FMS @ a Glance
March 6-10, 2017
Upcoming FHS Activities
Upcoming Events
· Boys Swim & Dive State Meet 3/3 and ¾ at the University of Minnesota– please click here for the schedule of events
· State Wrestling Individual Tournament 3/3 and 3/4 at the Xcel Energy Center– please click here for the schedule of events
· Girls Basketball – Section 2AAA Semi Finals vs. New Ulm – 7:45pm Saturday 3/4 at Gustavus Adolphus College
· Science Team competes at the state meet Saturday, 3/4 at Bethel University in St. Paul
· Band hosts their NYC send-off concert Monday, March 6th in the MJH Performing Arts Center
· Boys Basketball begins Section 2AAA Tournament next Tuesday, March 7th – opponent and location TBD this weekend.
A note from our Technology Department: (copied from email)
Teachers,
Please have your homeroom students participate in the technology survey. We have extended the survey window until March 10th. It should take no longer than 10 minutes. We truly appreciate having as much information as we can to plan and prepare our technology moving forward. Students can access the survey using iPads or computers and navigating to our website and selecting “survey” from the student menu.
The District Tech Committee Thanks You for your cooperation with this.
The student access code for Middle School is 7J3RM. Students will be asked to enter this code.
You can also share access to the student survey with the following direct building link below.
Go to : http://www.BByt.es/7J3RM
Making Classrooms and Schools Safe for Introverts
In this article in Harvard Magazine, Lydialyle Gibson reports on the work of Susan Cain, the “fairy godmother of introverts” and author of the best-selling book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking (Broadway Books, 2013). According to Cain, between one-third and one-half of people are introverts, yet classrooms and workplaces tend to favor extroverts. “Today we make room for a remarkably narrow range of personality styles,” she says. “We’re told that to be great is to be bold, to be happy is to be sociable. We see ourselves as a nation of extroverts – which means that we’ve lost sight of who we really are.”
Cain’s working definition of the introverted temperament draws on the work of Carl Jung, Jerome Kagan, and other psychologists: Introverts look inward to a world of thoughts and feelings; need solitude to recharge their batteries; are empathetic and reflective; prefer listening to talking; think before they speak; are less likely to die in car crashes and more likely to pay attention to warning signals; tend to make peace and offer counsel; have strong powers of concentration; are mostly immune to the lures of wealth and fame; and tend to be artistic and creative, especially when they work alone. Some notable introverts: Charles Darwin, Dr. Seuss, Rosa Parks, Albert Einstein, Steve Wozniak, Steven Spielberg, J.K. Rowling.
Cain has set up a for-profit organization titled Quiet Revolution that trains students, teachers, and others to understand the extrovert-introvert spectrum and make changes that allow everyone to contribute. Some of the areas her organization is working on:
- Fostering clarity, communication, and understanding among classmates and co-workers along the introvert-extrovert spectrum;
- Encouraging individual as well as team projects;
- Giving team members advance notice of meeting agendas;
- Creating “corners for solitude and silence” including places in schools for a quiet lunch;
- Not basing class participation grades on the quantity of words uttered;
- Giving quiet but attentive students a way of signaling to the teacher that they’re with it;
- At the same time, giving quiet students a “gentle push” to speak up (one precept: if you have something to say, say it early in the class so you can then relax and listen);
- Subtle techniques like saying toward the end of a class or meeting, “In a minute, I will say, ‘Does anyone have any other thoughts or questions or ideas?’ – I will say that in a minute.” This gives the introverts time to reflect and get ready to participate.
In a classroom or workplace that’s sensitive to extrovert-introvert characteristics, Cain believes there’s a sense of self-awareness, trust, and safety from which everyone benefits: “Oh, that’s who I am; I make decisions more quickly” or “I multitask more easily” or “That’s why I’m quiet” or “I’m not less than the kid next to me who’s raising his hand all the time.”
Classroom discussions are where teachers need to be particularly aware of the tendency for extroverts to dominate and get more value from the class than others. “They’re raising their hands first, and the teacher is calling on them,” says Cain. “That’s the root of the problem. The extroverts are used to being called on – for years teachers have called on them, and they expect it. But research shows that as soon as a hand goes up, the other brains in the room shut down.”
“Quiet, Please: Susan Cain Foments the ‘Quiet Revolution’” by Lydialyle Gibson in Harvard Magazine, March-April 2017 (Vol. 119, #4, p. 31-35), no e-link available
Two down - three to go.....
Mr. Sesker has asked all building Principals to observe and evaluate five tenured staff members. This request was made last past couple of years as well. So I am looking for anyone that would like to participate in the evaluation.
Staff will need to fill out a brief pre-observation form and then complete a post-observation form after the observation takes place. Staff members may select the date and time the observation takes place.
Please let me know if you are willing and able to get involved. Observations can take place at any time between now and May 1st.
Weekly Calendar
Monday, March 6
EL visitors in the building (afternoon)
2:00 pm PST meeting
5:00 pm FMS presents at Jefferson Elementary Community School
5:30 pm School Board Study Session (Budget)
Tuesday, March 7
3:30 pm District Technology Committee meeting
Wednesday, March 8
Early Out
AMLE/Iowa City
9:00 am SSS Team meeting
Thursday, March 9
AMLE/Iowa City
Friday, March 3
AMLE/Iowa City
Upcoming Events:
3/13-17 Spring Break
3/20 Curriculum Advisory Committee meeting
3/22 Department PLC
3/23 Department Chair meeting
3/24 FMS Technology Committee meeting
3/24 Principal meeting with Mr. Sesker
Legislative Update.....
The bills dissolving the State Board of Teaching were heard in the House and Senate this week. SF 4 and HF 140 create a new Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board. The bills create a four-tier licensure system; have principals on the boards; and consolidate department and board of teaching functions. The authors, Senator Pratt and Representative Erickson have put considerable work into this bill.
The Pension Commission met on Tuesday night. The various pension funds, including TRA, have some future shortfalls. There are only two ways to fix pension funds—increase contributions or reduce benefits. More money in or less money out. On the list are the cost of living adjustments for TRA retirees. Lowering the COLA from 2% to 1% results in $192 million savings for TRA. Thorny issues. The Commission discussed multiple changes, but few result in significant savings. COLA’s are extremely important and valuable to retirees. The preferable approach would be to use part of the budget surplus to insure the continued vitality of the pension funds.
Rice County SHIP News
Middle School Partners,
Rice County SHIP has a few free materials for anyone who would like to utilize them. We have 4 different subjects of Energizers for Classroom-based Physical Activities for middle school students. Each booklet has about 30 - 1 page activities.
Subjects:
1. Math - https://www.ecu.edu/cs-hhp/exss/upload/MSE%20Math.pdf
2. Music - https://www.ecu.edu/cs-hhp/exss/upload/MSE%20Music.pdf
3. Science - http://www.ecu.edu/cs-hhp/exss/upload/MSE%20Science.pdf
4. Language Arts - https://www.ecu.edu/cs-hhp/exss/upload/MSE%20Language%20Arts.pdf
I have about 25 of each subject. FREE to the first responders.
Thank you,
Josh
Josh Ramaker, BS
SHIP Coordinator
Rice County Public Health
320 3rd St NW; Suite 1
Faribault MN, 55021
Email: jramaker@co.rice.mn.us
Phone: 507-332-5911
Fax: 507-332-5932