Panther Note
February 15, 2016
Supervision - Short Week after a Long Weekend
Third Quarter Kids
Leadership will likely have shared with you a key conversation about student performance and behavior during the third quarter.
As can be typical as the third quarter doldrums, pre assessment year moves on in a middle school - a few of our kids are struggling in each grade level. Some of this is emotional / mental health, some of this is social and needing to identify and modify their sense of place among peers and some is simply behavior.
Leadership - as possible with time and availability will continue to communicate in similar fashion about support needed and items that help you in supporting your unstructured and classroom management.
1.) We will add to Monday PLC schedule or join your Friday PLC pending the timing
2.) We will directly email plans and updates
3.) We may have to interrupt your instruction, planning or worst case sacred time to gather key information on timely matters.
Often, what we can share may be limited by parents. General guidelines or requests will come during these situations as best we can.
Above all, your powerful instruction will keep students engaged. Your proximity and movement during class will support how important their attention is. Your supervision will give vital information early to all parties and support best decision making by students.
As always - come see us with questions, teacher hunches or concerns. We appreciate all you do!
Fieldtrips ... if you have one coming this semester...
We need to know now. Please work with Stacey on the form and we will support:
**permission communication
**funding when available
**coverage for the trip and communication within the negotiated agreement
**coverage for stay behind or alternate activity students within the negotiated agreement
**proactive and positive constructive feedback for colleagues
Closing out the Third Quarter
Office - Student - PLC Communication: Passes to leave
After much feedback (thank you on behalf of the office team for the patient, constructive kind), future Student Pass Process is being developed that will minimize your interruptions and maximize clear communication with parents and students:
Communication to you about student departure, et cetera will come this way:
1.) Orange Pass means the parent is in the office and waiting. In other words: Urgent
- Students will continue to forget when passes were provided before school (just think of assessments and locations...)
- Parents will continue to blow off the importance of letting us know before they arrive
- However, prompt response says so much more positive about our building than proving the point with a natural consequence for parents
- We appreciate your attention to this
2.) Blue Pass means a less urgent student need including leaving the building or administration needing them.
If the pass has been delivered and we do not have the student, we will need to interrupt y our instruction with a phone call.
Conferences a Success!
Parents appreciate you reaching out often, and earlier than later about their child's concerns both academically and behaviorally. Timely notice when things are slipping are a change occurs (even if the "why" hasn't been identified yet).
Note the Impact
Is the plan working in March that you set up?
Our neighborhood loves YOU. To hear good, and even at times bad news, is best from you as long as you provide time and tools for the parent to be a parent early.
Thank you for setting the table for a great Spring this past week.
Sixth Grade Update
TCB is held Monday, Tuesday (except Early Release Days), Wednesday, and Thursday until 4:00 in the 6th grade computer lab. There is a late bus that will bring the students home on Wednesdays.
No school on Monday due to observance of President’s Day.
Course Briefings/AOLs for the upcoming week:
Math
Integrated
Unit Price
Adding and Subtracting Decimals
Advanced
- Area and perimeter of triangles, parallelograms, and trapezoids
ELA/Reading
Argumentative Presentations with media component (Pecha Kucha)
Introduction of Poetry
Roots and Stems Quiz #10 on Friday, February 19th
Science
Exploration of the geoscience processes that have formed energy resources
Process that have formed our groundwater supplies
Social Studies
Finish World Religion Presentations
Begin Golden Age of Athens
Spanish
Continue study of school vocabulary terms
Phrases 26-50 AOL on Thursday, Feb. 18th (A Day) or Friday, Feb. 19th (B Day)
French
6th Grade Guided Study for Week of 2/15-2/19:
CNN Student News will be shown to introduce current events of the week.
Grade checks continue along with checks for missing work
Sunflower Ambassador Writing Lesson
Organization check of locker and binder
Sunflower Ambassador Plan
Seventh Grade Update
Social Studies:
Continue with our study of Kansas History.
ELA/Reading:
Reading: Reading chapter 2 of Phineas Gage with various perspectives in mind.
ELA: Finish practice argumentative paper (AFL); begin final argumentative project-students will have their choice of topics; grammar assessment on Friday
Math:
Advanced Integrated Algebra 7th Grade-
Topic: Next week, Investigation 1 will be completed and we will begin Investigation 2. An AOL is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, February 17, over Investigation 1. Points to Guide Your Review will be given out to the students prior to the AOL. We will continue our work with linear relationships emphasizing the connection between tables, graphs, and equations. A new target zero will be assigned on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 with the due date of the next Monday.
Integrated Algebra 7th Grade-
Topic: We will conclude investigation 1.3 in Comparing and Scaling and move into Investigation 1.4. The emphasis will be on part-to-part and part-to-whole comparisons. Investigation 1.4 will deal with solving proportions. We will learn a variety of techniques when solving proportions. We do not use cross-products. A new target zero will be assigned on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 with the due date of the next Monday.
Science:
We have learned about Gregor Mendel’s work with pea plants and students should be able to retell the story to you. We will begin using Punnett squares to predict outcomes of a genetic cross. An AFL on these topics will be given this week.
Guided Study 7th Grade:
Guided Study will spend some time reviewing test taking skills. The objective here is to reassure students and reduce stress during testing. Also, during individual work or reading time, the Guided Study teacher will conference with each student individually to go over grades, goals, and missing work. Students fill in grades and missing work on the Panther Page (either in the planner or given to them).
MDPT - Last Week of February
Eighth Grade Update
Social Studies:
Continue to learn about the New Deal using an FRQ and a mini Socratic Seminar; Video on the Dust Bowl.
ELA/Reading:
One Survivor Remembered Discussion, Read From the Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank Remembered. Holocaust connected theme discussion. Grammar work. Literature group meeting.
Math:
Integrated Algebra
Introduce area/volume formulas. Begin new unit over simplifying expressions.
Target Zero due Monday.
Integrated Algebra - Hour 2
Introduce area/volume formulas. Begin new unit over transformations.
Target Zero due Monday.
Algebra
Finishing unit over rules of exponents and scientific notation. AFLs throughout the week; Tentative-AOL Friday, Feb.19
Target Zero due Monday.
Science:
Burton will give the unit AOL when we get back on Tuesday. Both classes will move into a mini-unit on synthetics. We will read a few articles together, then each student will choose one synthetic they want to research.
Guided Study 8th Grade:
Guided Study will spend some time reviewing test taking skills. The objective here is to reassure students and reduce stress during testing. Also, during individual work or reading time, the Guided Study teacher will conference with each student individually to go over grades, goals, and missing work.
D/F Plans
Broadcast Updates for February 16 - 26
A shout out to Lisa Nocita for her time, dedication and stewardship of the consistent and sustained growth of the Broadcast program. As we look toward 2016-17 growth and vision will continue. Your input could be useful - provide honest constructive feedback in a professional way to the Broadcast team and specifically Lisa for this vision.
Broadcast Norm Reminders (will be discussed at PLC from Leadership as well):
We all watch the announcements
Support positive reflections from students by modeling them as teachers
Provide feedback directly to Lisa, Stacey and / or Heath for continued growth
Share with these students who may be in your 5th or 6th hour
Director/Sound Ryan Hennerberg
ATEM Engineer Aden Barash
PPT Technician Grace Billman
Anchor Emily Oppold
Anchor Mariah Perrigo
Leadership: February 24
Coming Up
02.16: BBB (Sigg covering)
02.17: BBB Pics
02.18: BBB (Sperry covering)
02.23: Early Release (details coming) (schedule already sent)
02.24: KAP - MDPT administered
02.25: Seventh Grade Fieldtrip to Lawrence (Guided Discovery) (Lisa has communicated)
02.25 - 26: KMEA Music Convention in Wichita - way to go Paul and 8th Band
02.25 & 26: Eighth Grade Pod - TShirt Voting
02.29: PSM Courtyard Trial
03.08: Author Visit
05.13: Two Guys and a Grill
Upcoming ELA Topics ... Good Stuff
Study island effective use.
Data analysis of Mid-year summative assessment from Pearson
Vocab membean.com
2016.17 Wellness Update - Please review closely - it does impact you
**Online Scheduling this year. Don't be confused, look at the process early
**June Screening will occur, on a limited basis if scheduled by May 16. No Walk Ins at these
**In 2017 screenings must occur with your physician (no on site available)
**Lipid Panel will require a FASTING blood draw.
See email for more details.
KU Honor Due to BV by March 10
KU to recognize certified staff for years of service; deadline is March 10, 2016
Please submit your name—exactly as you’d like to have it printed on the certificate—and the total number of years in education, including the number of those years in Kansas, to Marietta Garcia at Ext. 4043, or mgarcia02@bluevalleyk12.org.
If you have previously been honored with this certificate, please do not resubmit your name. The deadline is March 10.