Friday, January 5, 2018

The Middle Update 1/5/18

2018 has gotten off to a great start so far!  I'm hoping the next week brings us some consistent temperatures that are above 0.  Either way, we are on the stretch where each days gives us a little more daylight, and we are on the fast track to the end of the 2nd quarter.  The next part of the school year is steady, with STAR testing coming up, the end of Quarter 2, mid-year SLO's, Forward Exam planning, it's a busy time.  Our focus on structuring lessons that put students in positions to think critically and solve problems remains laser-like.

Article of the Week
The article breaks down little pieces of classroom management that can have a big influence on management effectiveness.  This short article is written by a teacher turned coach, who shares her perspectives after observing may lessons.

"10 Ways to Sabotage Your Classroom Management"

End of Quarter/Semester Items
-As we near the end of the 2nd quarter, students that are struggling (NE or BE) range, should be working outside of their normal class time to get things in order.  The parent of any student that falls in this category should be in the loop and working with us to help their child work to improve their performance.

-Students with significant missing work issues should be working over there lunch or after school to meet the requirements.  If you have questions, I'd be happy to assist with any student that could be struggling in this area.

-Looking ahead, grades should be posted by the end of the day on Wednesday (1/24), and we'll look to mail report cards home starting on Thursday (1/25).

-Also looking ahead to the report cards, please utilize the comments section to give some feedback about the performance of each student in your class.

Staff Meeting Next Week
We will be meeting as a Middle School staff on Wednesday (1/10) at 2:50 in Mrs. Rogness' Room.  We will be spending our time checking in on our school culture and climate.

Mid-Year STAR Testing
Students will be taking the Winter STAR test on the following dates in their scheduled ELA and Math classes:
     Reading - Tuesday (1/23)
     Math - Wednesday (1/24)
The winter testing window will run from 1/15 - 2/19.

The Next Student of the Month Breakfast
The date for the next breakfast is Thursday, February 1st at 7:00 am.  Teams should communicate their nominees to the office by January 18th.  Mrs. Serstad is up for the Applied team.

 Summer School Opportunities (Thank you Mr. Hausser and Ms. Niemeyer)
Since the cold weather is upon us, we thought it would be another great time to talk about summer school.  We are always looking for instructors for summer school. Here is the list of new summer course ideas. If you are interested in teaching any of these new courses or proposing a new one, please add your name behind the course or submit a summer course proposal to us.  Multiple teachers can be added to a course. We also will offer the courses we did last school year. Please review this brochure. Email Jay or Anna if you’re interested in teaching any of the courses in the brochure. The deadline for proposals is February 2, 2018.  We hope to have all of our teachers hired by mid-March.  

Duty Next Week
Morning - Pittner
Bus - Gavin

Images from the Week


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The Middle Update 1/5/18

2018 has gotten off to a great start so far!  I'm hoping the next week brings us some consistent temperatures that are above 0.  Either way, we are on the stretch where each days gives us a little more daylight, and we are on the fast track to the end of the 2nd quarter.  The next part of the school year is steady, with STAR testing coming up, the end of Quarter 2, mid-year SLO's, Forward Exam planning, it's a busy time.  Our focus on structuring lessons that put students in positions to think critically and solve problems remains laser-like.

Article of the Week
The article breaks down little pieces of classroom management that can have a big influence on management effectiveness.  This short article is written by a teacher turned coach, who shares her perspectives after observing may lessons.

"10 Ways to Sabotage Your Classroom Management"

End of Quarter/Semester Items
-As we near the end of the 2nd quarter, students that are struggling (NE or BE) range, should be working outside of their normal class time to get things in order.  The parent of any student that falls in this category should be in the loop and working with us to help their child work to improve their performance.

-Students with significant missing work issues should be working over there lunch or after school to meet the requirements.  If you have questions, I'd be happy to assist with any student that could be struggling in this area.

-Looking ahead, grades should be posted by the end of the day on Wednesday (1/24), and we'll look to mail report cards home starting on Thursday (1/25).

-Also looking ahead to the report cards, please utilize the comments section to give some feedback about the performance of each student in your class.

Staff Meeting Next Week
We will be meeting as a Middle School staff on Wednesday (1/10) at 2:50 in Mrs. Rogness' Room.  We will be spending our time checking in on our school culture and climate.

Mid-Year STAR Testing
Students will be taking the Winter STAR test on the following dates in their scheduled ELA and Math classes:
     Reading - Tuesday (1/23)
     Math - Wednesday (1/24)
The winter testing window will run from 1/15 - 2/19.

The Next Student of the Month Breakfast
The date for the next breakfast is Thursday, February 1st at 7:00 am.  Teams should communicate their nominees to the office by January 18th.  Mrs. Serstad is up for the Applied team.

 Summer School Opportunities (Thank you Mr. Hausser and Ms. Niemeyer)
Since the cold weather is upon us, we thought it would be another great time to talk about summer school.  We are always looking for instructors for summer school. Here is the list of new summer course ideas. If you are interested in teaching any of these new courses or proposing a new one, please add your name behind the course or submit a summer course proposal to us.  Multiple teachers can be added to a course. We also will offer the courses we did last school year. Please review this brochure. Email Jay or Anna if you’re interested in teaching any of the courses in the brochure. The deadline for proposals is February 2, 2018.  We hope to have all of our teachers hired by mid-March.  

Duty Next Week
Morning - Pittner
Bus - Gavin

Images from the Week