2013-14 Volume 27

“In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity-it is a pre-requisite.”

-President Barack Obama

News/Timelines/Due Dates

 

The first day of the last quarter begins on March 17.  Don’t forget to set your clocks forward this weekend.  In celebration of losing an hour of sleep and getting to drive home in the daylight, Monday will be casual.

We wish a fond farewell to Betsy Jacks who is leaving us to move onto another position.  She has been with AMMS since the day it opened and she will be missed. 

Finally I want to thank the many people who worked long hours on putting our seed proposals together.  We presented last Monday and should hear something today.  We will be sharing more with you at the Wednesday meetings.  The photo is the group at the presentation last week.

Seven myths about rigor – Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing seven myths about rigor in the classroom from Barbara Blackburn, author of Rigor is not a 4-Letter Word

Myth 7. Rigor is just one more thing to do.

Rigor is not another thing to add to your plate. Instead, rigor is increasing the level of expectation of what you are already doing. For example, if you are teaching vocabulary, instead of asking students to write their own definition of the word, ask them to write a riddle. It’s the same end result, but at higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

PRIDE - On Friday, March 7^th,   6^th & 7^th grade students will be doing a second week of student choice lessons for the PRIDE. The choice is yours again for this week! Topics may include Cyber Bullying, Making Good Choices, Self-Advocacy, Teasing and Harassment, Top Ten Middle School Issues, or Honesty.  Choose a different lesson from the one you completed last week. Lessons will be located in the mailroom in folders.  Please browse and choose a lesson you would like to discuss with your students.  You may have already picked a second lesson last week.

8^th Grade students will be doing part two of  the “Creating a Legacy Project”.  This is the culmination of a special two week lesson that will allow students to leave their mark on AMMS as they look forward to the future of high school.

 

Exciting News:  Congratulations to our Debate team who placed second overall in their tournament this weekend.  This is an incredible feat given that the club just started this year!!!

Where is Livingston?

Rebecca Myers says “I would like to pass Livingston along to a brand new teacher at Autrey Mill this year.  We are in TAG certification class together and besides eating and sitting at the same table every other Thursday night she has passed along some insightful ideas about instruction and teaching.  Her peers will tell you she has a high work rate and is a great addition to the 7^th grade science department.  I enjoy listening to her thoughts and ideas on the teaching profession and I am sure her students are learning a lot from her as well.  I am very happy to pass Livingston on to Kaitlin Dunn.   Your dedication and hard work is obvious, contagious, and admirable.  Enjoy!!!”

 

 

Happy Birthday

Cindy Smith                March 7