Betsy's Bits
September 2, 2019
In Case You Missed It:
I want to give a shoutout to our AMAZING bus drivers! They are so flexible and helpful with positive attitudes and big smiles! By Friday we were a well-oiled machine with all buses on time, none were over capacity, and no one was having to run a double route! This is huge! Thank you!
Mark your calendars for October 24! This is a time when we have visitors from around NC and SC to come and see what AVID schoolwide looks like. For our newest Stallion Family members, do not fret! We always give first year Stallions the first year as a time to digest and see what is expected and how to implement. We do not expect you to open your rooms to visitors unless you want to do so. Everyone else does welcome visitors on the hallway during a certain time and highlight specific strategies during that time so teachers, admin, counselors, etc. see what it looks like to be an AVID schoolwide school. Teachers that have been at SLMS need to be thinking about what you would like to highlight and make sure you have taught your kids the strategy and they know how to do it before Oct. 24. Remember that EVERYONE is supposed to be teaching and expecting kids to use their binders. This means deliberately telling them what to put in their section of the binder, making sure you put holes in it ahead of time, AND giving time to put items in the binder. New teachers should see veterans about how to keep a class table of contents. You also need to give time for students to organize your section periodically and you are supposed to check your section each week according to our schoolwide expectations.
I received notification on Friday that agendas should be delivered on Tuesday. These will be distributed by Wednesday to HR teachers. Homeroom teachers must give an agenda to EVERY student, even if they haven't paid for one. Please continue to ask for the $5 for agendas through Friday. Make sure to check out the schoolwide expectations for agendas. This is another piece that we all must be on the same page to ensure our kids LEARN how to become organized and set goals. If you need a poster for your room to write weekly assignments, stop by my office or shoot me an email.
Most teachers are jumping into their curriculum next week. Please make sure you review SanLee's definition of RIGOR, so you are planning rigorous and engaging lessons for all students. It is also important and a SanLee expectation to incorporate Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading in every lesson. Click here for a list of AVID strategies to help you AVIDize your lessons. Here is also a folder to AVID Schoolwide which gives lots of resources and ideas for different areas. I also want to recommend visiting My AVID and go to CORE Strategies under Curriculum at the top. This gives information to read and also videos to help you with implementation in your classroom. If you don't know how to get into My AVID, please reach out to Vincent Pienaar. He will make sure you have an account and then help you with getting in. We also will have access to new AVID Weekly articles this month in My AVID, but in the AVID Schoolwide folder there are archived articles and strategies to use with these. Don't forget that we ALL are responsible for teaching literacy for our content area. AVID gives LOTS of ideas for how to teach reading and writing in the content areas in Academic Language and Literacy. When you login to My AVID, click on Curriculum at the top, Curriculum Book Webpages and the ENTIRE book as well as many others are there for you to read, download, pull from etc.
I hope this demonstrates that you have LOTS of resources at your fingertips! Please make sure you know how to get into My AVID and take time to explore. I want to encourage weekly PLC's to take turns bringing something new with literacy to your PLC each week and everyone try within the week. Remember, we will continue to receive the same results if we continue to do the same things. We must try different things to attempt to help our children become better readers, writers, and thinkers!
Schoolwide Team assignments were sent out in an email earlier. Click here if you missed it.
Worth Restating (sent by Alison Poole on 8/30/19)
STUDENTS REPORTING TO THE COUNSELORS
Students requesting to see a counselor should be directed to their form on SanLeeās website under for Parent/Student/Community and the for Teachers tabs.. If there is an emergency, call the appropriate counselor. If she cannot be reached, call your administrator or the front office.
Student Safety Info from our Counselors:
Report any mention of self-harm, suicide, threat or abuse immediately. You should not council, make judgements concerning _______, or wait until planning/a good time.
These concerns should never under any circumstances be shared via email or voicemail, because you cannot guarantee that the person you are leaving the message for or sending the email received it. This leaves you liable. But more important, it leaves vulnerable students without support and in danger of harm.
If you find yourself typing the words: suicide, abuse, threat, self-harm, cut, kill, hurt, etc. backspace, delete and pick up the phone.
Call in this order...until you get a person on the line.
Counselors (ext. 1520 or 1513)
Admin (1502, 1573 or 1521)
Social Worker (1516)
School nurse (1531)
Front desk (1551)
We understand that you may have other students in the room and may not be able to fully explain the situation. Simply state that there is an emergency and you need someone to come to your room immediately. Also, it may be the end of the day and you need to get students to the buses, car rider line, etc. Buses can be held and students can wait...everything MUST stop until you reach one of the contacts above. It is imperative to verbally COMMUNICATE with those that can help!
Written assignments, projects, responses, etc. that mention a personal experience with suicide, self-harm, or abuse MUST also be reported immediately; even if it is while at home grading papers.
Great Minds Think Alike :)
Coming Up:
Mark Your Calendars:
Monday: Labor Day Holiday ~ No School
Tuesday: ELA (Gain's room) and Math (T. Wicker's) room Team Meetings @ 2:50pm
Wednesday: Football Jamboree 4:30 pm @SLHS (NO one gets in free...sorry! $5 tickets)
Thursday: PTSO Meeting and Meet the Fall Coaches 5:15-5:45 pm, AVID Family Night 5:45-6:30 pm.
Boys in PE and Girls in Health
Sport Information for this week:
Football, softball, cheer and tennis practice Monday-Thursday until 5pm
Cross Country Tryouts - Tuesday until 4pm in gym
Golf tryouts at Sanford Golf Course - Tue and Wed (Coach Burch)
Should read: 5 Tips for ALL Teachers!
September UnMeeting
It really starts at 2:50 pm, but Smore wouldn't let me switch the :45 to :50 :)
*This is a required each month and all certified staff are expected to attend.