Betsy's Bits
August 10, 2018
In Case You Missed It:
Our 6th Grade Leadership Academy was this week. We had around 140 kids learning about SanLee rules and procedures, team building, AVID @SLMS, practicing how to open a locker, and making new friends. They seem to be a great bunch of kids...Oh, yeah! They have to be, because they are Stallions! If they aren't, they will be by the end of 6th grade! :) Thank you to the SGLA Team: Jamie Cox, Elizabeth Holland, Anna Whalen, Kevin Degon, Allison Hickman, Suzanne Rurkowsky, Karen Briggs, Tonnette Wicker, Andrew Allen, Kim Vaughn, Bev Marshburn, Bianca DiMarcello, Christina Reed, and Laren Black, for making it a great week for our kids!
After polling our ELA teachers, we will not be purchasing Accelerated Reader this year. This a a big shift for our school, but the time has come to make a change, since many teachers and students were not utilizing the system any more. It ends up not being an efficient or effective use of money. Language Arts teachers will be working together as a department to plan for an innovative approach to independent reading time.
Katherine Allmond has put together supply bags for teachers that turned in requests from the end of the year. She also put basic supplies together for our new teachers. You MUST use the supply request form located on our webpage under "For Teachers" if you need something. Our PTSO also restocked their supply closet with requests you gave them at the end of the year. This form will be updated next week and also should be used to request supplies. This is our way to keep up with what needs to be reordered, so please do not come and ask and expect to get it right then. You must use the form.
We have ordered bulletin board paper (purple, gold, yellow, red, light blue, blue, white). I did not realize we had gotten down to the "nobody uses" colors. It should arrive next week. Due to the budget, we will put these rolls in the laminating room (behind the library office) so everyone is able to access, instead of rolls in each workroom.
We are having to stretch our laptops to make sure these tools are accessible throughout the building. Core teachers will have 30 laptops for every 2 teachers, 4-person teams will have 60 laptops. The 30 laptops will be comprised of 15 chromebooks and 15 Lenovo. Our exploratory and EC classes will also have laptops assigned based on their need and computer usage (ex: none in gym). Shannon has worked to try to ensure each core class has two desktops, in addition to the teacher desktop. I know this is not ideal, but will be how we have to operate until we receive more laptops. This will take a lot of communication, teamwork, and flexibility; all of which Stallions possess. I was told today from Central Office there is an initial order being placed which will go to the middle schools. I will keep you abreast of the situation as I am made aware.
Our custodian team has worked their way down the 8th grade hallway. They have gotten past the 6th grade hall and are right to the media center. There will be a group in the media center, rooms 128 and 129 on Monday and Tuesday, so I am not sure exactly where they will be working next week...but there is just a little more to go...
The intercom was replaced this week. For those of us that have been at SanLee, we know this has been a major issue for a while. We now have the capability to make all calls and to make 2-way calls into classrooms. Yay!
New additions to our Stallion Family:
- Josh Hodge, 6th grade ELA/Social Studies, is coming to us from a charter school in Durham. His experience is diverse with teaching experience in history, Earth & Environmental Science, and gardening through Food Corps.
- Christa Gettis, Advanced PE/Fitness, is joining us from a middle school in TN. She has taught health and physical education for the last thirteen years at the middle and elementary levels.
- Melissa Moltenbrey, 7th grade math, is coming to us from the business world. She has experience teaching and training adults. This will be her first time teaching middle school. Fun Fact: Betsy taught Melissa's daughter in kindergarten. Their daughters are best friends :)
- April Woody, Exceptional Children (math), is returning to teaching at the middle school. She has taught at the college and elementary levels. Most recently she was been a director at a preschool in Chatham County. Fun Fact: Jamie and April graduated high school together :)
- Camm McNeill, Exceptional Children (Adaptive Curriculum), is joining us from Floyd Knight Children's Center, where she has been a teacher's assistant. She has just recently completed all her courses from UNC Charlotte to be a teacher. Fun Fact: Camm has had several nieces go through SLMS.
- Tristian McKinney, 7th ELA, is returning to LCS from a charter school in Moore County. She previously taught at East Lee.
Announced in previous Bits (reminder):
- Misty Thompson, 6th grade ELA, is coming to us from Harnett County where she taught EC in middle and high school. Fun fact: Anriette Pienaar was her mentor in Harnett Co.
- Gail Vaughan, 7th grade math, is coming to us from Moore County where she taught 6-8th grade math over the last few years.
- Tina Cameron, bookkeeper, is coming to us in October from Harnett Co, where she has served in this same position for 10 years at Western Harnett Middle School. Fun Fact: Tina is Megan Graham's older sister :)
- Heather Hughes, girl's Health/PE teacher, is coming to us from Wake County and lives in Lee County. She is a mother of three with her oldest joining us in 6th grade. Fun Fact: Heather worked with Courtney Jordan, previous H/PE teacher @SLMS, in Wake Co.
- Kimberly Morril, Career Exploration, is coming to us from Ingram Elementary where she has been an elective teacher/TA (AVID, Leader in Me, and test prep) and sub bus driver. Fun fact: I taught her oldest in kindergarten, and she volunteered a lot that year in my classroom. Her son just graduated from high school and will beginning at UNC Charlotte in August.
- Alex Rivera, front office support (part-time), has worked in the front office a busy middle school in Chatham Co. She is bilingual. Fun Fact: Jamie worked with Alex at Chatham Middle School.
Leaving Home:
- Robin Neville, IT, has accepted a band/orchestra position in Chapel Hill/Carboro Schools which will be much closer to home.
- Shakeria Wilson, EC (math), has accepted a Special Education position at a high school closer to her home in Cumberland Co.
- Nejla deLambert, counselor, will be taking a counseling position in Moore County at the district level.
*We STILL need 2 math teachers (7th and 8th). Please let me know if you know someone that may be interested!
Sixth Grade Leadership Academy @SLMS
Mark Your Calendars
August 17 ~ Required Workday
August 20 ~ Required Workday - SanLee Middle School Opening Meeting 8:00am-noon (breakfast served) 1:00 pm PowerSchool gradebook set up for new teachers (location TBD)
August 21 ~ Required Workday - Convocation in morning and Director's Day in afternoon.
August 22 ~ Required Workday - Team (10:30 am) and grade level (8:30 am)meetings
August 23 ~ Required Workday (flex hours)~ Open House 4-7 - everyone is required to attend
August 24 ~ Required Workday - Department meetings (8:30 am) and grade level PLC's (math and ELA 10:30/Sc and SS @1:30) - notify admin if times change, so they are able to attend.
August 27 ~ First Day of school for students - Assembly at beginning of each Exploratory block (core teachers remain until end of assembly)
Lee County Schools Opening Convocation
This will be held in McLoud Auditorium.