The Knight Times

Thomas Dale Faculty and Staff,

We are almost halfway through April ALREADY...I cannot believe it! I mean, PROM IS HERE!!! And oh by the way, I now see what you mean by the RVA pollen! For this week's principal's message, there are two things I wanted to include.

Spring Cleaning. Please take a moment to look through your things at school and around your work spaces. If there is something there that you have not used or touched in the last 2 years, get rid of it! During my first year here, I've noticed a LOT of unused and out-of-date clutter. Please get it out :). Also, if you have something displayed anywhere in the school that is either out-of-date or has been posted far past it's use, please remove it. Finally, if you are responsible for a display case or bulletin board, take time to give it some TLC.

1st block extension on April Tuesdays. I've received feedback from PAC that the loss of instructional time in 1st block has been significant. AND, I'm taking another 1st block on Monday with the 9th grade assembly. To try and strike some sort of balance and "payback" a little bit of that time, we will NOT run Enrichment on the last three Tuesdays remaining in April (16th, 23rd, and 30th). We will turn off the 9:15am bell, so that 1st period teachers will have a longer block of time for instruction on those days. On these three Tuesdays, 1st period will be 80 minutes long. On these three Tuesdays, please release your CTC students to report to the commons at 9:30am. We will not make an announcement so as not to interrupt instruction.

Enjoy!

Up-Front Summary (by day):

Monday

• Club and Activity Meeting Day. For any students who stay in your homeroom, please host a Morning Meeting during Enrichment (VIDEO and FACILITATION GUIDE)
• Professional Development Pathways Meeting (Main Campus Commons)

Tuesday

• No Enrichment; 1st period will be 80 minutes long

Wednesday

• PAC Meeting

Thursday

• Normal Day

Friday

• NO SCHOOL
• Jeans Day ;)

Links shared in this issue:

• TD Staff Dashboard
• KUDOS
• Tech Integrator - Janice Skipwith
  
• 4th Quarter Tardy Spreadsheet
• Alternative Bell Schedule for SOL Testing
• West Campus Plan during the SOL Testing Block
• 4/29 Genius Hour Information
• Exam Schedule
• Knight's Cafe Order Form
  

#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 Erin White:

Thank you Miriam Bonner for the recognition. I am so lucky to get to work with you every day. Your continued commitment to Thomas Dale’s students and your colleagues is so deserving of Barbara’s praise. I would like to recognize Kathleen Herrmann with this week’s I Make A Difference award.

Kathleen was hired as an instructional assistant after the school year had already begun. For those unaware, IAs serve many roles and are expected to seamlessly switch between one on one assistance, in class support and instruction, and clerical tasks. Since Kathleen was hired late, when she first arrived, her expectations were changing daily, if not hourly, but with her enthusiasm and willingness to take on any role, she was able to meet the needs of her department and all of the students with whom she came in contact.

Ultimately, Kathleen was assigned as a one on one aide to a student with severe medical conditions. Being responsible for the physical and educational well-being of a student is a big responsibility, and it is Kathleen’s day in and out. Kathleen is able to manage the ebbs and flows of this young student’s personality and has formed a relationship with this student when others found it challenging.

Personally, this was a special selection too because Kathleen was my English student, and seeing her grow from a student to a colleague is a cool experience, and though years have passed since she was in my class, Kathleen’s laid back personality and willingness to do anything that is asked of her have remained. Being an IA is an often thankless and underpaid profession, so I want her to know just how much she is appreciated and the difference she makes!

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
• February: Kim Young and Barbara Harris
• March: Chris Johnston and Brenda Manson

Submit your nomination for April'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 April's Student of the Month and submit that student's name HERE.

Please take just a couple quick minutes to enter the names of your academic TOP male and TOP female students from each course that you teach based on the conclusion of 3rd quarter grades. Thank you so much for taking the time to celebrate students who do their best!

We have amazing students, enter your TOP academic students HERE.

• Morning Meeting Video and Facilitation Guide (Action). If any students do not go to a Club or Activity Meeting on Monday, please host a Morning Meeting in Homeroom during Enrichment for students who stay with you. Please watch THIS VIDEO with your students and use THIS FACILITATION GUIDE to talk about Kindness and Integrity.
• Early College Academy (Information). There is an interest form for current 9th and 10th Grade students for our ECA program at Dale. Homeroom Teachers: please let your Freshmen and Sophomores know it is there. Thanks!
• Tech Integrator (Information). Janice Skipwith is a wonderful resource for high-quality instruction. Please see her weekly newsletter HERE.
• Information Luncheon for Students Not on Track (Information). On Thursday, 4/18, an information luncheon will be provided for identified students who are over age for the 9th and 10th grade. Passes will be placed in the boxes of 3E teachers who have invited students on 4/17. Please make sure that these students attend as we want to help all of our students find their correct path to success.
• VHSL Leadership Conference (Information). Over Spring Break, 24 amazing students attended a Leadership Conference at Kellam High School. These students worked on increasing their leadership capacity and started to brainstorm ideas to help take Thomas Dale to the next level. Check out the pictures below!
• Junior Class Homeroom Teachers (Action). A Google form has been added to the Junior Class Google Classroom for any juniors interested in being nominated for an award at the end of year awards ceremony. These awards may include scholarship money to the college or university providing the award if the recipient chooses to attend that particular school. Completing this form is not a guarantee that the student will receive an award. Teachers, please let juniors in your enrichment classes know that they need to fill the form out by Friday, April 19th if they wish to be considered for an award. Thank you!
• From the Libraries (Information). Staff Book Club will be meeting on Wednesday, April 17, after school in the main campus library. We will be discussing Jackaby by William Ritter. Hope to see you there! The library has a new paper cutter! Thank you, Dr. Jones!
• 4th Quarter Tardies (Action). I ask that you revisit your tardy expectations with students and hold them accountable; thank you to those of you who currently do so. I've noticed an increase in the number of students who are still in the hallways when the bell rings, and I am confident that if we follow-through on the expectations, we will get our student to class on time. I ensure you that administration will hold students accountable on our end; we've agreed to address it during this final grading period. I appreciate your help in holding our students accountable. The 4th Quarter Tardy Spreadsheet has been added to the Dashboard, and it is located HERE for your reference.
• Special Olympics (Information). The Special Olympics track meet will be held May 1st with a rain date of May 3rd at Thomas Dale. The opening ceremony begins at 10:15 am. Please come out and support our athletes as they represent our school!

During this SOL testing season, there will be 7 days we will run an ALTERNATIVE BELL SCHEDULE. All testing will occur on Main Campus.

• There will be a 2.5 hour SOL Block, similar to how we ran a testing schedule for the PSAT in October and the Writing SOL and PBA administration in March.
• On days when 9th grade students are NOT testing, we will run a modified schedule during the 2.5 hour SOL Block at West Campus. Please see our WEST CAMPUS PLAN for information and details about that time.
• Following the 2.5 hour SOL Block, we will run a "One Lunch" in which students will have 45 minutes to eat lunch and also engage in either tutoring with a teacher, a Genius Hour activity, or just relax with their friends. They will not be confined to only the cafeteria/commons; however, there will be off-limits areas. We will structure this time for teachers so that over the course of 7 SOL testing days, each teacher will have 20 minute "assignments". Please see the ALTERNATIVE BELL SCHEDULE for how it will look. Further details will be shared as we finalize them.
• Following "One Lunch," we will go to all 4 blocks for 45 minutes each. Attendance will be taken in 1st block.

We will provide more details, structures, and expectations as we get closer to the testing window and finalize them. We will also develop student expectations and structures for success for the "One Lunch" period.

Please direct any questions to Debbie Short, Beth Clark, or Chris Jones. Thanks!

• Here is the Google Document with all information on 4/29 Genius Hour (it is also posted on the TD Dashboard)

• 4/29 Genius Hour Information

• Genius Hour Hosting/Catalog

• If you would like to sign up to host a Genius Hour, please fill in the following form:

• 4/29 Genius Hour Hosting

• I have started the catalog with the responses that I have already received, please look through and make sure that I have your information correct if you have signed up to host:

• 4/29 Genius Hour Catalog

• For this Genius Hour, we will again have students stay in their 1st period classes if they do not sign up for a session. They will not go to their Homeroom.

• On Monday (4/15), we have an exciting opportunity for our 9th grade students. The Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Department will be bringing their Inmate Outreach Program to talk to our students. The presentation will take place during an assembly for all 9th graders on Monday morning. It will run from 8:30am-10:00am. 9th grade students will be let off of the buses at Main Campus and will report directly to the auditorium. If you teach all 9th graders, please come to the auditorium to help with supervision. If you have mixed classes 1st period, please stay with your other students. 9th grade students will miss their 1st period and will be in the assembly for Enrichment. They will be released in time to go to 2nd period.

• Please tell 9th graders to make sure to report to the large auditorium on Main Campus at the beginning of the day on Monday, April 15th.

• Please use the seating chart and monitor your 1st period class:

Staff, while supervising hot spots…

• Use this time to greet and get to know the students you encounter. This is an opportunity to build relationships!

• Ask how they are/if they are okay or need help before asking for their pass. (Avoid having the first interaction with a student be “Do you have a pass?”)

• For frequent flyers: utilize the conversation to discover the function of their behavior- Why are they always out of class during 2nd period odd? Why are they refusing to take their hat off that day? Is there something we can do to support them meeting our expectations?

• Supervision is intended to be proactive, not punitive. Supervisors are not responsible for giving consequences. If you feel an interaction warrants administrative support, note the time & location and follow up with administrator after your duty.

From the JSD Committee:

Our inaugural TDHS Job Shadow Day was a huge success that permitted our Juniors to explore their career aspirations. We’ve received great feedback from students and employers, and we need to capture that data to improve the program for next year. A survey was posted in the Google 2020 classroom, where students can provide feedback, and upload pictures that they took during the event through the form. To our Junior Homeroom Teachers, we are asking for you to encourage your Juniors who participated in the event to complete the short survey. For your reference, the list of JSD students is HERE.

At the end of next week, we will be selecting ten respondents who will receive a free Chick-Fil-A breakfast. The link can be found here. Also, check out the JSD article in the Progress-Index here, and the JSD website here.

On Wednesday, April 17 OR Thursday, April 18 beginning at 9:15 am, all AP candidates who paid for exams must attend a Preadministration session before AP testing begins. During this session, the students will complete preliminary information on the answer document, which will reduce the amount of time needed for each individual test session. In addition, the student will be given other pertinent information needed to assure that all goes smoothly during the AP testing period. To ensure that all hear the same information, no one will be admitted after a session begins. Sessions will be held during Enrichment. Sessions should take 30-40 minutes. All sessions will be held in the Main Commons.

Please reference the EXAM SCHEDULE when you are ready. Although this is far out, I wanted to communicate the schedule with you as soon as appropriate.

If you are not ready to even think about it yet, don't worry...I'll continue to communicate this information.

Delivery with be on Thursday this week. This week the Knights Cafe is offering lemon Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate KIND bars, Caramel Almond & Sea Salt KIND bars, poppy seed muffins, chocolate chocolate chip muffins and Grandma King's carrot cake. 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: April 9
  
• ILT: April 11
  
• Instructional Admin: April 9
  
• Community Partners Meeting: March 12
• Principal's Advisory Council: March 20
• Student Advisory Council: February 27 (Minutes forthcoming)
• ACTS Notes (from Cindy Waters): November
• English: March 19
• Math: Minutes Folder

Luis Diaz-Diaz - April 17

Lisa Neal - April 21

Enjoy your day!!!

Stay connected to OUR CALENDAR and mark yours!

Click HERE for our 2018-2019 meeting dates.

April 12 - Prom (VSU, 7pm)

April 13 - VASCD New Teacher Forum (Main Library, 8am)

April 13-14 - Fine Arts Festival at Midlothian HS

April 15 - Professional Development Pathways (Main Commons)

April 15-17 - Senior Cap and Gown Deliveries

April 15 - Specialty Center Class of 2023 Orientation

April 16 - Shared Vision Meeting

April 16 - PTSA Reflection

April 17 - PAC Meeting

April 19 - No School

CLICK HERE for all things April

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
• Week of February 18
• Week of February 25
• Week of March 4
• Week of March 11
• Week of March 18
• Week of March 25
• Week of April 8

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
• March 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