Wm. Adams Middle School
Faculty and Staff Newsletter • October 24, 2016
Faculty Meeting on Monday - 4:00 p.m. (It will be brief)
Morning Duty This Week • Oct. 24-28
Please remember to be at your duty station by 7:58. Morning Duty ends at 8:12.
Ric Mireles - Station 1: Outside main entrance
Destiny Pena - Station 2: Corridor to the gym
Roel Ramon - Station 3: West entrance
Francisco Rios - Station 4: 100 wing between 112 and 114
Mary Rios- Station 5: 200 wing between 207 and 209 (monitor from 207 to 216)
Jackie Ruiz- Station 6: Outside Library by tables
Dennis LaPlant - Station 7: 300 wing between 303 and 306 (monitor from 303 to 301)
Becky Lutzke - Station 8: 300 wing between 312 and 314 (monitor from 312 to 316)
Britany Mathews- Station 9: 400 wing between 404 and 406 (monitor from 406 to 401)
Melinda Mejia - Station 10: 400 wing between 409 and 414 (monitor from 407 to 416)
Patricia Mejia - Station 11: Outside 400 wing by east entry
Haylee Payne - Station 12: Bus Stop
*If you know in advance that you will be absent, please alert administration in order to have someone monitor your station in your absence.
Afternoon Duty This Week • Oct. 24-28
Afternoon Duty This Week
Ric Mireles - Station 1: Flagpole
Destiny Pena - Station 2: Outside near the gym doors that face east
Roel Ramon - Station 3: Outside near the covered walk
Francisco Rios - Station 4: Outside near the covered walk
Mary Rios - Station 5: Outside near the covered walk
Jackie Ruiz - Station 6: Outside the cafeteria
Dennis LaPlant - Station 7: Outside the cafeteria
Becky Lutzke - Station 8: Outside the gym on the south side
Britany Mathews - Station 9: Bus Stop
Melinda Mejia - Station 10: Bus Stop
Patricia Mejia - Station 11: Bus Stop
Haylee Payne - Station 12: East Exit
*If you know in advance that you will be absent, please alert administration in order to have someone monitor your station in your absence.
Attendance Update
Let's do what we can to keep our attendance climbing!
Who's Your Data?
When you meet with your department, discuss this information and how it may have been presented to the students. Did one teacher in your department have tremendous success with particular SEs where you did not? Find out what they did and as a department discuss approaches to try. It's not about us doing well singularly---it's about us doing well TOGETHER.
Failure Rates at 3-Week Progress Time
The first six weeks, we had an overall failure reate of 7%. It could have been as low as 3% had those students whose grades were between 60 and 68 done better. It is important to maintain communication with parents/guardians regarding grades, as well. Anything we can do to help our students make a turn for the better is a good thing. They need to develop the habit of working hard now if they are going to be successful in high school and beyond.
A Growth Mindset vs. a Fixed Mindset
It is important that we help our students change their fixed mindsets. Not an easy task, to be sure, but with gentle persistence and the right approach, we just might change their perception of themselves and build their self-efficacy. When you hear a student say, "I can't do this!" reply, "You can't do it, yet. You will."
For more information, check out the article linked in the Teachers' PD section of this newsletter.
Dweck, C. (2016, September 29). Carol Dweck revisits the “growth mindset.” . Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/09/23/carol-dweck-revisits-the-growth-mindset.html
Halloween Costume Contest
When? Oct. 31. Let's discuss specifics during our faculty meeting tomorrow (Oct. 24).
Following is a suggestion:
Students must sign up that morning in the office. They will be given a wrist band. Only those who are on the list and have a wrist band may participate. Students must be prepared to explain who they are and why they chose that character or historical figure.
Teachers may compete as a wing, if their wing is following a particular theme, or individually.
Get Out the VOTE!
Students will vote for 1 person in each academic team so that we ultimately have one student representing each Academic Team for a total of four 7th graders and four 8th graders comprising the House of Representatives for Wm. Adams Middle School.
Students will also vote in the mock Presidential election on the same day. We will have a couple of laptops set up before school and during lunch so that student may cast their vote.
Social Studies teachers, please email Dr. Holmgreen by Monday, Nov. 7 with the name of the 2 students from each Academic Team to go on the Nov. 8 ballot.
New Approach to Classroom Profanity
Let's try something different.
What you will need:
A jar or container for each class period
Beans (pinto, kidney, black, lima---each team teacher choose something different)
The Objective:
The class per grade level with the fewest beans in the jar at the end of the week wins something such as a Coke float.
How it works:
Every time you hear a student say a profane word, quietly walk over to the jar, drop a bean into it and give it a little shake. No words are necessary. F-bombs, by the way, are worth 3 beans.
It is important that students can see the beans accumulate and that they can hear them make a bit of noise when you give the jar a shake.
If the winning class should choose to forego the weekly prize and try to win the 2-week prize, they can win ice cream and apple pie (or something similar).
Let's see if this will work to help curb the inappropriate language in the classroom. Help us think of some prizes that students will want to compete for so that we can get this going.