Weekly Update 10/24/13

SOUTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013

1. A HUGE thank you to the Summit Church of Kernersville and the PTSA for coordinating "The Big Serve" on our campus last weekend. With monies and supplies donated by the PTSA, volunteers gave their time to weed, mulch, and plant flowers on our campus. We sincerely appreciate everything these two organizations do for us and our students. Please reach and out and thank them for their continued support!

2. Thank you to all staff and students for your participating in the Rachel's Challenge kickoff last week. I do believe this is a great start for improving the student culture of the school. I am excited about what our Friends of Rachel Club can do for the school. We are reviewing some of the RC resources and will probably end up having some of those resources on file for you throughout the year. We will keep you posted on that. 

3. Halloween is Thursday, October 31. Students and staff are NOT allowed to dress up on this day. With it being the last day of the quarter, it is important that this day be treated like any other - with structured activities in our regular daily atmosphere. Please remind your students of this expectation. 

4. During testing times (i.e. quarter testing), EC staff will be pulled out to administer tests for modified sessions. Please know that they are working hard to ensure that your students are properly tested. 

5. We are still working on the full instructions for grades being completed and finalized for the first quarter. We will forward all information to you in plenty of time to get your grades done.  You will have to complete your grades online according to the instructions and then provide Cindy Wilkes with a final verification sheet. Please be sure to include a comment on your final quarter grades. In addition, it is important to note that once you finalize your grades, you cannot go back in and make any changes. IF you need to make any changes after that point, you must fill out a grade change form and place in my mailbox for approval. I will approve all grade changes. Grade change forms will be available in Cindy Wilkes' office. The report card distribution date has been pushed back to Wednesday, November 13. 

All grades must be completed and finalized by Tuesday, November 5, at 4:00pm.

6. November 1 is a teacher workday. Staff may take this day as an annual day (vacation day). We will post a sign-up sheet in the teacher workroom next week so that you may indicate your intentions. 

7. Homebase parent contact logs were due this past Monday. Please turn yours in if you have not done so already. 

8. Homebase teachers: Please remember to complete your attendance each morning in the computer by 8:00am.  Powerschool does not function the same way as NCWISE, so Cindy Wilkes cannot go in and complete your attendance. She is only able to update individual students who sign in or out during the day. Powerschool will generate a daily list of those homebase teachers who do not complete their attendance in PS.  Administration will contact you via email to correct the issue immediately. If the attendance does not get completed, then it will get flagged by the district and our student attendance will be inaccurate.  Let us know if you need assistance. 

9. Please remember to check your email daily. You are expected to return parent/guardian emails within 24 hours. In addition, you are expected to respond to administration within 24 hours unless there is a unique circumstance.  This is important, as you can easily miss a deadline/requirement, or upcoming event. Because school consistently stays busy, you are encouraged to check the master school calendar regularly as well. 

10. The Powerschool parent portal is up and running. Please remember to keep your grades updated weekly, per the district requirement for all teachers.  If you are contacted by parents who are having difficulty logging in to the parent portal online, please direct them to Cindy Wilkes for assistance. 

We will continue to provide parents with paper progress reports through the middle of the second quarter. After that point, we plan to move to our normal schedule on one per quarter at the midpoint of the quarter. We will advertise this to parents and encourage them to join Powerschool. 

11. Please remember that it is the expectation of the school and the district that teachers make personal contact with parents for students whose grades drop to an F or if they drop two or more letter grades in between progress reports. To clarify:  1) Personal contact means an email transaction betweeen you and the parent, a phone call exchange with the parent, or a parent conference.  2) Furthermore, it is best practice to contact that parent well before the end of the quarter so that the student has an opportunity to take care of that F after you have had a conversation with the parent. Calling a parent to notify them that the child has an F on their report card is not considered a valid contact. That phone call should have taken place sooner. 

12. Have you joined the PTSA yet? PTSA membership is only $5.  You can place your money in a labeled envelope and put it in the PTSA mailbox in the staff workroom.

13. EC staff and support staff may receive an email sometime this school year with the subject line: "Random Moment Time Study." If you do receive one of these messages, you are required by the district and the state to complete it according to the directions listed. The district must have 100% compliance on these email messages in order to continue to receive funding for our student programs. Please let me know if you have any questions about these messages.

14. On Wednesday, November 6, we will have our school fundraiser kickoff assemblies. We will have three assemblies by grade level. We will send out a schedule prior to this date.15. WSFCS will be offering a CPR training on Monday, November 18, at 2:20pm. We are looking for up to 8 staff members who wish to participate. The training will be held on a Monday afternoon (we are requesting a date in November).  Please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested. You do not have to pay for this training. Signups will be on a first come-first serve basis. There are still spots available. 

16. Don't forget to donate to the United Way! By donating a minimum of $3, you can earn the opportunity to wear jeans for the entire week of October 28.  I encourage all staff members to consider giving, as there are many wonderful programs that United Way sponsors. 

17. Please remember that all volunteers/chaperones that go on field trips must be cleared in the online volunteer system prior to the trip. This is a district requirement for the safety of all students and staff. Please double check with your parents when they volunteer and direct them to Mrs. Raya in the main office if they need to register. You are welcome to bring your chaperone list to Mrs. Raya to check over for you prior to your trip. 

18. If any teams, clubs, or sponsors are interested in doing the Penny Campaign sponsored by WXII-12 and the Samaritan Ministries, please let me know. I have more information in my office. 

19. Please remember that no students should be in the bookrooms in each hallway of the school. The door should remain closed at all times. But no students are to come and go from that room for any reason. 

20. Latest updates from the state about testing:  1) The Sci and SS Common Exams are now being referred to as "NC Final Exams."  2) The only test with constructed responses at the end of the school year will be 8th grade Social Studies.  3) We are being told that no teachers will be grading constructed responses. The state will have an outside source to machine-score them. 

21. The expectation from the district for your subject area professional development sessions that are scheduled periodically after school is that each grade level subject area has one representative at each meeting. For example, for each 7th grade Math afterschool session this year, a minimum of one 7th grade Math teacher is expected to attend. Your grade level subject area may arrange this any way that you wish. 

UPCOMING DATES
Oct. 24 - 7th grade Dragons to Raven Knob
Oct. 24, 25 - Volleyball tryouts
Oct. 25 - 8th Team Mtg. (7:40am)
Oct. 25 - Student Council Blow Pop Sale (6th period)
Oct. 26 - WSFCS Robot Run!
Oct. 28 - Teacher EVAAS scores available online
Oct. 28 - SIT Meeting (2:20pm, Room #708)
Oct. 28 - 29 - Math/Reading Quarter Testing (modified schedule)
Oct. 29 - 8th Grade Orchestra w/GHS Orchestra (6pm, Glenn HS)
Oct. 29 - Volleyball tryouts
Oct. 30 - 8th Science online quarter testing
Oct. 30 - Powder Puff Games (2-4pm, SEMS)
Oct. 31 - End of First Quarter!
Nov. 1 - Teacher Workday! 
Nov. 4 - Staff Meeting (2:20pm)
Nov. 5 - Make-up picture day
Nov. 5 - First quarter grades due (4pm)
Nov. 6 - School Fundraiser Kickoff Assemblies
Nov. 6 - 7th Tsunamis to Raven Knob
Nov. 7 - Volleyball game vs. Jefferson (3pm, SEMS)
Nov. 11 - No School - Veteran's Day! 
Nov. 12 - Tri-M Music Induction Ceremony (8am, SEMS)
Nov. 12 - Volleyball @ Flat Rock MS (3pm)