PMS News & Notes 1/24/15

There is only one more week in January left!  How did that happen?  The end of the semester signals the time when we reach the top of the hill and each day we are working our way down...with all of the goals that we have for our students this school year, and the days left to achieve them winding down.  This is just another reminder that each second in school day is so important for each of their growth.  We impact their growth, both academically and overall...I think that is the best thing about this profession.

Friday's Professional Development Day

I thought that Friday was a lot of fun.  Collectively, we were able to get a lot of things done, have good conversations about grading, instruction, and student growth.  It is really enjoyable to work with a staff that is not afraid of continuous improvement, and is willing to look at challenges, and work collaboratively to find solutions.  Kudos to all for a great day.

End of Semester Celebration Wrap-Up

As this event approached I wasn't sure how I felt about it...weighing pros (tradition, excited kids) and cons (loss of instructional time, planning/organization time) during the whole planning process.  After seeing the kids leave and come back excited, I think this was a great opportunity to cement positive feelings about the school and teachers in the minds of our students...a true culture building opportunity.  Staff members connected with students in a different venue.  Thank you for everyone's efforts to make this event run smoothly and work on relationships with even the most challenging students.

New Semester starts Monday

Monday will be a B Day.  6th and 7th Grade teachers should distribute schedules during the first class of the day, and 8th grade teachers will hand out schedules in the cafeteria/hallway right away Monday morning.

Grading Timeline

This is a reminder that grades are due by end of day Wednesday.  I will review report cards on Thursday, and we plan to mail them home on Friday.  Please keep in mind the following: 1.) you must overwrite mid-term grades, 2.) leave standards blank if you did not assess them this term, 3.) comments must be attached to a standard, and 4.) to complete the coursework completion score (see Anna's email).

STAR Testing

We will be administering STAR Math on Tuesday and STAR Reading on Wednesday of this week.  These will be conducted in the respective Math and ELA classes on these days.

Mid-Year EE Activities

I will be meeting with staff members for a Mid-Year Review meeting.  For staff on the Summary Year, we will check in about Teacher Practices and SLO progress.  For those on a Non-Summary Year, we will check in about SLO mid-year data.

Twitter Find of the Week

Culture of Teaching vs. Culture of Learning from @stephe1234

Duty Next Week

Morning - Greer, Harms

Bus - Lendobeja

Data

Number of "Needs Improvement" scores on Puma Pride Report Cards

8th Grade

1st Quarter - 47

2nd Quarter - 36

7th Grade

1st Quarter - 9

2nd Quarter - 5

6th Grade

1st Quarter - 2

2nd Quarter - TBA