Warrior Beat
Student Focused-World Class
Word for the Warrior...
Hello Warrior Family!
It is great to be back at school! I can't tell you how much it means to me to have had such support from you as I participated in my trip to the Dominican Republic. It was certainly one of the most meaningful experiences of my life and was transformational to me both personally and professionally. Thank you for being understanding and thank you to all of you who supported me in my absence!
This week is Parent/Teacher Conference Week. As we did the first semester, please make every effort to identify students who are in need of a conference. If a student has a D or an F in your class, please contact LeAnn and schedule a conference. These are often the parents who do not feel comfortable scheduling a conference with us. When we make that effort, it can bridge that gap and begin the parent/teacher relationship that can often yield positive results for everyone. Of course, we will have parents who will decline, but at least we have made the effort. Please email your conference schedule to Erika Slaughter and LeAnn Franklin so that we have documentation of your conference schedule. THANKS!
We will continue with our Proficiency Meetings this week with our LA and SS teams. The purpose of these meetings is to provide us time to really dig deep to determine root causes behind students not passing. The focus of these meetings is students. The real question is: Are student grades reflecting accurate levels of a student’s knowledge. If not, why? If so, and if students are still failing, it is a time for us to brainstorm if there is a different way to support students in the classroom, as a department or as a school. This is not about doing more…this is about thinking about what is working and what is not and working together to find solutions. Like Einstein is famously quoted as saying…insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.
I know that it is difficult to look at failure rates. Please know that we are in this together. These are OUR kids and this is TOUGH work. It would be much easier not to look at it, but not looking at it doesn’t change our reality. For me, I equate this to stepping on a scale. Honestly, sometimes I would rather just not know the number. However, not knowing the number doesn’t change what that number is. If I step on the scale and don’t like the number, then I have to decide whether I have the time, effort and resources to do something about it. Focusing on our students who are failing is hard because we are often talking about students who are unmotivated. We are often talking about students who have little to no home support. We are often talking about students who struggle academically. There are no easy answers to these problems, but if we stop trying to find answers, then we are giving up on these kids and these issues. Unfortunately, we will likely always have a failure list. We will likely always have kids who are not motivated. We will likely always have parents who we wish would care half as much as we care. BUT…in doing this work...this is where the rubber meets the road. This is where CHANGE HAPPENS!
Some of our conferences are revealing differences in grading practices and in some cases, we are being faced with more questions than answers. That is OK. Meetings such as these are often messy. Sometimes it takes weeks, months or years to find the answers. We need to be comfortable with questions because questions lead us to think more deeply about our students and when we are aware of a current reality, we can more accurately move forward and progress to where we want to be.
Taking a look at our reality and taking time together to have conversations about our work together in supporting our kids will move us forward. We can’t work any harder than we are already working. I have never seen a harder working group of teachers committed to students than the teachers of John Sevier. We are a TEAM and we need to function as a team. What may seem impossible or difficult alone is possible when we work and depend on each other. Many hands make light work. While I am not sure our work in schools is every really LIGHT….it can certainly be lightER when we work together. I wouldn’t want to be on any other team!
Proud to be a Warrior,
Holly
Week of the Warrior
MONDAY : January 30
- Morning tutoring in Mr. Blairs room from 7-7:30. (Wellness room)
- Baseball Tryouts 3-5
- Girls Basketball Practice 3-5
- Boys Basketball Practice 3-5
TUESDAY : January 31
- Morning tutoring in Mr. Blairs room from 7-7:30. (Wellness room)
- Student Council meeting in Mrs. Wagner’s room 3:00-3:30.
- Baseball Tryouts 3-5
- Girls Basketball Sectionals Tournament in Sevierville at 6:30
- Boys Basketball Sectional Quarter Finals in Sevierville at 7:30 (Players need to be there one hour before game time)
WEDNESDAY : February 1
- The Final payment for the Washington DC Trip is due on Thursday, February 2. This is the third and final payment installment of $200. Your child received a slip of paper last week informing them of how much money they still owed and what paperwork they might be missing. There will be more information coming out soon about the trip.
- Morning tutoring in Mr. Blairs room from 7-7:30. (Wellness room)
- The staff of the Sequoyah Scribe student newspaper will meet on Wednesday from 2:45 to 3:30 pm. All staff members are required to attend. The editorial team will meet until 5:15 pm.
- Baseball Tryouts 3-5
- Boys Basketball Practice 3-4
THURSDAY : February 2
- ** 8th Graders Last payment for your Washington DC Trip is Due**
- Morning tutoring in Mr. Blairs room from 7-7:30. (Wellness room)
- Natural helper meeting 2:55- 4:30
- Bridge Club 3:00-Library
- Baseball Tryouts 3-5
- Boys Basketball Practice 3-4
-Conferences 3:00-6:00
FRIDAY : February 3
Conference Day-No School for Students
SATURDAY : February 4
-Fatz Pancake Breakfast-BAND-8:00-10:00
-Varsity Warrior Girls and Boys play in Sectionals in Sevierville
Girls-6:15 Boys-7:30
Save the Date:
- Softball Tryouts – February 6 – February 10
- Dance Tryouts – February 27 – March 3
- Cheer Tryouts – March 6 – March 9
- Track First Day of Practice – Monday, February 27
JSMS Jam...
Who of our "Sevierists" has the "Sevierest" Super Soup?
We will be having our first annual Sevier soup contest on February 10. If you would like to enter a soup to be judged, please bring it to the office conference room on February 10. We will have judges coming in from Central Office. There will be prizes awarded to the winners.
The soups will also be available for everyone to eat during the day.
This was an idea from your culture club, we hope you enjoy the soup and fellowship.
Teacher of the Year
Please remember to nominate two JSMS teachers for Teacher of the Year by emailing those names to Holly by the end of the day on Wednesday. Please see email sent previously for criteria. Thanks!
Canvas Training
All, please help us by encouraging teachers to register for the first annual NeTnCanvasCon that will take place on Saturday, March 4th at Science Hill.
Share this information if you will:
This is a regional event that supports networking among districts using Canvas. Registration fee will be covered by the district. Lunch and a $20 gift card are included in registration. Feel free to reach out to Laurie or Brian C. for questions or click here for more information.
A Message from Nurse Traci
It’s cold and flu season and we would like to remind our students to wash their hands regularly-especially after restroom use and before meals, covering coughs and sneezes and drinking plenty of fluids to stay hydrated and staying home if they are sick.
Thank you!
Volunteer Hours Tracking
Each year, KCS tracks the number of volunteer hours that are completed in endeavors outside the school setting. One reason is to show the public how KCS employees are giving back to their communities. We want to continue this process by requesting that all KCS employees complete this short survey. It should only take 1-2 minutes to complete. The survey is anonymous and in an online format. We are simply requesting that employees closely estimate the total number of volunteer hours for the 2016 calendar year (January through December). The survey requests that employees fill in the number of volunteer hours in the following categories: Faith-based, United Way, Non-profit, Chamber/Fun Fest, Athletics, and an “Other” category to capture any volunteer work outside the scope of those other areas. The survey will be open from January 25-February 10 and can be accessed at the following link:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SY5HJ7F.
Retirement Information
The link below is a link to a flyer for an informational session on retirement planning to be held on March 23rd at the ASC.
file:///C:/Users/hflora/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/DVNXKUAN/retirement%20seminar%202017.pdf
Opportunity to Reach Out...
Hello Sevier Family, I was watching the news this past week and saw this story. I felt like I wanted to do something to help and this is what I came up with. I do not know if you are aware but the former Principal at Eastside Elementary, Dr. Wandell, has been battling ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, for over 3 years. One of the teachers at Eastside Elementary in Elizabethton is making decals that can be placed on cars, computers, etc. and all the proceeds go to Dr. Wandell. I thought it would be great if we as a school placed an order and showed our support for one of our own. I will be taking up money next week and then I will send it in the following week. A picture of the decal has a great message we can all live by (see picture below).
You can see the WJHL video here:
http://wjhl.com/2017/01/23/new-stickers-will-raise-money-for-principal-battling-als/
If you would like a decal please give me your money by February 6, 2107. They are $10 each. You can place your order by leaving your name and money in my mailbox or bring it by room 228.
Thanks so much and I am proud to be a Warrior! -Tony Weaver
8th Grade Washington DC Payment Information
The Final payment for the 8th Grade Washington DC Trip is due on Thursday, February 2. This is the third and final payment installment of $200. Each 8th Grader received a slip of paper last week informing them of how much money they still owed and what paperwork they might be missing. There will be more information coming out soon about the trip.
IMPORTANT: 9th Grade Registration Information Night
Dobyns-Bennett will hold future 9th Grade Parent Information Night at D-B on February 7 at 6:00 P.M. For the opening session John Sevier Middle School Parents/Students will meet in the Cafeteria. The opening session will include general information regarding the upcoming high school registration process. Following the opening, there will be four rotations during which specific information will be provided covering programs at Dobyns-Bennett.
ACCESS NIGHT
Dobyns-Bennett will hold ACCESS Night on February 6th at 6PM in the Pridemore Theater. This is an opportunity for students and parents to learn more about college credit opportunities in the areas of Advanced Placement courses, Dual Enrollment and Dual Credit courses, in addition to TN State Department Dual Credit course opportunities.
News from the ASC...
Innovative Educators of Kingsport City Schools
Are you passionate about education? Do you enjoy learning about and implementing new strategies? Would you like to create a more student-centered learning environment? Then consider joining the Innovative Educators of Kingsport City Schools. We are looking to build a network of K-12 teachers like you from across the district to come together for a day of training, go back and implement new practices, then meet up monthly to celebrate and troubleshoot. Click here for more information.
TDOE Educator Update
Click here for the link to the TDOE Educator Update. This is a great synopsis of what is happening at the State level that is most relevant to the classroom teacher.
Library of Congress 2017 Summer Teacher Institute
The Library of Congress is now accepting applications for its week-long summer institutes for K-12 educators. KCS educators who have attended one of these in the past describe them as great professional learning events! Click here for more information. Applications are due on March 17 and require a letter of recommendation. The institute and course materials are provided at no cost to participants, but participants will be responsible for travel expenses and hotel accommodations.
Commissioner McQueen's Town Hall Meeting Regarding ESSA
If you missed seeing Commissioner McQueen’s town hall meetings as she explained the transition to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), click here. On this video, in addition to Dr. McQueen, Executive Director of Consolidated Planning & Monitoring Eve Carney, who has worked directly with the Commissioner in developing this transition, shares how our state is implementing Tennessee Succeeds. The following links may be helpful as you listen to the recorded webinar:
If you have any questions regarding the webinar, send them to Essa.Feedback@tn.gov .
Seeking Tennessee State Teacher Fellows (STFs)
Hope Street Group, the nonpartisan nonprofit that connects classroom teachers with their peers and decision-makers across Tennessee and nationally, will soon be recruiting its next cohort of Tennessee State Teacher Fellows (STFs). The STF program is designed to develop the competencies of teacher leaders, providing them with tools to engage their colleagues and generate solutions for education challenges. Fellows are teachers or instructional coaches who remain in their schools full-time and contribute 10-15 hours each month to Hope Street Group activities including data collections, professional learning sessions, and partner meetings. They receive a $3,000 stipend for the twelve-month Fellowship, with the opportunity to extend into a second year to deepen their work. Interested teachers can learn more by visiting the Hope Street Group webpage. The application period will be January 16 - February 10, 2017. If questions about the Fellowship, please contact Keilani Goggins or Celia Gregory.
Classified Staff Training Opportunity
Please announce these training opportunities for non-teaching staff:
TOPIC-FACILITATOR-DATE-TIME-LOCATION-TO REGISTER, CONTACT
Google Forms Laurie Norris February 7, 2017 9-10:30 a.m. ASC Computer LabStephanie Potter, x-5193
Google Drive Basics Kevin Surgener February 21, 2017 9-10:30 a.m. ASC Computer Lab Stephanie Potter, x-5193
OneNote - OneDrive Scott PierceMarch 3, 20179-10:30 a.m. ASC Computer Lab Stephanie Potter, x-5193
OneNote - OneDrive Scott Pierce April 25, 2017 9-10:30 a.m. ASC Computer Lab Stephanie Potter, x-5193
Warrior Whoop! (celebrations and recognitions)
- It was an EXCITING week for Warrior Basketball! Both Varsity Boys and Girls teams were named Area 1 AAA Middle School Champions! Both teams will advance to Sectionals in Sevierville on Tuesday! Thank you to all of you who came out to support our Warriors! The Sevier gym was PACKED with fans and it made an exciting night even more exciting to have such support!
- Congratulations to the following students who were named All Conferences Players for Basketball!
Emilee Lane
Caitlyn Wallace
Will Karst
Dustyn Knittle
Justyn Knittle
The MVP's for the CONFERENCE were:
Jaden Potts
Zane Whitson
Thank you to Calvary Baptist Church for donating boxes of Kleenex for our teachers!
- Thank you to our KCS School Board Members-Eric Hyche, Todd Golden, Susan Lodal, Carrie Upshaw, Karen Reed-Wright-School Board Appreciation Week - January 22-28, 2017
- Congratulations to Traci Bowen, our school nurse. She was the JSMS winner of our Way of the Warrior "You Rock!" Staff Award this week! We appreciate you, Traci!