A Special Applause To....
Rachel Cornett for making sure everyone made up their MAP testing last week. Keeping up with so many out sick the week before was a challenge but of course, she stepped up! Thank you for your dedication and hard work.
Professional Library for YOU!
I have created a professional library in the teachers' lounge. It is located in the cupboard by the TV for now. If you would like to check a book out, go to this link.
If you liked the article, here is a book written by that same author.
What if education could be better—for students and for teachers? Our changing world demands creative thinkers and collaborative problem solvers, but too often, schools stifle growth and discovery in favor of getting through the curriculum or preparing for “the test.” Learning opportunities and teaching methods must evolve to match the ever-changing needs of today’s learners.When we tell kids to complete an assignment, we get compliance. When we empower kids to explore and learn how to make an impact on the world, we inspire problem solvers and innovators. This required change in education involves more than providing training for administrators and teachers to implement new curriculum or programs and resources; it demands that we, as teachers and leaders, create an environment where learners at every level are empowered to take risks in pursuit of learning and growth rather than perfection.This book is for you if you are wondering . . .What if learners were valued for their diverse talents and not just our traditional model of “smart”? What if I could create new and better experiences for those I serve? What if I could inspire students to learn, to discover their passions, and to share their ideas with the world?
For the week of January 20th....
Monday, January 27th
- January Jeans
- Finish up MAP testing
- English Data Dig from 7:30 to 10:30 am
- Math Data Dig from 11:00 to 2:30 (with 1/2 hour lunch)
Tuesday, January 28st
- Jeans January
- Don't forget to nominate your student for the #fuelthepositive award. This week, Betsy Wellman, Matt Hudson, Jim Wagner, Tammy Mudd, Christin McClain, Sharri Ford, Janie Luck, and Ashley Seewer will be nominating students. Here is a link to the spreadsheet.
Wednesday, January 29th
- Jeans January
Thursday, January 30th
- Jeans January
- Your #fuelthepositive nomination is due
Friday, January 31st
- Jeans January
- Quiz Bowl at Southern State Community College
- #fuelthepositive awards will be given during Falcon time
- Staff Member of the Month and Falcon of the Month will be announced
Please Announce to Students
Library Cards - Students and teachers wanting to check out books on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from the Clinton-Massie Branch Library will have to have their card with them. The library is switching over to a new circulation system and can't check out books without the actual library card. So please remember to bring your card with you to school next week!
National Junior Honor Society - Current members have a meeting on Friday after school. New member applications will be available on Friday for 7th grade and 8th grade. An induction ceremony for new members will be planned for the end of February.
#fuelthepositive Award Opportunities
*Take a moment to introduce what you will be looking for and what will happen. We start again on Monday and go through Wednesday. We will present awards during Falcon Time on Wednesday. We will announce the Falcon of the Month at the assembly on Friday.
Falcon of the Month
*This student will be chosen randomly from the pool of #fuelthepositive award winners. Next Falcon will be chosen on the 20th.
Library Events for our Students and Families
*Dungeon and Dragons for students and parents on Wednesdays from 2:45 - 3:45.
*Retro Cinema - Fridays in January from 2:30 - 4:00 pm
*Kanapy - Movie Streaming App - If you have a library card (which also include teacher and classroom cards) you can download the app and stream various movies and educational films for your class and yourself! The service includes not only entertainment films, but also instructional films and lessons for k-12 students, as well as teacher education development videos.
Just login through your computer or download the app to your tv streaming device, create an account with your library card and you're there! Click Here to sign in.
All Grades
* Snap-On Cases MUST be on computers at all times. If they do not have them on, warning first, then an after school detention, then up the discipline matrix. Why? The cases protect our warranty which is void if they are not on. This is a new policy for us all. Please help me spread the word. If you have questions, please ask Rachel or myself.
6th-Grade Science
8th Grade Debates
Our 8th grade ELA class was involved in debates on cell phones in school and raising the driving age. Students had to pick a side, research their side, create their persuasive argument, and practice the debates process.
Info For The Staff
Conferences - Conferences are February 13th from 3:30 until 6:30. Please reach out to parents if one of your students are struggling. This would be a great time to work on relationships and help provide support if needed.
Curriculum Team - Jen Henderson and Jill Binau will be our curriculum team leads. They will be working together this spring to establish essential standards for both English and math. We will share more information as we move forward. We will be starting our work this month.
Field Trips - Just a few reminders/procedures to ensure the safety of all of our kids! If any questions let the office or your team leader know.
Bring or have EMF’s accessible
Be aware of student allergies, epi-pen needs, etc
Sign out sheet if parents are leaving with their child before you leave
Remind parents to sign off on final forms permission slip and communicate date and time of field trip
Notify Nurse-the nurse will give you a first aid kit and other safety items needed
Notify Tracy Matthews-Food services
Notify Mr. Ford-transportation
Take attendance before leaving the field trip site
Fill out field trip form .
Writing Club - Jen Molitor kicked off the writing club before break during study halls and will continue for the rest of the semester. As mentioned in the TBTs, this is just an opportunity for students to write, collaborate, peer review, and explore their inner writer. This is extra-curricular that is student-paced and to be done once their school work is complete. We are really excited to see what happens with this and see where it goes!
National Junior Honor Society - Jana is having a meeting with the current members this Friday. Applications are available for 7th and 8th-grade students who would like to apply to be a part of this organization. We will hopefully have an induction ceremony around the end of February.
#fuelthepositive Awards - We begin again on Monday with new nominations. Please use the spreadsheet to let us know who is up for the award each week. You can find the spreadsheet HERE. If you can get the names in here by Tuesday evening this week, it would be helpful. I try to print the certificates if possible the night before.
This week the following will be nominating students: Betsy Wellman, Matt Hudson, Jim Wagner, Tammy Mudd, Christin McClain, Sharri Ford, Janie Luck, and Ashley Seewer.
Schedules - The BLT worked hard to create a schedule that met the needs of the students and provided some unique opportunities for our building. We are trying to tie up a few loose strings and will share our findings soon. Rachel and I are planning on using online scheduling for the schedule next year and would like to have student schedules complete by May.
Clinton-Massie Letterhead - If you are sending anything out to parents, please use the Clinton-Massie Letterhead located in our templates.
#fuelthepositive Website - Don't forget! Our day to post things is Tuesdays! 1st Tuesday is Admin, 2nd Tuesday is 6th Grade (Kate is with them), 3rd Tuesday is 7th Grade (Nicolin is with them), and 4th Tuesday is 8th Grade (Tammy and Robyn are with them). You all can decide if one person is responsible for the media that day....maybe do it once a month? Tell our story! It helps our culture! Please send to Lorinda and David.
A Couple of Dates you should know about:
- January 27th - ELA data dig in the morning and Math in the afternoon - I have gotten subs for ELA and math teachers. Intervention teachers let me know what you would like to do.
- February 7th - Interims - Please call home if students have a D or F. This would be an opportunity to invite them to conferences to provide some support if needed.
- February 13th - Conferences
- February 14th - Early Release - Professional Learning
- February 17th - Presidents Day - NO SCHOOL
- February 26th - 28th - Project Trust
- March 12th - End of third quarter
- March 13 - Professional Learning Day
- March 16 - 20 - Spring Break
- April 15th, 16th - AIR English
- April 22nd, 23rd - AIR Math
- April 29th - AIR 8th Grade Science
- May 4-6 - MAP
Helpdesk - A reminder to please send your technology requests to helpdesk@cmfalcons.org. There is no need to send an email to helpdesk, Michael, and David. In fact, it makes it more confusing on their end as to who needs to provide support. They are making a concerted effort this year to be more timely and responsive to helpdesk tickets. The start of the year is always tough but as they fill out their Tech Team and the Oaks Interns, they need their process to be clear. Thank you for your attention to this.
Digital Citizenship Discussions
American Wilderness Leadership School
Storytelling through Animation Creation - February 26th - For ELA and History Teachers
Come talk to me about this if you are curious.
Storytelling through Animation Creation -
Storytelling through Animation Creation is intended for Middle and High School Language Arts teachers and Social Studies teachers who are interested in providing students alternatives for demonstrating understanding.
Use code to tell fun and interactive stories.
Program a conversation between two characters to explore the role of dialogue in storytelling.
Provide details about a character and use code to describe the character's actions, thoughts, and words.
Take an existing story and explore it from a first person and third person point of view.
Create a presentation using animation
You will also learn how to access Google's CS First lesson resources and how to access Scratch's lesson resources.
Important Session Information:
In this workshop, you will learn how you can leverage Google's CS First along with a free online program called Scratch to help your students tell stories by creating animations using code. You do NOT need to know how to write code! Scratch is an easy to use "drag-and-drop" program that is very intuitive and allows students to quickly create animations and stories. Furthermore, Google's CS First curriculum has lesson resources, videos, and how-to guides for you and your students to use that are aligned to the ISTE (International Society for Technology Education) standards and to the CSTA (Computer Science Teachers Association) standards.
Bring your own laptop. Lunch will be on your own.
Rapid Fire Google
