SOUTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL
THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2010
1. Thanks for a great first few days of school! I appreciate every one of you coming together and making it work!
2. Congrats to Frankie Santoro. He is, once again, an uncle. Go Uncle Frankie!
3. We now have a "staff art" hallway for our talented teachers to display their artwork. The hallway is outside the administrator offices in the main office. Susie has started the hallway with her photography. If you would like to display a piece of artwork, please see Susie.
4. Core teachers, please remember to fill out the necessary forms in the guidance office should you need to move any students around within your team. Also, you must contact a parent if you are moving a student between a regular and advanced level class.
5. Please make sure that your safety clipboards are hanging by your door and that your maps have been posted. We will have a fire drill by the end of August, so please review your routes with your students.
6. Any students walking to Caleb's Creek Elementary are to report to the main office every day after school. They will be escorted down by Mrs. Horwath each day.
7. The school store will start on Monday. This year there are two carts for students to visit: One in the hallway outside the Media Center and another floating down the main hallway towards the office and multi-purpose room. If a student needs to make a purchase, they must have their planner signed to go to the store.
8. If any of you are certified in CPR, please let me know. We need to identify those who are in case of an emergency.
9. We will offer $10 physicals to athletes this coming Monday, August 30, from 2:00 - 4:00. Students must sign up with Mr. Pizzino in the gym and must bring their money on Monday in order to complete. Physicals are valid for one calendar year.
10. For safety reasons, the encore hallway doors leading outside will be locked at 4:00pm each day. If you are still on campus and need to enter the building, you will need to enter through the front of the building.
11. Please be on time for your lunch in the cafeteria and multi-purpose room. Your class should be lined up in the cafeteria at your scheduled time. Please leave on time as well to ensure that everyone else can stay on schedule. Your class must sit in their designated spot noted on the schedule.
12. Please be sure to supervise your students at all times. You must never walk away and leave a class unattended. In addition, please be prompt for your supervision duties before, during, and after school. This is a safety and liability issue if we are not properly supervising students.
13. Please continue to follow the same procedure for attendance. Cindy Wilkes has emailed you some updates and reminders - please follow these instructions. If you have questions, please see her.
14. Please spend some time reading over the staff handbook. There are some procedural changes this year, especially related to field trips and money. All staff are responsible for the information in the handbook. I would hate for something to go wrong for you simply because procedures were not followed. That has already happened this school year.
15. I still need the names of quite a few team leaders. In addition, I need to know who the 6th and 8th grade chairpersons are.
Upcoming dates (I will provide this for you until the calendar is up and running):
Mon, 8/30 2:15pm Staff Meeting All Staff Media Center
2:15 - 4:00pm Sports Physicals for Athletes
6:30pm PTSA Board Meeting PTSA Board Main Office
Wed, 9/1 Planning Grade Level Meetings - Discipline Training w/ AP's All teachers during your planning period TBD
Tues, 9/7 7:45 - 11:30am Gentry at Joint Principals Mtg.
Thurs, 9/9 Planning Grade Level Meetings - Set up your gradebooks All teachers during your planning period Computer Lab
Fri, 9/10 2:15 - 4:00 8th Grade PTSA Social
Mon, 9/13 2:15pm Committee Meetings: SIT, Hospitality, Safety/Discipline, Fundraiser Committee members, various locations
Wed, 9/15 Core Progress Reports go out
Thurs, 9/16 7:45 - 12:30pm Gentry at MS Principals Mtg.
Fri, 9/17 2:15 - 4:00 7th Grade PTSA Social Teachers
A-Ha Moments...
Homework - What's the purpose? What is best way to grade homework? How much should it really be worth? Let's face it, not all of our students will get homework completed and turned in. That's an obstacle that we will always face. The key to homework is to have students practice skills they have already been taught, reinforcing the previous lessons. Teachers should not spend all of their time grading homework, especially if it only counts 10-15% of the students' grade. So how do you balance that? Use homework as a tool to reinforce prior skills, visit homework assignments regularly in your classroom to show the importance of it and improve accountability, and think about how you grade homework. Just a thought...
August BirthdaysSharman Lakey 8/1
Portia Lakey 8/2
Chris Hancock 8/3
Stephanie Gentry 8/7
Ron Black 8/20
Laura Horn 8/20
Jeanne Hobson 8/23
Kay Hoag 8/25
Jordan Tucker 8/28
Jennifer Wells 8/29
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Weekly Update 8/19/10
SOUTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL
THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2010
1. Thanks for a great first couple of days! I really appreciate the enthusiasm that all of you returned with. I am looking forward to a great year!
2. Congratulations to Kristin Thorne. She is now an aunt! Her sister gave birth yesterday.
3. Susie Hook will have a get-together at her house in Kernersville on Friday night. Stop by for details. Flyers are up in the workroom in the main office. You can RSVP on the list on Susie's door.
4. Don't forget that PTSA is selling apparel, including the tie-dye shirts that were displayed at the opening staff meeting. The cost is $15. You can pre-order this week! We will do an additional staff apparel order in the coming weeks for t-shirts or polo shirts. More information to come.
5. You were sent an updated copy of the staff development for Central Office. Please make sure that you attend your required workshops. If there are any questions or conflicts, please let us know.
6. We are trying to fill all furniture needs as quickly as possible. We are short some desks, so if you have any extras in your room, please let us know. We are trying to be quite creative in solving our student seating issues. But I know that we will all make it work! Priority for furniture is given to teachers that are in need of student desks.
7. Copies will be done by the front office staff for the first month of school. After that point, you will be able to use the copiers with an ID number. We strongly encourage you all to use the Print Shop for copies - it saves our copiers and doesn't add to your copy count! If you need assistance, please see one of the secretaries.
8. Club and committee sign-up sheets are posted in the workroom on the green bulletin board. Please sign up for a committee if you have not signed up already. We still have several openings to fill. The girls volleyball position is still vacant. Also, we need 1-2 reps for the United Negro College Fund. This is not a year-long commitment - you may have to attend a meeting and then distribute/collect information from staff when the UNCF drive takes place. That's it! Clubs are optional sign-ups, committees are required. Please sign up by Tuesday, Aug. 24.
9. Teams should vote on a team leader and a grade level chairperson by Tuesday, August 24. If your team cannot decide, I will make the decision for you. Please email me this information once it is decided.
10. Please be sure to visit the Teacher Resource section on the SEMS website. The password feature has been removed so that you can access. Jeff is working on this issue. All schedules, etc. have been posted for your convenience. We will talk more about some of the documents in the coming weeks.
11. The August/September calendar is also in the Teacher Resource section as a spreadsheet until we get the main staff calendar up and running. Meetings and important dates to know are on this calendar, so you will need to get those dates on your calendars as well.
12. We talked about sending home ACC folders every Wednesday this year. With the amount of "stuff" that needs to go home the first few days of school, I'm going to ask you to send home ACC folders on Wednesday AND Thursday on the first week of school (Aug. 25 and 26). This will really help out with the encore teachers needing to send information home as well. After that point, we can go back to the schedule for every Wednesday. Homebase teachers are expected to keep up with storing the ACC folders once they are returned. New folders will be handed out at the start of the second semester.
13. We now have a "staff art" hallway for our talented teachers to display their artwork. The hallway is outside the administrator offices in the main office. Susie has started the hallway with her photography. If you would like to display a piece of artwork, please see Susie.
14. The building will be open from 8 - 12pm on Saturday morning in case any of you need to come in and work in your classrooms.
"A-Ha" Moments...
*Is your essential question user-friendly? Would your students be able to explain the purpose and goal of your lesson to a stranger walking in the door? When writing an essential question, it is important that it be in 'kid-friendly' language. This is a great communication tool with your students. It lets them know what to expect out of the lesson and it keeps us, as educators, 'in check' with our planning - did learning take place today? Something to think about...
Happy Birthday!
August Birthdays
Sharman Lakey 8/1
Portia Lakey 8/2
Chris Hancock 8/3
Stephanie Gentry 8/7
Ron Black 8/20
Laura Horn 8/20
Jeanne Hobson 8/23
Kay Hoag 8/25
Jordan Tucker 8/28
Jennifer Wells 8/29
THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2010
1. Thanks for a great first couple of days! I really appreciate the enthusiasm that all of you returned with. I am looking forward to a great year!
2. Congratulations to Kristin Thorne. She is now an aunt! Her sister gave birth yesterday.
3. Susie Hook will have a get-together at her house in Kernersville on Friday night. Stop by for details. Flyers are up in the workroom in the main office. You can RSVP on the list on Susie's door.
4. Don't forget that PTSA is selling apparel, including the tie-dye shirts that were displayed at the opening staff meeting. The cost is $15. You can pre-order this week! We will do an additional staff apparel order in the coming weeks for t-shirts or polo shirts. More information to come.
5. You were sent an updated copy of the staff development for Central Office. Please make sure that you attend your required workshops. If there are any questions or conflicts, please let us know.
6. We are trying to fill all furniture needs as quickly as possible. We are short some desks, so if you have any extras in your room, please let us know. We are trying to be quite creative in solving our student seating issues. But I know that we will all make it work! Priority for furniture is given to teachers that are in need of student desks.
7. Copies will be done by the front office staff for the first month of school. After that point, you will be able to use the copiers with an ID number. We strongly encourage you all to use the Print Shop for copies - it saves our copiers and doesn't add to your copy count! If you need assistance, please see one of the secretaries.
8. Club and committee sign-up sheets are posted in the workroom on the green bulletin board. Please sign up for a committee if you have not signed up already. We still have several openings to fill. The girls volleyball position is still vacant. Also, we need 1-2 reps for the United Negro College Fund. This is not a year-long commitment - you may have to attend a meeting and then distribute/collect information from staff when the UNCF drive takes place. That's it! Clubs are optional sign-ups, committees are required. Please sign up by Tuesday, Aug. 24.
9. Teams should vote on a team leader and a grade level chairperson by Tuesday, August 24. If your team cannot decide, I will make the decision for you. Please email me this information once it is decided.
10. Please be sure to visit the Teacher Resource section on the SEMS website. The password feature has been removed so that you can access. Jeff is working on this issue. All schedules, etc. have been posted for your convenience. We will talk more about some of the documents in the coming weeks.
11. The August/September calendar is also in the Teacher Resource section as a spreadsheet until we get the main staff calendar up and running. Meetings and important dates to know are on this calendar, so you will need to get those dates on your calendars as well.
12. We talked about sending home ACC folders every Wednesday this year. With the amount of "stuff" that needs to go home the first few days of school, I'm going to ask you to send home ACC folders on Wednesday AND Thursday on the first week of school (Aug. 25 and 26). This will really help out with the encore teachers needing to send information home as well. After that point, we can go back to the schedule for every Wednesday. Homebase teachers are expected to keep up with storing the ACC folders once they are returned. New folders will be handed out at the start of the second semester.
13. We now have a "staff art" hallway for our talented teachers to display their artwork. The hallway is outside the administrator offices in the main office. Susie has started the hallway with her photography. If you would like to display a piece of artwork, please see Susie.
14. The building will be open from 8 - 12pm on Saturday morning in case any of you need to come in and work in your classrooms.
"A-Ha" Moments...
*Is your essential question user-friendly? Would your students be able to explain the purpose and goal of your lesson to a stranger walking in the door? When writing an essential question, it is important that it be in 'kid-friendly' language. This is a great communication tool with your students. It lets them know what to expect out of the lesson and it keeps us, as educators, 'in check' with our planning - did learning take place today? Something to think about...
Happy Birthday!
August Birthdays
Sharman Lakey 8/1
Portia Lakey 8/2
Chris Hancock 8/3
Stephanie Gentry 8/7
Ron Black 8/20
Laura Horn 8/20
Jeanne Hobson 8/23
Kay Hoag 8/25
Jordan Tucker 8/28
Jennifer Wells 8/29
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Summer Update #2 - August 1, 2010
SOUTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL
AUGUST 1, 2010
1. Hello again! You all should have received some information in the mail from us in the last day or two. It contains lots of information regarding your first reporting day to school and details on our opening week's schedule. Please let me know if you have any questions.
2. Preliminary results indicate that SEMS met AYP - 33 out of 33 goals to make 100%! This is quite an accomplishment!
3. EOG scores and status will be released later this week. We are feeling good about our achievement here as well. Thanks to all of you for your hard work during the testing season. I hope that it was worth it!
4. The building is looking better and better by the minute. Again thanks to the custodians for their hard work. The cafeteria floor has been replaced, repair work has been completed on the pod, parking lot lights have been moved from the lot to the grass (so that Bill Martin can now park safely!), and the two mobiles are almost complete.
5. Our hires are almost complete. I will finish our last hire on Monday. We have much to celebrate with our new additions. They will definitely bring much success to our classrooms.
6. The budget has not yet been finalized for the district. They are looking to vote in early to mid-August. As a result, we are on hold for hiring for our ALC position (alternative learning center). In addition, mentor pay has been cut. Beginning teachers will still participate in the STAY academy, but schools will not be given money to pay for individual mentors. So we all must work together to make sure that our new teachers have lots of support. Please reach out to them - they are now part of our family.
Please enjoy the remainder of your summer. Remember that teachers can begin setting up their classrooms on August 11. See you all soon!
AUGUST 1, 2010
1. Hello again! You all should have received some information in the mail from us in the last day or two. It contains lots of information regarding your first reporting day to school and details on our opening week's schedule. Please let me know if you have any questions.
2. Preliminary results indicate that SEMS met AYP - 33 out of 33 goals to make 100%! This is quite an accomplishment!
3. EOG scores and status will be released later this week. We are feeling good about our achievement here as well. Thanks to all of you for your hard work during the testing season. I hope that it was worth it!
4. The building is looking better and better by the minute. Again thanks to the custodians for their hard work. The cafeteria floor has been replaced, repair work has been completed on the pod, parking lot lights have been moved from the lot to the grass (so that Bill Martin can now park safely!), and the two mobiles are almost complete.
5. Our hires are almost complete. I will finish our last hire on Monday. We have much to celebrate with our new additions. They will definitely bring much success to our classrooms.
6. The budget has not yet been finalized for the district. They are looking to vote in early to mid-August. As a result, we are on hold for hiring for our ALC position (alternative learning center). In addition, mentor pay has been cut. Beginning teachers will still participate in the STAY academy, but schools will not be given money to pay for individual mentors. So we all must work together to make sure that our new teachers have lots of support. Please reach out to them - they are now part of our family.
Please enjoy the remainder of your summer. Remember that teachers can begin setting up their classrooms on August 11. See you all soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
