EAST PAULDING MIDDLE SCHOOL
August 24, 2018
FACULTY AND STAFF NEWSLETTER
featured quote
Growing Pains
Or, you may notice that when you exercise, you are sore the next day (day two and three are typically worse). This soreness comes from a build-up of lactic acid and the breaking down of muscle so that it repairs itself to be stronger and bigger. If you are consistent with exercise, you will also notice that the pain eventually doesn't hurt as bad. The craziness is that if you condition yourself to exercise consistently, you begin to enjoy the "pain" and soreness, and you miss it if you skip a few days in a row. What makes the pain even less evident is when you have an accountability partner to help push, motivate, inspire, and hold you accountable to the job that must be done...the one you committed to.
Think about this in the view of growing professionally. We all have left our teacher prep programs with a certain degree of knowledge, and we all have a vast amount of experience and abilities. Some teachers continue to stretch themselves professionally while others rely on "what I have always done", refusing to grow.
Those who continually attempt to grow and stretch professionally have become accustomed to the "pain" of reaching outside of their comfort zone. While there is still some soreness, there is a slight addiction to reaching for new heights, resulting in working within a comfort level of 'soreness'. Those who refuse or are reluctant to stretch and grow professionally will feel that "pain" much more significantly when they finally attempt to try new things or if they are forced outside of their comfort zone.
Just like having an accountability partner to help you stay motivated to exercise through the soreness, having an accountability partner to help you through the challenges of our profession will help you work through those difficult times outside of your comfort zone. The quote above from Simon Sinek is a short one, but a powerful one. Simple...just like the whole concept behind finding your why.
This year, we are all trying new things, and we all will go through some pains as we grow a culture of literacy focus in our building. Some of you will go through some pains as you are stretched beyond your comfort zone within your department. My challenge to you is to stay committed; don't give up, don't quit, and don't allow the "soreness" to overcome you. Who is your accountability partner? Who will push you? Who are you pushing? We must grow together!
UPCOMING EVENTS
8/27 - 4 1/2 Week Grade Posting Window Opens
8/27 - Fire Drill - 2:15pm
8/28 - PTSA Back to School Dance - 4:00-5:30pm
8/30 - ESEP Department Meeting - 7:45am - 601
8/30 - Suicide Prevention Training with Mary Wade (Professional Block) - 601
8/31 - 4 1/2 Weeks Progress Reports Issued along with Milestones Score Reports
8/31 - PAY DAY!
9/3 - Labor Day Holiday
9/4 - NBI Begins
9/4 - 6th and 7th Grade MI Assessments
9/4 - Faculty Meeting - 4:00pm - Cafeteria
9/5 - PBIS State Visit
9/5 - PE/Connections Department Meeting - Professional Block
9/6 - 8th Grade MI Assessment
9/6 - ESEP Mini-PLC - Professional Block - 601
9/10 - Math Department Meeing - 4:00pm - 605
9/10 - 4H Club Meeting - NBI
9/11 - PTSA Meeting - Community Night - 6:45pm
9/12 - 2-Hour Early Release - 1:35pm
9/12 - Para PLC - 1:45pm - 601
9/14 - Mentor Observation #1 Due
9/17 - SBIT Meeting - 7:45am - 601
9/20 - ESEP Meeting - 7:45am - 601
9/20 - Chorus Concert - 7:00pm - EPHS Auditorium
9/21 - TKES Walkthrough #1 Due
9/24-28 - FALL BREAK
Strength ~ Honor ~ Courage
How are you keeping the message of Strength, Honor, and Courage alive in your classrooms? Have you noticed students displaying these characteristics in how they treat their peers, how they collaborate in class, and how they interact with adults? We want to continually grow this culture so that our students know and understand the expectations that we have in our building.
This doesn't mean that they are not going to make mistakes; kids mess up. I mess up...we all mess up, and as humans, we need grace and opportunities to move on from our past mistakes. I want to remind you that there are times where we, as adults, expect or demand certain concessions when our performance (job or in life) isn't up to par. Unfortunately, sometimes, we don't want to give those same concessions to our students. (Hard pill to swallow...I know, but it's true)
As adults, we should model the same Strength, Honor, and Courage that we expect from our students How do we interact with students? How do we redirect them? How do we provide feedback? How do we handle a situation when a student is "testing our limits"? I will admit that I am better at this at school than I am with my own kiddos. The fact is, I am willing to admit it, and I know that I need to get better at it. How would you assess yourself? Would you speak to a student the same way if their parent was standing there?
I want to encourage all of us to work on it!
August ABSENCE ANALYSIS
Classroom Observations
1. Ultimately, appropriately plan and prepare - this alone, can eliminate your stress.
2. Be you. Use your personality, your skills, your style.
3. Keep doing what it is that you are doing. You don't have to welcome an observer or even acknowledge them.
4. Don't be afraid to fail by trying something new.
5. Collaborate with each other.To relieve some of the stress associated with observations, TKES observations will not take place during NBI or during the designated literacy days for your content area. However, it is a professional expectation (building and district) that you are implementing appropriate literacy support or enrichment within your NBI classes and also during your designated literacy days.
We will be jumping in your rooms during NBI and the designated literacy days to observe and coach. This is a growing year, and we expect some uncertainty, some challenges, some successes, and some failures. We want to provide risk-free feedback to help us all learn and grow. Not trying or not doing is just not acceptable.
NBI Literacy Support
Thank you all for your time on Thursday as I provided more detailed information about our NBI groups. Please use the week ahead to plan and prepare for your students. I will clean up any roster changes on Monday and Tuesday, and I plan to share final rosters with everyone on Wednesday. Once rosters are finalized, we will communicate with students.
I am excited about the potential of our NBI support plan this year, and I am looking forward to seeing great growth among our students.
Upcoming PL
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Contact Information for Tom Alverson
Email: talverson@paulding.k12.ga.us
Website: http://www.paulding.k12.ga.us/Domain/29
Phone: 678-350-8027