Weekly Update 5/31/12

SOUTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL
WEEKLY UPDATE  5/31/12

1. Garrett Whitaker, current 7th grade student, is in the hospital.  We hope that he will get out by the end of this week.  He is at Brenner's Hospital.  Please keep Garrett and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

2. We will celebrate Jeanne Hobson's retirement at the end of the staff meeting on Monday.  Jeanne, thank you for all of your service to our students and school.  You will be missed!

3. Please remember that all grades are to be finalized and verification sheets turned in to Sandy Derrah by 4:00pm on Tuesday, June 5. 

4. P.M. Dismissal - We will continue the announced dismissal from Friday, June 1 - Thursday, June 7.  Movement will be by announcement only.  We will structure all movement, especially 8th grade.  We plan to dismiss 8th grade a few homebases at a time.  Information was emailed to you earlier this week and a copy was placed in your mailboxes.  We feel that this is the safest way to dismiss, especially during the last week of school.

5. Earlier this week, all staff were sent a copy of the yearbook distribution process for Monday, June 4.  Please be sure to review this information in preparation for your students to receive yearbooks. 

6. This is the most important time of the year to have structured activities in your classrooms.  Even though we have some upcoming events, during class time all teachers are expected to have lesson plans in place and that students are engaged in learning activities.  Students should not be just "hanging out," using cell phones, etc.  Any violations of these expectations will be addressed on an individual basis. 

7. We are required to have a June fire drill.  Please be aware that this must take place between June 1 and  June 7.   Don't worry, we will not have the fire drill during a testing session!

8. We need to know what your plans are for the June 11, 12, and 13 teacher workdays.  If you have annual leave time, you may take it.  Sign up sheets are posted in the teacher workroom on the bulletin board.  Please be sure to indicate your plans so that we can complete the payroll process. 

9. All end-of-year check out sheets are due to Susie Hook by the time you leave for the school year.  Please be sure to obtain all required signatures as you complete the items.  In addition, please complete the information on the back side of the sheet regarding summer work hours and summer contact information.  We will discuss more details about the end of the school year at Monday's staff meeting. 

10. LA and Math teachers:  PEPs should be finalized by the end of the school year. You should check off the completed box for each student and add any statements necessary.  

11. We are still looking for some volunteers to help out with the PTSA 8th grade dance on Friday, June 1, from  6:30 - 8:30pm. The PTSA will provide some volunteers, but we would love to have some staff members to be there and enjoy the event with us.  If you can help out at all, please let me know as soon as possible.  Last year's event was a lot of fun with some great kids - hope you can join us.

12. Please do not send any materials to the office for Deb Neal to store.  She has thousands of testing books and materials and will not be able to store any additional materials until after the school year has ended and all testing materials returned to Central Office.  

13. 8th grade and encore teachers: Please be sure to notify your students if they received any awards from you for awards day.  You are not required to call their parents, but it is important that they know they will be recognized on that day.  

14. Please do not forget to get your PTSA SEMS vest from Susie.  Many staff members have not signed for theirs yet.

15. The Athletic Department was originally going to provide $10 physicals for students on June5.  However, due to a change in guidelines, we are no longer allowed to provide that service.  If any students ask, please let them know that the event has been cancelled. 

16. June 7 is the last day of school. On June 8, we will hold our annual "Staff Stuffing Party" and we plan to have PTSA provide lunch for staff members on this day. June 8 will be a required RS workday. June 11,12, and 13 are also teacher workdays - if you have annual leave and wish to take June 11, 12, or 13 off, you may do so. 

17. Teachers/Teams:  Please be sure to get your school website "summer ready."  This means information on your site should be updated to prepare for next school year.  It is helpful to leave contact info, etc. on there.  But before you leave at the end of the school year, you should remove homework assignments, calendar entries, etc. A great suggestion is to add the summer reading list to your page for student reference, especially if you are a LA teacher.

18. For those certified staff who did not complete all 18 hours of required Common Core/Essential Standards training this year: You must attend the Summer Institute that WSFCS is offered to get the remainder of your hours. They are planning for this training to take place during the week of July 16. Remember that this is a requirement for your contract - if you do not gain the 18 hours of credit, your contract will be denied for next school year.

19. For your planning purposes, the first day back for teachers next school year will be August 20. There will only be one open house day for all three grade levels and as of right now, there will only be on RC training day. The rest will be workdays here at school. This is good news!

Happy Birthday!

E. Mabry        June 8                         
P. Davis          June 10
M. Futrell       June 15             
C. Prince        June 19                        
E. Ortiz          June 23                    
C. Hatch        June 25                      
R. Holmes      June 30
D. Brown       July 3
C. Wilkes       July 8
R. Kilgore      July 16
C. Adams      July 28
B. Berlinger   July 31