Thursday Thriller May 1, 2025

 Thursday Thriller
May 1, 2025

NUTS-n-BOLTS

1.    Don't forget that our Student Success Showcase is coming up on May 19 from 5:30-7:00 pm. Certificated staff get 1.5 hours for planning/set up and 1.5 hours for the event. The cafeteria will be serving spaghetti, salad, and bread.

Sign up your department for their activity here by May 12, please. We need to know how many tables/where they go for set up purposes. Also, don't forget to start saving examples of student work! This is a great chance for our students to show off what they've done this year, and upcoming 5th graders really appreciate the first look at what they'll be doing next year. 

2.    The Staff Achievement Award is one of the highest honors because it’s driven by your colleagues—those who nominate you, write heartfelt letters on your behalf, and want to celebrate just how incredible you are! This award is open to both classified and certificated staff.

If you’d like to nominate a colleague, you can use the link below. Nicole F. and I are happy to support you with the nomination process and letters—though they mean even more when they come directly from fellow staff members!

CLOSES MAY 10th

Nomination Link

3.  Please join me in welcoming Stephanie Alvarado to our team on Monday, May 5th! She will be our new Assistant Secretary/Receptionist. Stephanie is a Milton-Freewater native and currently serves as the receptionist at Gib Elementary, so she’s already familiar with the role. We’re excited to have her with us!

4.  Next week begins SBA testing. We will minimize calls and announcements to classrooms. The schedule is on the HUB. If you have questions, please reach out to either Yaz or Agnes, Assessment Coordinators to help answer your questions. WE GOT THIS!

5. It is that time of year for eval aka Spawn of Satan! The system of eval is the Spawn-not the conversations that we Nicole and I get to have with each of you. Here is a Google doc to sign up for a time to meet with your evaluator. Please come prepared to share evidence of your professional growth goals that you set in October. What were your greatest challenges?  Greatest joys? What did you learn about yourself and students? Sign up for your EOY conference on this Google doc.

   ***Classified Staff-please sign up on the SAME Google doc. 

6.  Teacher Appreciation Week is next week May 5-8th. We have some special treats each day for our AMAZING GARRISON TEACHERS!

7. Master Schedule Update – We’re actively putting all the pieces together! During your End-of-Year Evaluation conversation, Nicole and I will share your teaching assignment for the upcoming school year. We’re about 85% confident it won’t change, but as always, there’s a 15% chance for adjustments based on student needs. :) We map everything out on the whiteboard, transfer that info to Skyward, run schedules, check for errors, adjust the schedule, and then repeat the process—so it does take some time. Thanks for your patience as we make sure the schedule works best for meeting the needs of all our students!

8. Building Days in August- Our building directed days in August will be 12th-14th with our 6th grade orientation and Back to School event will be on the 14th with 6th grade orientation, families tour the building, meet teachers; especially an Open House. 

CALENDAR of EVENTS

•     May 5-8 Teacher Appreciation Week and 1st Week of SBA    
•     May 12-16th 2nd Week of SBA, GC Summit 4:00-6:00 @ SeaTech
•     Tuesday, May 13th -District Band Festival @ 7:00PM
•     Wednesday, May 14th -Evening Play performance for GMS @ 7:00PM
•     Thursday, May 15th-NJHS Induction Ceremony @ 7:00PM
•     Friday, May 16th -Drama Club Performance for Students periods 1-2 and 5-6-details to come
•     Monday, May 19th -Student Success Night 5:30-7:00PM
•     Tuesday, May 27th -Garrison Band and Choir Concert @ 7:00PM
•     Wednesday, May 28th - EOY Garrison Staff Celebration @ 2:45, Garrison Orchestra Concert @ 7:00PM
•     Friday, May 30th -8th Grade Business Convention
•     Tuesday, June 3rd -Recognition and Activity Day
•     Wednesday, June 4th -District EOY Celebration from 3:00-4:00 @ the WA HI Commons
•     Friday, June 6th-Last Day of School, Dismissal @ 12:25

Something to Ponder

I reviewed the building survey results shared by Keith Swanson with the admin team, reflecting on both those and our CEE data. During this process, I came across a blog post that made me think. I’m not sure I agree with the phrase, "There's nothing to do, it just is," when it comes to culture. While culture does naturally evolve, what are the key factors that differentiate a school or organization with a positive culture from one with a negative culture? Do you notice certain class periods with a stronger culture? Have you experienced any differences?

The blog, written by Jason Fried, is titled Culture is the Last 50 Days—a quick and interesting read. I haven’t listened to the podcast with Ryan Hawke, but the link is there if you’d like to check it out. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Hope you find a gold nugget!

Culture Is The Last 50 Days
Culture simply happens. It's emergent behavior. There's nothing to do, it just is. A company's culture is a 50-day moving average. It's what you've been collectively doing as a company over the last 50 days. Jason Fried and I (Ryan Hawk)had a good conversation about this on episode #538. He also wrote this short essay about it.

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WISE WORDS
“That’s your responsibility as a person, a human being... To constantly be updating your positions on as many things as possible. And if you don’t contradict yourself on a regular basis, then you’re not thinking.” - Malcolm Gladwell