BAMS Staff Newsletter
May 1, 2016 - Volume 3, Issue 31
Be Awesome Today!!
Bessie Allen Middle School - SLO & Goals
Building SLO:
By June of 2016, 80% of students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade will show growth in their opinion writing rubric score from the September 2015 opinion writing rubric score.
***Mid-Year Update: 62% of our students are showing growth. Grade levels noted that students have shown improvement in "citing and using evidence" in their writing. "Knowing the audience" was a skill that the data showed our students needed improvement in.***
Building Goals:
- Have Patience and Courage
- Purposefully Use Learning Targets for Every Lesson
- Have Solution Based Discussions
- Be an Award Winning School - DPI School of Recognition/PBIS School of Merit
Driving Question for 2015-2016:
What have we changed with our instruction to prepare all our students for higher level thinking opportunities?
News and Notes
- Teacher Appreciation Week - Thank you so much for all that you do that I see and also what I don't see. We are fortunate to be working with great adults, students and families. Here's to you educators!!!!!
- Teacher Effectiveness - Thank you for taking time to work on your evaluation materials. People are putting in time to complete their documentation log. I will be reviewing those during the month of May. When evaluating educators and educational specialists, I will use the artifacts for each year to make a final evaluation. For example, if you are in Year 2, I will look at artifacts from last year and this year. If you are in Year 3, I will be reviewing artifacts for all 3 years to make a final determination for each standard.
- Orange Frog Training - When you have a chance, please ask someone about what they thought of the Orange Frog training. The next training date will be May 19th. Everyone will complete their Day 2 of training in August.
- Attendance Reminder - Thank you for helping to keep our students safe by taking accurate attendance.
- Writing Samples Scored by May 13th - I'm setting the date of May 13th as the date to send me your writing sample data. This is give us enough time to report our goal to the School Board at the May 23rd Board meeting. Remember to score these samples with your team so that you eliminate bias and promote consistent scoring. Valid data is important to us supporting our students.
- I am very proud to announce that a team from Bessie Allen will be presenting at next year's Middle School/High School Principal's Convention. The RtI Team has been invited to present on our literacy and intervention work that we have implemented over the past 2+ years. We will be presenting in February of 2017. It will be great to get the word out about the great things happening in our building. This is a reflection of everyone's hard work and dedication during this time. Great job, Everyone!!!
- Broken Chromebooks - Myself and others have noticed some Chromebooks and carts with repair needs. I'm not sure if this happened while they were under our care, but this is a good reminder for us about ensuring that our students take care of these devices and other materials in our building and district. We know students ask differently when they know an adult is close by.
Out of the Office
- May 3 - Admin Meeting, 9-11am, DMR
- May 4 - Oriole Way Meeting, 7-8am, Team Room
- May 4 - District EL Meeting, 8-9am, Cafe
- May 11 - BCT Meeting, 8:30-10am, Team Room
Oriole Way - Be Ready, Be Respectful, Be Safe
Minor Behavior form link - here
Major Behavior form link - here
- April was our 5th month of the year under 3 referrals per day. That's something to celebrate!! We are also hoping to celebrate being named a School of Merit for our PBIS framework. Hopefully, we'll hear soon.
- Please continue to monitor behaviors and set students up for success. It's important we finish the school year strong. In this final month, see if you can strengthen a connection with a student.
Next Meeting - May 4th, 7am - Team Room
OASYS and Teacher Effectiveness
To Do List
- Complete Documentation Log - Due on May 1st
- SLO Reflection and Evidence - Due on May 15th or when data is available
- Make 2 Professional Visits to Another Classroom - Due by End of Year
Click Here for a link to Teacher Effectiveness Info from CESA 6
Click Here for a Teacher Effectiveness Calendar for EDUCATORS/SPECIALISTS
Dates to Remember
May 2-May 6 - Teacher Appreciation Week
May 3 - Mid-Quarter Grades Due 3pm
May 4 - 7th Grade STAR Reading in SSR/SSW
May 4 - Staff Meeting 2:50-3:30pm
May 5 - 6th Grade WFE in SSR/SSW
May 6 - 8th Grade STAR Math in math classes
May 6 - 7th Grade STAR Math in math classes
May 6 - School Dance #3 - 6-8pm, BAMS Gymnasium
May 9 - 6th Grade WFE - 3rd/4th Hours
May 10 - 8th Grade STAR Reading in comm skills classes
May 10 - Smiles 4 Life @ BAMS
May 10 - 6th Grade Orientation Night, 5:30-7:30pm
May 11 - Spring Band Concert 6:30pm
May 11 - Spring Choral Concert 7:30pm
May 13 - Writing Sample Data Due to Adam
May 13 - 6th Grade STAR Reading in comm skills classes
May 13 - Audition Session #1 for Talent Show, 8th hour
May 17 - Audition Session #2 for Talent Show, 8th hour
May 17 - BAMS Medal of Excellence Names to Jennifer
May 17 - 6th Grade STAR Math
May 18 - 5th Graders Visit BAMS, 9-11am
May 18 - Staff Meeting 2:50-3:30pm
May 19 - 5th/6th Grade Track Meet,
May 20 - Audition Session #3 for Talent Show, 8th hour
May 23 - School Board Meeting 7pm
May 24 - BAMS Honors Reception 6pm
May 25 - 8th Gr. Food & Snack Convention for Mr. Wismer’s class (3rd hour)
May 27 - Fourth Quarter Pep Assembly 1:45pm *5th Graders in attendance
May 30 - No School
*See Google Doc titled "2015-2016 BAMS Yearly Calendar" for a look at events for the entire year.