The Knight Times

Thomas Dale Faculty and Staff,

Trust, communication, and relationships. These were the three words I shared would be the most important this year. I have to constantly remind myself, because sometimes it is easy to lose sight of things that are most important. We have intentionally put a focus on that with our students, and in the process, I've failed at ensuring we have high levels of organizational trust, communication, and relationships. You each have a voice, and you each matter.

Recently, a teacher reached out asking to do something similar to the student version of "In Our Eyes" for our parent newsletter; a way to communicate to our parents and our community how we pour every ounce of our being into making a difference for kids today so that we create a better tomorrow. That teacher is currently working on a project to make that happen, so stay tuned. Another teacher has sent me a "Boss, did you know..." email each week to share a story that elevates her voice and gives me tremendous perspective. Because I value you, our relationships, our trust, and ultimately, the world through your eyes, I want to elevate your voice. Take some time to share with me what you wish I knew by clicking HERE. Sharing your name is 100% optional.

Enjoy!

Up-Front Summary (by day):

Monday

• No school

Tuesday

• EVEN DAY!!

Wednesday

• Normal Day

Thursday

• Commonwealth Choral Invitational

Friday

• Commonwealth Choral Invitational

Links shared in this issue:

• TD Staff Dashboard
• KUDOS
• Hot Spots Duty Roster
• Main Campus Conference Room Calendar
• Tech Integrator - Janice Skipwith
  
• Digital Learning Day Lesson Menu
  
• Knight's Cafe Order Form
  

#EveryKnightEveryDay

Each week, I will include writing from our students. This started as an idea to include student voice in our newsletter, and I think has the potential to be so much more. If you are interested in having your students write about their Thomas Dale experience for inclusion in The Knight Times, simply submit them to me...and I will include them.

• In this world many things come in go: electronics, toys, boyfriends and girlfriends, love, but dogs will be there for you come hell or high water. Dogs are loyal and loving, they’ll go to the ends of the earth for you and bring back a stick, and you better praise them and tell them just how good they are because they will be the only ones there for you when everyone else turns their back. My best friend, my baby, my whole word, is my puggle puppy, Chloe. She has been my best friend from day one, the end of my second grade year. She turns ten years old this February and she is still just as youthful as she was when she was a puppy. She has arthritis and broke her leg just last October but she still wants to run and play and comes to comfort me when I’m blue. Dogs really are man's best friend and will be there till the end, sadly their time comes far quicker than ares so we need to cherish every moment with them. --Anonymous
  

• Throughout my journey so far, I have found that the principle of working hard and work ethic is often more important than the actual work itself. I often find that it is the lesson learned, rather than what is being done. Other times, what is actually learned is not the task, but the lesson that is taught while doing said task. Working hard has always been important in my life. Working for the people you love, working for what you love, and working to better yourself and the environment around you always has been important to me. I believe that it is also important to recognize that we might not always be the smartest, the most talented, or the person that makes the most money in the room. I believe that it is much more valuable to be the hardest worker in the room. There will always be someone who will be seen as “better,” or “more ____.” As individuals we should not let others outwork us, and we should seek to be the hardest workers. Once we recognize that the hard work will lead to success, we become more accepting of the work itself and become more qualified for the long-term success and more open to learn. --Jackson Brockwell
  

The I Make A Difference award is a weekly recognition for a staff member going above and beyond the requirements of the job. Each week, the previous I Make A Difference award winner will select one member of the faculty/staff who displays excellence, goes the extra mile, and makes a difference and "pass" it on.

From Scott Hueston:

Thanks to DA for the kind words- and as I have stepped out of my comfort zone of the PE environment and into the academic wing, I am attempting to follow the lead of he and Dave Duncan with the wonderful job they do in the Success Program! This year has opened my eyes to how far and beyond everyone here at Thomas Dale goes to give each and every student the skills and opportunities to succeed in the high school environment. From the admin team, to the counselors & Ms. Short, and all the wonderful teachers that go out their way, it is hard to pick just one person… but my choice for this weeks “I Make A Difference” award goes to… Mrs. Lauren Spain!!!

It didn’t even take me one week to see the impact Mrs. Spain has had on the students at Thomas Dale… and she wasn’t even at school! As she was home for the first month of school, being a mommy for her first time, I swear there wasn’t a day that went by that a student did not come by and ask where she was and when she’s coming back (no offense to Evan- he did a great job and the kids loved having him)! Upon her return, it was easy to see why the students missed her. She greets all of her students with a smile and a compliment, and there are nothing but smiles on their faces as they enter the room. Speaking with her current and former students, they all speak very highly of how much fun it is in her class, and how she makes learning English interesting and fun. She personalizes everything for her students, making her connections with each of her students unique and special to them! Thank you Mrs. Spain for being such a wonderful person to all the students, and fellow faculty members. You truly make a difference, every Knight and every day!!!

The purpose of our weekly KUDOS is to give public affirmation to a faculty/staff member for a job well done. Anytime you witness something that you think deserves KUDOS, you are invited to fill out THIS FORM with the staff member's name and a little about why he/she deserves KUDOS. You will notice a difference in the form. We have added a layer that will send each individual recipient an email with attachment shortly after the KUDOS has been submitted! The list of teacher names and valiant acts will be published in The Knight Times. At each faculty meeting, those nominated for KUDOS will be entered into a drawing for a special prize! Be alert to the wonderful actions of your colleagues and give a shout out when you see something awesome!

Please enjoy this week's KUDOS by clicking HERE!

Each month, we will celebrate and recognize one teacher as the Teacher of the Month and one staff member as the Staff Member of the Month. We were so excited to celebrate our Teacher and Staff Member of the Month recipients so far!

• September: Jamie Barrack and Michelle Kimenhour
• October: Rachel Langston and Steve Davies
• November: James Thompson and Bridget Lehman
• December: Heather Walker and Lisa Neal
• January: Laurie Gholson and Jason Owen

Submit your nomination for February's Teacher and Staff Member of the Month by clicking HERE.

Each month, we will celebrate and recognize one student from each grade level as the Student of the Month. This student will be publicly recognized in front of classmates and on social media. Additionally, we will place a yard sign at each student's place of residency indicating that they are a Student of the Month for the appropriate grade level. Each student will be able to keep the yard sign. Each student who is nominated but not selected will also be recognized publicly.

Please think of a student you feel is deserving of February's Student of the Month and submit that student's name HERE.

The Culture by Design team has come up with several ways for us to celebrate our awesome knight students, as they exemplify the pillars of the Knight Code. Please take a moment to read through the awards and methods of nomination.

Additionally, we would like to ask that all Homeroom teachers encourage their students to come up with spirit-oriented Genius hour sessions. Ideas to jump start the conversation include: poster painting, face painting, relay races or candid photos... but we'd love to make their ideas come into reality.

• February 19 is an EVEN DAY!
• DUTY (Action). If during your duty, you attempt to re-direct a student you do not know and are met with levels of disrespect that are unacceptable, please let Steve Michniak or Rob Hill know the time and location. They will pull the interaction up on the camera and work to identify the student. The behavior will be addressed appropriately by administration. This will allow you to maintain positive interactions with most of the students you see. The negative behaviors will be addressed. Additionally, if you have not yet volunteered, please take time to do so by clicking HERE and adding your name.
• Main Campus Conference Room (Information). Main Campus Conference Room Reservations can be made by clicking HERE. Please be sure to reserve the room to ensure availability.
• Chaperones on Field Trips (Information/Action). Just a friendly reminder from Maria O"Donnell, ALL chaperones should now sign in under the volunteer tab. All applications processed on a daily basis. There will no longer be "rushed" applications processed unless a chaperone cancels. The applications are available at mychesterfield.com.
• Tech Integrator (Information). Janice Skipwith is a wonderful resource for high-quality instruction. Please see her weekly newsletter HERE.
  
• (Re-Print) Update to Field Trip Permission Request Form Confirmation (Information). From Kathleen Clark: Please let your staff know that our department is currently updating our Field Trip Permission Request form. Anyone who has submitted a form for the FY19 school year may be receiving confirmation emails that are automatically generated. This will include past trips. Please disregard the emails (unless it is for a trip entered today.) We apologize in advance for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding as we continue to update our form!

On February 11, we had our first ever Senior Rally. All seniors gathered with their homerooms during Monday Meeting in a competition of various fun activities. Homerooms went from station to station: when the whistle blew, it was time to move to the next station to eat a donut with no hands or eat a cookie off of their forehead with no hands or stack cups the highest or balance a book on their head and more! It was such fun, and the seniors were awesome! The winning homeroom was a tie: Mr. Zoller's homeroom and Ms. Vaughn's homerooms tied and will get donuts---this time they'll be able to use their hands when they eat them!

Did you know? Canvas, our Learning Management System (LMS), is open and available for exploration this year for teachers to test out, begin building content, and to help with the transition next year. During the 2019-2020 school year, Canvas will become our LMS, replacing some of the applications we currently use (including PowerSchool and possibly Google Classroom). To ease the transition and prepare our teachers for what is to come, Janice Skipwith has agreed to put sessions together and identify our "Champion Users" to help us all.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Canvas that is. Please take a minute to read this blog post focusing around our new LMS Canvas. Learn how to create a course or about options for enrolling your students into a created course. Click here to learn more: Canvas Blog

Are you looking for an assessment tool? Canvas has you covered. Canvas has a new learning assessment tool called Quizzes.Next. Learn about this built in quiz feature in canvas here. For more information on this or any other Canvas tool please see Janice Skipwith.

Check out who has or are currently using Canvas: Carrie Weese, Matthew Williams, Christopher Kelly, Shelley Armstrong, Maureen McCamey, Andrea Martin-Williams, Al Stafford

Upcoming training opportunities:

• iTech Session 3: February 20 (West) and February 21 (Main) @ 3:15pm - Register in SDRWeb

Quizzes.Next training during planning periods - February 27 (West - Room 209) and February 28 (Main - Room 203). You do NOT need to register.

The students listed below for Swim and Wrestling will miss Friday, February 15 for state tournament participation.

Swim

Max Trias

Mark Golovan

Andrew Carraway

Connor Weston

Wrestling

Caleb Oberly

John Miayamoto

Jacob Grabham

Dylan Fink (alternate)

Jake McCall (manager)

Emily Whitt (manager)

Call for Submissions!

Teachers, please share the following announcement with your students:

There are TWO opportunities to submit creative writing and art this semester. The Squire, TDHS' Literary Magazine, is currently accepting submissions for our 2018-19 magazine. Send us your poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and visual art!

In addition, students may submit poetry, fiction, or nonfiction to the CCPS Write Now writing contest. Specific rules apply, and a cover sheet is required.

Join our classroom site to submit: zc37lbt

I will announce deadlines as they approach!

Please see Ms. McCall in 513 for any questions/concerns

Happy Valentines Day Knights!

You have shown our kids SO MUCH LOVE through this emergency drive to stock the Knights In Need pantry. Thank you, thank you! If you need items picked up from your room, please email me at heather_walker@ccpsnet.net and I will do my very best to get them taken care of within 24 hours.

By the end of next week, I am hoping to have satellite pantries in each workroom at main and in both guidance offices and clinics. Please keep an eye out! Once they are in place, I will need you to email me when they get low, so that I can refill them from the pantry items. You are welcome to keep them full as a department, of course, but I am more than willing to do the legwork to keep them full for you!

Thank you again for all that you do to support our Knights In Need program. It wouldn't exist without you!!

Chromebooks and Chargers: With May fast approaching and many testing opportunities for our students from now until then, please remind them to charge their Chromebooks nightly and to bring their charger to school on a daily basis.

CCPS Test Security Requirements PPT: Teachers and staff, this is a friendly reminder that the deadline for reviewing this "mandated" PPT is Monday, February 25th.

Where to sign? A bright "PINK" folder will be in Mr. Lewis' mailbox on West or in my mailbox on Main. Find your name, your signature and date is required once you have reviewed it. Only one signature is required if you work on both campuses. If your name was left off, add your name on the last page. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Important "March" Test Dates: March 6th and March 13th. The English 10 Writing SOL (students enrolled in English 10) will be administered on the Main Campus on March 6th (Multiple-Choice) and on March 13th (Prompt). Also, beginning with this year's 9th grade class, a PBA (Performance-Based Assessment) will be administered on the West Campus to all students that are enrolled in English 9 on March 13th. An adjusted bell schedule will be followed, with P1 starting after the Testing Block. Attendance will be taken in P1. More detailed information, along with the Bell Schedule, will be emailed by Dr. Jones in his Mid-Week Staff email.

The Third Annual Commonwealth Choral Invitational is coming up next Thursday-Saturday (Feb. 21st-23rd) here at Thomas Dale and we are excitedly preparing!

On both Friday and Saturday, as in years past, we will be using classrooms around the building to host the guest groups so that they can keep their belongings safe, change for their performances, and finalize getting ready. Please clear your desk to the best of your ability, and lock away any personal items (staplers, tape dispenser, or any other personal effects). We do keep a close eye on each group as they are in their host rooms, however we cannot guarantee the security of items left out in the open.

That being said, we do take keeping our host rooms in mint condition very seriously, and use a variety of systems to ensure each room is fully cleaned and returned to its correct layout after the event. To combat some of the messes left behind in past years, we have a scheduled clean-up day for the choral department students following the event on Sunday to guarantee all rooms are left how they were originally found.

Thank you so much for your flexibility and willingness to share your spaces. We couldn't host this event without all of your support and help.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Abby Schneider at any time.

Students who are going to the main campus library for enrichment MUST have a pass FROM THE LIBRARY! We give out 30 passes each day. This is the only time of day that we do not take passes from teachers. The pass should look like the one pictured with the student's name, date, purpose and should be signed by a librarian - Armstrong, McCamey, or Lapierre.

Author, Maggie Thrash, will be visiting Thomas Dale High School on Tuesday, March 5! We are offering the opportunity for students and teachers to preorder copies of her books through the library. For copies of the order forms and information on her books, click on this link. Download the file to your computer, or visit the library for more information. Maggie Thrash will be speaking to students during enrichment in the main campus library. If students are interested in attending, have them see us in either campus library for more information.

...And we're still missing our paper cutter at main campus!

February 28th is Digital Learning Day! All CCPS schools will take part in mandatory activities in order to meet both the VDOE and ISTE standards. All enrichment classes will participate in digital citizenship lessons during the week of February 25th to March 1st. You can access the lessons for each grade level by clicking here. Each grade level has six lessons from which to choose. It will be up to each individual class to decide in which order you would like to complete the lessons. The expectation is that each class attempt to complete five of the lessons during the week, but no fewer than three. Please email clinton_patterson@ccpsnet.net if you have any questions.

This week the Knights Cafe is offering Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate KIND bars, Caramel Almond & Sea Salt KIND bars, Cinnamon Streusel Muffins, Banana Nut Muffins and Apricot Oat Bars. Click HERE for the order form.

As part of our intentionality to strengthen trust, communication, and relationships, we will include agendas and minutes from our meetings in this section of the newsletter.

• Admin Team: January 29
  
• ILT: February 1
  
• Instructional Admin: January 22
  
• Community Partners Meeting: January 8
• Principal's Advisory Council: January 16
• Student Advisory Council: December 6
• ACTS Notes (from Cindy Waters): November
• English: January 23
• Math: Minutes Folder

Jennifer Slinkard - February 19

Enjoy your day!!!

Stay connected to OUR CALENDAR and mark yours!

Click HERE for our 2018-2019 meeting dates.

February 18 - NO SCHOOL (Presidents' Day)

February 19 - EVEN DAY!!

February 21-23 - Commonwealth Choral Invitational

February 23 - Congres - French Student Workshops at Monacan

CLICK HERE for all things February

Click below to access previous issues of The Knight Times, our weekly staff newsletter:

• Week of August 13
• Week of August 20
• Week of August 27
• Week of September 3
• Week of September 10
• Week of September 17
• Week of September 24
• Week of October 1
• Week October 8
• Week of October 15
• Week of October 22
• Week of October 29
• Week of November 5
• Week of November 12
• Weeks of November 19 and 26
• Week of December 3
• Week of December 10
• Week of December 31
• Week of January 7
  
• Week of January 14
• Week of January 21
• Week of January 28
• Week of February 4
• Week of February 11

Click below to access previous issues of From the Castle, our monthly parent and community newsletter:

• August 2018
• September 2018
• October 2018
• November 2018
• December 2018
• January 2019
• February 2019

If you have information you need to share, input you seek, or dates you need to communicate, please send it to me. As we improve our communication structure, The Knight Times will become an increasingly collaborative document.

Please email me what you'd like to share - just ensure you have The Knight Times as part of your subject line. I will just need a title, body of text to include, and a picture attachment (if you have one to add to your piece).

Email: christopherm_jones@ccpsnet.net
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/ccpsnet.net/tdhs/
Location: 3626 W. Hundred Rd. Chester, VA 23831
Phone: (804) 768-6245
Facebook: facebook.com/ThomasDale
Twitter: @GoTDKnights