Friday Faculty Focus
News and Notes about #BeBCMS-12.8
Welcome December!
We have NINE days to go! Let's make these next NINE days packed full of ELITE engagement and instruction.
A few reminders:
- Everyday is Bell to Bell instruction: if you want to plan some fun and exciting activities with your scholars, please make sure they are connected the learning and the standards.
- Any teacher who wants to show a movie, must get it approved by Abram, Keith or I. See us for details.
- The week before break will be a HOLIDAY spirit week, but we will still be focused on learning--it is possible to have fun and learn! Stay tuned for these details.
- SCHEDULE Change: Due to hearings on Tuesday, I will need to do Learning with Liz on Monday again. Please plan on switching TEAM Time to Tuesday. Also, 7th grade has an ELITE TEAM folder where I can review their minutes. How do other grade levels keep their minutes? Please consider creating a drive and adding them there. Their template is elite and addresses all areas! Good work 7th grade!
- We will begin having conferences regarding data with scholars this week. Stay tuned for information regarding that!
- Short Form MAP progress monitoring during WIN is this week! I can't wait to see our data results. LONG form MAP from Reading early indication is small upward movement! :)
Celebrations:
THANK you to Ms. Swindell, Ms. Romberg, and Ms. Franks for taking charge of our Christmas Angel and ensuring our scholars and schoolhouse crushed our goal! GREAT work!
THANK you to Ms. Ennis, Ms. Ferreira, Ms. Waddell, Ms. KP, Ms. Simons, Ms. Mattos , Ms. Dyson, Ms. Simmons, and Matthew Simmons for working relentlessly on our BOE event!
Still have questions or thoughts? PLEASE take time to fill this out. I would love for you to take some time to fill out this form to prepare for our Learning with Liz on Monday! What questions do you have for me? What can I help clarify or understand? Fill this form out and I will make sure to get all your questions answered!
#BeBCMS Elite PBIS update!
Great work keeping your eyes on the prize and helping scholars stay focused on our PBIS mission and mantra! We had a great decrease in discipline for November!
Today's PBIS Celebration was ELITE! Congratulations to our new Scholars of the Month and to Ms. Durrence for our Staff of the Month!
The next PBIS event will be right before Christmas Break. We will use Quarter 2 data (beginning with Monday Oct. 16th) and use qualifiers: No OSS / No ISS-- we will begin to have those conversations with our scholars!
We need to be all hands on deck during BREAKS and BUS RAMP.
December 2017 Data to date:
13 Majors
6 days of instruction
9 referrals in the classroom
We have 9 days left of instruction. Let's take our Classroom Leadership to the next level by working hard to use our PBIS expectations.
December 2016 Data:
72 Majors
PBIS event is Dec. 20th
Sign up is now. Please see Mr. Scott for details
OSS/ISS update:
To date:
158 days of OSS
133 days of ISS
RTI News and Notes
We will be reviewing 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 will meet with teams at the conclusion of Learning with Liz to discuss those students on RTI Tier 2 and Tier 3.
Keep the main thing: the main thing!
Staff Celebration Breakfasts!
Thank you to everyone for an AWESOME first Staff Celebration Breakfast! Our next celebration is Friday December 20th!
Thursday Dec. 21- Office Squad and PTO
Friday January - 6th grade team
Friday February- 7th grade team
Friday March - 8th grade team
Friday April - Connections
Friday May - Office Squad
Important Events!
Monday- #CelebrateMonday, Learning with Liz- times assigned,
Tuesday- #TerrificTuesday, Leadership, Liz and KW at BOE, Band Concert, Parent Expo Night, Art Gallery
Wednesday- #WinWednesday, Principal's Meeting
Thursday-#ThankfulThursday, Leadership 7:40, BOE Meeting
Friday- #FocusFriday
Upcoming:
12/18 Holiday Spirit Week!
12/19 Holiday Concert and Ary Gallery
12/20 PBIS Event
12/20 Winter Dance Celebration!
12/21 Staff Breakfast
Focus on..... QUALITY instruction...Strategy #3
You were all ROCK STARS Monday! I was so pleased by our learning! I loved getting into other classrooms and looking for the instructional objective and then discussing it! Thank you for having great thinking time and dialogue regarding learning goals. Remember the expectation is that we will see your instructional objectives (goals/targets/SWBATS) in each learning design.
How are you using your Prefix/Suffix/Root Words cards/posters? We will discuss ways to use those on Monday as well as move into instructional strategy #3: Gradual Release! It's an awesome technique...many of you are already using it!
**Schedule Change: Learning with Liz will be Monday!
As a reminder:
1. Collaborative Planning is made up of three buckets:
- Lesson Designs
- PLCs
- Data Analysis / Digging
7th grade 8:45-9:15
6th grade 11:15-11:45
8th grade 2:00-2:30
Connections 1:00-1:30
ALL teachers are expected to attend and there will be a sign in sheet.
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
The Innovation Center Quarter 3 will have classes all geared TEACH LIKE A CHAMPION! Stay tuned for information! We are ExExExCited for this ELITE Q3 Innovation Center!
The Moral Imperatives at BCMS-
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!
Some questions:
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. Team Leader meetings with Liz: Schedule coming!
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 professional learning!
Preplanning: Q3 will be required by all staff.
TEACH LIKE A CHAMPION!
- Supervision: PLEASE make sure you are at your supervision spots on time. The supervision schedule is here:
If supervision at lunch does not improve, we will be assigning supervision posts.
- Please start reminding scholars to eat breakfast as soon as they enter the gym. We need scholars to be ON TIME to class and we need to model and remind this basic LIFE expectation!
- Compliance Checks - #CelebrateMonday with 5x5s! The new High Impact Instructional Look For Document is the new instrument for 5x5
- Meetings Schedules: Monday: TEAM, Tuesday: Learn with Liz (PL), Wednesday: Math ,Thursday: ELA , Friday: Science and Social Studies
- December Holiday Spirit Week: The week of 12/18
- January 4th Agenda will be out on 12/21
- Please address watching personal belongings with scholars. We have had a pick up in items being taken. Please remind scholars that they are responsible for any and all items they bring to school.
- Cell Phones/Hoodies/Hat: Today I counted 28 times I said "Please do something with that hood"....28/28 times I was successful in the scholar taking the hood down. PLEASE be mindful of what our expectations are regarding hoods and cell phones.
#LoveTheProcess
December Teacher Challenge!
#TicketsForDays
Ms. Willett is getting her lesson plans ready for me! :) I can't wait!
We will be out and about these next nine days to identify our January winner.
Also: THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the TWITTER CHAT!
Winner for the gift card for participation is Ms. Gordon!
Winner of the book To Be Announced! Raffle will be when the book comes in!
What I'm Reading....
#BooksForDay
#MomentMakers
If you are following me on Twitter...or in life...you know that I am very inspired by this book. I am working my way through it with an elite PLN..so I am trying not to get too far ahead. :)
Think about this:
"Executives who are leading change should be deliberate about creating peaks that demarcate the shift form the "old way" to the "new way". The heart of change, after all, is the need to break the script."
What will you do this week to break the script on your teaching routines? How can you shake things up? By disrupting some routine, you can create peak moments? This week, I am focused on making more PEAK moments for scholars and for students.
We feel most comfortable with SAME....but we feel most ALIVE when it's new and different!
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!
All of this weeks tweets come from a RECAP of the #MESEdChat tweet lead by my elite principal colleagues: Mr. Miller, Ms. McNeal, and Mr. Tucker. They rocked the twitter chat and a huge thank you to all our staff who participated! One lucky winner will win a GIFT CARD to McDonald's and another lucky winner will win the book Culturize by Jimmy Cassas! ELITE! Twitter is one of a kind PL!
Jonathan Lea @jonathanlea20 20h20 hours ago
A4: I try to create positive school culture by recognizing positive things as often as possible and by always saying thanks. #MESEdChat
Chris Elkins @celkins1987 21h21 hours ago
A4 Just show up to school each day with a positive attitude. No one wants to be around miserable people. Smile! #MESedchat
K Swindell @MsSwindell_BCMS 21h21 hours ago
A2: Building genuine relationships to foster a safe and secure environment. #BeBCMS #MESEdChat
Christina George @MsGeorge228 21h21 hours ago
A4: I try to make sure I connect with teachers that have asked me to see them as soon as I can so they know I take their concerns seriously #MESEdChat
Bivins Miller @BivinsMiller 21h21 hours ago
Walk the walk, talk the talk - More walking than talking and always making time to make someone smile or remember their why! Remember #KidsDeserveIt and if we are #crazyforKids we can do anything! #mesedchat
katherine ferreira @kferreira71 22h22 hours ago
Tomorrow I will slow down and genuinely talk to people rather than the rushed “hi” as we pass in the hall. #MESedchat
Bethany Gordon @BgordonBethany 22h22 hours ago
A4- check in, smile, be positive, and laugh with all of your teammates! #MESedChat
Theresa Durrence @treadurrence 22h22 hours ago
A-4: create positive relationships with peers and students. Smiles are contagious! #MESedchat
☀Dana'sDaily☀ @DanasDaily 22h22 hours ago
☀Dana'sDaily☀Retweeted Kristin Lee
It’s sweet people like @KLeeBCMS that always make time to speak and check in to make sure you’re ok that make all the difference!#BeBCMS #justbecause #MESedChat
☀Dana'sDaily☀added,
Kristin Lee @KLeeBCMS
A4 It can be as easy as saying "hi" when you pass in the hallway. Following through with what you say you will do also goes a long way.
#MESedchat
liz raeburn @missliz31 22h22 hours ago
A3: culture••• my favorite.... I model what I expect• HIGH expecatations for ELITE level behavior
Culture is created to drive expectations that WIN! Culture is not created to make you happy #MESEdChat
Sign Up to Help Winter Athletics
Winter Athletic Season is upon us! We are ExExExCited for both Boy's and Girl's Basketball. Please use this link to sign up for volunteering for Tickets and Concessions.
Thank you!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc_1OMOYKnSbHYTcz-Updx9acfZBlXreyGefYeiYjv2-0tpVg/viewform
WIN-- Whatever I Need!
WIN update!
The new guidelines are in place for WIN. It is a MORAL IMPERATIVE that we grow scholars during this time.
The week is here! Short Form MAP tests will be taken this week and progress monitoring will be assessed! I am ExExExCited to see the results your hard work, dedication, and intentional planning will provide! Please make sure you are setting up the scholars for success on the test!
Data will be posted in the Parent Resource Room!
Christmas Angel Donations!
GOAL CRUSHED! Congratulations BCMS!!
That Football Life......
I have been very lucky to marry into a "football family". My husband's uncle, Larry Kehres, is the all time winningest college football coach. This week, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. I have learned many, many lessons from LK over the years...his journey is inspiring and his work ethic relentless and it was his connection to me at Mount Union that helped me stay in college and get my brother into college. My brother (Dan #31) and I are the only ones (out of 8) who have graduated from college and have truly broken the cycle for ourselves of drugs, prison, and poverty.
YOU can make that difference in the lives of our children! MANY teachers did it for me and my everyday passion work is to pay back that gift.
Every child, every day.
#RTB
#BeBCMS
L