September 30, 2013

To break through creativity, we must defer judgment.  That is, learn to accept all ideas, without predjudice, and examine them each in turn."

Scott Isaksen

 



News/Timelines/Due Dates

Well it is great to be back home but the trip to Africa was amazing.  When we had our layover in Amsterdam, we heard about the mall take-over and did not know what to think.  We landed in Nairobi and they took us to our guest house which was about two miles from the mall.  We heard helicopters but other than that, we never felt unsafe.  The people there were saddened as they are not used to this kind of attack.  We visited an infant orphanage on Monday run by an American woman who decided that this was her call in life.  The home is about two hours outside of Nairobi and the scenery, including the Great Rift Valley, was awesome.  On Tuesday, we flew to the town of Lodwar in the middle of the desert.  This is where the House of Hope orphanage is located.  We stayed there for three days, but also delivered food to a nearby tribe who greeted us with unbelievable singing and dancing.

 I worked with the school and was impressed with how much these students are learning.  As you can see from the classroom picture, they do not have a lot of the classroom décor we take for granted!  We also visited an IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) and gave them food.  These people were removed from their homes during the political uprising that took place after the 2007 elections.  The head master of the school lived in one of the affected regions and that was one reason she wanted to take this position at House of Hope.  When I say it was hot, that does not begin to describe how hot it was.  There is very little refrigeration so even our water bottles were luke-warm.  Each night, we were able to have a cold Fanta Orange which was SO GOOD!!! 

Trips like this always give perspective.  I realize that some of the things I worry and stress about are not really problems in the big picture.  I was also reminded that we have much to be thankful for, but tend to take it for granted.  Finally, the life lesson that you can do more with less and still be happy and content, was so evident in the workings of the orphanage.  That is not to say they don’t need more, but they are content and happy.   Thanks for holding down the fort while I was gone.  It is certainly good to be home and to be greeted with a decorated office with a lion sitting in my chair, wearing my glasses!

 

New Website

-          Fulton County Schools launches new website Oct. 7, 2013.

-          Visitors now have access to school system information in up to 47 languages. The top 11 languages will be available at the launch – Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Russian and Chinese.

-          Parents can now get to Home Access and My Payment Plus on the home page.

-          The top navigation bar features the roll-over function so that access to information is no more than three clicks away.

-          The search function has been enhanced.

-          The Careers tab is more prominent.

-          A Community tab has been added to engage community stakeholders.

PRIDE -– This Friday, October 4^th, we will have an advisement class for all grade levels.  If you have been referring to the original schedule you may notice that it says silent reading.  We are having to make a slight adjustment for a two-part lesson and the upcoming 6^th grade field trip.  Thanks for your flexibility.

The theme for the lessons this week will be a 2 part series:

·         8^th Grade students will be doing student choice lessons.   A variety of topics will be offered for 8^th grade students.  For this week, teachers of 8^th grade students please stop by the teacher mailroom and pick up two lessons.  One you will do this week and the 2^nd you will do on October 11^th.  The lessons include topics such as “Top Ten Middle School Issues”, “Honesty”, “Cyberbullying”, “Making Good Choices”, “Self-Advocacy”, and “Teasing and Harrassment”.  You may remember doing some of these last year so choose a different topic for your group for this year.

·         7^th Grade students will be learning about their learning/characteristic styles.  This is a two part lesson but the lesson plan for this week is only part 1.  There is a paper copy of the handouts included in your lesson but teachers can opt for the flipchart found on the server in the Technology How To’s Folder in the PRIDE folder.  Please check it out before Friday if you plan on using it or pair up with your PRIDE buddy if you do not have a smart board in your room. (You will receive packets with this lesson that will need to be returned after the two week lesson.)

·         6^th Grade students will be learning about the “Ins” and “Outs” of a Community.  This lesson will continue for two weeks.

Where is Livingston? 

Lisi Furman says “It is my pleasure to present Livingston to an amazing science teacher that I know and love, Todd Shelnutt.  Todd has been at AMMS for 5 years and he is a valuable member of the Da Vinci team. 

Todd is a great science teacher who likes to incorporate nature into life science activities.  In this way, Todd makes the curriculum and lessons relatable and applicable to our 7^th graders’ lives.  His activities are fun, educational, rigorous, and engaging- ask him about “The Size is Right,” a little play off of The Price is Right.

Todd also teaches our kids about our relationship with nature and the living things in it, and he has two class pets that are teaching his students about responsibility, respect for life, and how cute and snuggly amphibians can be.   Kids love Mr. Shelnutt’s class because as one student put it, “You never know what is going to happen in class!”  Another said, “Mr. Shelnutt is really cool and he makes me work harder than thought I could.”  Others told me, “I look forward to learning about science from my crazy fun teacher!”

Todd worked tirelessly to improve the outdoor classroom so that all of us could use and enjoy it.  At Rock Eagle, he often takes the lead on the big hike, leading multiple groups while showing off all sorts of nature tidbits that surprise and delight.  He is a supportive, funny, hardworking teacher, and I am proud of call him my friend and colleague.  Congratulations to the one, the only:  Todd Shelnutt.

Happy Birthday

Sarah Bayer               September 30

Jennifer Cooney        October 6

 

 

September 24, 2013

 

 

  

Excellence is available to all who are willing to make the commitment.

                                       Byrd Baggett   

News/Timelines/Due Dates

I was invited to a breakfast yesterday to receive the educator of the year award from the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta.  Most of you remember Marina.  She and her mom nominated me and the AMMS team.   While I was the pretty face receiving the award (keep comments to yourself) it was really for the incredible way AMMS made Marina and her family feel welcome.  Here are some of the comments about the team:

·         The Case Managers: Mrs. Villaume who lead the team in 7^th grade, which started fresh and turn a 7^th grade into a better experience. For all the team meetings held to address Marina’s concerns, for being Marina’s buddy in Rock Eagle. Mrs. Merdinger who lead the 8^th team. For all the meetings, emails, phone calls, visits, planning and dedication to Marina’s transition into high school

·         The math teachers: Mrs. Edmonds for teaching hands on concepts and believing that Marina could do multiplication, division & fractions. Mr. McNamara, who created personalized worksheets according to Marina’s interests including notes saying, “Remember, Justin Bieber loves math too”. Mr. McNamara also worked during the summer with Marina to assure she didn’t forget the concepts she had learned during the school year.

·         The amazing science teacher, Mrs. DiMaggio who sent weekly emails with updates and adapted every single lesson at Marina’s level; she provided visuals and manipulatives, explanations and demonstrated with experiments scientific concepts, always had hands on lessons. She also kept in her website every lesson and study guides available at any time. Marina even got the highest grade in a test!

·         The Language Arts teachers: Mrs. Baer and Mrs. Barksdale for working so hard on improving Marina’s writing skills

·         The PE coach, Ms. Sundal who taught Marina to be responsible and to be on time. Also for her great contributions at Marina’s Transition Meeting

·         The health coaches: Coach Buzieta and Coach Kearney who impacted Marina’s lifestyle (she is walking regularly, doesn’t drink Sprite anymore and watches intake calories)

·         The nurse, Mrs. Purdy who gave the best hugs and crackers to cure anything! Also she changed the hearing aids batteries when needed

·         The incredible teacher’s assistants Mrs. Coney, Mrs. Giancola and Mrs. Weise for all of their hard work and patience.

·         All the staff, administrators, and others who made possible for Marina to excel  in middle school

·         The Cooks Club, who provided a new experience for Marina and now she is considering cooking as a career.

These kinds of things remind us why we are here!   You make such an incredible difference each and every day.   That is what is important!!

Korean Exchange - We are fortunate to be part of the Korean Education Exchange.  Beginning Tuesday, we will have two teachers from Korea as part of the staff until the end of November.  One will be with Gemma and the other with Marisa.  They teach English in Korean schools and the goal is for them to observe American schools and take ideas back.  Please make them feel welcome and allow them to visit your classrooms.

PD 360 - You will begin to hear more and more about PD 360 which will replace the learning solution on the portal.  It is an interactive professional learning tool that offers hundreds of resources that can be personlized to each user.  If you want to see a preview go to the employee page and click on professional learning and then All things PD 360.

PRIDE – This Friday, September 27^th,  PRIDE will be an advisement class.  Students will continue with icebreakers and connecting with their peers.  6^th Grade will be “Speed Friending” by conducting 60 second interviews, 7^th Grade will play the “Whopper” game, and 8^th Grade will make a “Question Quilt” to find commonalities. (Lessons were placed in your boxes last week.)  Many of the PRIDE activities this week and in other weeks will require students to walk around.  Think about the set-up of your room and see if there is a way to create an environment easier for students to get up and move.  Have fun!

We will have silent reading on October 4^th so remind students to bring a book, Nook, or Kindle and read!

Workday – To help you plan ahead, please note we have a workday on October 15 and we will have be meeting from 9 to 12 in a session to unpack the TKES instrument.  I know that may be conference day for some of you who have children in elementary, so plan your conference times outside that window.

A Mighty Roar

Robin Magnussen did a great job pulling together our resources and making sure that the first round of our new RTI screener was successful.

Where is Livingston? 

Sarah Jarvis saysRigor, Relevance, and Relationships, right? Well, if you ask me, the most important piece of this puzzle is "relationships." I believe that without this piece, it is difficult to achieve the other two. I have always felt that you cannot truly succeed as an educator without strong relationships. However, developing these relationships and building a strong rapport with your students takes work and during times of stress, it is sometimes the first thing to be compromised.  At AMMS, we happen to have lots of teachers that are great at developing relationships, but there is one particular teacher that stands out far beyond the rest.

        This teacher goes out of her way to show her support for students by talking with them, engaging them in card games during homeroom time, facilitating conversations on the bulletin board outside her room, cracking tons of jokes, spending all afternoon at Bruster's chatting with parents and students and just being silly! The kids adore her and every single one of them would tell you that they believe they are her favorite student- they ALL feel special. She never fails to put a smile on my face either, whether she's sporting a wild mustache, or I'm hearing her music next door and her shouting, "Do the sprinkler!" She is a ray of sunshine for her children as well as for her coworkers. I am a better teacher for knowing Lisi Furman and I cannot think of a more deserving teacher. While you probably won't catch me in the hallway sporting a mustache and doing the sprinkler any time soon, I hope to someday become half the inspiration that Lisi Furman is to her students!  Cheers to you Lisi!  You make a difference every day!

Happy Birthday

Karen Bachus            September 24

Joe Wilson                  September 25

Rachel Luthringer     September 25

Robyn Magnussen    September 28

September 16, 2013

 

You see things; and you say 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?'

                                                                                                               George Bernard Shaw

 

News/Timelines/Due Dates

Congrats – Rob Tyo will be recognized at the Fulton County Board meeting this Thursday as a Georgia Master Teacher! 

Outdoor Classroom – Don’t forget we have an awesome outdoor classroom that needs to be used!!  PTA just spent some money cleaning it up and it looks great.

PRIDE – This Friday, September 20^th we will be silent reading during PRIDE.  Remind students throughout the week to bring their favorite book to PRIDE.  Think about starting a book club with your group.  Just remember, everyone should be reading during that time.

TKES – Walk-throughs will begin soon and we need your help.  Please have a binder in your classroom with your lesson plans in the binder.  These should be on your desk or someplace that is obvious to the observer so that we don’t have to interrupt the lesson.  If you need a binder, see Beth.  For the first round, we will focus on instructional strategies, positive learning environment, and academically challenging. 

Workday – To help you plan ahead, please note we have a workday on October 15 and we will have be meeting from 9 to 12 in a session to unpack the TKES instrument.  I know that may be conference day for some of you who have children in elementary, so plan your conference times outside that window.

Great Article -  Every once in a while, I will place an article in the blog that has resonated with me.  I hope you will take time to read this one about relationships with our students.

Mindsets About Failure and Effort

(Originally titled “Afraid of Looking Dumb”)

            In this thoughtful article in Educational Leadership, former teacher and principal Mark Jacobson describes one of his second-graders telling him she wasn’t smart at math, was afraid of being teased, and mistrusted her teacher’s reassuring words. “Do you want to change?” he asked. “Yes, but how?” she replied.

The key with students like this is changing the way they think about ability, says Jacobson. The goal of students fortunate enough to have a “growth” mindset (Carol Dweck’s term) is to get smarter. If they’re having difficulty, they work on a better strategy. But the goal of students who have the “fixed” mindset is to look smart. For them, being in a classroom is like stepping onto a stage with all eyes on them. “The teacher owns one of the most important pairs of eyes,” says Jacobson. “Fixed-belief students concern themselves with their teacher’s every glance. They see the teacher not as a facilitator and resource for their learning but as a rewarder and punisher, as a judge and critic.” These students constantly ask themselves, “Am I good enough? Am I smart? Am I right? Did I make a mistake? How will others see me? Does my teacher like me?”

“As long as students are driven by what others think of them, they’re focused on the external,” says Jacobson. “We teachers need to turn them inward, to refocus their attention on their own effort and abilities.” If a student mutters the answer to a question and the teacher says, “What?”, the student may say, “Never mind” or “I forgot.” These students may rebuff an offer of help, afraid that accepting it will make them look incompetent, or they may become dependent on the teacher and stop trying. They tend to be overly sensitive to mild criticism or body language. “I think I’ll throw this away,” said one of Jacobson’s students after classmates offered some suggestions on her story.

“We always ask students to try,” he says, “especially when they believe something is really hard. However, for some students, ‘hard’ means ‘impossible.’” Here are his suggestions for getting students to believe that effort really can make them smarter:

• Have students rate how hard they are trying. Jacobson routinely checked in with his students, asking them to self-assess on a 10-point effort scale and push themselves to try harder.

• Give better feedback. General praise like “Good job” is hollow and ineffective, says Jacobson. Feedback should be specific to the tasks or concepts being taught and reinforce incremental progress. “That was a good start, Jeffrey,” a teacher might say and encourage the student to keep going.

• Ask questions that don’t have right/wrong answers. Foster deeper thinking rather than speedy responses and stress accountable talk.

• Engage the disengaged. “Adrian, are you with us?” a teacher might ask in the middle of a discussion. “What are you thoughts?” The entire class can be enlisted in encouraging participation, effort, and risk-taking.

• Investigate mindsets. Jacobson did some action research in his second-grade class and found that half of the students had the fixed mindset. Teachers should reflect on their own mindset and how it manifests itself in school – and outside.

“Afraid of Looking Dumb” by Mark Jacobson in Educational Leadership, September 2013 (Vol. 71, #1, p. 40-43); www.ascd.org; Jacobson is at mjacob47@yahoo.com.

 

A Mighty Roar

In recent weeks, Sarah Jarvis saw a need to provide another avenue for her students to receive extra instruction, or refreshers, for important math skills she recently covered.  Her solution was to produce her own Khan Academy-like videos for her students.  Sarah creates these videos using her phone and uploads the videos to her YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/mathcheercoach).  Check it out when you get a chance.  Awesome job Sarah!!!!!

Where is Livingston? 

Wendy Milstead says, This week Livingston will be visiting a faculty member that is one of the many wonderful members of our staff.  She is positive, warm, upbeat, energetic, and kind to those around her.  In addition to her regular classroom planning, she has taken on the task this year of organizing, planning, and mentoring so many as she leads our new teacher mentoring program.  With so many new staff members of varying backgrounds this year, she has had quite the task of getting everyone oriented to our school.  She is happy to share her own experiences, offer a suggestion, or simply listen to what someone else has to say.  She has planned relevant activities and topics for discussions to help guide our mentors and mentees in becoming better teachers and a part of the AMMS family. For this and many other reasons Livingston goes to Sarah Jarvis!  Congratulations! 

 

Happy Birthday

Francisco Hernandez           September 20

Melissa Beanblossom           September 20

 

 

September 9, 2013

Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right.

-Henry Ford

 

News/Timelines/Due Dates

Kenya -  I have been given an exciting opportunity to go to Kenya for a week.  We leave on the night of September 20 to fly, first to Amsterdam and then to Nairobi.  From there we will fly to an orphanage in the north part of the county.  The group I am going with funds this orphanage and have put a lot of focus on creating their own school.  They invited me to go so I can meet with the head master, view what is happening at the school and give feedback.  I plan to take many pictures and will share my experiences when I return. 

Attendance News - If you have been receiving the automated email for not taking attendance and you were absent, just disregard it. 

If you have been receiving the automated email for not taking attendance and you believe you took it, remember that if you open your class to take attendance and leave it open for more than ten minutes before you actually take it, TAC closes it down.  It still looks active, but you have to close the class and reopen it prior to taking attendance.  It will not register if you do not.

Pictures – Please make sure you get your picture taken on Tuesday so that you will be represented in the yearbook.  The photographers are usually here early so you can get them made before school starts.

FREE supplies – Head to Dana Griffin’s room (D101) this afternoon for an assortment of free supplies that can be used in the classroom or as incentives.   The types of supplies that were shipped this year include: pens, pencils, erasers, individual pencil sharpeners, white board cleaner and markers, highlighters, and sharpies.  It is first come first serve but please only take what you need. 

TKES Info:  Teachers please make sure you share your self-assessment when you complete.  We’ve discovered we cannot access some of the self-assessments and this is likely the problem.

6^th grade halls in the mornings –

Please do not allow 7^th and 8^th grade students to go to the 6^th grade hall in the mornings.  The teachers love to see their former students, but they have a new group for whom they are now responsible. 

 TAC Office Referral and Classroom Issues reminders –

1.       When you make an office referral via TAC, please remember to word your notes carefully.  Do not include other students’ names because the parent of the student for whom you are writing the referral will be able to see your notes.  Just state the facts.

2.       Do not hit the “resolve” button.  That will close the referral out and you will not be able to amend or add to notes, and your grade level administrator will not be able to act on your referral.

3.       Please be certain you are adding classroom issues in TAC – example, Time Outs.

If you are new to this, please touch base with your mentor to help you through the process when needed.  You should have received a printed guide in your mailbox.  Let Nan know if you have any questions.

PRIDE – This Friday, September 13^th in PRIDE, we will continue building relationships and/or assisting students will needed skills through an advisement class. 

·         6^th grade students will continue with their “Skittle” lesson(6.1.1 / 6.1.2) from a couple of weeks ago sharing with their group members about who they are.  There is no new lesson to distribute for teachers. 

·         8^th grade students will conduct 60 second interviews getting to know each other a little better.  Lessons will be placed in your box. 

·         7^th grade students will be working on a study skills lesson.  Lessons will be placed in your box.

Next week,  September 20^th will be a silent reading week so remind students to bring their silent reading books.

A Mighty Roar

Marion Edmonds says Kudos to Danelle Chereck for her reflection, for thinking outside the box and for coming up with a unique approach to partnering and group problem solving that really worked.    We have worked hard in 6^th grade math to give our students the opportunity to problem solve with a partner or in groups.  If we grouped a struggling student with a stronger student the stronger student took over and did the work while the weaker student sat back and just copied the answer. Grouping weaker students together usually resulted in no one using their problem solving strategies and the problem not getting solved correctly.  Grouping stronger students together seemed to result in each student just racing ahead to finish without the kind of collaborative problem solving we were hoping for. Danelle proposed that we have students work with a partner on one problem. After enough time passed to solve one problem the students rotated and worked with a different partner on the next problem. The switching continued for the entire length of the activity and by the end each person had worked with just about everyone else in the class on one problem. The results were extraordinary. Because students were constantly switching partners they were always brining their best effort to the table. Each partner wanted to contribute to the problem solving since they were only working together on one problem.  Very cool!

 

Where is Livingston? 

Malinda Hill says, “I triple checked the Livingston list to make sure that this recipient was not on it.  I was stunned to find her name missing (come to find out she got it a long time ago).  She has not only been at this school since the opening in 2003, but she has been the Connections chair all 10 years!  This person is one of the calmest and most organized people I have ever met, which is an asset for the leader of so many personalities, subjects, and grade levels.  She is a fabulous teacher who consistently leads her bands to get top marks at competitions and always awes us with concerts that sound like professionals are playing instead of “crazy middle schoolers.”  As so many of us have had an opportunity to learn, she is consistently willing to give a hand to anyone that needs it and does it with generosity and a smile. This list doesn’t even begin to cover all the wonderful things that this person does for Autrey Mill.  Last but not least, she’s a Gemini.  No wonder she’s so wonderful! J  Wendy Milstead is certainly deserving of her Livingston recognition!”

Happy Birthday

Unnur Kornmayer                September 9

 

 

Faculty News September 2

 

 

“We cannot teach students well if we do not know them well.”

 —Hoffman and Leak

 

News/Timelines/Due Dates

Congratulations Clemson fans!  My neighbors are Clemson fans and we made a bet that whoever lost would have to hang the winning team’s flag for a week.  They have not brought it over and I am not asking for it!!

Rosh Hashanah- This holy day for our Jewish population begins at sundown on September 4 and many students will be out on the fifth (and some on the sixth).  Please keep this in mind as you are planning tests and due dates. 

Technology Survey – You will receive an email from me regarding a technology use survey that is being conducted by the county.  This will be excellent data for us to have as we move forward with creating 21^st century learners.  The survey will also be administered at the end of the year.  All teachers MUST complete the survey by September 19.

TAG – Over the next few days, some HR teachers will receive letters in their boxes for students.  These are TAG testing permission slips.  Please give them out in HR and encourage the students to return them ASAP.  The students can return them directly to Dana Griffin, in D101, during HR.  Teachers can also collect them and put them in Dana’s mailbox as they are returned.  Once a testing list has been developed, she will send out testing dates.  Thanks for the help!

PRIDE -  This Friday, September 6^th in PRIDE will be our first silent reading day.  Students should bring a silent reading book and or Nook/Kindle with them to read.  Teachers should be actively reading as well.  Remember, it is fine to choose a group book and do a book club type setting with your group.  The main thing is that EVERYONE should be reading for the entire time.  If students do not bring a book to read please mark an unprepared in the agenda.  Provide them with some type of reading material if possible.  Many teachers have or collect books for their classroom for instances such as these.  If you need assistance finding books for your classroom please ask a teammate, mentor, or Laura Hunter before Friday.  Next week (9/13) will be an advisement lesson.

 

Where is Livingston? 

Debra Clarke says, “As we all know Livingston is an award given to an AMMS staff member who stands out among the rest.

 

I believe this person is way overdue for recognition J.  As we all know, most of the teachers at AMMS are assigned or teach a certain grade level.  A grade level teacher forms great relationships with his/her students whether it be individually or in a group as well as seeing the same student(s) for the entire year.  Then we have teachers that see just about EVERY student at some point during the course of the year.  We also know that LUNCH and CONNECTIONS are the favorite times of day not just for students, but for teachersJ.  There are some students who may start out their day on the wrong foot, but PE always seems to cure the drama/troubles that were there to start out the day or the students forget about the issues for a bit.   Data Clerks are not the only ones who are MIA…  We never get to see PE teacher’s in action, however if you haven’t witnessed 418 6^th graders on PEP Rally Day the 1^st week of school or be in the PE hallway when students are on their way to get prepared for PE, it is something.  Nothing but excitement, running to the locker room to get dressed out (well most of the studentsJ), to asking what the activity is and see a smile, fist pump and hear a YES! when it is one of their favorite activities. This PE teacher always has a smile on her face no matter what has transpired.  I see patience when I see this teacher interact with students.  This person also has helped the DC in preparing for the infamous report card “party” at the end of the year along with responding to a desperate call during her summer vacation, assisting in getting the PE/Health Teacher’s Schedule correctJ.  Something that is very appreciated to say the least.  I also would like to mention that she initiated Ms. April Clark in driving a GOLF Cart!  Thanks because now she actually has to drive a golf cart with injured players off the field J…

With all of that said,  KUDOS to Malinda Hill!  Thanks for all you do to make the students look forward to enjoying Middle School at the MILL.”

 

Happy Birthday

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