Friday Faculty Focus
News and Notes about #BeBCMS-Issue #5- 2018
The Month of Love.....In a Middle School
February is the month of LOVE-- just like every other month in a middle school! We have Candy Grams on sale, a dance coming up, and the official start of the spring sport season. It is also CRUNCH time to prepare for GMAS! Please make sure that you are using every single minute to engage scholars in elite instruction. Your lesson plans are due on Friday. The difference is in the classroom! The magic is in the people!
This week is Severe Weather Drill Week. Please review with your teams and colleagues where you go in case of Severe Spring storms. We will run our drill on Wednesday 2/7 at 8:40 AM. Mr. Howell will be on campus to assist us in this drill. We will also be doing this drill with BCHS.
We will also be doing our full school SRI (RI) inventory testing. We will send out a proposed schedule in this Focus. This data will help us as we provide to get laser focused on these next 10 weeks of instruction before GMAS.
This week, we need Social Studies classes to take the Georgia Health Survey. Please plan on using one day of instruction for this assessment. Here is the link again:
Learning with Liz Pop UP PL this week will be focused on Data DUMPing and making sure our instruction is focused on growing our scholars in Reading and ELA.
I will be doing 5x5s tomorrow with a focus on your instructional objective matching the correct DOK (Thinking or Strategic Thinking) as well as engaging instruction.
I am looking forward to an ELITE week of instruction!
#BeBCMS Elite PBIS update!
Thank you for your help in completing the PBIS assessment. Dr. Scott, Ms. George, and the FDRESA PBIS team were on campus this week. I am excited to hear their feedback!
Final January Data:
January 2018
Positive Behavior Referrals: 28 positive behavior referrals! Keep them coming!
Educator's Handbook:
26 majors
150 minors
67% Decrease in MAJORS from January 2017!
Slight increase in MINORS
January 2017 Data
80 Majors
133 Minors
OSS/ISS update:
To date:
206 days of OSS
209 days of ISS
This data supports that building relationships is ALWAYS the answer.
#GirlsOnTheRun
Starts this week! Please allow interested students to see Ms. George!
RTI News and Notes
Please take the time to review the RTI Tier 2 and 3 list so please bring any progress monitoring you have on those scholars. Check the list for updated information. Here is the most up-to-date RTI list. https://docs.google.com/a/bryan.k12.ga.us/document/d/1z0gCRzYHFIky-1apjSnooY0nqdOPAPPnkutAB_URbDM/edit?usp=sharing
Ms. Sines is working with a group during WIN of scholars on Tier 3.
We are cross checking the WIN groups with GMAS Achievement Level Descriptors and MAP predictors. Your WIN groups may changed based on this data. We will begin discussing this in LWL.
Please make sure you are taking the time to keep up to date with the rosters and bring your progress monitoring.
Keep the main thing: the main thing!
Parent Visits
Thank you for building awesome relationships with our scholars and their families. If you have a parent requesting to visit and observe, we have a process for that. There should never be an adult in the building that the Administration team is unaware of.
Please direct the adult to talk to Miss Shelby in the main office. They will fill out a form. ALL visits require a minimum 24 hour notice. The parent(s) will meet with a member of the Administrative team prior to the visit. If you have questions, please see me.
Staff Celebration Breakfasts!
Staff Breakfast Celebrations:
Friday February 23rd - 7th grade team
Friday March 30th - 8th grade team
Friday April 27th - Connections
Friday May 18th - Office Squad
I did my Safety Net....now what?
Important Events!
Saturday- #SoccerSaturday-- ALL day Soccer Tournament: Brooklet
Monday- #CelebrateMonday,JEANS day, PowerSchool meetings, GOLF call out during WIN, Track Tryouts/After school
Tuesday- #TerrificTuesday, Leadership, GLRS here, Learning with Liz, Soccer AWAY, Girls on the Run
Wednesday- #WinWednesday, The Innovation Center, Liz off campus at Focus Meeting
Thursday-#ThankfulThursday, Leadership, Soccer HOME
Friday- #FocusFriday, HAT DAY $1.00
Upcoming:
Candy Grams will begin on sale 1/28
Valentines Dance after school 2/14
Spring Formal Dance-- Date TBD
Kindness Week- February 26th - March 2nd
Celebration of Black History Month - Sign up with Ms. Mattos for your Black History Month Breakouts!
SRI (RI) Testing; This Week
Here is the schedule for whole school SRI testing.
We have created a schedule to use 1st and 2nd (7th) period as we know our scholars test better in the morning.
IF you have issues with this schedule, please talk to one of us Monday morning so we can adjust.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HS6Xj34_21KUuKSMEs-VEmszKF6kHktjgjs8Bk9Cn0k/edit?usp=sharing
Focus on..... Intentional Instruction
It is GO TIME to make sure our scholars are prepared for GMAS. Every single minute in your classroom needs to be intentionally planned and focused on growing scholars. Social Studies and ELA will begin planning together to allow our scholars to get a "double dose" of literacy instruction in Social Studies. In almost every single social studies lesson your standard can be what you are covering , but a "secret sub standard" can be working through the ELA standard that your grade level team is working on. The scholars won't even know they are increasing their reading and language arts skills! #Tricky
Remember: Depth of Knowledge is less about verbs and more about critical thinking!
DOK 1: Memorize(factual knowledge)
DOK 2: Thinking (procedural knowledge)
DOK 3: Strategic Thinking (strategic knowledge)
DOK 4: NEW Thinking (extended knowledge)
Also, please make sure all lesson designs are updated in your collaborative team folder. A lesson plans are due (HARD COPY) in the folder on your way out of the building Friday.
We are looking at the Instructional Framework and the use of the Instructional Objectives.
QUICK REVIEW of our instructional strategies 1-4
1. Instructional Objective: Have it visual, aligned, and reference it
2. Suffix/Root Words/Prefix: Have them visual and accessible. Model use
3. Gradual Release: I do, we do together, we do collaboratively, you do. How are you using this in your teaching?
4. Types of Text: How are you using both informational text and literary text
Remember:
1. Collaborative Planning is made up of three buckets:
- Lesson Designs
- PLCs
- Data Analysis / Digging
Learning with Liz times:
7th grade 8:45-9:15
6th grade 11:45-12:15
8th grade 2:00-2:30
Check out this lesson design template: (make a copy first) https://docs.google.com/a/bryan.k12.ga.us/document/d/1YGAYfD7wP-xieqvJk0PXu7CXLgonm7JfSTQAuTpWOKY/edit?usp=sharing
a. Come to School- BE AMAZING- Go Home! Repeat
b. Bell to Bell instruction
c. ALL instruction/teaching will be on grade level and standards based
d. Take a STAND for teaching and learning. Get up!
Think Abouts?
1. Where are your team notes located?
2. How are you using agenda/minutes to drive collaborative conversations
3. Are you special education teachers joining your content meetings
4. What kind of differentiation are you providing for your scholars?
5. What does co-planning look like with your special education teachers?
Nuggets and News
- The Innovation Center: Please be on time and be intentional in your learning!
I am VERY proud of the work we are doing in The Innovation Center and we are ExExExCited for this incredible site based , intentional professional learning!
Q3 will be required by all staff.
TEACH LIKE A CHAMPION!
Sessions:
Engaging Students in your Lessons (Dr. Rice) (Data Room)
Setting and Maintaining High Behavioral Expectations (Ms. Swindell)
Challenging Students to Think Critically (Ms. Waddell)
Helping to get the MOST out of Reading: Critical Skills and Techniques (Ms. Ennis)
Classes will begin January 24th and run through Wednesday March 7th
Each class will have a class schedule.
- SPRING SPORT SIGN UPs! Every staff please sign up for TWO spots this spring for supervision. Forms are here: If you don't sign up this week, Mr. Wright will sign you up and let you know what you are covering.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OC9uSswNY4xjM3gFDpJBjbGr6zGKJ1hak8eRRXVdSbQ/edit?usp=sharing (baseball)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A5Q3xHHslCpXxX9CCMzZ8AQXyLijqydsWIphbp4u9jA/edit?usp=sharing (soccer)
- Compliance Checks - #CelebrateMonday with 5x5s! The new High Impact Instructional Look For Document is the new instrument for 5x5-
Focus is on: Instructional Objectives and intentional instruction!
- Meetings Schedules: Monday: TEAM, Tuesday: Learn with Liz (PL), Wednesday: Math ,Thursday: ELA/Soc.St. , Friday: Science
- Keep up the ELITE work with the Positive Referrals!
- Problem Solving Summit Committes will be released soon! Stay tuned!
- Jeans passes are for FRIDAY's only! (Earned Jeans passes are for any day)
- Techie Thursdays with Dana is optional Professional Learning but ELITE. Please consider being a part of the PL and implement your new strategies into your classroom designs.
- Candy Grams sales continue this week at breakfast
- 2/14 Valentine's Dance by PTO after school
- Feb. 20th is a district Professional Learning day at BCMS. Stay tuned for the schedule. Plan to have Vertical Content meetings also this day.
- EdCamp Bryan is March 16th. Participation is optional. Sign up is live! If we get 100% participation, we will have a FULL STAFF CELEBRATION day on Monday March 18th!
EdCamp Bryan is HERE!
Have you ever attended an EdCamp? NOW is your chance! PL designed for US by US!
If we have 100% participation of teachers in this day, we will celebrate on Monday March 18th! Please keep up to date with EdCampBryan by following the Twitter: @EdCampBryan
EdCampBryan is Friday, March 16th from 8:30-12:30PM.
Here is the link to register:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/edcamp-bryan-tickets-41396166047
Amazing sessions, ELITE colleagues, and ExExExCellent learning and door prizes! See ya there!
#LoveTheProcess
What I'm Reading....
I am still incredibly focused on #MomentMaking and love reflecting on my book....but I have turned back to Hattie for some reflection on instructional practices this week.
Think about this:
"If you turn too quickly to the next set of facts, without giving students sufficient time and tools to go deeper, they will quickly learn that surface learning is what YOU value , and in turn, surface learning is all that you will get."
Make your learning environments and learning experiences places where you encourage stretching and deep learning. These moments happen when you are intentionally planning experiences and instruction and are mobile, moving around interacting with your scholars making sure that they are engaged in the correct work.
#Moments
L
Tweet....Tweet....Tweet...
KEEP tweeting and telling our story! We are changing the narrative of what people know and think about Bryan County Middle School #OneTweetAtATime
Also, tag me @missliz31 and BCMS @BryanCountyMS in all your awesome tweets please!
Find five new people in education to follow on twitter!
Thank you for participating in #MESEdChat Thursday night!
THIS ONE TWEET SAYS IT ALL:
Adam Welcome @awelcome Jan 29
People ask me all the time - “What’s the next big thing coming in education?” This is what I always tell them. Relationships relationships relationships relationships relationships relationships relationships - those never go out of style! #KidsDeserveIt
Using your DATA- Sub-Group Style
We will begin to work on identifying the scholars we can move in our sub-groups by aligning them from the ALDs from GMAS to Winter MAP. Remember the Lexile Stretch Bands have increased this year, so our scholars need to achieve a little big higher on those bands for reading comprehension.
Focus work on the A.L.D.s
Achievement Level Descriptors
Beginning-Developing-Proficient-Distinguished
We will use our Learning With Liz time Tuesday to look at scholars who are in the "bubble" range: 490-524 on ELA GMAS. Then we will data DUMP:
D:Discuss
U:Understand
M:MAKE
P:Plans
We love to look at data but we have to analyze it and own it! We also have to have intentionally planned instruction that is engaging and focusing on the right areas of work!
We will be working on owning this data during our collaborative planning meetings.
Black History Month BREAK OUT Sessions are ELITE!
Thank you for signing up for the Black History Month BREAK OUTs! I am loving all the pictures and true ExExExCitement that I am seeing! What an AWESOME way to up the game and increase engagement! If you haven't signed up yet, please see Ms. Mattos!
#BeBCMS
L