The Knight Times

Thomas Dale Faculty and Staff,

The MOMENTUM, EXCITEMENT, and ANTICIPATION are palpable!

Buckle up!!! We are gearing up, revving up, and stepping up to prepare for the absolute BEST SCHOOL YEAR EVER!!! With every interaction, we create the future. What I believe to be the most rewarding part of our jobs is the impact we have on a child's future, a community's future, and a generation's future...one interaction at a time. Every interaction with a child will have either a positive impact on the future, or a not-so positive one. The beautiful thing is that the choice is ours!!

Welcome to the In-Service and First Week of School Survival Guide! In this issue, I will share everything you need to know to get you through those two critical weeks of our school year. Please click HERE to access the In-Service Week Agenda.

I also ask that you take time to ensure your email features match the standard we set for each of us. You should have a picture of you in your email icon, and your signature line should match mine (including name, title, school contact, your professional social media or website, and the division's values). I recommend you simply copy/paste my email signature line and make the appropriate changes. If you set yours up last year, you are good to go. If you are new to our school, you will need to do so. Please let me know if you need assistance, I will take care of you!

We still need a few more volunteers to help with our upcoming fee collection on August 21 (from 4-7pm) and August 22 (from 9am-12pm). If you are available and willing to help for any amount of time, it would be greatly appreciated! If you are game to help, enter your name HERE.

Enjoy!

Links shared in this issue:

• In-Service Week Agenda
• TD Staff Dashboard
• KUDOS!
• Staff Parking Pass Form
• Staff Contact and Emergency Information Form
• September 3 Bell Schedule (West Schedule and Main Schedule)
• September 4 Bell Schedule (West Schedule and Main Schedule)

#EveryKnightEveryDay

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 Jason Owen:

The second recipient of the I Make A Difference award is Chris Kelly. Chris has been in and out of the school on his summer break getting his classroom ready for the upcoming school year. He has made sure his students will have the best equipment to succeed and make it a fun learning experience. He helps a lot around the building with his computer skills and has worked to create the best website for a school in the country! Chris, you make a difference!

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. Each individual recipient will receive 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!

• (Re-print) Staff Parking Passes (Action). Please fill out THIS PARKING PASS FORM. All staff will need to have a hang tag to assist us with monitoring parking issues. After completion, Main campus faculty may pick up their pass in the front office. West campus faculty should go to the West campus front office to pick up their passes. Thanks!
• (Re-print) Contact and Emergency Information Form (Action). Please take a few moments to fill out THIS CONTACT AND EMERGENCY INFORMATION FORM. Thank you!

Purpose: The purpose of Monday's work is to connect and re-connect, to get to know one another and build community, to establish a deeper understanding of our school's shared vision, to set expectations, and to dive into the components of high-quality instruction while identifying an area of focus for growth and opportunity over the course of the school year.

Breakfast (sponsored by PTSA) will be available from 7:30-8:30am (Main Campus Commons)

Welcome Back Faculty Meeting from 8:30-11:30am (Main Campus Commons)

• Opening Moves
• Shared Vision (Why-How-What)
• Expectations and Shared Leadership
  
• What do we teach?
• Personalized Professional Development Pathways

Instructional Planning from 11:30am-3:00pm

• Lunch on your own

Please dress comfortably.

Purpose: The purpose of Tuesday's work is to increase the excitement for the school-year, build on our school community, and to lay the foundations for providing clarity in your learning intentions for students through Learning Targets.

Convocation: Convocation will be an exciting "pep rally" for the faculty of CCPS, and our hype-man will be Hamish Brewer! We will all load buses in the Main Campus bus loop and depart at 8am. It is imperative that we ride the bus together as a faculty and that our buses leave at 8am. I ask that we be the most school-spirited faculty in all of CCPS. School colors, swag, wacky costumes, pom-poms, posters...LET'S GO ALL OUT!!!!!! Convocation will end by 11am, when we will load our buses to return to the Castle.

Lunch on your own

Learning Targets Session from 1-3pm (Main Campus Commons)

Please wear spirit gear to the MAX!

Purpose: The purpose of Wednesday's work is to dig into the operations of our school for 2019-2020. We will use a rotation format for Nuts and Bolts, and then provide time for departments to meet with supervising administrators later in the afternoon.

Breakfast (sponsored by SCA) will be available from 7:30-8:30am (Main Campus Commons)

Nuts and Bolts Rotations from 8:30-10:30am (See the table in the agenda)

• Bookkeeping, Payroll (Room 108)

• Field Trips, Building Use, Master Calendar (Room 115)

• Expectations and Discipline (Room 117)

• Special Education, 504 (Room 119)

• School Safety - Supervision, Passes, Door Security, Bullying (Room 114)

• Clinic and Counseling - Mental and Medical Health (Room 112)

• Engagement - Homeroom, Engagement; Genius Hour, Club Meetings, One Lunch, Edgenuity (Room 110)

Instructional Planning from 10:30am-1:30pm

• Lunch on your own

Department Meetings from 1:30-3:30pm (Start whole faculty in West Auditorium)

• Whole Group with Popcorn and Cotton Candy, Collaborative Processes Expectations
• Classroom Expectations/Syllabi
• Duties, Greeting Students at the Classroom Door, Hallway Expectations
  
• Q & A, Clarification

Please dress comfortably.

Professional Development Day across the division (morning). No school-based activities are planned for this day.

By now, you should have received guidance from your division-level content coordinators and instructional specialists. If not, please direct your questions to your department chair or supervising administrator.

Classroom Expectations/Syllabus due to supervising administrators by 3:30pm

Please dress comfortably professional; you will be representing our school with other teachers throughout the division. Thank you for putting our school's best foot forward.

Purpose: The purpose of our work on Friday is to tie up any loose ends and complete preparations for the BEST SCHOOL YEAR EVER! The purpose of today is to also enjoy fellowship through good friends, good food, and good fun.

Breakfast (sponsored by the Kiwanis Key Club) will be available from 8-9am (Main Campus Commons)

Instructional Planning from 8-11:30am

• Department Appointments with Janice Skipwith for Gradebook Set-up

Faculty Meeting and Luncheon (sponsored by Herff-Jones) from 11:30am-1pm in the Main Campus Commons

Faculty and Staff Photo at 1pm (Main Campus Gym)

Instructional Planning from 1:30-3pm

• Department Appointments with Janice Skipwith for Gradebook Set-up

Please dress comfortably professional with a Thomas Dale shirt. Our annual photo will be at 1pm in the Main Gym.

There is only one first day of school each year. This year, we actual get two first days of school!!!

On both first days, we will make it the best day of our students' lives! On both first days of school, we will build relationships, establish trust, open lines of communication, and connect with each other and our school. ALL teachers will see ALL of their students, and ALL students will see ALL of their teachers...on the first day! All class assemblies will be part of the first day to set the tone and expectations for an AMAZING year! To end our day on September 4, we will rock out at a PEP RALLY!!!

Let's make our first day of school count (both of them)... making it all about relationships, connections, excitement, and joy! An overwhelming feeling that school really is an AWESOME place!

To do so, we will adjust our bell schedule so that students attend all of their classes on the first day. Logistics regarding the day and specifics regarding the pep rally are forthcoming. This day is not an "Even" day or an "Odd" day...it's an "ALL" Day. Let's make September 3 and 4 AMAZING!

This year, our first week of school will look much different than it has in the past. On the first day (September 3), only our 9th grade students will report to school. Please find the bell schedule for the first day of school below. We have one for West and one for Main (Specialty Center). Any teachers who do not have students in their classes (upperclassmen courses), I ask that you assist with supervision, escorting students to their classes, and being fully present to make our students' first day of school AWESOME!

On the second day (September 4), all students will report and will follow the bell schedule posted below.

In a blog post two years ago, I shared my thoughts on how intentional design leads to high-quality instructional delivery.

If you are interested in my thoughts about the questions that should be rolling around in your head as you plan for high-quality learning experiences for your students, click HERE. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and engage in dialogue regarding high-quality instruction!

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 Retreat: August 5 and 6

Upcoming Birthdays:

Justin Frashure - August 21

Abby Schneider - August 22

Chris Holtry - August 23

Enjoy your day!!!

Stay connected to OUR CALENDAR and mark yours!

Click HERE for our 2019-2020 meeting dates.

Click HERE for the 2019-2020 SCA Calendar.

Upcoming Events:

Click HERE for all things August for School Operations.

Click HERE for all things August for Activities.

• August 19 - New Teacher Orientation
  
• August 19 - Parking Passes for Seniors
• August 20 - Parking Passes for Seniors
• August 20 - Cause/See Learning for teachers with Dr. Ray Jones
• August 20 - Spanish-speaking Families Orientation
• August 21 - Instructional Coaching - Year 2 (Coaching Conversations) with Dr. Ray Jones
• August 21 - Fee Collection and New Parent Orientation
• August 22 - Fee Collection and Parking Passes
• August 22 - Tour of Chester for new teachers and mentors
• August 26-30 - Teacher In-Service Week
• August 30 - Dale-gate and Football vs Cosby
• September 3 - New Students First Day of School (West Schedule and Main Schedule)
• September 4 - All students report (West Schedule and Main Schedule)
• September 16 - Back-to-School Night: Open House (6-7:30pm)

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

• Week of August 12

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

• August 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