Weekly Update 5/13/15

SOUTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL
WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015

1. Don't forget that Dr. Emory and several School Board members will be visiting SEMS on Friday during the morning hours. We will be touring the building and visiting some classrooms during this time. 

2. We will have a very brief staff meeting on Monday right after school in the MP room. This meeting will only last about 15 minutes.  We want to quickly review some last minute items in preparation for testing.  The SIT meeting will take place right after this meeting. 

3. Starting Monday, May 18, ISS will be closed to all teacher time-outs and period ISS.  Only students assigned to ISS and ALC by administration will be allowed into the room. Please see your email sent earlier today regarding these detailed procedures.  

4. IMPORTANT POWERSCHOOL MESSAGE: Starting on Monday, some of you may see a gradebook "out-of-sync" warning pop up on your Powerschool screen once you log in.  This means that somewhere in your gradebook (in any of the first three quarters), the student's quarter grade does NOT match the stored grade that appears on the report card.  This is a problem that you will need to correct.  If you receive this message, please click on the message and the specific students' with errors will pop up and errors are highlighted in yellow (you might see something like 'A 94/B 92').  The first grade is the stored grade and the second is the teacher's grade. 

Once identified, you will need to go into your Powerschool gradebook, go to the appropriate quarter, and you will need to override the letter and numerical grade to match the stored grade. Then please follow up with Cindy Wilkes next week to confirm your changes. It is so important that you take care of these errors because if not corrected, the students' final grades will not be computed correctly.  As of today, there are 61 total errors in Powerschool grading. 

5. EVAAS Roster Verification:  Core and EC teachers, please be sure that you complete your EVAAS roster verification by May 20.  Once you have finished your rosters, please click on the Submit Your Rosters button on your main verification screen. This will indicate to me that you are checked off and completed.  

6. Last push for proctors!  Please continue to help us secure proctors for testing. Remember that the more volunteers we have, the more of you will have a 1-on-1 proctor situation. I appreciate the efforts of many of you who are calling and emailing your parents.  

7. 8th Awards lists:  8th grade and Encore teachers, please be sure to complete your 8th grade award sheets (green and blue) and turn in to Gentry by May 22.  Some of you also received a yellow awards sheet for special awards (i.e. Music, Art, etc). Please also have those turned in by May 22. 

8. Thank you to all of the 8th and Encore teachers who nominated 8th grade students for the Jaguar Pride Award given at the end of the school year during 8th grade ceremonies.  The voting sheets are being prepared and will be in your mailboxes soon. Good luck to all of our deserving 8th graders!

9. Please be sure to prep your classrooms prior to testing. Ms. Gardner is reviewing the expectations with you during your test training sessions this month.  All classrooms should be ready by 3pm on Thursday, May 21.  We will be circulating and checking classrooms on this afternoon. 

10. All EOGs, EOCs, and Final Exams will count 20% of each student's final grade.  The middle school policy states that "these exams will count for 20% of the student's final grade UNLESS it would reduce a student's grade in which case it will not be counted."

11. Please stress the cell phone/electronics expectations with your students prior to testing. Students cannot be in possession of any of these items during testing blocks. Their cell phones are to be turned off and locked away in student lockers.  Adults are also instructed to turn off your cell phones and put them away. Please be sure your families have the school's phone numbers in case they need to contact you for an emergency during testing. 

12. The last day for students will be Friday, June 12.  The last teacher workday on the calendar is now Monday, June 22.  The Monday, June 15 workday is protected, meaning it is required for all staff. We will have our final staff meeting and meal provided by PTSA on that day. In addition, we will have our retirement party on June 15 to celebrate all of our retirees this year. 

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. Please consult the master calendar for more detailed information.
 
May 15 - Dr. Emory Visit
May 18 - Staff Mtg., SIT Mtg.
May 20 - NJHS Rehearsal (12:50pm)
May 21 - NJHS Induction (8:00am, MP Room)
June 5 - Athletic Celebration (2-4:30pm)
June 12 - Last Day for Students!