities and build relationships between our staff to better prepare our students for their next steps.
March 8th Schedule
8:00-8:20 Meet in Cafeteria to overview the day and mingle with AHS
8:30- 9:10 Session #1
9:20-10:00 Session #2
10:10 -10:50 Session #3
11:00-11:45 PGA
11:45-1:00 Lunch
1:00-3:00 Growth Academy
WBMS Digital Learning Day- March 9th
- 45 minutes of iReady or ELA PLC assigned task
- 45 minutes of IXL or Math PLC assigned task
- 30 min of Science PLC assigned task
- 30 min of Social Studies PLC assigned task
- 20 min - Connections/WL/Reading will assign a digital task for students to complete – no longer than 20 minutes each
- Students will have 3 days to complete work
- Teachers will be available digitally from 1 - 3pm on 3/9
Schedule for March 9th
8:00-8:45- Breakfast and Faculty Meeting
9:00-12:00- PLC/Vertical Teaming
Science and SS have PLC/VT with LaKenji
All other contents/subjects will have PLC/VT time designed by Admin/Content Chair
12:00-1:00- Lunch
1:00-3:00- Digital Learning "Office Hours"- please be available online/in a digital space, to assist students if they have questions.
Action Items and Important Links
Read Across America Day- Plus/Delta
2/6 Faculty Meeting PPT- Click here to view the ppt
Please take some time to complete the following items:
- Irma Hours- Log here: bit.ly/irma12hours
General Transfer Window
The General Transfer window will be from February 23, 2018 – April 13, 2018. Below is the link to the General Transfer Form, which is located on the Talent/Human Resources portal. The guidelines and directions are at the top of the form. Current principals/department heads must sign the form to indicate the employee’s eligibility. Their signature does not indicate approval, as the process is governed by Board Policy GBM.
Interested/eligible employees (including assistant principals) should print and complete the form, have it signed by your current principal/department head and submit it along with a letter of interest directly to the desired school principals/department heads. Do not submit the form to Talent/Human Resources.
If you have questions regarding your eligibility or the process, please direct such to your principal or department head. Be mindful that receiving a transfer is not guaranteed.
Please click the link below to print the form.
ESOL Endorsement
The deadline to apply to the program is Friday, April 21st. Applicants accepted into the program, will receive a notification of acceptance email mid-May.
Join our Relay for Life Team
Autism Speaks
What: Autism Speaks Walk
When: 4/29/18
Where: Downtown Atlanta
Time: 9:00
Its that time!! The annual Autism Speaks Walk will be held on 29 April, 2018 in beautiful midtown Atlanta! Our school will have a team, the Webb Bridge Builders- and we need YOUR help to continue the tradition of supporting our autism community in the greater Atlanta area.
Last year, our school raised nearly $2,700. Wow! If you would like to become a part of team planning/activities during April, please let Jennifer Ward know by Friday, 9 March.
Summer Job Opportunity
119 Shallowford Road NE, Atlanta GA 30341
Teachers Looking for a Summer Job!
We want you.
Dynamo Pool Management is now hiring adults with leadership and management skills as pool managers.
Requires lifeguarding, maturity to deal with teenagers and adults. You will be able to continue teaching kids leadership, lifesaving skills and team building outside of the classroom.
Training location will be at one of the Dynamo Swim Club pools in Chamblee or Alpharetta.
Cost of training is supplied by Dynamo Pool Management with application and signed agreement to work for Dynamo Pool Management. You will oversee a pool or pools close to your home.
For more information or to sign up please contact:
Peggy Walker at 404-518-1506 or Peggy@dynamopm.com
Mollye Barrett at 404-996-9464 or mollye@dynamopm.com
Wowzers
Don't forget to submit a Webb Way Wozer to Katie Pardee by Friday for the Staff Newsletter the following Monday.
WOWZERS:
- Wowzers to all presenters at AHS/WBMS University. This event would not be possible without those of you who volunteered your time and talent to make it happen!
- Huge thanks to Lisa Beckett, Rosalind Cedeno and Jocelyn Fragnito for helping to prepare refreshments for the 8th!
March
6 Rosalind Cedeno 13 Fredina Anderson 13 Matt Sell 19 Salimah Karim 20 Daniel Clark 20 Maria Adamkiewicz-Sochacki 21 Joanna Gillespie 21 Rebecca Perkins 23 Michelle Garner 26 Nancy Ann Martin 29 Sarah Boltz
See a Bug? Report it!
Anonymous Feedback to Ms. Perkins
Send feedback anonymously to Ms. Perkins by following this link: bit.ly/toperkins
Effective ways to improve your interactions (and keep it positive) with challenging students.
Even though your toughest students are just kids at the mercy of emotions they don't understand or can't control, it can be hard for a teacher to stay calm and not take these ongoing behavioral problems personally. My advice: it's time to hit the reset button!
Tough kids are usually covering a ton of hurt. They defend against feeling pain by erecting walls of protection through rejection. Efforts to penetrate those walls by caring adults are generally met with stronger resistance expressed through emotional withdrawal and/or offensive language, gestures, and actions. Like a crying baby unable to articulate the source of its discomfort, these kids desperately need patient, determined, and affectionate adults with thick skin who refuse to take offensive behavior personally. Here are some ways to connect or reconnect with students who make themselves hard to like.
Read the rest of the article below:
Attend an Edcamp!
Edcamp Fulton
SATURDAY, MARCH 24TH, 8:30AM-12PM
Saturday, Mar 24, 2018, 08:30 AM
5340 South Trimble Road, Atlanta, GA, USA
Work Life Balance
Atlanta Gladiators- Hockey
Watch the Atlanta Gladiators play a home game at Infinite Energy Center in Duluth.
Science festival March 9 - 24, 2018
Atlanta Science Festival features hands-on activities, performances, presentations, and facility tours in dozens of locations to celebrate local science and technology. See the events list or booklet.
St. Patrick’s Day party March 10, 2018 (3 p.m.)
Join the crowd wearing green costumes at Lepre*Con, which has zany contests and two stages of music outside Park Tavern for age 21+.
Brunch festival March 10, 2018 (noon, VIP 11 a.m.)
Buy tasty bites from 20 restaurants and beverages (Bloody Marys, Mimosas, beer, and wine) with music from a pop tribute band at Atlanta Brunch Festival at Atlantic Station for age 21+. No pets.
St. Patrick’s Day party March 10 & 17, 2018
St. Patrick’s Day Outdoor Festival has bars, live music, and Irish dancers (2 p.m. March 17) on Buckhead Avenue outside Fado.
PBR- Bull Riding March 10 - 11, 2018
Professional Bull Riders compete to see who can last the longest atop a bucking bull at Infinite Energy Arena.
Easter egg hunt on the farm March 12, 2018 (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
Kids search for colorful eggs, play games, and create springtime crafts during Magic Monday: Egg Hunt at the Atlanta History Center.
Cocktails at the aquarium March 16, 2018 (7 p.m., VIP 6 p.m.)
Adults can wander Georgia Aquarium enjoying live music, cocktails, and appetizers at Sips Under the Sea, which features a “Back to the ‘90s” theme.
St. Patrick’s Day bar crawls March 16 - 17, 2018 Atlanta locations
These events usually include drink specials and party souvenirs, with no cover charges at multiple bars.
- March 16 - Green Mile Midtown Block Party
- March 17 - Atlanta Streetcar Bar Crawl
- March 17 - Boozy Brunch Crawl in Highlands
- March 17 - Irish Stroll
- March 17 - Kegs and Eggs (Virginia Highland)
- March 17 - Lucky Leprechaun Pub Crawl (Buckhead)
- March 17 - Luckyfest at Park Tavern
Craft show March 16 - 18, 2018
Find 225 contemporary jewelry, clothing, furniture, and home-decor artists at the American Craft Show at Cobb Galleria Centre.
Cherry blossom festival - Macon March 16 - 25, 2018
International Cherry Blossom Festival includes 80 events, a parade, arts & crafts, concerts, food trucks, a street party, and 300,000 flowering cherry trees.
Shamrock race March 17, 2018
Shamrock ‘N Roll Road Race is a walk or run (kids fun run, 5K, and 10K) with Irish entertainment that begins at Atlantic Station.
St. Patrick’s Day parade March 17, 2018 (noon)
The Atlanta St. Patrick’s Parade has 2,000 dancers, musicians, and Irish enthusiasts, plus giant balloons, floats, and marching bands in Midtown that go south on Peachtree St. from 15th St. NE to 5th St. NE.
Auto show March 21 - 25, 2018
Atlanta International Auto Show includes hundreds of new cars, light trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles at Georgia World Congress Center.
Colonial reenactment March 29 - April 1, 2018
See life in 1790s Georgia at the 18th Century Colonial Market Faire, including historical crafts, games, military drills, music, and treats at Fort Yargo State Park in Winder.
Taste of Forsyth March 31, 2018
Buy tastes from 25 restaurants for $1 to $4 at Taste of Forsyth, which has a kids’ zone and Easter egg hunts on the lawn at Cumming Fairgrounds. Free. The Warbington Farms EGGstravaganza is 10 miles away.
Family fun in the museum March 31, 2018 (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
Meet baby animals, play games, and collect eggs at activity stations during Spring Egg-stravaganza at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History.
Easter at Callaway Gardens March 31 - April 1, 2018
Easter Weekend events at Callaway Gardens include a 5K race, a kids’ race, an Easter Bunny, egg hunts, and entertainment on Saturday. Sunday features a sunrise service, brunch, and lunch.
2017-2018 School Year
First Semester
August 1 – 4 ........................................... Preplanning for teachers
August 7......................................................... First Day of School
September 4........................................Labor Day (schools closed)
October 6 ......................................Teacher Workday (students off)
October 9 ......................................Columbus Day (schools closed)
November 20 – 24.............. Thanksgiving Holidays (schools closed)
December 21 ....................................... Last Day of First Semester
December 22 – 29 ...........................Winter Break (schools closed)
Second Semester
January 1 – 3.....................................................................Winter Break (schools closed)
January 4.......................................................................Teacher Workday (students off)
January 5................................................Professional Development Day (students off)
January 8...........................................................................First Day of Second Semester
January 15...........................................Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday (schools closed)
February 16*..................................................................................... Snow Makeup Day
February 19 ....................................................President’s Day Holiday (schools closed)
March 9*.........................................................Snow Makeup Day- Digital Learning Day
March 12.............................................................................................Snow Makeup Day
April 2 – 6 ..........................................................................Spring Break (schools closed)
May 24.................................................................................................. Last Day of School
May 25.......................................................................................................... Post Planning
May 28...............................................................Memorial Day Holiday (schools closed)
* Designated as inclement weather make-up days (if needed).
Our School Release Days
These are the dates approved through the RFF process as part of School Governance. WBMS students will NOT attend school on the following dates:
September 1, 2017
October 5, 2017
January 16, 2018
March 8, 2018
Community Balance Days 2017-2018
September 20
October 25
February 21
March 21
The idea is that students will go home right after school to create balance in their lives. Staff members and students alike will take a night off. Club sponsors and coaches and directors may hold meetings and practices and games as needed. We feel students release stress through these extracurricular activities.
Please plan to enjoy yourself and work your assessments around these dates this school year.
Spring 2018 Finals and The Clash of the Webb Heroes Dates
The Clash of the Webb Heroes 22, 23, 24