Weekly Update 12/3/14

SOUTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2014

1. For those who did not view the Critical Incident video at Monday's staff meeting, you will need to do so this month. The makeup session for any staff members who were absent will be Tuesday, December 9, at 2:20pm in Room #612.  

2. Mentors - please be sure to turn in your November mentor logs. 

3. Encore PLTs - Please be sure to submit your November meeting minutes as required. 

4. Bloodborne Pathogen Training is on schedule for all groups in the building. This is mandatory training for all staff members, so please mark your calendars for your training date.  The dates and details were sent to all staff in a previous email from Gentry. 

5. We will have vertical team meetings on Monday, December 8, from 2:20 - 3:10pm.  Details and locations coming soon. 

6. The winter music concerts are right around the corner! Dates:  December 11 - Chorus at Atkins HS, December 15 - Band at Atkins HS, and December 16 - Orchestra at Atkins HS. Staff sign-ups for these events are posted in the staff workroom. Those certified staff  who have not yet signed up for a fall event will need to sign up for one concert. Many of you have asked: I've already worked a social earlier this fall - can I sign up for a concert and get some extra trade-out time to use in the future? The answer is YES! There are slots indicated on the sign up sheets for those who wish to receive trade out time.

7. We are now accepting nominations for this year's Teacher of the Year.  All nominations are due to me by Monday, December 8.  All details for nominations are in the email sent from me on Tuesday. 

8. We will conduct a fire drill and a lockdown drill this month. I will let all staff know of the general time frame of the lockdown drill. Please remember you do no longer need to use your green circles, but you do need to make sure your classroom door is locked. 

9. This is the time of year when ISS begins to increase in student numbers. So, here are a few reminders for teachers when needing to send a student to ISS for the period:  1) Please be sure to call ahead to Room #712 to check for space, 2) Please send the student with work to complete, and 3) If you have tried ISS as a time out for a student multiple times and the behavior has not changed, then it is time to try another intervention. Please remember that ISS is not a "babysitting" service - teachers must have a valid reason for sending a student to the ISS room.

10. We are looking for an individual to work the front gate at the basketball games this season.  Games will start in late January and will continue through the end of February (weather pending). Games are typically on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. There is a month of intramural pay for this position. Please let me know if you are interested. 

11. Thank you to the Hospitality Committee for all of their hard work so far this year. They have several upcoming events for staff:  1) December 16 - SEMS has a reserved room at J.Peppers starting at 3pm for a staff meet and mingle event, 2) December 17 - Holiday luncheon catered from Sagebrush for Hospitality members, and 3) This week they will kick off their "I've been elfed!" campaign. Please see the earlier email from Jennifer Lawson for more details.

12. Soon the 6th and 7th grade areas will be equipped with more wireless access points.  There is a chance that Maintenance workers will be visible in your classrooms and in the hallway areas in order to complete this task. They will make every effort to not disrupt your lessons. This installation is in preparation for the addition of more laptop carts for the school.  The WSFCS Technology Department has received approval to add more technology to every middle school. The goal to have the technology here and ready to use by January. This is great news!

13. If any teachers/teams/groups wish to use the multi-purpose room in the mornings or afternoons, please sign up on the MP room sign up sheet posted in the staff workroom above the first copier.  

14. The PTSA will be selling candygrams during lunches on Dec. 11, 12, 15, and 16.  Students (and staff) can pay $1.00 and send a candygram to anyone in the school.  All candygrams will be delivered on December 19 during 6th period. 

15. Safety reminders:  We will be working to update our school safety plan. There is no major change in safety procedures at this time. But please remember the following: 1)You can now discard your green circles, as we will no longer be using them, 2)Keep your classroom door locked at all times, and 3)Now is a good time to update your rosters on your safety clipboards. 

16. Some of you have had your classroom whiteboards upgraded this fall.  Here are the answers to some of your questions about those upgrades:  1)The classrooms chosen for upgrades was based on which boards were in the worst shape this summer (determined by me), 2)The later installation was due to a backup in the district's work order system, 3)Yes, the spots on the wall look awful! 4)There is now a secondary work order in for the painters to come in and clean up the walls to make them more presentable. We are at their mercy on the timetable for this job, 5)This year's installation looks different than those classrooms done in the past because of changes in the district's regulations with the technology in the rooms.  No boards can be installed underneath the TV's in the classrooms. 

17. Several groups will need to complete online quarter testing in January (6-8 SS, 6-7 Sci).  We are working now on what the testing will look like in the building. We want to make sure that there are computers available for all groups to test.  More information is coming soon. 

UPCOMING EVENTS
Please remember that this calendar does NOT include all school events, meetings, etc. The online master calendar (SEMS School Calendar, through your email) contains all of these events.  In the future, this list will be limited to reminders/highlights of significant events on the calendar. Please consult the master calendar for more detailed information.

Dec. 8 - Vertical Planning Sessions
Dec. 11, 12, 15, 16 - PTSA Candygram sale
Dec. 11 - Chorus Winter Concert
Dec. 12 - PTSA Staff Luncheon
Dec. 15 - Band Winter Concert
Dec. 15 - 18 - 7th/8th grade basketball tryouts
Dec. 16 - Fundraiser Glow Party (12:45pm)
Dec. 16 - Orchestra Winter Concert
Dec. 17 - Fundraiser BMX Bike Show (12:50pm)
Jan. 5 - Staff Mtg. 
Jan. 9 - Fundraiser Limo Lunch
Jan. 12 - SIT Mtg.
Jan. 16 - End of 2nd Quarter!