Staff Update Week of December 18th, 2023

Important Dates

12/20     Staff Meeting 7:30am   

12/20     Band/Choir Concert (2nd period in Gym)

12/20       PTSO Meeting 6:30pm

12/21      PBIS 2nd Quarter Incentive 

1/4          Return to School

1/15          MLK Day- No School

1/24         Staff Meeting 7:30am

Important Information

Thank You

Thank you to everyone for all their hard work this first semester.  It has been great continuing to work with everyone.  I know everyone is ready for a break.  I hope you get the opportunity to relax and recharge over the holidays.

Last Week of Semester 

Please make sure you are keeping your students engaged this final week.   Do not give your students "free time".     You need to be instructing students and working with them to keep them actively learning.  

Engaged kids = behaved kids. 

Locker Clean-Out

Monday-  First Floor

Tuesday-  Second Floor

Please help monitor students and make sure they are cleaning out their lockers.

We may extend homeroom a few minutes.....I will let you know.

Keep an eye out for extra Chromebooks in students' lockers

Parent Communication

Just a friendly reminder that Parent Communication is an essential part of our jobs.  Although we provide many ways for parents to monitor their student's progress (Schoology, Powerschool, etc), many parents do not take advantage of this.

If students are missing multiple assignments in your class, you need to reach out to them and let them know.  A simple email can make parents aware of the missing assignments and perhaps get the student to complete their work.

Bookbags

Students are not permitted to carry bookbags around school.  This includes 8th period.  Do not allow students to carry them or enter your room with a bookbag

*  Keep in mind there are a few kid with medical needs so they are permitted to use them.

Band/ Choir Concert

On Wednesday, our band and choir students will be performing in the gym 2nd period.  This will take the entire period and may go slightly into 3rd period.

Please sit with students in the bleachers and make sure they are behaving.

We will not be running an adjusted bell schedule.

PBIS 2nd Quarter Incentive

Thank you to Amy Clendenning and the PBIS team for organizing the Holiday Carnival Events.  Information and schedules have been emailed to you.  

PBIS Ambassadors will be excused from classes all day to help run the events.

We will not be running an adjusted bell schedule.

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

60- Second Strategy:  The Hot Seat

6 Non-Education Books with Lessons for Teachers

 Staff Update Week of December 11th, 2023

Important Dates

12/20     Staff Meeting 7:30am

12/20     Band/Choir Concert (2nd period in Gym)

12/20       PTSO Meeting 6:30pm

12/21      PBIS 2nd Quarter Incentive 

Important Information

Beach Trivia

Congrats to Jessica Vahcic for completing the "hidden" Beach Trivia in last week's bulletin and winning the gift card raffle.

PTSO Pie in the Face

PTSO will be selling raffle tickets during lunch this week for students to throw a pie in a teacher's face.  Thank you Nick Stankus, Michelle Rawlinson, Jack Archual, and Rick Johnson for volunteering.  The event will take place during the PBIS Holiday Carnival.

Spirit Week

This week is Spirit Week.

Monday-  Pajama Day (students do not pay)

Tuesday-  Twin Day

Wednesday-  Wacky Winter Day

Thursday-  Favorite Holiday Character Day

Friday-  Freaky Friday (Students dress like staff and vice versa)

Student Counsel 

Student Council members will be participating in the holiday door decorating contest starting on Monday.

 Band Field Trips

Band students will be taking field trips on Friday December 15th and Monday, December 18th.  They will be missing classes in the morning.

Monitor Hallways

We all know kids are going to start "acting up" prior to winter break.  Please be in the hallways between classes.  This will help keep things under control.

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

Effective use of Data in your Classroom

Exploring Writing, Social Studies, and Math in a Map Challenge

 Staff Update Week of December 4th, 2023

Important Dates

12/5       Principal Meeting (@ EMS 8am )

12/6       PTSO Meeting 6:30pm

12/7       Career Day

12/10      Fire Drill 1:40pm

12/20     Staff Meeting 7:30am

12/20     Band/Choir Concert (2nd period in Gym)

12/21      PBIS 2nd Quarter Incentive 

Important Information

Career Day (12/7)

8th graders will be participating in Career Day on Thursday, December 7th.  More information will be emailed to teachers this week.  Thank you to Leah Leshnack for organizing.

PBIS 2nd Quarter Incentive

Thank you PBIS team for organizing the PBIS Holiday Carnival on 12/21.  More information will be distributed as we get closer.  

Gradebooks

A minimum of 70% of a student's grade should be based on assessment.  I have been monitoring gradebooks and speaking with teachers who seem to need some assistance with this expectation.

Assessments should be used on a regular basis to measure student learning.  Therefore, I expect at least one assessment grade per week in your gradebook.  Assessments come in many different formats and do not need always be a test or quiz.  

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

Evidence-Based Approach Improves Student Behavior and Engagement

Yet Another Article from your Principal about Differentiation 

Improving Your Pre-Assessments

 Staff Update Week of November 27th, 2023

Thanksgiving Feast

Important Dates

11/27     No School

12/5       Principal Meeting (@ EMS 8am )

12/7       Career Day

12/10      Fire Drill 1:40pm

12/20     Staff Meeting 7:30am

12/20     Band/Choir Concert (2nd period in Gym)

12/21      PBIS 2nd Quarter Incentive 

Important Information

Depth of Knowledge

Please review this article  about DOK in your classroom.  Although there are times when Levels 1 and 2 may be necessary, most of our instruction should be at levels 3 and 4.  As I conduct walk-throughs, I will be notating what DOK your instruction is at.  

-  Filling in a worksheet with students answering questions that are simply right or wrong is DOK level 1.  

Pie in the Face?

The EMS PTSO will be selling raffle tickets for students to be able to "Pie a Teacher".  So far, myself and Mr. Ramming have "volunteered" to be pied.  I am hoping we can get a few more teachers to volunteer.  Please let me know if you would be willing.  I will be coming around and asking  this week.  Thank you in advance.

Safety Update

Phones have been purchased.  Every room will have a phone.  I am not sure when they will be installed (perhaps over winter break)

Locks for doors have been purchased.  Any doorknob that does not have a simple way of locking from inside the room will be replaced (replaced over winter break)

I realize the window coverings for your doors are not the best, but I strongly feel they are a necessary safety precaution to have in place.  These are temporary (this year).  I plan on purchasing "blinds" for each door at the beginning of next year.

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

Is Great Teaching Sustainable?

9 Tips for Using AI for Learning

Improving Your Pre-Unit Assessments

 Staff Update Week of November 13th, 2023

Congrats to Stephanie Black and the the EMS choir for a great fall concert 

Important Dates

11/15     EMS PTSO Meeting 6:30pm

11/20    Fire Drill 8:45am

11/22     Staff Meeting 7:30am  Cancelled

11/23     Thanksgiving (no school)

11/24     No School

11/27     No School

12/5       Principal Meeting held at EMS 8am 

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. 

Instructional Rounds

Interested in getting out of your classroom for a couple of hours?  Want an opportunity to watch your colleagues teach?  I am looking for a few volunteers to participate in Instructional Rounds.  Please email me if you are interested.

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

53 Easy Differentiation Strategies for Your Classroom

15 Assessment Activities That are Fast, Fun, and Formative

 Staff Update Week of November 6th, 2023

 

Important Dates

11/7      PD Day 

11/8      Chorus Concert (North High School 7pm)

11/15     EMS PTSO Meeting 6:30pm

11/23     Thanksgiving (no school)

11/24     No School

11/27     No School

Important Information

Conferences

Again, thank you for your professionalism during conferences.  Congratulations to Derek Grabski for winning the coveted "Last Teacher Stuck at Conferences Award".  I am sure the science department is very proud to keep the award in their department.  

PD Day

All teachers will be meeting at South High School in the morning.  Information was emailed out.  Please make sure you are on time.

When we return to the building in the afternoon, we will have a staff meeting in Dr. Grabski's room at 12:15

Trauma Informed Schools Staff  Training

All teachers are required to receive Trauma Informed Schools training.  We will be doing this once a month during PLC meetings.  Teachers that do not meet weekly for PLCs will be added to a PLC for the training (we will get you coverage).  More info to come.

Here are the dates for the first training sessions:

6th Grade PLC:  Tuesday, November 14th, 5th Period, Dr. Grabski's room

7th Grade PLC:  Wednesday, November 8th, 7th Period, Mr. Johnson's room

8th Grade PLC:  Thursday, November 9th, 1st Period, Mr. Cramer's room

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

Marzano's High Yield Instructional Strategies

7 Smart Fast Ways to do Formative Assessments

 Staff Update Week of October 30th, 2023

Dr. Grabski handing out Cheetos at Trunk or Treat

 

Important Dates

10/30     Fire Drill 10:22am

 11/1      Parent Teacher Conferences  (3:30-7:30)

11/7      PD Day 

11/8      Chorus Concert (North High School 7pm)

11/15     EMS PTSO Meeting 6:30pm

11/23     Thanksgiving (no school)

11/24     No School

11/27     No School

Important Information

PBIS 

Our students had a lot of fun on Friday during their "Choice Time".  Thank you to the PBIS team for taking the time to organize all of the events.  

At-Risk/ Possible Failure Sheet

If students are not doing well in your class (D or F), you need to be contacting parents.  Although their are countless tools for parents to utilize to keep up with their student's grades, we all know that many parents do not do this.  Make sure you are contacting parents and documenting the communication on the  At Risk / Possible Failure List sheet.

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

Making Connections With Greetings at the Door

Dogfooding: How Often Do You Do Your Own Assignments?

Crumble and Shoot Game

 Staff Update Week of October 23rd, 2023

  Osborne Park hosted their annual Pumpkin Chucking contest this past Saturday.  EMS had multiple teams at the event.

Important Dates

10/23     Grades Due (Quarter 1)

10/25    Staff Meeting 7:30am   Canceled

10/25     Report Cards Posted

10/27     PTSO Truck or Treat

10/30     Fire Drill 10:22am

 11/1      Parent Teacher Conferences  (3:30-7:30)

11/7      PD Day 

11/8      Chorus Concert (North High School 7pm)

Important Information

Trebuchet Teams

Congratulations to Kirk Dressel for leading our 7th and 8th grade Trebuchet Teams to victory this past Saturday.  The 7th grade team won the middle school division with a throw of 125 feet.  The 8th grade team came in second place.  The kids had a great time and it was wonderful to see many staff members at Osborne park supporting our students.  Great job Kirk!

Here are some pics and videos of the event.

Fox 8 was at the competition.  I will share the video once they post it online.

Alice Drill

The district is requiring that we do an ALICE drill sometime this week.  Although we recently completed our first "lockdown drill" this year, we need to do another following the district protocols.

The ALICE drill will be Tuesday, 8th Period

For this drill, teachers will need to review the district ALICE slideshow with students.

I will come on announcements and explain to students that teachers will be reviewing the slideshow with them.   Since we already reviewed scenarios during our last "lockdown drill", that is all that will need to be done during this drill.  Based on the number of slides, I believe this will take about 15 minutes.

Please make sure you preview the material prior to 8th period Tuesday.

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

How Trebuchets Work

Increasing the Value of Graphic Organizers

 Staff Update Week of October 16th, 2023

Congratulations to Mr. Johnson for winning the "Last Teacher Stuck at Conferences Award".  He wasn't very cooperative having his photos taken for this prestigious award.

  

Important Dates

10/18     End of Quarter 1

10/18     Staff Flu Shot Day

10/23     Grades Due (Quarter 1)

10/25    Staff Meeting 7:30am 

10/25     Report Cards Posted

10/27     PTSO Truck or Treat

 11/1      Parent Teacher Conferences  (3:30-7:30)

Important Information

Conferences

Thank you all for your professionalism at conferences.  I heard good feedback from parents after speaking with many of you.  Based on feedback from many teachers, we will go back to scheduling conferences (starting in the spring).

Fall Athletics

Round of applause to all of our staff members that coached our students this fall.  Thank you to Jaimie Livorse, Brett Ramming, Chrissy Mitchell, Amy Dittebrand, and Jeff Steinmetz for giving our students a positive experience.

Trauma Informed Schools Staff Training

All teachers are required to receive Trauma Informed Schools training.  We will be doing this once a month during PLC meetings.  Teachers that do not meet weekly for PLCs will be added to a PLC for the training (we will get you coverage).  More info to come.

Here are the dates for the first training sessions:

6th Grade PLC:  Tuesday, November 7th, 5th Period, Mr. Grabski's room

7th Grade PLC:  Wednesday, November 8th, 7th Period, Mr. Johnson's room

8th Grade PLC:  Thursday, November 9th, 1st Period, Mr. Cramer's room

Observations

For those of you that are being Formally Observed this year, please make sure you get an observation scheduled with sometime during the first semester.  The majority of our staff is being Formally Observed this year, so please get your observation scheduled soon (please do not wait until the last week of December).

If you are being Informally Observed, just let me know when you would like me to stop in for an observation.  No need for any paperwork and I will need little notice (same day notice might be possible).

Halloween

I will be sending home information to parents and students with rules for dressing up for Halloween this year.  Tuesday, October 31st.

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

A Starter Kit for Differentiated Instruction

How to Differentiate your Classroom like a Pro

  Staff Update Week of October 9th, 2023

Important Dates

10/6-     Picture Retakes

10/11     Parent Teacher Conferences (3:30-7:30)

10/18     Staff Flu Shot Day

 11/1      Parent Teacher Conferences  (3:30-7:30)

Important Information

Not much to update everyone on this week.

Instructional Strategy of the Week

Project/Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

Using project- or problem-based learning, students gain knowledge and skills through working to investigate and respond to an authentic and complex question, problem, or challenge. The project takes place over an extended period of time, with content and instruction integrated into the project. Projects involve a real-world context and are driven by student inquiry. 

For more information on PBL, watch this introduction to PBL from Common Sense Media.

Resources for Project Based Learning

• Gold Standard PBL: Essential Project Design Elements - Log into a free account to access this resource and learn about the components of this PBL model.
• PBLWorks Resources - This website provides a collection of resources to help educators design and implement PBL projects.
• Edutopia Resources for Project-Based Learning - Edutopia provides educators resources and materials to explore PBL, including classroom examples.

• Problem-Based Learning from Cornell University - Cornell University's Center for Teaching Innovation walks educators through the process of implementing PBL projects that center around an open-ended problem. 

Good Professional Reading (or Watching)

Four Formative Instructional Practices That Drive Student Growth

Using Student-Generated Questions to Promote Deeper Thinking