The Weekly Update #18
February 15th, 2024
Good evening,
Thank you for another fantastic week! Remember that tomorrow is a teacher work day and you're allowed to work from home. IPR grades are due on Tuesday, February 20th by 9:00 am for all R3/S2 courses and will go home with students on Thursday, February 22nd. Monday, February 19th is President's Day and a day off for us so we get to enjoy a four day weekend! I hope you have plans for a wonderful extended weekend full of fun and relaxation. We have two more four day weeks to enjoy before the long march to spring break. So, take advantage of these days off because leading up to spring break can be a trying time!
Grade card reminders:
6th grade electives are pass/fail
EEE is pass/fail
All skills classes, reading classes, advisory, RTI classes will use Success Ready Scores. If you have any questions, please see or email Amy Weinsting or Hannah Aubrey and consider that they are also working on grades to submit on Tuesday so please don't wait to ask for help until the last minute!
on Monday, February 12th, Lindsey Wulff emailed this information along with the comment codes and success ready scales attachments so check your email!
Thank you to everyone who supervised our Sneaker Ball last Friday Night! It as a huge success and our students did a pretty good job staying appropriate and having clean fun. We plan to have a spring fling and use it as an incentive for students meeting assessment expectations. We will follow up with additional information as we get closer to the MAP testing window which is April 30-May 2.
Afternoon Snack Program
We are very fortunate to have an afterschool snack program and can provide our students with an afternoon snack before they go home. We have also received many, many complaints from our staff and bus drivers about the messes that some of our students make in our classrooms, hallways, and buses. We paused the snacks for a month and heard from several of you that our students really needed the extra food at the end of the day and honestly, we agree! We also recognize that it's the adults that end up cleaning up the messes and they get sick of it.
We want to continue to provide an afternoon snack and need your help. We do not want students leaving the cafeteria with food, which means they are not allowed to eat breakfast or lunch in your rooms. We also want to make sure they enjoy their snack in your rooms at the end of the day. We want to strongly encourage students to throw their trash away in your classroom.
We have found food smashed on the floors/walls, and wrappers in the parking lots, urinals, floors, sinks, toilets, and again, an adult is either throwing away the trash or cleaning it up. Please remind our students of our expectations and that this program is a privilege and not a right. If we continue to have trash issues, we will end the program. We will add this expectation to our student announcements so that they are aware of expectations regarding food moving forward.
Columbia Fund for Academic Excellence Award
Please remember to nominate one of your peers for the CFAE award and a chance to be awarded $1500! You received an email last week with the information and the submission deadline is March 4th. We will determine our nominees based on the number of nominations teachers receive. Remember that your nominating a WMS Viking for the following categories:
Outstanding Middle School Teacher
Outstanding first year teacher
Outstanding teacher in a specialized area
Please save the date!
Black History Month Celebration
We will have a Black History Month assembly on Friday, February 23rd. Our amazing social studies department will send out additional information in the next week or so... We will use the assembly schedule attached below and I will also email it so that you can plan for next Friday!
We also will have a Soul Food Day on Friday, February 23rd. We will follow up with additional information in the next week or so.
Body U Screener-
CPS has partnered with Washington University to offer students an eating disorder program called Body U. This program includes screening for disordered eating and resources for students identified as at risk. The screening is offered to students assigned female at birth in grades 7th through 12th and will be included as a link at the end of the Coalition Checklist administered from January 29th through February 9th. Parents have been provided an opportunity to opt their student out of the screening. In addition, students have the option to opt out at the time of screening. The screener should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.
Body U screening results will be available within approximately one week; at which time, school nurses and counselors will collaborate to notify guardians, provide resources, and support students.
For your information: link to the survey
Madi Stanley (stanley.m@wustl.edu) with Washington University can provide technical assistance with the screener if needed. Attached is the administration script the Regional Coordinators will provide in their regular checklist email. Also attached is an informational flyer.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at jemaddox@cpsk12.org or call extension 54460.
Active Classrooms-
Please consider participating in a voluntary campaign Active Classrooms Month this February.
We know that active kids learn better, and research supports it. Classroom physical activity helps students feel better, work together as a team, reduce anxiety, and maintain focus. Movement in the classroom can be used to teach and reinforce academic concepts and to reenergize and refocus students before diving back into a lesson. Moreover, incorporating movement into the learning process has been shown to reduce teacher stress, enhance job satisfaction, and contribute to a healthier work environment. By joining Active Classroom Month, you’re not just encouraging physical activity for your students, you’re investing in your own well-being as well.
Sponsored by Active Schools and Springboard to Active Schools, Active Classrooms Month aims to shine a spotlight on teachers and schools who incorporate physical activity into student learning. You can be involved by sharing photos, videos, testimonials, ideas, or best practices that show the impact movement has on students in your classroom setting using the hashtag #CPSActiveClassrooms or sending the information to me.
I encourage you to explore creative ways to infuse movement into your lessons, whether through interactive exercises, quick brain breaks, or collaborative activities. Some suggestions of inclusive activities include:
- -HyVee Squat Challenge
- -beach ball spelling or counting
- -letter plates for spelling lessons
- -measurement through jumping (discuss why one jump might be further, create graphs, and equations)
- -fitness dice
- -workout videos like this
- -jump starting brains with morning exercise during morning announcements
- -chair yoga
- -dance breaks
- -brain boosters
If you’re interested in registering for this event, sign up here. You will have access to loads of information for incorporating activity you’re your classroom and become eligible to win prizes for your classroom. Together, let’s make this Active Classroom Month a memorable and impactful experience for both you and your students.
BLACK OUT DATES 23-24
Blackout dates are dates that have historically experienced high absenteeism.
The following are blackout dates for the 2022-23 school year. If you are requesting to use personal time for any of these dates, a request in TalentEd Records under available forms will need to be submitted and approved by your supervisor and Human Resources.
- 2/29, 3/1 & 3/4 -True False Film Festival
- 3/22 - day before spring break
- 4/1 - day after spring break
*Per policies GCBDA and GDBDA requests for personal leave are subject to prior approval by the immediate supervisor. Personal leave at the start or close of school or more than one day in conjunction with a holiday must receive prior approval by the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources or designee due to extenuating circumstances.
This request is made in TalentEd Records under available forms and personal/blackout/emergency leave form.
Thank you for all you do to make West the Best!
Monday, Feb 19th
- President's Day- No School!
Tuesday, Feb 20th
- quiz bowl
- team meetings
Wednesday- Feb 21st
- Asst./Admin Asst mtg at Aslin
- WMS sst mtg
- PIE mtg with Shelter Ins
- compass health in guidance
- MAC Scholars in cafe B
Thursday- Feb 22nd
- Fire Drill at 7:45 am
- jazz ensemble
- WMS Harmony 6th grade choir during RTI
- MU lunch chats- MUST SIGN UP to attend and get lunch
Friday- Feb 23rd
- coffee cart
- Viking Buck cafe
- MU bridges in counseling
Monday- Feb 19th
- President's Day- No School
Tuesday- Feb 20th
- drama club
- musical rehearsal
- 6th grade intramurals
- CPS honor choir
- CYBA 6-8:30
Wednesday- Feb 21st
- musical rehearsal
- CYBA practices
- Columbia community band
Thursday- Feb 22nd
- musical rehearsal
- CYBA practices
Friday- Feb 23rd
- Musical rehearsal
- Chancellor's Art Showcase at Missouri Theatre