EAST PAULDING MIDDLE SCHOOL
August 23, 2019
FACULTY AND STAFF NEWSLETTER
quote of the week
UPCOMING EVENTS
8/26 - Fundraiser Kickoff Assembly - During NBI
8/27 - PTSA Back to School Hangout - 4:00-5:30pm
8/29 - The Power of a Positive Team PL - Room 601
9/2 - Labor Day Holiday - No School
9/3 - SS Department Meeting - 7:30am - Room 603
9/4 - Title IIa PL for Teachers New to EPMS - All Day - Room 601
9/5 - Vocabulary PL - Planning - Room 601
9/9 - SBIT Team Meeting - 7:45am - Room 601
9/11 - 2-Hour Early Release
9/12 - TBA PL - Planning - Room 601
9/13 - Fall Pictures with Lifetouch
10/4 - Day of Awesomeness
Academic Focus - Collaborative Planning for Instruction and Student Tasks
This method of collaboration ensures that the core academic elements and focus is consistent across the grade level while also providing you an opportunity to be creative in how the instruction is delivered and/or the tasks in which students are engaged.
I also want to take a moment and reiterate what I said on Friday afternoon. The FOCUS and the conversations that we are hearing during you collaborative planning is phenomenal. Keep it up!
NBI Focus
Below are some reminders about the expectations for NBI. It is critical that our FOCUS is consistent for student success.
1. If you have a support group for literacy or math support, you will have that same group of students for the majority of the year until consistent data shows they no longer need the support. Our ELA and Math departments will host our support groups along with Reading Connections. Science and SS ESEP teachers will be asked to join a specific teacher to help support in these areas.
2. Enrichment groups will work on 2-week rotations. Science and Social Studies teachers along with PE/Connections teachers will host our enrichment groups. Science and Social Studies teachers will always see the same students while PE/Connections teachers will not see students a second time until late in the 2nd semester.
If you need admin support during NBI, please let us know.
Fall Fundraiser Assembly
We will have our Fundraiser Kickoff on Monday, August 26th during NBI. We will hold a school-wide assembly in the gym, so make plans to be there with your students! We are looking forward to implementing this new fundraising concept and the excitement it could bring to our students and school. There are some great prizes and an awesome event scheduled to celebrate the end of our fundraiser.
This year, we will be participating in Step It Up, a donation-based fundraiser in which students raise money by seeking donations from family and friends. The entire concept is really simple, and the best part about the fundraiser is that we are not asking our students to sell anything.
On October 4th, we will host our Fundraiser celebration. This Day of Awesomeness will provided to students during their PE/Connections time, and we will have specific criteria for students to earn their way to participating. All of this information will be shared on Monday during our assembly.
Focus Walk - September 18, 2019
The date of our Focus Walk is September 18th. It will be an all day event, and you could quite possibly have multiple visits to your room. I am excited about the opportunity to showcase our talented teachers and the amazing things you do for our students!
Below are some things I want you to consider not only for our upcoming focus walk, but for every day!
1. How are we using one of our three core research-based reading strategies to support students when accessing content through text? How are we certain that the ARS is appropriate for the level of reader and the activity?
2. How are we highlighting key vocabulary during instruction and throughout the learning environment while engaging students in using that vocabulary throughout the lesson?
3. How are we connecting our closings and TOTD's to our learning target to measure student success? Have we defined success criteria for our learning targets and are our students aware of that criteria?
4. Can students connect the task, lab, etc to the content and the learning target? Is the task serving the intended purpose?
5. PE and Connections - How are engaging students in activities and tasks where all students can find a level of success?
This is a lot to think about, and I certainly don't expect perfection, but I do expect that we all give OUR 100 to provide the very best instruction to OUR students. If we want their best, they deserve OURS!
Class Craft
Top Ten Most Active Teachers
1. Nick Cooper
2. James Neal
3. Christine Bone
4. Shannon Hemminger
5. Monique Prince
6. Laurie Moore
7. MaLissa Hogan
8. Lauren Durham
9. Leigh Stone
10. Amanda Baker
Master Calendar
AESOP
Below are a couple of reminders regarding reporting absences and requesting time off.
Unplanned Sick Absence
1. As soon as you know that you need to be out, enter the absence into AESOP AND call Mrs. Raley. Her number is 678-614-6021.
2. If you are unable to enter the absence into AESOP, call Mrs. Raley.
3. After 6am, you are no longer able to enter an absence in AESOP, please call Mrs. Raley.
3. If a job fails to fill or if the sub cancels, there is a strong possibility that we will have to cover the absence from within that specific department or use other subs when they are on their planning.
Planned Sick Absences
1. As soon as you know that you need to be out, enter the absence into AESOP AND inform Mrs. Raley and Mrs. Suttles of the upcoming absence.
2. If a job fails to fill or if the sub cancels, there is a strong possibility that we will have to cover the absence from within that specific department or use other subs when they are on their planning.
Personal Absences
1. All personal absences must be requested 5 days in advance. The request must be made to Mr. Alverson.
2. You can speak to Mr. Alverson in person or send him an email.
3. If you request an absence via email, please include Mrs. Suttles.
4. All personal absences will be entered by Mrs. Suttles.
5. If you have already arranged for one of our regular subs to work for you, please provide that information.
6. if a job fails to fill or if the sub cancels, there is a strong possibility that we will have to cover the absence from within that specific department or use other subs when they are on their planning.
It is important to remember that absences designated as sick days cannot be used for personal events or activities. If you have questions, please let me know.
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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