SOUTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2010
1. Chris Hancock continues to get better and better with her recovery. As of today, she is still staying with her son but should be going home soon. Continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Please welcome Becky Currin to the SEMS family. She is the long-term sub for Chris Hancock until she returns. She comes to us with much experience and should help the main office to run smooth with a full staff. Welcome!
2. Danny Bowman has been under the weather recently. We hope you are feeling better, Danny! In addition, Sandra Denson's mother is quite ill. Please keep these folks in your thoughts.
3. If you need to reach me for any reason at all in the evenings or on weekends, my Blackberry number is 345-7985 and my personal cell is 317-4412. You are welcome to call if you need something. My personal cell stays on all of the time. My Blackberry goes off about 10:00pm every night.
4. Student Council elections are later this week. Mrs. Murray has been getting information out to students. On Friday, Sept. 24, we will show the speeches on your TVs. The 6th/7th grade video will be shown at 7:45am and the 8th grade video will be shown at 9:30am. Students are to watch the video, then vote right away. Votes are to be tallied and given to Mrs. Murray for counting. You will have the voting slips in your mailboxes before that Friday.
5. If any parents have questions regarding the Parent Assist Module, please direct them to Cindy Wilkes. She is our point of contact.
6. Many of you have commented on the feedback sheets that I have been placing in your mailboxes as I come around and do walkthroughs. Please know that this is for your benefit - I want you to know that I am seeing some great things in your classrooms! If there is something listed in the "something to think about" section, that is simply what is going through my mind when I am in your room. Please do not feel obligated to come back to me to explain an item that appears there. It's just feedback that I wish to share with you. I have seen so many wonderful ideas - you are all so creative! Keep up the good work!
7. We have some furniture in storage that we need to get rid of. We have several couches and chairs. They are the same style as the furniture in the main office, but the fabric is green (imagine that!). We are making them available to staff members to purchase for your best offer. Let me know what you'd like to have and we'll "wheel and deal" and make it happen!
8. The online calendar is up and running in the teacher resource section of the website. All current events are posted for you.
9. There are tuition reimbursement opportunities for those of you who are taking classes. Information and the forms for reimbursement can be found on the WSFCS website - Departments - Human Resources - Education Assistance.
10. All certified staff members will have staff development on the teacher evaluation instrument on Monday at 2:15. This meeting will not take more than 30-45 minutes. It is simply a refresher on the requirements for all certified staff members. We will show a Powerpoint presentation. Instead of giving you all handouts of the presentation, it can be found in the teacher resource section of our website. You are welcome to bring your computer to access the materials, bringing a printed handout, or bring any of the evaluation paperwork for reference during this meeting.
11. The School Improvement Team meet earlier this month and discussed possible strategies for a sub coverage plan for the school. SIT members were asked to brainstorm with their grade level this month on what coverage plans would work for the staff. The issue is that during certain times of the year, we run into situations where lots of staff are out sick (or for other reasons) and we can't cover all of the absences. Sometimes this is due to not enough subs picking up the absence on Subfinder, and sometimes it is due to the fact that some teachers will call in a sub an hour before school begins. We must come up with some sort of fair system to cover these absences without hurting other instructional areas (i.e. pulling EC assistants and ESL assistant all of the time hurts the classroom over time). Talk to your SIT members and let them know your ideas and thoughts. No plan has been decided on at this point. SIT will meet again in October to discuss your thoughts and come up with a possible plan for the school.
12. Many of you have been asking questions about what our master schedule will look like next school year. This is a huge budget issue for WSFCS. While we do not have any definite decisions from Dr. Martin, it is a good possibility that next year we will not have core teaming and may go to a junior high scheduling model (all middle schools). At the October 4 staff meeting, we will discuss this issue more in depth. I will share with you the limited details that I have up to this point and how it will possibly affect us.
Shout-Outs
The 8th grade Science teachers are having fun in their classes this week. Students are completing a lab activity and are eating algae, seaweed, etc. The students are having a great time with this lab. So if you'd like a sample, stop by and see one of them! I'm sure they'd be happy to share!
Our Gateway tutoring for math is off to a great start! We have many students signed up to stay and our tutors are doing an outstanding job. Thanks for your help! Thanks to Deb Neal for her hard work to coordinate this program.
A-Ha Moments...
Are you dreading having to go through the teacher evaluation process? Are your PDP goals something that you can accomplish yet challenging enough for you? The evaluation process can feel overwhelming, especially with the amount of paperwork that is involved. But the evaluation tool is actually a valuable instrument for teacher growth. Your PDP goals should be objectives that you can meet but are also those that challenge your teaching skills so that you grow throughout the year. Here at SEMS, we believe that this process is all about your growth and is a continuous conversation about what you want/need to accomplish. It should be a positive experience without the "gotcha" moments - you should always know just where you stand. Please know that the administrators are here to walk with you through this valuable process so that we can all grow together as a school.
Upcoming Events
Fri, 9/24 - 6th/7th Student Council video and election @ 7:45
8th Student Council video and election @ 9:30
6th Grade Social, 2:00 - 4:00
Mon, 9/27 - Staff Development - Teacher Evaluation Training, certified staff only, 2:15pm
Tues, 9/28 - District LTF SSC meeting @ Atkins HS
Board of Education meeting
Wed, 9/29 - Grade Level Meetings (PEP's w/Deb Neal)
Mon, 10/4 - Staff Meeting
Happy Birthday!
Cathie Hayes - 9/7
Andrea Stewart - 9/17
Cynthia Griffin - 9/19
Laura Lyles - 9/19
Frankie Santoro - 9/19
Allison Barnes - 9/30
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