Thursday Thriller

September 26, 2019

 Alex was explaining to me his tracker for exit tickets in Amy Kasenga's dual classroom.

 Played soccer with these lovely ladies during PE.  Sean got a good laugh watching. :D

6th grade band was so fun!  They are so cute learning to play their instruments!  Roger has patience!! :D

Salvador, we wish you well!  We know we will see you around school and the community.  On behalf of Garrison, THANK YOU for your years of service to staff, students and families!

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NUTS-n-BOLTS

1.  Staff meeting at 8:00 in Agnes' room.  I know it will be a tight fit.  Thanks for accommodating.

2.  Friday, October 4th is 1/2 day Admin Directed and 1/2 day Teacher directed. Agenda later next week

3.  Shout out to Beth!  Thank you for getting the cards for Mark and Salvador as well as Salvador's cake.  Appreciate it!!

4.  Proficiency maps are due at the end of September OR if you are a team starting from scratch it may take a little longer.  Please share what you  have thus far with Carina and me by Monday the 30th end of day.

5.  Flu shots available tomorrow from 10:30-1:00 for staff members

6.  Mid-quarter progress reports emailed out to parents are due Oct. 3rd

7.  Tuesday, Oct. 1st the CEE Survey will be launched to staff, students and parents.  The survey takes about 12 mins.  It does give us good feedback; what can we improve on and what are we doing well.  Wade will send the link out on Monday the 30th. The survey will be open from Oct 1-25th.  I would love 100% of Garrison Staff (certs, paras, custodians, cooks, secretaries, etc. to take the survey. If we can get 100% coffee and donuts? Or something else....no...I can't give everyone a day off. :D)

FYI

1.  Carina and I will be out of the building at Principal PD on Tuesday the 1st from 9:15-11:15

2.  "Coffee w/the Principal" will be on Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd"

Something to Ponder

If this quote was up in your classroom, how do you think students would respond?  As adults, Fridays can be tough days because we are tired and looking forward to the weekend so what can we do to help our colleagues feel valued?  Give them a lift no only on Friday but each day?

When adults feel valued not only does it reflect in their work but it trickles down to the students.  "A positive work environment is the most critical element of ensuring that students fell safe, connected, valued, and primed for success."  -Jimmy Casas

September 19, 2019

Thursday Thriller
September 19, 2019

**As many of you may know, Salvador's last day is September 30th after 25.5 years with the District!!! WOW! This next week let him know what your best memory of him has been or how he has helped you, a certain student, etc.  I know that would mean a lot to him. :)  We will celebrate with a large cake in honor of Salvador on the 30th!

The position is currently open 'in district.' Hope to hire a qualified applicant ASAP so that person can have some time with Salvador as part of the transition.

SHOUT OUTS!
Margaret, Mary, Katie H, Tobi and Michelle have played key roles with de-escalating students, finding students who have run and hid and helping out with new plans for students.  THANK YOU!!!!
I know there are more people to be recognized.  If you know of a staff member who has made a difference, let them know!  A kind gesture goes a long way! :)

NUTS-n-BOLTS

1.  Thank you for taking the time to help students register for the cookie dough sales.  I will be sending out the link to parents in my parent newsletter that goes out tomorrow evening.

2. We will be having a STAFF MEETING on FRIDAY, the 27th from 8:00-8:30 in Agnes' room since the library will be in use with students in the morning.

3.  Tomorrow is the National Climate Strike.  As a public school and by law, we can not allow students to just walk out.  If students wish to participate, they will need to be signed in and out by their parents in the office; just like any other appointment.  We have two students in 8th grade that may share some facts on climate change during GNN tomorrow.

4.  Wednesday the 25th from 2:30-3:30 is the first of 9 French Club meetings.  I am working on a room and will announce that on GNN so those students involved will know where to go.  This is a partnership with Whitman College.  The club will not meet on Oct. 9th and Nov. 20th.

5.  Thank you for your help with the tardies.  Carina and I are working on a solid system that is sustainable.  Carina has made calls home which have been interesting to say the least but mostly supportive.

6.  Carina and I will clarify the discipline procedures during the staff meeting next Friday.  We have had several good questions.

7.  On Monday the 23rd I will be attending iReady/ReadyMath training in the AM and Carina will be attending in the PM; little tag teaming. Then on the 26th we will be at Constructive Meaning training all day.

8.  If you would still like to order some Garrison Gear, here is the link  https://garrisonms19.itemorder.com/ Josh, our contact rep is keeping this link/the store open until Oct. 11th.

9.  THANK YOU for being in the hallways during passing time!  It's so critical that you are present.  Extra eyes for supervising, as well as, connecting with students is important.  That's why we collectively agreed as a staff to commit to hallway supervision.  In addition, the supervision schedule for AM and PM has gone well.  Appreciate you being present at your post.

10.  Our first 'reward/activity day' for cookie dough sellers will be on 9/30.  Those that have sold 10 items will get to participate in 7th period activities.  Students will be able to play GaGa Ball , four square, basketball, walk the track, eat some treats and then have the opportunity to win prizes when the random drawings occur.   We opted to do two different activities on site vs traveling to Tri Cities to 'Get Air' because students miss a full day, teachers have to get subs and it was about $1700 of the earned Cookie Dough sales. Did not seem cost effective. Thank you Mike, Sean and Amber for the use of your small gym!

11.  We will be getting curtains for the stage.  Mike K is on it.

12.  Planners.  We agreed and/or complied :D to use planners DAILY.  Whether an entry or closing task, students should be writing something in their planners.  Remember this was about teaching students organizational skills; building muscle memory to write things down, plan backwards for projects/assessments, etc.  In my parent communications, I have said we are using planners.  If you are struggling to use planners with your students, please ask for help!  Don't suffer in silence.  The expectation is we are all using them.  Let me know how I can help.

13.  We have noticed students using cell phones to call parents to pick them up because they are ill before they get to the office to be assessed by Sara.  If a student is ill, please send them to the office and remind them they need to be seen by Sara and if ill, Ms. Huxoll will do the calling.  I'm also putting this in my parent newsletter.  Thank you.

Little Volleyball Action 

Spent some time in Mike Bertram's coding class.  Super cool stuff going on!

TEACHER TALK vs STUDENT TALK

How much of your class period is you talking vs your students?  We, teachers, generally fill in the awkward silence after we have asked a question and the students are not responding.  Here is an article and 1:39 second video to get the students talking and having THEM do the HEAVY COGNITIVE lifting. 

"Things To Do When You Don't Get Many Hands"

So....the recipe here is:

• Leave Wait Time
• Narrate Hands to Show They Matter
• Insert Turn and Talk if Necessary
• Remain easy going and supportive in tone while structured and clear on expectations

THURSDAY THRILLER
September 12, 2019

You guys were on FIRE yesterday with collaboration!!! The conversations and work you completed was AWESOME!


NUTS-n-BOLTS
1.  Cookie Dough Sale is coming up.  GREAT news!  Agnes and Stacey K have streamlined this to make it a lot easier!!
     a. No packets to collect, no forms to complete, kids won't be missing valuable instruction in order to go to the office to reconcile their orders;
     b. Online sales mean live, up-to-date, and accurate information on sales;
     c. No assembly!  Short snippets of information via video on GNN;
     d. We will still have cookie dough delivery to Garrison in November;
     e. Catalog packets will be delivered to all students during 7th period on 9/19--it's only for sales, they won't have to fill anything out and bring to school anymore;
     f. Instead of spending $1700 of the earned cookie dough sales for a trip to Get Air for top sellers, we will do two celebrations for students who sell 10+ items. These celebrations will take place on 9/30 and 10/08.  More to come on that but way more simple and less expensive.
    g.  CRITICAL piece - 9/19 1st period ALLOW students to register after the video, link will be on GMS website.  They do need to use their phones.  If they can't in PE first period, the library will be open.  Your assistance is appreciated as we launch this sale.

2.  Thank you for being in the hallways during passing.  All hands on deck is making a difference!

3. On Oct 4th during the 1/2 day with Carina and me we will be discussing goals, eval and how we will do observations.

4.  Carina and I are doing classroom walks. Right now and for next couple weeks we are staying 7-10 mins and either talking with you, leaving a sticky note or following up via email.  It's go time with curriculum and essential standards. You have done a great job of laying the foundation of the importance of a growth mindset, self-efficacy and your expectations.  These foundations are critical and need to be reviewed/visited/given feedback on consistently. Let's do this!!! :)

5.  If you send a student to the SSR room, Carina and I are notified.  This is a classroom exclusion and one of us will follow up with you to touch base about the student re-entering the next day during class. You will have called home to let parents know what happened.  Terri will have given the student a copy of the 're-entry' plan they worked on with her and then please touch base with the student.  It might be confusing and clunky in the beginning but as we work through the process, tweaks can be made.  Appreciate your feedback and patience as we try something new.

6.  I will be posting my daily schedule outside my office.  Thank you, Armida, for keeping me organized!! :) Many times you happen to be in the office and need a quick touch base.  If my door is open and schedule is clear COME IN!! :)

7.  Mary is working on scheduling IEPs.  As we know, IEP students are GEN ED students first.  We need gen ed teachers at the table when conducting IEPs.  It is a professional responsibility to attend the meeting which is usually outside of  contract time and there won't be a 'green sheet' option.  We are advocating for all of the students' gen ed teachers to attend.  Mary will be using GOOGLE Calendar for invites and one identified teacher will be considered POINT person, while the others should attend if at all possible.  We are going to shoot for 8:00-8:40 a.m. meetings.  Thank you for supporting this important effort! Shooting for the stars! :D

8.  Carina and I are still adjusting para schedules due to need.  Thank you, paras, for your flexibility as we change up where you go.  We will settle in here shortly.

9.  I know in years passed it was for safety reasons that we covered our windows on our doors.  That is no longer the case.  In fact, our Risk Management team for the District has advised us that classroom windows on doors be open and visible.  The risk of false accusations is much higher than that of an active shooter so to speak.  If you have questions about this PLEASE ASK.  It was new to me because we had done this for years at Blue Ridge for safety.   You are free to uncover your windows on your doors! :D

10.  I HAVE HAD PARENTS TELL ME WHAT A GREAT STAFF YOU ARE!!! When I am out and about and talking with people, they have wonderful things to say about you..  "Staff is so nice!  They care about kids.  My child has the best teachers all day."  I'm not making this up. :)  THANKS for WHAT YOU DO!!

FIRE DRILL Follow Up
This first one of the year was not bad especially since we had students gone to sporting events and subs in the building.

A few things:
1.  Classroom doors need to be unlocked;
2. We need to reinforce the silent, no talking during the drill;
3. Sense of urgency needs to be heightened;
4. Total time start to finish before heading back in to the building was 9 mins.
5. We understand there was some confusion about where to line up within some of the zones--more follow up about that coming for zones affected.

Classroom Discussions
An interesting article from Jay Howard in the Chronicle of Higher Education on leading quality class discussions.  Several different strategies to look over. 

September 5, 2019

Thursday Thriller
September 5, 2019

First three days have gone well.  Carina and I are learning quite a bit and at a rapid pace! :D  Thank you for your patience and help.

NUTS-N-BOLTS

1.  Picture day is Tuesday.  Please make sure and hand out the picture packets.

2.  The bell system will be revised.  I will work with Armida to get it changed over.  Here is what was decided:

7:45 Bell for students arriving early.  They can come into the building and head to rooms 115, 202 and/or the library

8:20 Breakfast bell, staff bell for duty and this also alerts students they can 'mingle' in the foyer and cafeteria if they wish

8:45 Bell to signal students to head to class

Is this correct?

3.  Please save the date OCTOBER 11th.  This is Friday of conference week. October 11th is a full day.  We get the full day because we only do one evening conference in the fall and spring.  One evening conference equals a 1/2 day.  There is then a 1/2 day left over, so to speak.  I'm combining the 1/2 day in the fall and the 1/2 day in the spring, combining it for a full day on Oct. 11th.  By doing so, this gives you Feb 14th off and a FOUR DAY WEEKEND!!  Whoop!! Whoop!!

• One Evening October 7-11: (0.5 Extra-Contract Day for Certificated staff) Fall Evening Conference half-day. Specific date, time & format to be determined.

One Evening February 10-14: (0.5 Extra-Contract Day for Certificated staff) Winter/Spring Evening Conference half-day. Specific date, time & format to be determined.

If you have questions, which I am sure you will, please ask myself, Carina and/or Mike Braddock.

4. SUB PLANS -please be very explicit with your plans. Here are items that do need to be included:
a. Who to call and how to call for assistance
b. Seating chart
c. Extra work in case they move quickly through your material
d. Helpful students' names
e. The blue card-explain how and when to use
f. All emergency drill information, where to find the orange bucket, etc
g. Tech support -who to call (Thanks in advance, Conor! :))
h. NO iREADY for sub plans. It is a risk with both equipment and unsafe places on the internet students may go to

5. Please revisit hallway and cafeteria procedures with students. Cafeteria procedures are as follows:
a. Students are to walk to the lunch lines or walk to a seat
b. Once a seat has been chosen stay put
c. When a student is done eating, they clean their area, RAISE their hand to be dismissed. This new. I will go over this tomorrow during GNN. We are letting students go to the library and outside sooner. Students MUST be dismissed by an adult on supervision (Brent, Steve, Gary, Salvador, Angie, Carina and/or Kim)
d. Inside voice

6. Our class periods are short this week. With that being said, the end of class closure, wrap up and clean up is very important. As we begin our regular schedule next week, please allow time for these important procedures so that we aren't sending students to their next class late. We should not get in the habit of this. In addition, lining up or clumping up by the door before the bell rings is a problem waiting to happen. Please think about end-of-class procedures they are as important as the opening of class routines.
This is one article of many that had some ideas and the 'why' behind routines.

A few pics from being out and about. :)  I enjoy time in classrooms.  I know I can speak on behalf of Carina, as well.  We are enjoying meeting and seeing what's happening in your home-away-home.

(I won't put upcoming events in my communication since Armida does a super job with the daily bulletin. )

Culturize

I find Jimmy Casas inspiring!  I love his book Culturize because he calls us all leaders.  Our staff, who are in front of students whether you are a cook, para, custodian, secretary, teacher, admin we are all leaders. This is one of the many quotes that has resonated with me:
    "We may not get to decide which kids to serve, but we do get to decide the kind of climate in which we want to serve them."