EMS Friday Focus
December 7, 2018
EMS 2018-2019 Goals
ALL EMS students and staff will feel connected to our school community - safe, respected, seen, heard, and valued.
All EMS students will find meaning in the work they are tasked with.
Weekly Message
Team -
What were your bright spots this week?
Mine were:
Observing Michael Bradbury lesson beautifully reflect both our goals for this year.
Observing Lindsay McQueen actively work towards getting 100% of students thinking 100% of the time through her thoughtful consideration of the formats of class used.
Antony telling me he was going to teach an elective semester 2 on the history of race and the impact on our lives today.
Kate’s moving Teach Meet that reflected her belief that you don’t give up on students - even when they give up on themselves.
Walking over to a table at lunch and having a student turn to her peer and remind her to take off her hood before I even uttered the words.
Hearing the questions asked during Kate’s Teach Meet and witnessing the eagerness to consider how we can replicate this model. Check out additional student interviews here.
Watching Kathy have her students “do it again” after the initial fire drill was complete.
With gratitude and in partnership,
Meg
TASKS
Please remember to complete the survey for the 12/13 inservice. The link to the form is here.
Please see here for the Habitat opportunity I shared out on Wednesday. 7/8th grade nominations are due 12/14.
Please be VIGILANT about logging any student’s who are tardy to class - our hallway traffic has been increasing but our detention list has been short. Team work makes the dream work - let’s keep our hallways clear and learning time sacred!
After discussing with Team leaders we have revised the ½ day schedule - there will NOT be a Town Meeting. Please review the revised schedule so you know where you need to be when.
If you see a student in the hallway withOUT a pass please send the student back to their class or call down to the office.
If a student is missing from your class - including a child with an IEP - please remember to call down to the office. Safety first!
Announcements and Logistics For the Week
Chorus rehearsal schedule
8th gr Chorus - 3rd period (9:30) - 10:30
7th gr Chorus - 5th period (7th/8th combined from 10:15-10:30am)
SAS ensemble - 11:15 to 11:50 - Aurora Butler, Ruby Hall, Hanga Varadi* (will need to eat Lunch 1)
*SAS ensemble to also join on combined rehearsal from 10:15-10:30
Reminder from our ASSIST team As we're all aware, the holiday season can be a time of joy and also a time of stress for many families. Increased utility bills, winter clothing, gifts, entertaining, traveling, etc. make this time of year difficult financially, and often routines and expectations shift at home as well. Even if kids are unaware of the shifts listed above, caregiver stress no doubt impacts how a student is feeling. Here are 7 recommendations for strategies that you can utilize to increase support for students during the holiday season. (Strategies in the linked article are directed toward caregivers; below we have adapted them to apply to the classroom.) Manage your own stress: Increased stress in adults means increased stress in students. Try to be self-aware, take care of yourself, and model healthy and effective coping skills. Keep routines the same: Predictability in any realm of a student's life is helpful; knowing kids might not be following routines at home makes it all the more important to provide stability at school! Manage expectations: Kids may have unrealistic expectations about how things will look throughout the holiday season (for example, they may expect less classwork/homework or frequent holiday parties in the classroom). Be clear up front about how things will look as we get closer to the winter break. Keep kids active: As always, exercise helps in managing stress. Even though it's getting colder, find ways to move! Movement that involves team building is always a plus! Spend some time together experiencing fun: Activities that center on actual interaction and relationship building with others help kids to feel supported and valued, which are so important in building resilience and ability to cope with stress. Build some classroom rituals specific for this time of year: Even though many of your students may celebrate different holidays, find something your class can celebrate together. Create rituals that are meaningful, inclusive, and fun! Choose something to do that helps others: Do something as a team that teaches kindness and helps to create perspective around what's really important during the holiday season. Please see below for resources from Wednesday’s EST/Intervention work. In addition to time you will spend on team continuing this work we are allocating our 12/19 faculty time as well. Need any of the below please look here: take a look under view hidden sheets to see D/F details. Here is an additional intervention resource - yes it says PBIS but give it a try! Current students in Reading intervention Current students in Math intervention Current students in guided study for 7/8th grade Current students receiving EL services Current students receiving SPED services
Calendar
Wednesday's Faculty Time: Objectives
SWBAT recognize and help students navigate through factors that might interfere with learning at EMS.
SWBAT identify and use strategies to connect to students who are impacted by trauma.
Connecting Best Practice
Link to the EMS Blog: Connecting to Best Practice "Two Stars and A Wish" by Lindsay McQueen
Thanks to Kate for sharing her model for Guided Study. The words of the students were extremely moving and were a testimony to the classes effectiveness. If interested, please take the time to watch their reflections.
EMS WeVideo: What does it mean to be EMS submission form.
Do you have a tool, lesson plan, idea, video, article, or something else that directly connect to one of our our "EMS goals" and to our "indicators of success"? If so, please let us know using this form. Compensation will be as follows: Blog Contribution- $25, Teach Meet presentation- $25, workshop presentation- $100