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!!

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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.