Staff Update Week of January 6, 2025

Important Dates

1/6-                Staff and Students Return

1/20-             MLK Day.  No School

1/23-            Fire Drill  8:45am

1/22-            Smiles Program (Dental Care at school)

1/23-            8th Grade HS experience Night at North

1/28-           Career Day

1/29-            EMS PTSO Dine and Donate (Marco's Pizza)

1/30-            Writing Revolution PD

2/14-            Valentines Day

2/17-            President's Day.  No School

2/24-           Fire Drill  1:40pm

Important Information

Return to School

Our students have a tendency to forget rules and expectations after being out of school for a couple of weeks.  Please plan on reviewing our "non-negotiables" and other expectations with students upon their return.

Monitor Halls

Please stand at your door between periods.  Not only does this help curb negative behavior, but it is also a nice gesture to greet students as they enter your room.

Gradebooks

Reminder, 70% of a student's grade should be based on assessment.  Cut the fluff.   

You should have at least one assessment grade per week in your gradebook.

This will be discussed further in PLCs

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

Quick Instructional Videos (Try something new.....)

 Staff Update Week of December 9th

Important Dates

12/17-            Band Concert 7pm (EMS Gym)

12/18-            2nd period Band and Choir Concert in Gym

12/18-            Fire Drill 2:28pm

12/20-            PTSO provided lunch for staff

12/20-             PBIS Holiday Carnival Day

Important Information

Band & Chorus Concert

The in school Band and Chorus concert will be 2nd period on 12/18.  This was originally scheduled for 7th period.  We will call students down to the gym over the announcements.  Please sit with students in the bleachers.

Hallway Decorations

Please start cleaning up the hallways on Monday.  All hallways must be clear of decorations by Wednesday at 3pm.  Please make sure every piece of tape is off the walls and ceilings.  Scott and his crew should not have to clean any of this up.  Thank you.

Holiday Carnival

The gym and cafeteria will be used for our PBIS Holiday Carnival on 12/20

Each grade level will have an hour at the Carnival.  Please have students leave their supplies in the lockers.  We will call students down to the gym via the announcements.

*  Please refer to the email from Amy Clendenning for more details

            6th Grade    8:50-9:50

            8th Grade    10:00-11:00

            7th Grade    2:00-3:00

Winter Break

I hope everyone has a great, relaxing winter break.  Thank you for everything you do each day to make a positive impact on the lives of our students.  

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

9 Ways to Unwind and Rejuvenate

Click here if you are a Browns fan.  Steeler fans...stay away.

 Staff Update Week of December 9th

Donuts and Juice at the Academic Awards Assembly

Important Dates

12/11-            7th Grade Field Trip

12/12-            Writing Revolution Day 3

12/13-            8th Grade Band Students to Longfellow

12/17-            Band Concert 7pm (EMS Gym)

12/18-            2nd period Band and Choir Concert in Gym

12/18-            Fire Drill 2:28pm

12/20-            PTSO provided lunch for staff

12/20-             PBIS Holiday Carnival Day

Important Information

Informal/ Formal Observations

I would love to try to get some more observations completed prior to Winter Break.  Please let me know if there is a day/time I can come observe.

Home Sporting Events

We have two home basketball games and a home wrestling meet this week.  Please consider sticking around and watching part of a game/match.  Your students love when they see you in the crowd supporting them.

Writing Revolution PD (12/12)

Our 3rd Session of Writing Revolution is scheduled for Thursday

Here is the schedule for teachers:

6th period-  7th Grade teachers, Murfey, Dressel, Forcht, Rhomberg, Black

7th period- 8th Grade teachers, Dishong, Michalski, Ramming

8th period- 6th Grade teachers, McQueen, Minichello,, Seddon

Rigor and Engagement

We still have two weeks before break.  Please make sure you are planning rigorous and engaging lessons.  Assessments should be used on a regular basis to measure student learning.   Kids that are engaged are kids that are behaved.  

PLCs    

Unit teachers and Specials teachers are reminded that they are welcome to attend a grade level PLC anytime.  I know many of you have classes during these meeting times.  I will get you coverage so you can attend.  Just let me know

6th Grade-  Tuesdays 3rd Period

7th Grade-  Wednesdays 1st Period

8th Grade-  Thursdays 7th Period

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

A day in the life of a child with ADHD

5-to-1 Ratio Approach Helps Prevent Behavior Challenges in the Classroom

  Staff Update Weeks of November 25th and December 2nd

Congratulations to our honored teachers

Important Dates

11/25-        Fire Drill  10:23am

11/28-12/2    Thanksgiving Break

12/6-            First Quarter Academic Awards (1st-3rd periods)

12/11-            7th Grade Field Trip

12/12-            Writing Revolution Day 3

12/13-            8th Grade Band Students to Longfellow

12/17-            Band Concert 7pm (EMS Gym)

12/18-            7th period Band and Choir Concert in Gym

12/20-            PTSO provided lunch for staff

Important Information

1st Quarter Academic Awards

We will be having our 1st Quarter Academic Awards assemblies on Friday, December 6th.  This will be done by grade level.  Each grade level will be called down to the cafeteria.  Any student that earned a 3.0 or above will receive a certificate.  Once all names have been read, students that did not earn above a 3.0 will go back to class.  Students that earned above a 3.0 will stay for donuts.  Same process we did for 2023-24 Academic Awards.

1st period-  7th Grade

2nd period-  8th Grade

3rd period-  6th Grade

Hallways

The hallways look great.  I am hearing many complements from parents and visitors.  Please make sure you are monitoring the hallways to ensure students are not knocking down the decorations.  If this becomes a problems for our students, then we will need to take everything down immediately.  

Parent Communication

If students are receiving a D or an F in your class, please make sure you contact their parents.  This is a requirement.  

It is also encouraged to send positive emails home to parents for students that need a bit of encouragement.  Getting parents to see that you are working hard to teach and motivate their kids helps tremendously.

Thanksgiving Break

I hope everyone enjoys their well deserved Thanksgiving break with family and friends.  Only 3 weeks left in the quarter once we return.  Finish strong!

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

How Teacher Leaders Can Tangibly Improve Their PLCs

Thanksgiving Activities for MS Teachers

 Staff Update Week of November 18th, 2024

Important Dates

11/18-      Kindergarten Visit

11/19-      PTO Fundraiser (Moe's Southwest Grill-  Dine and Donate)

11/21-        Band Concert 7pm

11/25-        Fire Drill  10:23am

11/28-12/2    Thanksgiving Break

12/11-            7th Grade Field Trip

12/12-            Writing Revolution Day 3

12/13-            8th Grade Band Students to Longfellow

12/18-            7th period Band and Choir Concert in Gym

12/20-            PTSO provided lunch for staff

Important Information

Holiday Walk Thru

Please refer to the email from Casey for details about the Kindergarten visit on Monday at 9am

Board Meeting

At the beginning of every school board meeting, a school is highlight.  This month is EMS's turn.  A few students from the Aviator Team will be discussing how the Portrait of a Graduate ties into what they having been learning in 6th grade.  We also have a few of our staff members being honored with awards.  The board meetings can be viewed online.

Academic Engagement

Please continue to keep students focused on their academics.  We still have a lot of time before winter break.  Please keep students in your classrooms and engaged on your content standards.  Make sure you are consistently assessing what your kids know and what they are struggling with.

Laker Time

Core Teachers (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies) must pull students that are struggling during Laker Time.  They should be communicating with Specials Teachers to ensure students are attending.   If students are refusing to attend, please make me aware ASAP. 

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

Often, Dave Eberly likes to brag to me about all of the touchdown passes he throws during recess at Thomas Jefferson.  Recently he as partnered with the United Way to help these Elementary Students.

I was able to find some video of his recess adventures.  Please be sure to congratulate Dave for is mentoring of these future EMS students.

Eberly at TJ recess

  Staff Update Week of November 11th, 2024

Thank you to everyone that helped out afterschool last Thursday.  

Important Dates

11/11-      Veterans Day

11/19-      PTO Fundraiser (Moe's Southwest Grill-  Dine and Donate

11/21-        Band Concert 7pm

11/25-        Fire Drill  10:23am

11/28-12/2    Thanksgiving Break

Important Information

Classroom Discipline

Just a reminder....if students are not following your classroom expectations for behavior, please issue them consequences.  If you have already issued a student a lunch detention and their behavior does not improve, it is time to issue an after school detention.  

Walk-Through Observations

I am very please with the instruction I am seeing from our staff on a daily basis.  Please keep up the good work.  I will be collecting data through walk-through evaluations.  If I stop in your classroom with a laptop, that is what I am doing. 

PowerSchool- Log Entries

Please make sure you are filling out all the "pieces and parts" of the log entries for Discipline Log Entries.  This includes:  location of event, time of event, attempted interventions, etc.

All Log Entries should be marked as "Minor".  I will change it to "Major" if the student received a Saturday School, in school suspension, or out of school suspension.  This will assist us with our PBIS data

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

Methods for Managing Late Work

Organizing Students for Learning

  Staff Update Week of November 4th, 2024

Important Dates

11/4-        Writing Revolution PD (PLCs)

11/5-        PD Day 

11/6-         Choir Concert 7pm

11/11-      Veterans Day

11/19-      PTO Fundraiser (Moe's Southwest Grill-  Dine and Donate

11/21-        Band Concert 7pm

11/25-        Fire Drill  10:23am

11/28-12/2    Thanksgiving Break

Important Information

Writing Revolution PD (11/4)

Our 2nd Session of Writing Revolution is scheduled for Monday

    Here is the schedule for teachers:

6th period-  7th Grade teachers, Murfey, Dressel, Forcht, Rhomberg, Black

7th period- 8th Grade teachers, Dishong, Michalski, Ramming

8th period- 6th Grade teachers, McQueen, Minichello,, Seddon

PD Day (Tuesday)

Please refer to the email I sent everyone about PD Day.  If you have not signed up for your session yet, please make sure you do that on Monday

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

How does the Electoral College Work?