The Triton Tribune
Be Kind ~ Be Awesome ~ Make The Right Choices
Volume 2 ~ Issue 14 ~ November 2, 2020
Amazing Triton Staff,
31 Days and counting....
You are reading this correctly. We are exactly one month away from completing Semester 1.
This Friday, November 6, is Progress Report 2, which means we are in the final days of Semester 1 during this unprecedented time of teaching virtually. And while it has been difficult, you have persevered and continued on this journey of distance learning. I am so grateful that you have stayed with me on this journey. As we finish the semester, let's remember to be grateful not just for the good things but also for those things that are making us grow professionally and personally.
November is all about our next Triton Trait: GRATITUDE. In her 16 years of Research, Brene Brown, researcher on vulnerability, courage, empathy and shame, discovered that people who were joyful actively practiced gratefulness. She concluded that practicing gratitude invites joy in our lives. I would like to challenge you to actively practice gratitude for the month of November and journal what each of you were grateful for daily. By the end of November, I would love to hear stories of how joy has permeated your classroom and your home.
Utilizing the "NM" vs. "F" Grades:
You still have the ability to use the NM grades for students. I would suggest that its use is limited to new students and for students whom you have not heard from at all but they have not been dropped. If you believe that a student is still being affected with ongoing technology issues, please talk to Mr. Nafarrete or me for GenEd students and to Mr. Sanchez for Sped students to see if "NM" can be used.
Available Academic Support for Our Students:
I hope that you will take the time to discuss with your students about what it means to finish strong using their progress reports as a guide. If the report is pointing toward a successful academic ending, then have a discussion with your students on how to maintain those grades especially during a busy holiday season. If the report is showing concerns that your students may not finish the semester strong, then have a discussion about a plan of improvement. Our students need us to show them what self-advocacy is and why it is one of the most important life skills they can master.
Onsite Tutoring Support Begins November 9:
Included is information on all available academic support for your children. This includes the onsite support for the most at-risk students that will be made available on November 9. Students will be identified using various metrics. FAC members participated in a walkthrough of our tutoring spaces and last week, FAC met again to discuss implementation and identification of students. If a student from your class has been identified, one of the Re-Engagement Team Member will be contacting you.
Staff Restorative Circle on Thursday, November 5 @ 2:30pm:
The last RP Circle for staff was well attended. Many of you have requested to have access to this SEL support. Courtney and Fran will lead this circle. Look for a TEAMS meeting link in your calendar.
Faculty Meeting on Friday, November 6:
Please attend the staff meeting on Friday. The meeting will start promptly at 2pm on TEAMS. The meeting invitation should already be in our calendar. See you then.
Goodbye and Welcome:
Austin Legg has accepted a special ed position at ELH. We will miss him terribly but we are fortunate that Britanni Coleman will be teaching his class as an intern. Please welcome her into the family. We wish you the very best, Austin.
ELM Spirit Gear Purchase Window Is Open Again:
Tritons! The online spirit gear store at Next Day Printed Tees is open again! Orders can be placed on bit.ly/ELMspiritgear until November 30th. Expected completion date of items is December 15th (the week before Winter Break). Paid shipping or free customer pickup at NDPT available.
Finally, if you need any assistant principal support, please send all requests to Mr. Nafarrete for the moment.
Below are slides and video information that are pertinent to the week. They appear in this order:
1. Red Ribbon Week Video In Review
2. Available Academic Support
~Available Daily Support
~English 8 Tutoring
~Virtual Math Tutoring Schedule
~Virtual 7th Grade Science Tutoring Schedule
~ELM Teachers Distance Learning Dashboard
3. Coffee With the Principal Progress Report 2
4. ELM Artist of the Week
5. Triton Of The Week Nominations
6. November Triton Trait: Gratitude
~Gratitude Quotes
~Brene Brown on Gratitude
7. Yearbook Submission Request: Dia De Los Muertos
8. ASB Activities This Week
~Candy Tower Challenge
~Purple Pride Club
~Eastlake Middle School Gear - Round 2
9. Important Schedule Date Changes
10. Meal Distribution Announcement
11. Attendance Clearance Form
12. Genus Bar Teachers Support Form
13. ELM Parent Restorative Practices Request Form
14. ELM Technology Support Line
Finally, here is the link to the parent newsletter.
Let's have an amazing week!
Mrs. Finley
Teachers, please inform your students of all the available academic support they have access to for the next six weeks.
AVAILABLE TUTORING OR ACADEMIC SUPPORT:
- Office Hours and Asynchronous Sessions [See slide below]
- English 8 Tutoring [Click on this link to access the meeting codes]
- Virtual Math 7 and 8 Tutoring [See slide below]
- Virtual 7th Grade Science Tutoring [See slide below]
ONSITE TUTORING SUPPORT WILL BE AVAILABLE STARTING NOVEMBER 9
In the works are several plans to bring a select group of the most at-risk students on campus to provide them the support they need. Students who are identified will be asked if they are willing to attend the online support tutoring that has been identified for them. Below are a few of the tutoring cohorts that are being considered, not to exceed 10% of our student population and will be limited by the number of teachers and instructional assistants who have volunteered to come in and provide the support.
Possible Cohorts (Each cohort cannot exceed 14 students):
- During the Day Tutoring (the top 14 students who are most at-risk)
- During the Day Tutoring for the Moderate Program
- After School Spanish Tutoring (Each Spanish teacher will recommend their top 2 most needy students in their Spanish classes)
- After School General Tutoring (3 cohorts)
Not all students will be able to access the onsite support, so it is important to inform your students that most of them will need to access academic support using our virtual tutoring support.
Candy Tower Challenge
Purple Pride Club
This video is brought to you by ELM's Purple Pride Club. We want to promote awareness and acceptance of the LGBTQ community and ALL people. Thanks for watching!
Eastlake Middle School
Email: easter.finley@sweetwaterschools.org
Website: elm.sweetwaterschools.org
Location: 900 Duncan Ranch Road, Chula Vista, CA, USA
Phone: 619.591.4000
Twitter: @erfinleysd