The Knight Times

Thomas Dale Faculty and Staff,

The weeks are really ticking by, and I wish I could slow them down, because I really, really love and enjoy my job. I absolutely love and adore spending my time with dedicated educators and amazing kids. For this particular message, I would like to share transparency and reflection.

I received the results of the School Climate survey on Wednesday. Please take a brief moment to review the results by clicking HERE. The results truly begin on page 4.

My supervisor also asked me to reflect on 7 questions. Here are those questions, along with my responses.

• Are there indicators where your rating was below the CCPS high school rating? Yes, I was rated below the Level Mean (all high schools aggregated) for indicator 2.9. Reflecting on this, I am not surprised. My intention this year was to take a step back from a structure like PBIS, so that we could focus our environment and culture on the foundations that make behavior intervention effective. That foundation is rooted in trust, communication, and relationships. What I would like to have for our school will take time, energy, and resources to become who we are, and I am patient enough to wait until our environment and capacity are ready for the components of an effective school-wide behavior management system. I also recognize that my approach to relationships and discipline is not conducive to a strong behavior management system. Although I was a smidge higher than the level mean for 2.6, this is an area of growth for me. In unpacking this indicator (p. 6 of the results), there was one statement in which the mean was below 4.0: My principal addresses obstacles that can affect teacher and staff performance (3.97). I have put a lot of time and energy into ensuring that I provide our staff with the necessary resources and support to meet expectations and perform the tasks that I ask them, and I have not yet harnessed my capacity to remove obstacles. I intend to improve in this area.

• What can you do to improve your rating in the indicator(s) where you scored lower than the county? (Think about each area.) I intend to be patient and continue to focus on trust, communication, and relationships. For the vast majority of our students, this is the best approach. For what I would guess to be about 10-15% of our students for now, this approach will not make a difference (for now). I believe, which is why I am patient, that this focus will yield tremendous benefits for a behavior management system in the near future. My intention is that for a small portion of the 10-15% I am not reaching with my approach, this focus on trust, communication, and relationships will manifest in positive ways long after they graduate from our school.

• If you rated higher than the county on all of the indicators, how do you plan to continue to grow? I have so much room for growth that I am excited about the possibilities. I firmly believe that my potential far exceeds my experience. The higher I raise the expectations, and the longer I focus on becoming an expert with trust, communication, and relationships, the smaller that 10-15% will become. I am becoming better as an instructional leader with classroom observation and feedback conversations. I am improving my skills with leading our teams - as they are the foundation of effective, shared leadership. I am constantly reflecting and adjusting my approach to communication, refining along the way. Each day I grow, learning how much courage it takes to hold fast to high expectations and recognize-celebrate-appreciate when others meet them and hold others accountable when they don't. I intend to focus my leadership on that of our leadership teams. We currently have 6 key leadership teams that I must be an expert facilitator of in order to empower each team to move our school forward (Admin Team, Instructional Admin Team, Instructional Leadership Team, Principal's Advisory Council, Culture by Design Team, and Student Advisory Council). My focus this year is also on developing a shared vision for our school. Between conferences, site visits, pathways, and other professional development opportunities, I intend to build a shared vision and common understanding of what's next for our instructional program at Thomas Dale.

• Look at the standard deviation for each area. Is there a large range of responses for certain indicators. What does this mean to you? There are relatively large standard deviations for 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, and 2.9. This means that there is greater range in responses for these indicators. Because the mean for each of these is 4.26, 4.30, 4.08, and 4.15, respectively, this is an indication that I need to work on a shared understanding of "what" we are doing, work harder to develop and provide resources regarding "how" to do what we are doing, and focus my energy and conversations with others regarding our "why" and our purpose. I reflect on this constantly, because it has become clear to me (even before revealing these data) that we have a lot of staff committed to our work (I would guess 80%) and some who aren't quite there (probably 20%). I am learning that we have some staff members who would like to do the work we are doing and improve their craft, and simply need resources and support (about 15% or three-fourths of the 20%). There are, unfortunately, some staff members who are simply non-compliant with no intention of committing, improving, or "rowing the boat" (I would guess about 5% of our staff).

• How do you plan to share the survey results with the staff? I intend to provide them with the same data sheet I received and include the reflective questions, along with my written responses. I believe this will increase transparency with my leadership and allow me to model what it means to reflect on data, to improve my practice, and to remain committed to the work of continuous school improvement.

• How will you get staff input on ways to improve the indicator(s) that fell below the CCPS average? Through our shared leadership structures, there are multiple opportunities to improve our school climate. I am also consistent with inviting their feedback through multiple means and will continue to do so, especially in light of these results.

• Were you surprised by any of the ratings, or did they align with what you have identified as your strengths/areas of growth? Although I am not surprised, because I have intentionally focused all of my energy on our climate and culture, I am pleased with the ratings. I am truly blessed to work at Thomas Dale, and I plan to give my heart and soul to this place in order to continuously grow my practice and improve results such as these. This staff, school community, and our students deserve my absolute best, and I have so much room to grow. The ratings here are a clear indication that we are working toward a safe environment, and there is still much work to do!

Up-Front Summary (by day):

Monday (19th)

• Homeroom: Club and Activity Meeting Day (Meeting List and SCA Representatives)

Tuesday (20th)

• Grab an Angel Tree Ornament!

Monday (26th)

• Homeroom: Genius Hour Day (Take Attendance HERE)
• Feel free to wear Jeans with your Spirit Wear!
• Faculty Meeting (West Auditorium)

Tuesday (27th)

• Registration Knight (6-7:30pm)

Wednesday (28th)

• Normal Day!

Thursday (29th)

• Normal Day!

Friday (30th)

• Normal Day!

Links shared in this issue:

• KUDOS
• More Student Recognition!
• Vote for Student of the Month
• Tech Integrator - Janice Skipwith
  
• ESOL Corner
• Staff Parking Pass Form
• 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. The first batch is from our Dual Enrollment English students. 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.

Here are this week's:

• I have always been interested in the term “underdog.” It’s been a label we have put on the team or individual facing adversity for years now. The thing that always caught my attention was how quickly society is able to label an “underdog.” The world is so quick to count someone out, not embrace the work needed to get to that point. I think life is a journey of “underdog” stories. The world is generally more against you than it will be for you. I believe that it is crucial to work through this adversity and become the success stories that we all love. Nothing impressive happens when the odds are in your favor. Nothing will happen unless you make it happen. Be the “underdog” and make your story a success story. --Jackson Brockwell

• Here we are, senior year. The final mile in the marathon that is high school. You’ve made it. Did you enjoy your ride or simply just wish it was over? Personally, I have cherished every moment I have spent at Thomas Dale High School. The word I would use to describe my high school career is thankful. I am thankful that I was blessed to be accepted into an amazing school with an amazing specialty center for the art that I love the most, dance. I am thankful that this specialty center has taken me to incredible places all over the the east coast such as Pittsburgh and New York City, and soon will be Los Angeles over on the west coast. I am thankful for all the teachers who have guided me to become the student I am and who have allowed me to be invited and accepted into clubs based off of my academic standards. I am thankful to be a part of such a great and fun team, TDDT. At the end of the year, as I’m walking across that stage at the Siegal Center, I will remember the good, the bad, and the fun times I had in high school, as I begin the next chapter of my life. --Lauren Breeden
  

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 Darby Dickerson:

The 15th recipient of the I Make A Difference award is Karen Lee!

Karen Lee is a new addition to our Knight family, but at the same time it feels like she has always been here! Karen can be seen EVERYWHERE, literally, she is constantly on the go and taking care of business at both campuses without breaking a sweat or losing her smile. I admire the passion she puts into her work and the quality conversations she has with our students, including sneaking in little kernels of wisdom when a student is having a rough day. I know whenever I have an issue or a problem to solve in the front office that I can count on her to jump right in and help me find a solution. Thank you Karen for being such an amazing part of our Knight family!

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

Submit your nomination for December'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 December'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.

• Student of the Month Voting (Action). The nominees are in and its time for you to cast your votes for our November students of the month! Click on this link to cast your vote by Tuesday, November 27th.
• Thomas Dale Angel Trees (Information/Action). We will be setting up our annual Thomas Dale Angel Trees in the School Counseling office at the Main Campus and the West Campus lobby outside of the main office. We will not have them fully stocked next week, but we will have some ornaments available on the trees by Tuesday, November 20th. Gifts are due back to the counseling office at the main campus by Friday, December 14th. If you have any questions, you can email Heidi Hicks.
• Tech Integrator (Information). Janice Skipwith is a wonderful resource for high-quality instruction. Please see her weekly newsletter HERE.
• ESOL Corner (Information). Alexis Manuel, Emily Castle-Dunn, and Heather Walker work tirelessly to support our English Learners at Dale. Check out and bookmark the ESOL Corner page!
• Edgenuity (Information). Edgenuity will be up and running after Thanksgiving break. Different than years past, we will focus heavily on credit recovery. We are going to begin with allowing several students to repeat their first nine weeks online. If one of your students is impacted, the counselor will contact you as the teacher of record and Catherine Craft will be monitoring the program.
• Before and After School Supervision (Action). No student should be in our school without supervision before or after school hours. This is a non-negotiable for our Superintendent, and there will be zero tolerance. Please ensure you are in compliance. Let me know if you have any questions or need any support to make this happen.
• Staff Parking Passes (Action). Please complete the linked form for your staff parking pass. Once you have completed the form, please see Michelle (Main Campus) to pick up your pass starting November 26th. Click HERE to enter the form.

With the first quarter behind us, I want to re-visit the expectations I shared during teacher in-service week. I want to ensure that I am clear on what's expected as a professional at Thomas Dale, and I want to ensure that I am doing my job to hold everyone on staff accountable to the expectations, including myself. In my reflection that I shared in the Principal's Message above, I estimated that about 80% of our staff is "rowing the boat" and is committed to and leading our vision. I want you to know that I appreciate you and ask that you continue to do what you are doing to move our school forward and do what's best and what's right for kids. I also want you to know that the more you commit to this, the more our culture will improve and the more student learning will improve. As this happens, anyone who is not "rowing the boat" will reveal themselves more clearly than they are at this moment. I need you to stay the course and have the courage to continue to hold yourself to the highest standards. Those who are not here to support our purpose, vision, and direction will make a choice to either get in the boat and row or get off it.

As you know, I do not like sweeping generalizations and overtones for the entire staff. I am working as hard as I can to have private, individual conversations to address it. As observations continue and the need arises, I intend to ensure that this is addressed in private conversations instead of a whole-staff approach. Until that time comes, I want the 80% of staff who are "rowing the boat" to be the best version of yourself and do your absolute best work, because that is what is right and just for kids.

Please re-familiarize yourself with the expectations I shared in August; they are the ones I am holding our staff accountable to:

• I expect that you love kids and that you know EACH of them.
  
• I expect that every student will get a year's worth of growth every year they are with us.
• I expect you to dream big and take risks.
  
• Growth is not an option; it is an expectation. I expect that you will embody and inspire a growth mindset and be highly reflective of your practice. At Dale, we are NEVER satisfied, and we ALL have room for growth.
  
• Accountability and Follow-through. I expect that you will set expectations, be clear about levels of consequence, hold students accountable, and ALWAYS follow-through.
  
• Parent contact. I expect that you will return calls/emails within 24 hours worth of business days. A parent should not learn their child is failing when the school sends home report cards. ParentVue is an effective tool; however, it is not a replacement for good communication.
  
• “No Secrets” School and Classrooms. I expect that you will clearly communicate the learning intentions, assess progress regularly, provide timely and specific feedback, and communicate progress to relevant stakeholders. I expect that your gradebook be updated at least weekly.
  
• Adults at Thomas Dale are not gatekeepers. I expect that every member of our faculty and staff will treat each child as if anything is possible, and then provide the challenge and support to make it happen.
  
• I expect that professionalism is a standard that should not need to be addressed. Holding yourself to high standards of attendance, dress, communication, and upholding these expectations are my expectations.
  

I invite you to reflect on your commitment to our school.

All students who arrive late to school (no matter what time of day) will receive a white and green admit/tardy carbonated pass. SOLID GREEN PASSES WILL NO LONGER BE USED.

Teachers should mark any student entering their class without a pass on the 2nd nine weeks tardy spreadsheet. Here is the link again.

All teachers must have attendance entered no later than 15 minutes after the start of the class period.

The office will have late-to-school information entered before the last 20 minutes of the class period. Two reports will be run by Mrs. Dickerson each class period. The first will alert whose attendance has not been taken/entered and shared with Dr. Jones. The second will be used to populate a tracking report used by administration.

When a student is dismissed early, a D is entered for the period in which they leave. An A should be placed in all the remaining periods so teachers know the student has been excused. (This is completed by the office).

The office will not give a student a return to class pass except in very specific situations. If a student returns without a pass, they are unexcused.

• 11/19 is the next Clubs/Activities Monday.

• The list of clubs/activities and how to get passes will be posted in the class Google Classrooms and will be on the TD Dashboard.

• There will be a SCA General Assembly Meeting in the Small Auditorium at Main. Please send your representative. Here is the list of SCA representatives. It will also be posted on the TD Dashboard. Blank passes will be in your mailbox on Monday Morning to give to them (please fill in their names).

• 11/26 is the next Genius Hour.

• Passes will be in the boxes of the 1st period teachers that day (11/26). You will hand them out to your 1ST period students.

• On 11/19, the list of student assignments will be posted on the TD Dashboard, please let students in your Homeroom know where they will be going and let me (elizabeth_clark@ccpsnet.net) know if there are any issues. Please do not share the Google Document with students.

11/26 Genius Hour Attendance:

• Students can go directly to their Genius Hour; let them know that attendance will be taken in their sessions.

• If you are hosting a Genius Hour, please take attendance in the spreadsheet that will be in TD Dashboard labeled: 11/26 Genius Hour Attendance.

• If students are in a quiet room or holding area, please have students fill out this Google form for attendance purposes: It will also be posted on the TD Dashboard.

Teachers,

The senior privilege of leaving 5 minutes early at the end of the day begins on Monday, Nov. 19 with any senior who has purchased this year's TDHS Class of '19 lanyard (it is bright orange this year) and has had an identification card made with his/her picture on it. Due to the need of the custodial staff requiring time to clean up between lunch shifts, there is no senior early release privilege at lunches. The only early release senior privilege is at 2:55, and that is only for seniors who are wearing the proper lanyard. In an effort to keep this privilege running smoothly, please ensure that your seniors are wearing the lanyard, and encourage them to leave the building directly upon release. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me (Laura Deck). Thank you for your help with this.

On the heels of Registration Night, school counseling is gearing up to begin the program planning process. CCPS is attempting to streamline student scheduling by implementing online student registration. Teachers will continue to be instrumental in this process, however, at a different level. You will be asked to make a concerted effort to explain future course options and requirements to your students. You will not need to make any level recommendations this year (additional information regarding this change will be forthcoming from Dr. Jones). The county goal is give students more autonomy in selecting the rigor of their course load.

To support this effort, Thomas Dale’s schedule of events will mirror this:

Meet with our students grouped by grade level during Enrichment

• Juniors (rising 12th)… Main large auditorium – December 5th
• Sophomore (rising 11th)…Main large auditorium – December 6th
• Freshmen (rising 10th)…West auditorium – December 5th
• Freshmen (rising 10th)…West auditorium – December 5th

Meet with our students individually by grade level during specified blocks

• Juniors (rising 12th)…January 23rd – February 7th
• Sophomore (rising 11th)... February 13th – February 22nd
• Freshmen (rising 10th)…January 23rd – February 22nd

Hello all!

Thank you so much for your help in stocking the Knights In Need pantries. We have a great start in place. The pantry at main is located in room 801 and at the West Campus it is room 1B. They are not fully organized yet, but they will be by 11/27! We will be doing another drive in December so as to (hopefully) be able to create “satellite pantries” that are more accessible to teachers. We want students to be able to go to their trusted adult to get what they need! We would also like to make sure we have enough food to send home with our students in need over Winter Break. Please keep an eye out for the next drive and participate if you are able!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Spirit Week:

• Dates: 12/3-12/7

• Days:

• Monday: Ugly Sweater

• Tuesday: Dress like a Decoration

• Wednesday: Holiday Movie Character Day

• Thursday: Winter Holiday Appreciation Day

• Dress representing your favorite winter holiday.

• Friday: Holiday Colors

• Freshmen: White

• Sophomores: Blue

• Juniors: Green

• Seniors: Red

• Deck the Halls: 12/6 (H.C. Hallways per class)

Pep Rally:

• Date: 12/7

• Method: Indoor/Split

• More information on a later date.

School Counseling is always excited to work collaboratively with our Dale colleagues. Our next school wide opportunity will be Registration Night (formerly, Scheduling Information Night). This event will be held at the main campus on Tuesday, November 27th from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. beginning in the large auditorium. Parents and students (current & future) are encouraged to attend this open house style night which will be filled with lots of excitement including:

• a warm welcome from TDHS’ new principal, Dr. Chris Jones
  
• an opportunity to meet with TDHS staff members
  
• receive information regarding graduation requirements
  
• explore our selection of courses (including ECA & AP offerings)
  
• information regarding Virginia High School League (VHSL) & the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will be available for student will be available for student athletes
• clubs and other extra-curricular opportunities – and
  

• if desired, receive a tour of the main campus from our Knight Mentors
  

Let's have fun as we show our current, future and parent Knights what makes Thomas Dale SO special...Every Knight, Every Day!!

Calling all Club Sponsors! The Reflector Staff will be taking club photos for the yearbook in the next few weeks. If you would like your club featured, please fill out THIS FORM by Monday, November 19th so we can coordinate photographers. Thank you!

You are cordially invited to participate in Thomas Dale's 6th Annual Deck the Halls Jubilee! Please decorate your doors betweenDecember 3 and December 7!

You can do all the decorating yourself OR have the students do it during enrichment or after school. Pick a theme or just cover it in winter cheer! Doors will be judged in various categories during Enrichment on December 10 (main) and December 11 (West).

Registration Knight will take place Tuesday, November 27th from 6-7:30pm. This is an all hands on deck event as this is our first opportunity to begin building relationships with our rising Knights. It is also a great opportunity to show off the amazing things that are happening at Thomas Dale High School.

Each department will have a table to display a general overview of the content area and another table that showcases some of the electives within the department. CTE, Performing Arts, and World Languages will have individual tables for each program within your content area (Ex. there will be a Spanish table, French table, German table, Latin table, Japanese table). It will be up to you and your team to determine who will be at each table. Some folks will need to be present at other tables for clubs, sports, and other activities.

Following a brief presentation in the auditorium, parents and students will be welcomed into the cafeteria and gym for an open house experience to explore the different options available at Dale. Have fun with this! You can create displays, create something to show on a computer, or even have current students share their experiences. Please let Clint Patterson know if you have any questions or need any clarification.

Enjoy the Jazz Nutcracker with our Dancers and Jazz Ensemble on December 14 and 15 at 7pm. pre-order a T-shirt here: https://tinyurl.com/JAZZNUTTEE!

See you there!

The week after Thanksgiving The Knights Cafe is offering lemon poppy seed muffins,chocolate chocolate chip muffins and breakfast pizza. Please click HERE to access 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: November 6
  
• ILT: November 9
  
• Instructional Admin: November 13
  
• Community Partners Meeting: October 9
• Principal's Advisory Council: November 14
• Student Advisory Council: November 9
• ACTS Notes (from Cindy Waters): November
• English: October 23
• Math: Minutes Folder

Debbie Kidd - November 20

Lorraine Richards - November 21

Jill Seal - November 25

Enjoy your day!!!

Stay connected to OUR CALENDAR and mark yours!

Click HERE for our 2018-2019 meeting dates.

November 16-17 - Chicago

November 17 - Football at Manchester (Regional Semifinal)

November 19 - Club/Activity Meetings during Enrichment

November 21-23 - Thanksgiving Break

November 26 - Wear Jeans with your Spirit Wear

November 26 - Genius Hour during Enrichment

November 26 - Faculty Meeting (West Auditorium)

November 27 - Registration Knight (6-7:30pm)

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

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

• August 2018
• September 2018
• October 2018
• November 2018

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