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.
6th grade halls in the mornings –
Please do not allow 7th and 8th grade
students to go to the 6th 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.
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 13th
in PRIDE, we will continue building relationships and/or assisting students
will needed skills through an advisement class.
·
6th 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.
·
8th grade students will conduct 60
second interviews getting to know each other a little better. Lessons
will be placed in your box.
·
7th grade students will be working on
a study skills lesson. Lessons will be placed in your box.
Next week, September 20th
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 6th
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
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