Weekly Update 4/25/13

SOUTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013

Once again, congratulations to the following student groups for their recent honors and awards: Music Department - swept first place, superior ratings, and grand champion for Chorus, Orchestra, and Band; Art for the Earth contest winners - SEMS students swept first, second, and third place for the town's competition; and our FCCLA students who placed in the local competition and are headed to Nashville this summer to compete nationally! Thanks to all teachers and staff for their efforts with these students!

1. Please refer to last week's summer school email for detailed information on the program.  If you receive any registration/applications from your students, please forward these immediately to the Guidance Office.  The deadline for all registrations is May 13.

2. Last week, all staff received an email regarding the updated master calendar from the district. It is imperative that all staff review that information, as it contains new information about teacher workdays, classified staff working days, etc. The last teacher workday at the end of the school year will be Tuesday, June 18. 

3. We will have an EVAAS meeting for all core and CTE teachers (minus Davis-King) on Monday, April 29, at 2:20pm in the Media Center. Please refer to earlier email for more details.

4. Core teachers are going to receive letters for students to go out next week for all homebases. This is a letter to request proctors for EOG testing in May.  We will have the same expectation for core teachers as we did last year:  All core teachers are expected to secure at least one proctor for testing.  This means that each of you will need to secure one proctor and turn in a proctor letter to Deb Neal. The easiest way to accomplish this is to review the letters with your students and encourage them to return a letter with a proctor volunteer. That form can be turned in to Deb and you have fulfilled your expectation! Deb will review this process with you next week with more details.

5. Please consult the earlier email from Deb Neal regarding test training sessions throughout the month of May.

6. All staff received an email from the district regarding a Single School Culture survey.  Teachers who attend weekly SSC meetings are expected to complete this district survey. According to the email, SSC facilitators are not asked to complete it.

7. Please review the Guidance Office's recent email regarding retention meetings for students. In an effort to provide every possible intervention, we are asking that each team/core teacher meet with the guidance counselors to discuss students at major risk of failure over the next week.  This list of possible retentions will be reviewed again toward the end of the school year.   8. Some staff have been asking about our annual "Stuffing Party" that we have at the end of the school year involving all staff members on the first teacher workday. At this point, we are unsure how we will prepare report cards and cumulative folders after the school year. I will confirm all details once we know the process needed to make this happen.

9. There seems to be some confusion when staff refer to the "master calendar." So to clarify, the master calendar is the online calendar that is accessed through your email system. When you log on to your email, click the calendar tab on the lower left menu and then check the box next to the SEMS master calendar. There you can view all meetings, field trips, and events scheduled. This calendar is specifically for staff. Many of you consider the SEMS Student Activities Blog (facilitated by Mr. Downs) as the master calendar, but this is not the case. The activities blog only contains the schedule of student activities and events. So please be sure to visit the true master calendar to ensure that you are up to date on all scheduled events.

10. The state has still not voted on how to compute Standard 6 on the teacher evaluation instrument. Up to this point, we have been told that it is computed by a combination of the teacher's EVAAS score and the school's overall EVAAS score. This year all teachers can view their Standard 6 status, but this is not official. It is the "base" number, like a practice round. One proposal now being considered is that 100% of the teacher's EVAAS score will be the Standard 6 rating as opposed to a combination score. Those teachers not teaching a tested subject would have 100% of the school score. We will keep you posted on the status of this vote, which may not be finalized until the summer.


UPCOMING DATES
April 25 - GYRLS Night at McDonald's (on Rte. 66) - 5-8pm
April 26 - 6th Grade Social (2-4pm), Parent Surveys Due
April 29 - 8th Grade Field Trip to Grandfather Mtn., 7th Grade Tsunamis to Raven Knob
April 29 - Conference Track Meet @ Mt. Tabor
April 29 - EVAAS meeting for core teachers + CTE teachers (2:20 in Media Center)
May 1 - Core and Encore Progress Reports
May 2 - EOG Science 8/Extend 2/Math I Test Training (during 8th planning block)
May 3 - NJHS Induction (8:00am)
May 3 - 7th Grade Social (2-4pm)
May 4 - GYRLS Pancake Breakfast (8-10am)
May 6 - Staff Meeting (2:20 in MP room)
May 6 - Chorus Spring Concert (5:30pm @ Glenn HS)
May 7 - Orchestra Spring Concert (6:00pm @ Glenn HS)
May 9 - EOG Test Training (during grade level planning)
May 10 - EOG Test Training (if necessary)
May 10 - PTSA Breakfast for Staff for Teacher Appreciation Week!
May 10 - Student Council Blow Pop Sale in honor of Boston victims

IMPORTANT FUTURE DATES
June 6 - Yearbook Distribution for all students
June 6,7,10 - 8th Grade Ceremonies (8:00am)
June 7 - PTSA Celebration activities for 8th grade (2-5pm)