The Middle Update 10/25/19

Resource of the Week
The latest book that I have been reading is titled, "The Leader in Me".  The books talks about how the 7 habits of highly effective people, outlined by Stephen Covey in a timeless book, are really effective strategies for all students to learn about, and they can be easily modeled and taught in schools.  The article this weeks gives a glimpse into those habits and how they can be applied to school.

"Top 7 Habits of Highly Effective Schools"

Appreciation
I appreciated the thoughtful card and Gift Card on Boss' Day last week....definitely not necessary, but I'm thankful, and I appreciated the kind words shared in the card.  I feel like the lucky one to get to work with this team.

Special thanks to Joann and Robin up front this week, as they calmly worked through some stressful situations, and make the front office a welcoming environment for all who enter.

Special thanks to Julie, Anne, and Krista and others for coordinating a staff unifying activity.

Special thanks to all who covered classes this week when we were short on substitutes.  I appreciate everyone's willingness to step up and help out in times when it's needed.

Middle School Activity on Wednesday
Our MS Leadership Students have been working on the planning for our Middle School Activity on Wednesday afternoon.  Students will report to 3rd block after lunch, and students will be dismissed from 3rd block at 2:00, report to Homerooms to plug in their chrome books, and then head to their assigned location.  More details will be available early in the week.

WHIP Pediatric Research Fund-Raiser

The high school NHS is sponsoring a fundraising campaign for Pediatric Cancer Research.  PHS Seniors Casey Fountain and Molly Anderson are spearheading this effort.  There will be students coming around next week to discuss how it will work with the students during our morning Homeroom time.  This will require some help from the teachers.  Here is the help that they are looking for from each level.  Please see Mrs. Kennedy if you have any questions.

Middle School:

Teachers collect the money and they paper clip their name on a post-it to the money and bring it to the office.  It will be put into an envelope in the safe.  Molly and Casey will count it weekly on Thursdays to get it deposited.

We will be tracking donation amounts by Homeroom and the NHS is sponsoring an ice cream party for the winng Homeroom.

End of Quarter/Assembly Planning
We will be having a Middle School Assembly on November 15th.  November 15th is a Friday, so we'll plan to extend the morning Homeroom time by about 5 minutes so that we can execute our normal Friday Homeroom lesson during this time, and we'll have students complete their goal reflections on the morning of the 14th.  With a longer Homeroom on the morning, students will report to 3rd block after lunch, and students will be dismissed for the assembly at 2:10.

Safety Update

Hold Reminders

Classroom Hold - The cafeteria/IMC and hallways are clear, no one leaves the classroom, and class continues inside the classroom as normal.

Administrative Hold - No one exits or enters the building, all activities inside the building continue as normal.

Lockdown - All common spaces are cleared, lights in classroom are shut off, doors locked and all people inside silently shelter in place.

The Middle Update 10/18/19

We are 7 weeks into the school year, and I hope that each of you is able to enjoy the extra day on this long weekend.  Please take some time to do something relaxing that you enjoy.  It's so important to take advantage of this time...being mindful of our own personal wellness is a big part in maintaining success in our schools.  I am looking forward to hear how each of you spent your extra day!

Resource of the Week
To go along with our theme of using the extra day this week for some personal maintenance, the article this week highlights the importance of self-care in the teaching profession.

"Educator Wellness - Self-Care in a Selfless Field" -  Lilla Dale McManis, PhD

"“Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.”~ Unknown. Perhaps like me, you’ve seen this quote on mugs, posters, and the like. But if you really stop to think about it, it showcases just how selfless teachers are and how big and important the profession is. With that can come a heavy burden, but by recognizing this and practicing self-care, it’s then more possible for you to stay in the teaching seat for the duration of the flight!

Parent-Teacher Conferences
Thank you for your efforts during our fall conferences.  It looked like attendance was once again pretty solid, and it is always nice to put a face to the names of the main role models for our kids, and establish a communication plan with them.  Thanks for making those connections with our parents.

PMS Calendar of Activities
A regular reminder to check the Middle School Calendar of Activities for activities that are coming up that may impact our normal schedule.  Students in our Leadership Group are working to organize activities for students during our Monthly Activity on October 30th.  Please let me know if there is anything you notice that should be added.

End of Quarter/Assembly Planning
We will be having a Middle School Assembly on November 15th.  Mrs. Andringa and I have been working on the planning for this event, and how we can spice it up, and link participation to some of the things we naturally do to generate some fun.  November 15th is a Friday, so we'll plan to extend the morning Homeroom time by about 5 minutes so that we can execute our normal Friday Homeroom lesson during this time, and we'll have students complete their goal reflections on the morning of the 14th.  With a longer Homeroom on the morning, students will report to 3rd block after lunch, and students will be dismissed for the assembly at 2:10.

Safety Update

Our next Safety Drill will be on Tuesday, 10/22 at 1:30pm.  For this Fire Drill, we'll also practice our evacuation plan.  We practice this because this is what we'll do in the event of an actual fire in which we wouldn't be able to return to the building.  In the event of something like this, all Middle School students will move in a safe manner to the Aux Gym at the High School, and all Elementary students would report to the Kerr Gym.

Sub Calling Update (from Mr. Laib)

Cheryl Hebel will be the “day-of absence” sub caller on Friday morning Oct 25^th.  

Cheryl’s phone number is:  608-212-8110

Images from the Week

The Middle Update 10/13/19

We are 6 weeks into the school year, and by all accounts we are off to a strong start.  Now our focus turns to maintaining the strong start, and being cognizant on the natural "morale cycle" of a typical school year, and doing our best to break it...by breaking it, I mean avoiding the dip, and keeping patience, mood, and enthusiasm at a high level no matter what month of the school year it is.  It's important to keep our focus from our Opening In-service in the front of us...today's "Resource of the Week" provides a solid explanation and reminder for why the takeaways from the "Building Equity" and "Lost at School" book make such a big difference for our students...how the adults handle difficult situations in school affect the environment and experience for all students.  I My conversations with other principals in the area, make me feel great about our journey to being the premier place for educating students...we are doing great, but always looking to get better.  Thank you for what you do!

Resource of the Week
From the latest issue of Educational Leadership magazine, the article this week does a great job putting together the "why" behind the approaches we have been working on having with our students who display undesirable behaviors at times.  I benefited from reading this article at this time, and probably would benefit reading it every 4 weeks as a reminder.

"Trauma Informed Teaching Strategies" - Jessica Minehan

"When teachers (or all school staff) are proactive and responsive to the needs of students suffering from traumatic stress and make small changes in the classroom (or approach) that foster a feeling of safety, it makes a huge difference in their ability to learn."

Parent-Teacher Conferences
Thank you to all for your efforts during Parent-Teacher Conferences last Thursday night.  As a reminder, Thursday (10/17) students will be dismissed at 1:15, and conference run from 2:00 - 8:00.  This connection time is a great opportunity to strengthen the home/school relationship and strengthen the support alliance between home and school.

PMS Calendar of Activities
A regular reminder to check the Middle School Calendar of Activities for activities that are coming up that may impact our normal schedule.  Students in our Leadership Group are working to organize activities for students during our Monthly Activity on October 30th.  Please let me know if there is anything you notice that should be added.

End of Quarter/Assembly Planning
We will be having a Middle School Assembly on November 15th.  Mrs. Andringa and I have been working on the planning for this event, and how we can spice it up, and link participation to some of the things we naturally do to generate some fun.  November 15th is a Friday, so we'll plan to extend the morning Homeroom time by about 5 minutes so that we can execute our normal Friday Homeroom lesson during this time, and we'll have students complete their goal reflections on the morning of the 14th...more information will follow for sure.

Safety Update

Our next Safety Drill will be on Tuesday, 10/22.  We'll have another Fire Drill, however this time, we'll practice our evacuation plan.  We practice this because this is what we'll do in the event of an actual fire in which we wouldn't be able to return to the building.  In the event of something like this, all Middle School students will move in a safe manner to the Aux Gym at the High School, and all Elementary students would report to the Kerr Gym.

Sub Calling Update (from Mr. Laib)

Cheryl Hebel will be the “day-of absence” sub caller for the following dates:

Friday morning Oct 25^th.  Cheryl’s phone number is:  608-212-8110

If you are not well, please call either the evening before absence, until 9:00 PM, and the morning between 5:30-6:00 to be better able to secure a sub.  If you must leave a message, please leave your name, grade you teach, or in the case of para’s, who you work for and hours.

Images from the Week

The Middle Update 10/4/19

October and cooler weather have arrived!  Students continue to respond favorably when asked about how they are doing...this anecdotal data is positive and a tribute to all of your efforts during Homeroom to build strong relationships and highlight the positive happening in student lives each day.  Our focus will be on maintaining and building upon our efforts to last through and change the proverbial cycle of mindset that typically occurs in a school year.

Resource of the Week
It's Parent-Teacher Conference week, so the resource this week gives some insight into how to make the most out of our time with each parent.

"Tips for Parent-Teacher Conferencing" - Elena Aguilar

Parent-Teacher Conferences
On the next two Thursdays, we'll be welcoming in the families to our school.  We'll plan to have folders for each student in the office for them to pick up prior to their scheduled conference time.  We'll plan to have a current grade report, STAR report, and we can put any other information you would like to have for parents.  Please coordinate with Robin on any items to include with the folders.

End of Day Homeroom
I enjoyed the conversation at our staff meeting about Homeroom and the different, creative ways to use that time for student reflection and building connections.  I know some initial feedback was the afternoon time was too long, I liked the conversation and potential that this time can provide.  Below is a sample of how Mr. Williams structures his 10 minutes, in which he says is working well.

A typical day is: Homework Review from the Day - Highlight of the Day - Last 5 minutes playing some type of game (silent ball, trivia, music trivia, Disney trivia)

Student of the Month Breakfast
We had another great breakfast this past Friday.  It is so neat to see the pride of parents and grandparents when we describe the great things/habits the recognized students are displaying.  Special thanks to Mr. Frehner, Ms. Hecht, Mrs. Weckerly, and Mrs. Anderson for outstanding presentations.

End of Quarter/Assembly Planning
We will be having a Middle School Assembly on November 14th.  There have been some solid ideas circulating about how we can improve our assemblies.  If you are interested, please join Krista Andringa and I to help plan on Tuesday (10/8) at 3:00 in Krista's classroom.

Safety Update

Room Numbers on Outside Windows (from Mr. Hausser's blog, but applies to all in 1-8 building)

A few years ago, as part of our safety plan, we had numbers placed on outside windows of classrooms who had them.  Over time, it appears that the numbers may have fallen off or just need to be replaced.  We need to have numbers up in each classroom.  So please check your outside windows and if you do not your room number on it, please let me know.  I will have our secretarial staff make numbers for you that can be put up.  Many classrooms have them taped up and next year there will be numbers permanently put up when the signage has changed.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Food Service Information

I know Mrs. Larrabee sent this out, but I wanted to share it again. 

A new process for notifying food service of events, field trips, issues, special requests, etc,  as of tomorrow Oct 3,  will be implemented. Please email me and Lori Ward. In addition, a message should be left on the HS kitchen ext 312.

Sub Calling- October 25th

Lois will be calling subs on the morning of Oct. 25th.  Her # is 608-770-0285.

Images from the Week