WMS Bulletin
01-20-20 Faculty and Staff
Now it feels like January...
Hello WMS,
I hope you had a wonderful three day weekend and were able to recharge a bit. There is just too much illness going around, and I hope these three days gave you some time to feel a bit better if you were one of the many under the weather (and/or your family members, friends, etc...). I was able to spend some time reflecting on why we recognize today as a holiday and think about the principles for which Martin Luther King, Jr. stood and how powerful they are to me. As we approach the second half of the year and (unfortunately!) still face issues of racism at WMS too frequently, a couple of his quotations stood out to me:
"Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education" (Speech, Washington, 26 March 1964.
"The best way to solve any problem is to remove its cause" (Stride Toward Freedom, 11, 1958).
"True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice" (Stride Toward Freedom, 2, 1958).
"Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. this is the interrelated structure of reality" (Strength to Love, 7.2, 1963).
As we are about to enter this second half of the school year, we must double down our efforts to work with our students around kindness, respect, anti-racism, compassion, and empathy, to name a few. Thank you very much for all of the hard work you have put in to date; I know we will have even more success with our students moving forward.
Along the same lines, I came across this letter in the RBT newsletter, and I found it very powerful. The YouTube video referenced at the end is an AWESOME one! Many of you have probably already seen it, but it is definitely worth a watch again if you have. Enjoy!
How well do you know your students? I mean, really know your students - beyond their grades, or where they like to sit in class, or what it might say on their IEP?? Let’s find out. Go grab a piece of paper. Go ahead, I’ll wait...
In the next minute, list the names of your students in the order that you remember them.
Now, look at each name. For each one, write something next to their name that has nothing to do with school. Maybe they have pets, or they recently went on a vacation, or they have an after school job. Whatever it is, write it down.
Here’s the last request. Place a checkmark next to each student who you’ve had a conversation with over this “non-school” thing.
Are you surprised? Shocked? Upset? Pleased? Perhaps you see trends or patterns in your list that reaffirm the fact that you’ve built positive, strong relationships with your students, or maybe you see the opposite.
Here’s the good news...it’s January and you still have a lot of time left to build those strong personal relationships with your students. In many ways this time of year, after the bustle of the holidays, when many of us are returning to the classroom after a well-deserved break, is an ideal time to take stock of the climate we’ve created in our classrooms and purposefully design activities that foster relationships. Relationships, as many of us know and can attest to, are the backbone of learning and, as James Comer states, “no significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.” Students deserve to feel welcomed and loved and known and, when that happens, a climate of safety allows for academic risks and significant achievement. Building relationships is, and always will be, the heart of teaching and we, as educators, must never lose sight of that. For a good reminder of the importance of personal relationships, watch Rita Peirson’s TEDTalk “Every Kid Needs A Champion."
Have an excellent week!
This image from Google's homepage:
Duties This Week:
AM: Cafeteria / PM Waverley and Bemis: E. Willoughby
AM: Cafeteria / PM Bemis and Westminster: M. Loughran
AM: Waverley Entrance / PM Waverley Driveway: R. Henry
Bemis St. Crosswalk: L. Shock
The full Bus/Breakfast duty schedule can be found here:
Bus and Breakfast Duty Schedule
Lunch Duty this Week: None! Please keep asking around and let me know if you know anyone who might be interested! We need to fill 1-2 more spots.
**Upcoming Dates**
January 21 - ILT meeting 7:15 am
January 22 - Grade 8 to WHS - They will follow their usual schedule until approximately 11:45 when they will depart to WHS by bus, and they will be eating lunch at the high school. They will return during 7th period.
January 22 - Equity Leaders meeting 3:00-5:00 pm
January 23 - i-Ready Reading Diagnostic Special Schedule
January 27 - Mentor/Mentee meeting
January 27 - Last day of Term 2 / Semester 1
January 28 - First day of Term 3 / Semester 2
January 31 - Grades and Effort Roll due
February 5 - Faculty meeting
February 5 - School Site Council meeting
February 6 - PDT meeting
February 7 - School Dance
February 12 - Department meetings
February 17 - February 21 - NO SCHOOL - February vacation
February 24 - Mentor/Mentee meeting
Evaluation updates
You can expect to see Jason, coordinators, and me making the rounds for observations over the next few weeks. All non-professional teachers will receive their formative evaluations by February 1st. Formative Evaluation meetings will be held during the period 2/1 through 2/15. The following is language taken directing from our evaluation timeline document.
The evaluator should complete mid-cycle:
February 1: Formative Assessment Reports for educators on one-year educator plans.
February 15: Formative Assessment Meetings if requested by either evaluator or educator.
If you have any questions, please see me or another administrator.
ILT Update - "Unpacking" Learning Targets and Learning Strolls Part 2
Please find an "Unpacking Cheat Sheet" HERE.
Additionally, the ILT will be doing part 2 of the Learning Strolls to see some of that "Unpacking". Please check in with one of the ILT members to discuss a good time for that to happen. You may want to have the same person as you had for term 1, or perhaps someone new. If you have any questions, please also see an ILT member. Thank you!
ILT members: Heidi, Eddie, Jason, Jim D., Meg G., Jim K., Kerri, Donna, Chris, Kellie, Karen S., Alison T.
Attendance Issues
Thank you!
Important ESL Information
Also, one new highlight is that we should have the PHLOTE (Primary Home Language Other Than English) category in Power School to say if the family requires interpretation. They have dedicated much time to marking this field. If you find that the families marked do NOT require interpretation please let Kate or me know. In the same vein, if they haven't marked someone as needing interpretation, please also let Kate or me know.
WPS Digital Learning/Library and Computer Science
Respecting one another's classes
Thank you!
No Backpacks to Period 7 please!
***They may also need a reminder by their lockers that they can't pack them up either. Taking the time to pack their bags will also make them late!***