Weekly Update
December 21, 2023
NEW INFORMATION
TAKE TIME TO REST!
And rejuvenate during this week off! We will see you back on January 2!
NEW: Confiscating a Phone
If you take a student's phone, please make sure that YOU bring it to the office as soon as possible for us to lock up. DO NOT send any phones up with students. If you cannot get to the office, please call Dianna or Penny and we will send an adult to pick it up. Thank you!
NEW: WIDA Testing
WIDA testing (for Multicultural Learners) will be taking place the second week we return. Students will be divided into 3 groups. Schedules and more information will be shared when we return from break.
Systemwide Professional Learning Day, January 17, 2024
Here is an overview of the day.
Secondary:
Special education and multilingual education teachers who provide direct instruction or support general education will join content area sessions. Charter school teachers are invited. Additional attendees from special education, multilingual education, or charter schools are being asked to RSVP Here.
Additional Reminder: The afternoon is school-directed time, with approximately one hour needed for required system Behavior and De-escalation Training (Part 2 of the required DOJ training).
ELT rotation beginning Jan 19
In response to student need, we will begin our ELT rotation on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays beginning on Friday, January 19th. After Period 2, the students will return to Period 1 during the ELT time. This rotation will go 1,2,3,4,5,6,7.
Students will report to their ELT class and be sent to tutoring from there.
This time is for enrichment, support, and completing work. Students should NOT be allowed on their phones or to play games on their Chromebooks.
The expectation is that when a teacher has their planning period during this rotation, they sign up at least 5 students for tutoring that day. All teachers will be working with students during the ELT time daily.
PBIS End of Term Celebration
There WILL be a behavior incentive attached to the activity. Students cannot receive a "major" (Tier 4 or 5) referral from Monday, December 11- Friday, January 12. The determination of the "level" of the referral will be determined through providing students with Due Process. Should students receive a suspension, they will not be allowed to participate in the activity on January 18th.
ML Coaching and ML Literacy Coaching
We have several student in our Multilingual Education program who could use some tutoring opportunities! These are paid per diem and could even be virtual. Below is the Curriculum Now page that explains how ML Literacy Coaching (tutoring for foundational English reading) and ML Coaching (tutoring in any subject) works. Please see an administrator with any questions!
https://sites.google.com/fcps.org/englishlearnerdept/curriculum/tutoring-ml-coaching
Staff Shout Outs!
Let's recognize one another for all of the help and support that is provided on a daily basis at WMS. Each week, we will share the Shout Outs for the week to recognize all of the kindness being shared!
This link will remain active all year and will be shared in the Smore on a weekly basis. Please acknowledge your colleagues and give them a SHOUT OUT! Here is the LINK to the Shout Out form!
Becky Riggs- Jerry and the custodians- Thank you for always being willing to help us or provide us with necessary materials.
Jerry Hewitt- Learning for Life Crew- Thank you! Every time I curl up in the blanket, I will think about you!!!
INFORMATION REMINDERS...
Students need to be in their seats until they are dismissed BY THE TEACHER
In direct response to the student survey where they shared that they were most concerned about the business of the hallways, we have instituted a new procedure for safety. In order to relieve the amount of students entering the hallway as soon as the bell rings, we are asking that ALL teachers have the students at their seats until the bell rings. At that time, THE TEACHER can dismiss the students in an orderly way to avoid any rush into the hallways.
As with everything, we will continue to monitor the impact of this new procedure and administration and the SIP team would appreciate any feedback from you!
Articulation Time Again!
It is that time again! Can you believe that we are already preparing for next year? Specialists and counselors will be talking with teachers about the expectations for recommending students for various classes for the 24-25 School Year. One expectation will be that all students take an Art and a CTE elective by the time they complete middle school. Be on the look out for further information and more discussions in ALP.
Shortage of Chairs
All of the chairs (and stools) that we have in the building are in use. Please remind students to sit appropriately in them so that they do not break.
3 Quick Feedback Techniques to Help Students Stay on Track
At our last faculty meeting, we discussed and practiced a retrieval grid to help our students remember the material that has been covered in class. Our second strategy is providing effective feedback to students. Please take two minutes to read this short article that explains three simple techniques you can use in the classroom. 3 Quick Feedback Techniques to Help Students Stay on Track
Morning Duty
Just a reminder that we need you to stay on duty to supervise the students until that grade level is dismissed. If you are in the gym hallway, please close the door at 7:50 and you can move on to your classroom. If you are stationed in the halls by the restrooms, please make sure all students are out and the doors are locked when the 7th graders leave the gym at 7:50. Please see an administrator if you have any questions.
PLEASE POST TO SCHOOLOGY: Essay contest: How do the actions of Francis Scott Key inspire you to serve others?
The Glade Valley Lions Club and the Lions Club of District 22-W know how important it is to share our American Heritage and how to use that knowledge to inspire volunteerism. Did you know that Francis Scott Key, a lawyer, author ans poet, is famous for writing the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry” which eventually became the lyrics to our national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner”? Our contest will include Heritage, Preservation and Patriotism. We hope that you will consider taking part in our essay Contest. We have opened this contest to Walkersville High School, Walkersville Middle School, Walkersville Elementary School, Glade Elementary School and Woodsboro/New Midway Elementary School students.
The American Heritage, Preservation and Patriotism essay topics for 2023-2024 are as follows:
Middle School (6-8): How do the actions of Francis Scott Key inspire you to serve others?
Essays will be judged by the Glade Valley Lions Club and awards will be given for winning essays. The essay program rules for participation and compliance guidelines are:
· Use 8 ½ by 11” white paper
· Essays must be either typed or computer generated and doubled spaced. Handwritten copies will not be read
· Minimum of 300 words, maximum of 500 words
· Attach a separate cover sheet which includes the following information
o Entrant’s name
o Entrant’s home address including street, city, state and zip code
o Entrant’s home phone number
o Name of school or ‘home schooled”
o Name of sponsoring club (Glade Valley Lions Club)
Those interested in participating should forward their essay to me via e-mail at jjcorl53@gmail.com no later January15, 2024. Local award winners will be recognized at a club meeting in March 2024 and prizes will be awarded. First place winner’s essay will be sent to our zone chairman by January 22, 2024. Winners at the District level will be requested to read their essays at the last cabinet meeting on March 23, 2024. District winners will be presented a U.S. flag and a cash award.
Cleaning of Rooms
We are entering the time of year where germs are everywhere. In order for custodians to clean desks and countertops, please make sure they are free of paper before you leave for the day. If students leave items behind in your classroom/gym, we do have the Lost and Found in the cafeteria that we remind students to check it. Please make sure you put the items there as soon as possible. Thank you for helping our school stay safe and clean!
MCAP Testing Information
Before you know it, MCAP, MISA and Social Studies testing session will be here. As the testing team starts to make plans, we are asking for some feedback. Please take a minute to let us know what you liked about last years procedures, any suggestions you may have and if there is anything else we should consider as we finalize our plans. Don’t worry. Testing dates will be share with you soon!! Please use this link to give us feedback.
No Food in Classrooms/Hallways
This is a reminder that students are not to be eating in any classroom. We are seeing an increase in the number of unwelcome outside visitors (mice). We also have had students approaching others “requesting” to share their food. This is leading to students feeling unsafe so we need to eliminate food be out in rooms.
REMINDER: ELT structure on Monday/Wednesday/Friday
This is the slide that needs to be displayed at the beginning of the ELT class period. It guides them through activities they can be working on during this time. The expectation is that this is the structure on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We will update this slide as we come up with activities for the students to complete. LINK
Check Mailbox and Email BEFORE School
Please make sure to check your mailboxes AND EMAIL before school. Emails were sent about where to send students for testing and students needed to be called to find them. Please know that it is important to check your email at the beginning of the day and end of the day to ensure you receive any information in a timely manner. If there is information that is sent during the day that you need to see, we will make sure to let you know (and not only through email! 😉)
REMINDER: ROAR- SEL Lesson Expectations on Tuesday/Thursday
Many teachers have asked for clarification regarding the SEL lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Unlike the school-wide lessons provided to you last year, this year you get to create lessons that work for your specific group of students. This is a great opportunity to get students up and moving around the classroom while building relationships with each other. The platform gives you lots of choices and making it into fun, engaging lessons which is the key. I have seen our students interacting more at lunch when they sit in ROAR groups, then they did last year. The expectation is that you are doing a 30 minute lesson with the students to help build a strong Walkersville community in your room.
Negotiated Agreements about work locations
Teacher Workdays: Article V- Work Year, Section G of the Negotiated Agreement
“Teachers will be provided a day at the end of each quarter to focus on evaluation of student work, completion of report cards, individual planning for instruction, working collaboratively with colleagues or other professional development activities associated with school system priorities as determined by the school improvement team. Deviations will only occur when there are systemic requirements. Teachers will be permitted to work from home or an alternate location on these days, with the understanding that it will remain the responsibility of teachers to meet all grading deadlines.”
- October 27
- January 16
- March 22
2-Hour Early Dismissal Days: Article V- Work Year, Section H of the Negotiated Agreement
“The Board will annually evaluate and determine the designation of up to seven (7) school days on which students will either arrive two (2) hours late or be dismissed two (2) hours early in order to provide that time for teachers to conduct individual planning for instruction, evaluate student work, and/or work collaboratively with colleagues. Administrators may direct up to sixty (60) minutes of the late arrival and early dismissal days for the purpose of systemic initiatives on one (1) of the designated days that is not aligned with the delivery of interims.” Note: At this time, there is no contractual right to work from home on these early dismissal days. FCPS continues to have a telework process that can be used to request telework during two-hour early dismissals through your building level administrator
- December 1st
- February 16th
- May 2nd
Missing assignments when students attend a Related Service Provider support
These would include visits to Katie Wilson, our Speech Language Pathologist, Meghan Thompson, our School Psychologist, any special education service with our team, any Occupational Therapy, Music Therapy, a mental health support person, etc. Please know that these supports are essential in supporting the students in accessing their education. If an assignment is essential for their learning- initial instruction, an assessment, etc.- then they should make it up. The make up time would be pulling the student during ROAR on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. If it is an activity, practice, review, etc., please excuse the student. Please reach out to an administrator if you have questions or need help in deciding about the best option for the student.
Negotiated Agreements- Did you know???
There has been a lot of confusion and questions concerning taking leave. Please take a moment to review these tidbits from the negotiated agreement.
FCTA- Negotiated Agreement
Teachers who are absent from work for four (4) or more consecutive school days may be requested to submit a doctor's certificate to the benefits office stating that they were unable to report for work.
Each ten (10)-month, eleven (11)-month, and twelve (12)-month teacher shall be credited annually with three (3) days to be used for personal leave. Teachers shall notify the immediate supervisor in writing of intent to use such leave. In case of emergency, when such prior notice cannot be given, the Superintendent may require evidence that an emergency existed.
Except when approved by the immediate supervisor, personal leave shall not be used the day before or after a holiday or scheduled break, or on an in-service day or parent conference day, or at the beginning of the school year or during the last two (2) days of the ten (10)-month teachers’ work year. The list of dates are located in the Staff Handbook on the HUB.
FASSE- Negotiated Agreement
Normally, all leave will be requested and approved in advance. In the event that such notice is not practical, the employee shall notify his or her immediate supervisor one (1) hour in advance when he or she cannot be at work. Annual or personal leave must be approved in advance.
All regular educational support employees serving in ten-month and twelve-month positions shall be credited annually with three (3) days of personal leave. Educational support employees shall request prior approval from their immediate supervisor in writing of the intent to use such leave, except in the case of emergency, when such prior notice cannot be given. Except when approved by the Superintendent or designee, personal leave shall not be used on the following days:
1. The day before or after:
a) a day when schools are closed for students during the school year,
b) an inservice day
2. Parent conference days
3. The beginning of the ten-month employee work year
4. During the last two (2) days of the ten-month employee work year.
Administration is asking for professional courtesy if you know about an upcoming absence. We have been lucky so far this year in that we have had some outside people pick up the jobs.
REMINDER: Coverage for when you are absent
If you are absent and have a duty in the morning or afternoon, please find someone to switch with and let an admin know who they are. The morning subs often get here too late to be helpful for the morning duty and that leaves us short coverage. In the afternoons, we know it is best to have WMS staff on duty at the end of the day. Thank you for your attention to this!
Some high quality instructional strategies....
you can use NOW! Here are some ideas of research-based strategies to help students with learning material, retaining it, and retrieving previous information! Try some of these!
Retrieval Practice, Paving Pathways in the Memory Maze
Student Resources for Retrieval
9 Ways To Use Retrieval Practice
Health Room CLOSED from 1:30-2:00
Employee Concern and Non-Discrimination Resolution Options
Resharing in case you missed it on the Employee News Bulletin Board for September 4: The Board of Education and Superintendent of Frederick County Public Schools are committed to providing employees with a safe and supportive environment that fosters mutual respect, equity, inclusion and acceptance of the rich diversity that makes up our community. The following information outlines the range of ways in which employees can have concerns addressed and resolved for your review. Employee Concern and Non-Discrimination Resolution Options. We encourage all employees to start by reaching out to their supervisor to address concerns. In addition, employees may reach out to the Board of Education Ombuds who can help provide options for resolution of an FCPS concern or issue at Ombuds@fcps.org.
Tier 1 and Tier 2 documentation
As we shared on our first day back at school, we will be documenting Tier 1 and Tier 2 in a common location. This is a secure site that can only be accessed while at school. If you have ANY student concerns where you have had to provide any Tier 1 or 2 supports, please add your information to the spreadsheet. The grade level administrators and Justin Ryan will be monitoring this for student support. Please reach out with any questions!
The OneDrive site is located in the upper left corner under FCPS bookmarks. The site is linked HERE.
Morning Duty
Students are not allowed to leave the cafeteria or gym to go see a teacher, or guidance counselor without a written pass that has the date, time and staff member’s name. Once students enter the gym they are not allowed to leave unless to use the restroom. If a 7th or 8th grade student wants to access breakfast, they must go to the cafeteria to eat before going into the gym. Once they have entered the gym, they must stay there.
CharacterStrong
We will be utilizing the CharacterStrong program for our SEL lessons this year. These are going to be completed every Tuesday and Thursday during our ROAR time. This is a REQUIRED program and lessons to be used. Please visit https://characterstrong.com/ to see the middle school curriculum. The login for the program is Walkersville and the password is character2023
TutorMe
FCPS has renewed their subscription to TutorMe. ELA and Math teachers will be introducing their classes to this program. You are encouraged to have students utilize this program. It can be used as a station for the writing process, as a location to ask questions about a math problem, or to help with a language translation!
Please make sure that TutorMe information is available on every Schoology page.
Sign out from front office
In order to ensure that all staff members are accounted for throughout the school day, it is imperative that staff sign out in the front office if they are leaving school property. This includes stepping out for lunch! You must sign out even if you have put your absence in Frontline. Should there be an emergency, we need to account for our staff members. There is a staff sign out log by the student phone in the front office. Thank you for your attention to this policy.
Health Room Information
Please call the health room before sending students. Our nurse and health tech will let you know whether to send the student or not. Our health room can become very crowded and this creates a health concern. Thank you for your attention to this!
If you are going to be out...
Please have your absence into Frontline by 6:30AM. If you are entering an absence in after this time, you need to contact Amy Newkirk to ensure appropriate coverage.
Admin contact information
Here are the admin cell phone numbers should you need to contact us! Please keep these numbers confidential for staff only.
Beth Ann: 301-676-0448
Amy: 240-409-3440
Jeff: 301-514-2660
Kristen: 717-404-2895