Thursday Thriller, December 14, 2023

 Thursday Thriller

December 14, 2023

One more get up!!!!!

NUTS-n-BOLTS

1. Please double check this list and send students to room 165 by 10:00.  

2. Jingle Bell Jog/Walk tomorrow!!! Thank you in advance for your flexibility with schedule and participation tomorrow.  

From Nicole:

Friday will be the Jingle Bell Jog. We will be on an afternoon assembly schedule.

Here is the plan:

At 2:30, you will go over the instructions for the Jingle Bell Jog with your 7th period class. 

Instruction Slides

Please make sure that you hand out a ticket to each of the students. You should receive the tickets from the Library TA's on Friday morning!

Ticket

When you hear an announcement, you will head out to the track and line up where you are for an evacuation drill. Your students will start and finish their laps with you. 

**You need a hole punch or a writing utensil to mark off the students' tickets**

**Please note, if you have 7th period planning, you have a job helping to make and hand out hot cocoas! Check the map for your spot! Yes, this means you Mr. Fish.**

MAP-THE TABLES ARE GOING TO BE MOVED TO THE BLACK TOP.  Double check the map. 

As soon as the students are finished with the number of laps they need to get their cocoa, they can go to the respective table to collect (see map). 

There will be other activities for students to do after they finish their cocoa. Please stick around to help supervise the activities. Ruben, Cody and Rigo will be in the commons with coloring sheets, if students wish to go inside and color. They will NOT be wandering the halls!

Parents have also been invited. If there are parents with your students, please encourage them to participate with their student also! They can get cocoa too!

We will head back into the building at 3:20 pm to pack up and head out for Winter Break.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Nicole 

3.  When we come back from break, it's important we re teach the school wide expectations.  Nicole and I will share the slides with you.  They are the same slides from the beginning of the school year.  The goal would be to share one slide per class period and talk through it for 5 minutes. Let's repeat the success we had at the beginning of the year! Rowing-in-the-same-direction!

4.  Yaneth, Grace, Steve, Reggie and Ruben are opening up the school on the 18th, 21st, 26th and 28th from 10:00-1:00. This is for any kid! THANKS, guys!!!

5.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEVE!!!!!  HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY, KARA (December 19th)!!

SOMETHING to PONDER

Enjoy your break.  Relax, sleep in, enjoy morning cups of coffee or tea, have some good belly laughs and know that you are appreciated!!

December 7, 2023, Thursday Thriller

 Thursday Thriller

December 7, 2023

PHOTOS from the FIELD

The love of a grandparent💙

Sixth grade students enjoying some reading time after Jami's lesson on the Reading Challenge

PAC students looking at data and students' comments so they know where to focus their energy for the next couple of months.

Nuts-n-Bolts

1.    Here is the agenda for tomorrow.  Nicole is finalizing the details. There is a strong possibility that some of what is planned for the classroom won't take as long; please plan accordingly.

2.   PLEASE go over the LUNCH schedule with your students.  We do have some students feign forgetfulness at which lunch they are supposed to attend. SHOCKER! It's helpful if you reiterate which lunch. This is mostly for 7th graders.  Thank you!

3.    You probably haven't opened up the agenda for the assembly.  Here is sneak peak.  We hope you will want to participate. 

4.    Many of you have already calendared your first observation.  If you have not, please email Stephanie. We will look to January to set something up.

5.    Next Friday, December 15th we are having the GARRISON ANNUAL JINGLE BELL JOG!!!!!

We will use the assembly schedule and have the Jingle Bell Jog the last hour of the day.  Students will go to all classes, leave backpacks in 7th period, go do the activity and then back to 7th for the last few minutes of the day.  ASB along with Nicole and myself will plan this event. Students will earn their hot cocoa and toppings; much like last year.  We have it planned. :D  Because we are a TITLE I school, we need to have monthly family engagement events.  This will be our family engagement event.  Parents will be invited to participate. Again, we are taking care of the planning.  If you would like to help, we welcome you with open arms. :D 

6.    Tomorrow at 12:55 staff will meet in the library where our GC team will lead us through information on iReady typical and stretch goals.

7.    GNN needs to be shown each morning. If you know you are going to be gone, please put GNN into your sub plans. Many of the things on GNN are 'interventions' and 'teaching the expectations.'  It is great documentation when challenged by student and/or parent, "I didn't know." "When was this explained?" I know you gain students' attention before showing and there are some students who just don't listen.  Regardless, let's be consistent and all 'row-in-the-same-direction.'  The big one right now is the sagging pants. Show GNN-even go over the dress code if you want.  Janelle has the slides up on the TVs which is super helpful. I have been able to show AND go over the "Just joking" slide with parents and students when it comes to discipline around harassment, intimidation and mean behavior.  There are no excuses.  Thanks!

8.    

Something to Ponder
Six days to go!  Most of us are counting down the days for holiday break. WHOOP!! WHOOP!! Most students are feeling the anticipation, joy, anxiety and even unknown that is just around the corner. This article offered 10 ideas on how to avoid the traps and temptations of the season.  Hope you find a gold nugget and can implement an idea.

**The first four days back from break in January, we will review the 3R's and expectations much like we did at the beginning of the school year. This may be 5-8 mins each period reviewing an expectation.  Nicole and I have this planned and will send it out. :D

1. Routines and Procedures: Routines and procedures are your friend! You’ve worked hard since day one to establish them, now is the time to rely on them. By now you should have established protocols for things like how to begin and end class; expectations during different teaching and learning modes such as teacher-directed learning, group work, and independent practice; and clear guidelines for the use of technology. If you can predict it, you can prevent it. Work with your team to identify a major or common routine that either most teachers see as a concern or a skill that all students could benefit from reteaching. We all have those one or two misbehaviors that drive us crazy, so be sure to establish clear routines for “pet peeves” or behaviors that can test your last nerve. And, yes, they should know them by now, but they are adolescents and they forget…squirrel.
2. Refresh Your Expectations: Don’t assume they know! They are teens. The prefrontal cortex of their adolescent brain isn’t fully integrated, so they often lack executive functioning skills to quickly adapt to change. That does not mean they can’t learn the necessary skills. You can help them through intentional and explicit teaching, modeling, and practice. This is especially true right after Thanksgiving and when returning after winter break. Be creative in how you teach them! Research suggests we need to hear things nine different times in nine different ways to internalize them (and, let’s be honest, if you keep telling them the same way and the misbehavior continues, obviously they don’t understand the expectations). Take time to refresh and clarify expectations.
3. Get Them Moving: Many teachers don’t like starting new content before a break, so the days get filled with movies and other unengaging or low-interest tasks. If it was just one movie it probably wouldn’t be a big deal. But we can’t be too surprised when students get a little stir crazy after watching several movies in a day. Our knowledge of adolescent development tells us that a still student becomes a bored student and a bored student will find a way to entertain themselves – often manifesting as misbehavior. Use brain breaks and other team-building activities that will not only better engage them, but also get them up and moving to burn some of that pent-up energy.
4. Use Proximity—Astute teachers may plan properly for the uncertainties of the holiday season, but then become complacent when it comes to supervising the projects and activities they have so carefully planned. We assume that students understand the assignment and expectations, but they are prone to the temptations to goof off and their effort can wane with the impending break. Use proximity to your advantage, because we know that a teacher on their feet is worth two on their seat! When you are up and moving you can head off frustration, confusion, and misbehavior before it can derail the best-laid plans.
5. Provide Opportunities to Socialize—We know young adolescents are social creatures, so be sure to provide time for them to socialize. Funnel energy into icebreakers, group activities, and other purposeful interactions. Use project-based learning, simulations, and other hands-on activities with high relevance and engagement. And, remember, just like the adults, they need a chance to catch up with each other after the break, too.
6. Accentuate the Positive—Focus on what is going well. Provide specific praise for those who are engaged, exhibiting expected behavior, or working hard. Success breeds success. When you keep the focus on what is going well, you will see more things going well. Each redirect should have four praises – the power of positivity!
7. Provide Incentives—Yeah, it’s extrinsic motivation, but there will be times when you just have to make it to the end of the day. Never underestimate the power of a candy cane or sticker to increase engagement. The incentives don’t have to be wild or lavish, sometimes you just have to get the ship pointed in the right direction.
8. Have a Plan B—While it is always wise to have a backup plan at your disposal, this is especially useful with the ever-changing schedules and hectic pace of the season. These include highly engaging activities such as escape rooms, or a Kahoot! or Blooket you can pull out at a moment’s notice. It might just save you from potential chaos!
9. Prime the Pump—For some, being away from school can be stressful, while the idea of returning can be stressful for others. Consider sending a note to the students in your advisory letting them know you miss them and look forward to seeing them. Or, drop a note in your Google Classroom or send an email explaining upcoming lessons/activities/projects you’ll be starting when they return. Believe it or not, your students miss you and the routines of your classroom while they are away!
10. Ease Out and Back In—Remember, it is called a break for a reason. Don’t saddle your students with homework or projects to do over the break. Aside from some light, relevant reading, students should rest and recharge over breaks. Imagine how you’d feel if your principal or superintendent gave you a “special” project to do over the break. Also remember that none of us will be 100% on the first days back from a break. Plan your lessons accordingly to avoid frustration.

There you have it, ten ideas to help you navigate the holiday season. In short, rely on your routines, procedures, and expectations; use your knowledge of the characteristics of young adolescents to guide your planning and teaching; work with and support your team; and remember to have a little fun along the way. There is no doubt that this time of year can be a bit hectic, but with a little forethought and planning, you can say “whoop-de-do” to the madness of the holiday season!

QUOTE

This is a great quote for me for tomorrow and one to live by. If you were to ask anyone in the office how I feel about school days that are not routine, you would get a chuckle from them. They would all agree, "Kim does not do well on activity, non-routine days." I need to check myself often.  Checking myself, taking a deep breath and knowing that it will be okay is what I chant to myself all day long or I will react with emotion that is not helpful for anyone AND could have unintentional consequences.  There you go.  I'm telling on myself. :D

"The measure of who we are is how we react to something that doesn't go our way."

                                                        -Gregg Popovich

Thursday Thriller November 30

 Thursday Thriller

November 30th

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FUN?!!!

This is going to be a DECEMBER to REMEMBER!  Here is a calendar/BINGO card of fun!  Each day you participate, you take a selfie and put it on your BINGO card. MAKE SURE AND SHARE IT WITH NICOLE and KIM.   Each day there will be a prize. Now, I know we have some SCROOGES out there but NOT this DECEMBER!! ASB will  join in and choose the days they want students to participate. This calendar is for STAFF. 

Here is the CALENDAR in GOOGLE.  MAKE A COPY FIRST!!!!

Let's do this!   

Nuts-n-Bolts

1.  Teachers, please update your iReady trackers for Qrt 2.  See Nicole's email that was sent Tuesday morning.

2.  Friday, December 8th is a half day.  Dismissal at 12:25, staff will meet from 12:55 to 2:20 in the library.  Early next week, look for information from Nicole regarding the student day.  Because this is a DECEEMBER to REMEMBER, we can't wait to be OVERWHELMED with the TEACHER volunteers for the grade level assemblies!  I know, right?!!!  So exciting!!!!

3.  A few announcements:
                            1.  Welcome to Angela Pauley!  She will be working in our kitchen along side Taren and Erika.
                            2.   Brooke Kimball has taken a sped position at the high school.  She will begin after winter break at the high school.  Sad for us.  However, we wish her well!  I am working with Barb Casey on the posting.
                            3.  Congratulations to Reggie!  He will be the new SEL Intervention Specialist (taking Katie Henry's old position).  Reggie will begin his new role on Monday, December 4th.  Reggie's office will be Steve's old office.  We will relocate our 'tiny' conference room to different locations based on the need of the meeting.
                            4. Itsel Corona Madrigal, Counseling intern, finished up today.  She will start back at Edison after break.  She was AMAZING!!  AND she loved working with middle school students! Itsel will be missed! 
                           5. Welcome to Brandon Foxx our new Head Custodian!  Brandon will begin on Tuesday, December 5th!

4.    I will be out of the building tomorrow.  My dad's brother-in-law passed away.  Uncle Ronald was 92.  He and my aunt, my dad's sister, had been married for 67 years and lived in Greencreek, ID their entire lives.  My parents and I will be headed to the Greencreek Prairie area tomorrow. 

5.  We have some frequent flyers who are asking to come to the office to speak with Steve and/or Nicole M.  While we don't want to discourage students from seeing a counselor, we do need them to stop in at the office DURING PASSING TIME and fill out a call slip.  STUDENTS need to stay in class.  Please keep checking the sign out form before they leave class. Getting a drink, going to the bathroom we MUST have students sign out.  More often than not the signing out discourages students from wanting to leave class. Even to get a drink a water....sign out!!!  Kids have pre planned their meet ups in the bathroom and at the drinking fountains.  Let's make it a little bit more difficult for them.  AND only ONE student out of your class at a time. PERIOD. Yes, things happen and 1-2 are out of the classroom; I get it.  You need to know who is out of your classroom at all times. 

6.  This Saturday our Latino Club (Yaneth and Gonzalo are the advisors) is entering their Polar Express float in the lights parade.  Hope you are able to attend and cheer loudly for them!  Mike Bertram is taking 11 students to Chief Jo Middle School Saturday morning for the Robotics Competition!  WHOOP!! WHOOP!!!

SOMETHING to PONDER

Did you know that we have 4 generations at Garrison?  We have Boomers, Busters/Gen X, Millennials/Gen Y and Coronials/Gen Z.  "With the introduction of four to five generations in the workplace and with the rapid pace of change, we can predict we'll see friction on an increasing level." 
--Tim Elmore, A New Kind of Diversity

Where are you on this chart?  Does it accurately describe you?  How about your PLT members where are they?  We know our students are Gen Z.  Every generation brings strengths and stretches-even our students.  Have you heard someone say or even said yourself: "These kids are lazy.  They don't want to learn." "Be thankful you have job."  "What is this 'mental health' day business? In my day, we just pulled up the boot straps and barreled through."  "She is so Old School!"

We will have conflict based on our generation, background, race, religion and experiences.  How will we use these experiences to our advantage?  Tim Elmore talks about AI.  90% of what knowledge we are giving students they can access on the internet.  What they CAN'T access is the person, you, explaining the content in meaningful ways. The power of your colleagues and your PLT team to work together, carry the load to plan those meaningful lessons for students; together makes everyone stronger!

 "When each of us can identify the strengths of others, everyone becomes stronger."  What strengths do you see in a colleague you may not see eye-to-eye with?  What strengths would this same colleague identify about you?  Students have strengths.  How can we capitalize on them? Not all at once! Maybe take ONE student per class period that annoys the hell out of you.  Can you find one strength in them and use it to to help make him or her stronger?

Here is the podcast of Jeff Rose interview author Tim Elmore.  The book is A New Kind of Diversity.  
I have ordered it and looking to find some gold nuggets. Hope you find a gold nugget in Something to 
Ponder.

QUOTE

Thursday Thriller, November 16

 Thursday Thriller

November 16, 2023

Nuts-n-Bolts

1.    Shortest TT ever!!!

2.    Shout out to our cooks who made a delicious lunch/dinner today!!!  And for Bryan E letting me joke with him on GNN!! Taren, Erika and Tracy-You did a superb job with the meal!!

3.    Congratulations to Brent!  He is going to move back to Pioneer. His start date will be on Monday, November 27th.  Brent's replacement is unknown at this time.

4.    Tomorrow afternoon, Anges and Conor's 7th grade SST classes will be on a field trip to the Whitman Mission. They both sent out their rosters via email.  Tuesday the 21st, Yaz and Amy's classes will go in two groups AM and PM. 

5.    Wednesday the 22nd will be our activity day.  Please make sure and vote for which schedule on Wednesday you would prefer most

6.   Thank you for keeping up with the iReady data tracker!  It makes a difference.  If you need or want jolly ranchers as an incentive for lessons passed, let us know.  We can get you some.

7.  Please encourage students to use their coins. We are trying to incentive students to spend them.

8.  FRI YAY Swag day!! Count up the number of students who have legitimately worn Garrison Swag, email it to Kim and Nicole.  Little competition!!!

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* The Health Center is going to open on Monday!  The Health Center is an independent support located in Garrison.  There will be a full time counselor on staff.  Referrals will go through Steve and Nicole M. Nicole, HC staff and I met to discuss communication and processes.  We will communicate with staff in the next few weeks.  Right now The Health Center will be open for counseling services.  The medical services are on a 'needs basis.'  The HC is located two doors down from Mr. Bertram's room.  They have transformed those offices! Stop in and say hi!

*Student Support Team (SST) meetings for December:  

December 6th -6th
December 13th -7th
December 20th -8th

* Don't let students off the hook!

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Something to Ponder

AMLE website is great!  

Kim and Nate let me teach during their WIN classes this week.  I am definitely rusty but really loved teaching! Most of the students participated.  There were a few that I wanted to throttle. :) Some students just stared at me; comatose. I kept reflecting, like all of you do, on the student motivation piece and how to connect with students.  What could I have done differently to engage those that didn't?  

This is why this article caught my eye-Authenticity, Duplicity and the Philadelphia 76ers.  Motivation and connection-hope you find a gold nugget.

Thursday Thriller November 9

 Thursday Thriller
November 9, 2023

Photos from the Field

The PAC meeting is this coming Tuesday, not today.  However, not realizing this I sent a reminder to students about the PAC meeting last night at 9:00PM.  Cleo comes in at 8:50 this morning, "What is going on? This meeting isn't until Tuesday."  I belly laughed and said my fault.  The others who showed up just thought we were going to have an additional meeting. 😅

Alex came to visit yesterday morning.  Molly was super excited to see him!

Holden entertained me in Yaz's class today

Nuts-n-Bolts

1.   To incentivize and motivate students for this second round of iReady lessons,  what if mid-way we celebrate students who have completed 'x' number lessons with something extra?  Students' currency is social  time, their phones and something sugary or Takis.  What if students who reached the 'x' number of lessons by Dec. 13th got an ice cream bar or hot cocoa in the commons with special privilege of 'phone time'?  Maybe it's 20 mins at the end of the day? We are open to suggestions.  Also, for first quarter we will award Advisory classes that had over 90% finish rate by Nov 3 with something...LOL...maybe donuts, hot cocoa?  What do you think?  Maybe the Advisory teacher should get a coffee card?😊  Ideas to motivate students is what we are looking for.

2.  Please make sure you are wearing your voice amplifier   You may have a 'coach's voice' or a loud voice in general. However, this is about articulation not the level of sound.  It's IMPERATIVE and well...a non-negotiable...that you wear it.  Students are able to hear clearly what you are saying.  Here is a quick video on the BENEFITS of the voice amp systems.  

3.    The Health Center is going to open on Monday!  The Health Center is an independent support located in Garrison.  There will be a full time counselor on staff.  Referrals will go through Steve and Nicole M. Nicole, HC staff and I met to discuss communication and processes.  We will communicate with staff in the next few weeks.  Right now The Health Center will be open for counseling services.  The medical services are on a 'needs basis.'  The HC is located two doors down from Mr. Bertram's room.  They have transformed those offices! Stop in and say hi!

4.  Counselors, admin, Yaneth and Itsel (counseling intern) have and will continue to pull students from class to do check ins regarding Securely Alerts and grades. Currently 54.8% of our students have at least one F and 191 chronically absent students.  We need to bring students to the office so it is a private conversation. We are implementing paper/pencil grade checks.  For chronically absent students, when they are here we administer the WARNS (Washington Assessment of Risk and Needs) screener.  This gives us a report to identify supports and needs.  I am explaining this so you understand why we need to pull students from class.  It's not ideal but needed. Please ask Nicole or myself if you have questions.

5.  This has been quite a week. The non-emergency dispatcher is a really sweet lady who knows me by my first name.  There were definitely things that both Nicole and I did not get to.  Our goal is to tackle these unfinished tasks first thing Monday morning. 

6. Update:  Yaneth's father did not need surgery!  He may be released from Sacred Heart tomorrow to come home. :D

Something to Ponder

Observing WAGs (Weeks at a Glance) and using slides to guide students on their daily tasks and expectations is like laying the foundation for a successful class period. It's all about setting the stage for a great learning experience. When many teachers, like all of you, follow this approach, it lets students know that we have shared expectations, routines, and activities, like warm-ups and "do now" tasks, that are part of our daily routine at Garrison. This consistency helps create a positive and familiar learning environment.

This is from Dave Stuart, Jr.

Keep up the good work with the WAGs, slides and expectations!!

Quote

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Vision and Hearing for 7th grade will be on November 16th from 9:00-11:30 in room 165

Interim Assessment Block

If you are ELA/MATH/SST and possibly SCIENCE, this might be of help to you. :D 

Middle Level Standards

Are your student INVESTING or DRIVING?

DISCIPLINE (email on October 24th titled: Referral Process)

Just a reminder in regards to classroom exclusions/referrals. If you complete this form, Referral located on the HUB for the 3D's -disrespect, defiance and disruption the student needs to be sent to the office.

We need the student in the office ASAP.  Some of you have sent a note with the student:  "See referral" OR you have called/texted for Ruben's support escorting the student to the office; either way the student needs to be in the office. 

When you don't send the student immediately, the follow up is delayed, the student is taken out of another class to speak with and they don't understand that this was an exclusion for the 3D's from a previous class period.

Referrals and Exclusions are reported to the STATE.  This is not to deter you from sending students who need to be sent out of class for disruption, defiance and/or disrespect. 

Please access the Accountable for Learning (the renamed Refusal to Work) for students to complete work at lunch time.

REFERRAL/EXCLUSION for the 3 D's (disruption, disrespect, defiance)

1.  Referral Form is filled out and sent

2. Student is sent immediately to the office

3.  You follow up via PS with families

4. Office takes care of students by calling parents and assigning discipline. 

REFERRAL (student does NOT need to be sent to the office.  Admin/Counselors will follow up)

1.  3 Tardies periods 2-7

2. Dress Code

3.  Cell phone

4.  3D's with a guest teacher

ACCOUNTABLE for LEARNING (lunch time)

*Student is not using the given class time to complete tasks

Thursday Thriller November 1, 2023

 Thursday Thriller
November 2, 2023

Photos from the Field

Dia de los Muertos Celebration tonight!  Yaneth, Gonzalo, Grace and the Garrison Latino Club did an AMAZING job!!!

NUTS-n-BOLTS

1.  Staff if you are researching projects can you please have students title their document?  For example-"Ted Talk -Suicide prevention" The reason being is that every time a student opens up their document to research we receive one of these alerts in our emails.  We must follow up on every alert AND email Keith Ross and Chris Gardea, as they oversee these alerts. Any help we can get would be awesome!  

2.  A few of the Chromebook chargers that were given to classroom teachers at the beginning of the school year, have fallen apart or have been damaged.  We will try and get them replaced; our understanding is that the 'batch' we received weren't the best quality.  We will not keep replacing chargers as these were gifted to us. 

3.  Tuesday, November 7th is the TOOTHSAVER event.  Sara Huxoll passed out the paperwork.  Please make sure this has been handed out to students so they can participate on Tuesday.

4.  Vision and Hearing -We will need to do Vision and Hearing for our 7th grade students only.  This will be on November 16th.  A schedule will be coming.

5.  This is the email from Nicole for FRIDAY, Nov. 3rd:

Another long email from me... THANK YOU for reading the whole thing thoroughly and asking questions prior to Friday, so that we all can have a successful day!

I will be creating short videos for you to watch as a homeroom as an "Academic Assembly." Please fill out this Google Form by the end of the day Wednesday, so that I can make those videos and create certificates by Friday. We will also hand out Big Elephant Awards at this time. Please fill out this Google Form, if you haven't already. Thank you to those of you that have!

Here is the schedule/agenda for the day on Friday November 3rd. 

**There will be bells for you to know when to transition, but there are a few places where there is overlap, so it will be important that you know which bell is for what**

-- 8th grade teachers, the plans for the Career Fair will come out at a later time for your review.

-- 6th and 7th grade teachers, please look over the slides and lesson plans for the time spent in your classroom with your first period and ask me any questions you have!

• You will receive a folder with a class roster, paper copy of the lesson plans and worksheets (if necessary).
• Teachers with mixed 7/8 classes. Your rosters are the same as the last half day. Gonzalo, yours is a little different because you also collected some of Mr. Bertram's students.
• ROSTERS LINKED HERE
• PE teachers, use the same rooms you use for advisory time!

Your planning period will be the time that your students go to lunch.

• 6th grade homerooms will ALL have first lunch, including Paine, Patterson, Fernandez, Condie, Prasad and Serra
• 8th grade homerooms will ALL have second lunch, including Eggart, Davin, Mirkovich, Golden and Wallingford

Please return your folder from September, if you haven't already!

I will have all of the copies and things you need prior to Friday!

Let  me know if you have any questions!

Nicole

6.. Veteran's Day Assembly next November 9th from 2:30-3:15.  We will use the same schedule from the author's visit in September.  Students will go back to 7th period, pick up back packs and be dismissed.

7.  Thank you for helping to make Halloween fun for the students.  The day seemed to have gone well.

8.  Marco and Erich, the night custodians, wanted me to share which rooms they clean at night so if you have questions you can email them directly.  Both custodians expressed how helpful it is that chairs are put up at the end of the day.  Classrooms will be vacuumed every other day.  However, if there is extra time they are more than happy to vacuum more rooms. Having chairs up makes it easier for them to maneuver in and about the classroom.  They work super hard.  When we have concerts and night events they are helping to set up, take down and clean in addition to their nightly responsibilities.  We would gladly blue sheet additional help....if we had sub custodians.  Any help we can give our crew would be greatly appreciated. 

Erich has rooms: 161-171, 157-150, Library and 7th grade restrooms  emiller@wwps.org

Marco has 136-1-43, locker-rooms and upstairs. msierra@wwps.org

Marco and Erich work 2:45-11:15

Anything during the day, please email Brent-bbieloh@wwps.org 

9.   Please review the Duty Roster.  It is critical that we are at our assigned duty station. Nicole and I can't always be at our assigned spots so we are relying on you for support.   A couple of needed changes.  The weather is colder so students want to go into the library.  Kara is in the library in the morning.  In talking with her, it would be helpful if the assigned person  to the library stands at the door.  Kara will let you know when the library is full.  We are going to allow as many students as there are library chairs.  Again, Kara will let you know.  All you need to do is stand at the door, remind students that they are to be seated in a chair, and there is no going in and out of the library.  When Kara tells you, we are full.  You are now the BOUNCER.  Nobody gets in! :D

Second change is adding more people to the cafeteria.  It is a crowded area.  Ruben will open up the courtyard outside, even though it's cold, so students can hang outside if they want to.  If you are assigned to the cafeteria, please walk around, backpacks are on the floor by students' feet, clean up and be seated.

I will start adding the duty roster to the Garrison Gazette so you have a heads up.  If you know you can't make your duty, please switch with someone.

 10. Friday, Nov 3rd   12:55 All Staff in the library. Sara Van Donge will present multi-lingual strategies. Garrison was identified as a school needing support to improve proficiency levels in two areas MLs and Special Educations. The strategies Sara will share with us will help to support the learners in your classes. AND more than likely benefit NON ML (multi-lingual) learners.

The red line indicates where Garrison were below the threshold.

12:55 Sara

1:20 "Break" PSA from Union Reps

1:35  Overview and then Q & A on Discipline

2:00 DONE

New THURSDAY THRILLER SECTION...drum roll please.........

  As adults, we too, need to see, read and hear things more than once. In this section, I will repeat important topics from either he previous week's TT or an email.  Hope this helps. Feedback on this new section is welcome. 

DISCIPLINE (email on October 24th titled: Referral Process)

Just a reminder in regards to classroom exclusions/referrals. If you complete this form, Referral located on the HUB for the 3D's -disrespect, defiance and disruption the student needs to be sent to the office.

We need the student in the office ASAP.  Some of you have sent a note with the student:  "See referral" OR you have called/texted for Ruben's support escorting the student to the office; either way the student needs to be in the office. 

When you don't send the student immediately, the follow up is delayed, the student is taken out of another class to speak with and they don't understand that this was an exclusion for the 3D's from a previous class period.

Referrals and Exclusions are reported to the STATE.  This is not to deter you from sending students who need to be sent out of class for disruption, defiance and/or disrespect. 

Please access the Accountable for Learning (the renamed Refusal to Work) for students to complete work at lunch time.

REFERRAL/EXCLUSION for the 3 D's (disruption, disrespect, defiance)

1.  Referral Form is filled out and sent

2. Student is sent immediately to the office

3.  You follow up via PS with families

4. Office takes care of students by calling parents and assigning discipline. 

REFERRAL (student does NOT need to be sent to the office.  Admin/Counselors will follow up)

1.  3 Tardies periods 2-7

2. Dress Code

3.  Cell phone

4.  3D's with a guest teacher

ACCOUNTABLE for LEARNING (lunch time)

*Student is not using the given class time to complete tasks

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Interim Assessment Block

If you are ELA/MATH/SST and possibly SCIENCE, this might be of help to you. :D 

Middle Level Standards

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Something to Ponder

Listened to the podcast this morning titled:  The New Kind of Diversity.  The focus is on the new diversity which is recognizing the challenges of generational diversity in the workplace.  The first few minutes caught me!  The statistics and quotes-WOW!  "Instead of being frustrated let's be fascinated."  "If we say we are life-long learners, here's our challenge..."

How to communicate with different generations.  Look at our own staff.  Which generation are you?  Our students are another generation we have to consider.  As you listen, I hope you have an A-Ha or Amen moment! :d  And of course a gold nugget.

Thursday Thriller October 26, 2023

 Thursday Thriller
October 26, 2023

Photos from the Field

Healthy Living Week activities during lunch were a HIT!  Thank you, Steve and Nicole M for planning the week and organizing volunteers to attend!

NUTS-n-BOLTS

1.   An idea I was thinking about in regards to students who are failing.  What if they had to bring around a good ole 'paper pencil' grade check sheet?  Students get the sheet from the office, take it around to their teachers write the grade, brief note if needed and at the end of the day the student brings it back to the office.  We can look at this from an SST point of view; who needs support.  I know we have Skyward and students can check their grades.  The student could even fill out the grade, write the missing assignments and the teacher initials it.  This would also be good for all of our athletes. It's nothing classroom teachers have to manage.  This will be on the students to complete but managed from counselors, admin, Yaneth and Grace.  Recommendations, ideas?

2.  Music concert tonight at 7:00 -band, choir and orchestra.  Best of luck, Roger and Caleb

3.  You have heard students whistling in the hallways or outside.  The whistling is gang code.  I have spoken to the whistlers and said no more.  Just something to be aware of.

4.  SST meetings for grade levels will begin next week.  Nicole M sent out calendar reminders.

5.    IEP meetings-we had 3 teachers come to a student's IEP meeting yesterday!! WHOOP!! WHOOP!! Nicole and I worked with Union reps on a spreadsheet that could be sent out to all staff for upcoming IEPS (we are finalizing it).  By doing so, this would allow teachers to sign up for at least 3 IEPS to attend for the year.  Of course, you can attend anyone of your student's IEPS. This was an idea to plan ahead so Tobi isn't scrambling the day before or day of to find a gen ed teacher which is legally required. Stay tuned...

6.    Thank you for uploading your eval goals.  Some of you have shared them and will receive feedback today to upload them.  Tuesday, Oct. 31st is the day they must be uploaded.  If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

7.    Nicole D is working next Friday's preliminary schedule for the half day for 6th-7th grade students. I will make a recording for just 8th grade students in regards to the mock interviews. Robin had some ideas of how she was going to work in the short videos Mike shared last Friday. 

8.    We will plan on NOVEMBER 22nd -half day before Thanksgiving break for our activity day.  Please let me know if there is something missing.  We cannot have activity day the Friday before on the 17th because our 7th grade students will be going to the Whitman Mission on a field trip.

9.   Nicole has sent out an email to the staff she supervises to set up observations.  Those of you who I supervise...I'm a little slow on the draw😬.  I will send out communication tomorrow so that you can begin setting up your observations.  Most of you are FOCUSED so we have just one formal observation with a pre observation and a post. 

10.    *****If you and colleagues need time to plan, create, look over data, visit other classrooms, other programs, other buildings etc. tell me what you need. Green sheet time-you got it?  Release days-you got it.  Nicole and I are here to help and support.  If time is what you need, please talk to us.

11.  Thank you again for those of you that volunteered to participate in the Learning Walks AND for opening up your classrooms to observe. Nicole and I heard some great feedback.

Something to Ponder

Voice and choice, whether you're an adult or a child/teen, it's a rare thing to find someone who enjoys being told what to do. It's just in our nature. "Psychological reactance" - the more someone insists you do something, the less inclined you are to actually do it. I wanted to bring this up for all of us, especially us adults, to mull over.

Let's reflect on those days back in August. If Nicole and I had structured those days where we did all the talking, spoon-feeding you information for a full seven hours, I bet you would've been pretty ticked off.  Probably sneaking off to the bathroom for extended breaks, feeling frustrated, and maybe even shutting down a bit. And honestly, who could blame you? In that scenario, we were the gatekeepers of all the knowledge.

Instead, we tried to set things up differently. We delivered the info, assigned tasks, and let teams work at their own speed. Which approach do you think triggered that psychological reactance less, and placed the cognitive load where it belongs, on the teachers?

Disclaimer alert:  There are times when it's necessary for teachers to be the knowledge gatekeepers and deliver things systematically. But when I've walked through classrooms over the years, I've noticed a common theme in the ones where students are really taking the wheel and investing in their learning. Those classrooms are the ones where students have a say, where they have a voice and a choice.

So, when you ponder your own classes, take a minute to think about the opportunities you provide for students to have some agency, a bit of that voice and choice. Some of you have explored the idea of Choice Boards.  Here is an article on what those are and how they can be put to good use.

I know some of you are experimenting with various projects, giving students the chance to move at their own pace. These opportunities for voice and choice, they really go a long way, for both the young ones and us grown-ups. I'm learning and practicing, with mistakes. Hope you find a gold nugget in all this! 

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