Principal's Weekly Update
Success is our only option!
Mustangs on the Move!
Weekly Message for 2-13-2018
We will be consistent and pervasive with effective instruction, assessment, and monitoring (aligned with the AKS), by collaboratively planning lessons that implement the Gradual Release Instructional Framework and Formative Instructional Practices.
Greetings to All:
We hope that you are doubling up on your vitamin c and that you are getting adequate rest. Please stay well as best as you can. The flu and other virus are ravishing our health at record levels. I am so proud of how you continue teaching and learning day after day. This is no easy task when you are missing teammates and students. A very special thanks goes to our ESOL and Special Needs staff for covering classes. We know that all of you have covered classes other than your own. I am so thankful to work with such a selfless and flexible team. Thanks for caring so much about teaching and learning at LMS. You are the best!
Have a great week LMS Rock Stars!
Yvette
"The Release of Learning" by Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey
Video and Reflection: Watch two video illustrating instructional practices that support students in reading difficult text: Tackling a Scientific Text and Comprehending Informational Texts. You may want to take notes on the questions below.
- Before you watch: Think about the challenges your students face when reading texts in your class. Think about two to three difficulties you need to address in preparing students to read. Then, think about three instructional practices you use to support students in comprehending challenging text.
- Watch the video: As you watch the first video, notice 1) how Ms. Tran prepared students to read challenging text; 2) strategies she identified and presented for reading this text; and 3) how she explained the purpose and value of using these strategies beyond the text students were reading.
Mustang KUDOs:
A very special thanks goes to all of you for continuing teaching and learning during this time of record breaking attendance, due to the flu.
If any names were accidently omitted, please let me know so that I can add them.
Teachers Matter the Most! Be a "Top 20" Teacher!
Congratulations goes to you for covering classes and continuing to teach students what they need to know!
Please invite us to your classroom and/or send us a photo or a brief summary of the great learning happening in your classroom!
Success is our ONLY option!
A very special thanks goes to Mrs. Reba Carnes for helping to keep us well! She has been convincing several parents to keep their children at home. You have such an impact on our students that they will come to school to learn with fevers.
To Do:
- Send home progress reports on Wednesday, February 14th.
- Complete your "True Blue" Mustang Google Form.
- Make sure that all of your students complete their 22.5 LCA.
- Begin to complete your 22.5 WK LCA Data Dig. We will discuss our data digs on Monday, February 19th. Please bring a hard copy of your Data Dig to the meeting. Data Digs must be completed prior to our February 19th meeting.
- Complete the GCPS RBES Mid-Year Update.
- Make sure that you have completed your RBES Mid-year Update and Spreadsheets. Don't forget to complete the RBES Survey Sign-Off Link.
- Schedule students to check out books in the media center.
- Make sure that you have a student sweeper and table washer to clean your tables and silent lunch table too! All students must pick up their trash from the table and floor before being dismissed to pass to the garbage cans.
- Don't forget to sign up for supervising the basketball games. Refer to the LMS Training Page to sign up. This is a requirement for all certified staff members.
- Complete and update eCourse Pages as required
- Check gradebook weights and percent of spread
- Continue to implement to align all student work and learning activities to the rigor of the AKS, along with implementing all gradual release learning phases in every lesson, every day. We must check for understanding every 8-10 minutes, so that we can properly intervene and help students correct misunderstandings!
"Better Learning Through Structured Teaching" Quote of the Week
"We believe that all four phases of the gradual release of responsibility of framework - focused instruction, guided instruction, collaborative learning, and independent learning are necessary if we want students to learn deeply, think critically and creatively, and be able to mobilize learning strategies. p. 14)
Please make sure that the following teacher and student actions are occurring in every lesson, every day.
I Do (Mini-Lesson/Model/All Teacher/Focused Lesson)- Teacher: Teacher models content/skill by clearly articulating purpose for and the learning target using the vocabulary, connecting prior knowledge (or put into context in regards to the big picture), showing thinking in action, and anticipating misconceptions.
We Do (Guided Instruction)- Teacher/Student: Teacher guides students by helping them clearly articulate the learning target, use interactive instruction, checks (white-boards), prompts, clues, group/pair and share, or round-table. Students are given the opportunity to articulate the learning target, use vocabulary, respond to questions, and work on the content/skill in a guided setting.
“Y’all” do it Together (Collaborative Learning)- Student/Student: Teacher moves among groups, clarifies confusion (questions students), provides support, deepens understanding. Students are given the opportunity to articulate the learning target as a group, work on the content/skill in a collaborative setting.
You do Independently and Check (Independent Practice)- Student: Teacher will give students the opportunity to review the assignment and ask clarifying questions. As students are working, the teacher will provide feedback, evaluate, and determines the level of understanding. Students are working alone, relying on notes, activities, classroom learning to complete the assignment. The student takes full responsibility of the outcome.
-Nancy Frey and Doug Fisher
Let's make sure are students have daily opportunities to read, discuss, think critically, and write!
Important Dates
- Grade Level Awards (during Advisement): 6th- February 2nd, 7th- February 16th, 8th- February 23rd
- —Valentine’s Day Bake Sale – February 13th
- —PTSA Valentine’s Day Dance, Candy Gram Distribution, 5th Articulation Nesbit- February 14th
- —7th Grade Awards, Common Assessment Academy Mtg – February 16th
Academy Meetings Common Assessment PD: Please bring a hard copy of your 22.5 week assessment and your laptop. Please plan to meet at the following times in the PLR:
- —Teacher Planning/Staff Development – February 19th
- —Early Release (Long Day) – February 21
- —Early Release (Short Day) – February 22
- —Faculty Mtg, 8th Grade Awards, GOSTEM Field Trip- February 23
- —Biometric Screening in the PLR- February 26
- —5th Articulation Rockbridge – February 28
- —5th Articulation Lilburn- March 1
- —FTE Count – March 2
Check the calendar on the LMS Training page for additional dates.
Lilburn Middle School "What's coming up next?"
Reminder: The three snow days built in to the calendar for second semester will be used to make up the days missed last week as a result of Tropical Storm Irma. Plan to be at work on Friday February 23rd, Friday March 9th and Friday March 23rd.
Summer 2018- Massive work on the building, begin saving boxes now. All personal items must be removed and taken home, bulletin boards must be taken down. EVERYTHING must be packed (6-8 grade building, closets, data rooms, and storage rooms too) by Thursday, May 24, 2018. Please take home most materials by Spring Break. The building will be open during Spring Break (April 2-5th from 7-3)
Amended Master Schedule and Bell Schedule
Addition of Independent Reading (8 minutes to read and 2 minute written response)
Common Assessment 101
◦Building Task Specific Rubrics for Constructed Response Items
Technology PD –eCourse Page development and usage to transform and differentiate learning
Gradual Release – Digging Deeper with lesson observations- “Y’all do” - Collaborative Learning Phase; “I Do” - Focused learning Phases, make sure that you are leaving enough time for “You Do Alone” - Independent
Instructional “Look Fors” –Positive Classroom environment; Alignment of student learning activities, work, and assessment with the rigor of the AKS-Achievement Level Descriptors; Implementation of the four learning phases of Gradual Release.
Connecting with our parents through ClassDojo
Next Collaborative Planning Release Day (February 19, 2018)
Digital Learning Days - 4th and subsequent school closures for inclement weather
Additional Reminders:
For a full list of our LMS activities, please view the calendar through the LMS eCLASS Home Page
- Staff members hours are 8:30AM-4:30PM
- Jeans may be worn with LMS spirit wear are permitted on Fridays or with a sticker only. Sticker must be visible Staff members not in dress code will be asked to change.
- Computers should only be reserved for no more than a month in advance, unless an administrator has given permission for extended reservations.
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Staff members must walk their students to the buses at the end of each bus load. Staff members can't leave before walking their children to the second load of buses.
Leaving the building during the school day requires approval from your assigned administrator. You must sign in and out at your grade level office.
Students should not use their personal internet. They must link onto the school internet only. Do not touch their personal devices. Call for an administrator, if a device needs to be removed from a student.
Please make sure that you have your students pick up all trash from your classroom floor before leaving for the day.
- No personal leave can be used the day before or after a student holiday. Personal Leave used on these dates will be uncompensated (see GCPS No personal leave used calendar). Sick leave used on these dates will require the submission of documentation of an appointment.
- Leaving the building during the school day requires approval from your assigned administration-sign in and out at your grade level office
- Lunch: Please make sure that students are cleaning their areas before getting up and that you have assigned a table wiper and sweeper.
- Wish List Opportunities: http://www.donorschoose.org/
- Grading: Please make sure that all grade books reflect the grading weights emailed out to your per the GCPS policy. Please make sure that you have the appropriate number of grades and that are being entered in a timely manner. You should have 5-7 grades in the Summative Category by the end of the semester.
- Dismissal: Students should be in their dismissal location by 4:05PM, thus they should have exited their 4th academic by 4:03PM. Staff members should work together to make sure that students are supervised in the halls during dismissal. All students should have gone to the restroom by 3:40PM.
- Course pages should have the following items (homework updated): Course syllabi, Calendar that contains homework assignments, test/project due dates, daily agenda. Helpful resource links for students and parents. Online Textbooks/digital resources
- Lesson Plans should be attached to your grade level course pages.
Grading Information
Only LCAs and classroom assessments can be reassessed. District Assessments (DAs) can NOT be reassessed.
Local Common Assessments (LCAs)
Regular Test (multiple choice) weighted 85% of the LCA grade. The grade goes into the “Summative” grading category.
Constructed Response (SS, MA, SC) or Extended Response (LA) is weighted 15% of the LCA grade. The grade goes into the “Summative” grading category (combine with the 85% from above)
District Assessment (DA)
Interim County Assessment - goes in the “Interim” grading category.
6th & 7th Grade: Local School Constructed Response will be developed and given in MA and LA and goes into the “Classwork” grading category. Science and Social Studies will have a county writing task embedded in their interim district assessment.
8th Grade: Local School Constructed Response will be developed and given in MA and LA, SS, and SC and goes into the “Classwork” grading category
Final County Assessment (Post Test) – goes in the “Final Exam” grading category
All Grades: Local School Constructed Response will be developed and given in MA and LA, SS, and SC and goes into the “Classwork” grading category
** Semester 1 Final Exam (ONLY): For HS Physical Science, Algebra 1, and Accelerated Algebra 1 (ONLY)- The Semester I Final Exam should be weighted 15% of the Comprehensive Final Category (20%) for the high school courses earning Carnegie Unit Credit, and the corresponding local school performance task/writing final would be 5% of the overall 20% of that category.
Zeros and Reteach and Retest Opportunities
When a student retakes an assessment, please make sure that you are not averaging the two test grades. If the reassessment grade is higher you should be replacing the old grade with that new grade based on the example below.
John received a 67 on the first assessment. John did a retake and scored a 79. You would enter in the score as "79.067". This will allow you to indicate to the parent that the grade for that assessment indicates that John earned a 79 on a reassessment, but the original grade earned was a 67.
If John's reassessment grade is lower than the retake grade. Please keep the old grade.
Zeros
Please use:
ABS for assignments if students were absent when the assignment was completed.
NTI for assignments if students were present, but he/she did not turn in the assignment or when make-up work was assigned and the student didn't turn it in.
Use EX for excused (i.e. the student enrolled after the assignment was due), please use
Use IP for assignments that are in the progress of being graded/completed (i.e. projects).
ABS and NTI will count as zeros when entered and will be immediately reflected in the student’s average.
EX and IP will not be counted as zeros.