Winfield Middle School Staff Blog
Board Report
April 7, 2016
#confidence
#invictus
#thatschool
#onthemap
INVICTUS
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
William Ernest Henley
The author, Henley, lost his foot and part of his leg to illness yet he still carries this positive and overcoming outlook on his life. He is NOT afraid and makes that clear with this writing.
Follow the link above.
All in the “B” building
Math teachers volunteered to go down to the Spanish Room
I will be coming by asking about your plans for the summer and PD work.
We discussed a few of our end of the year items: Planners and the Handbook, Track accolades, Rage to Reason, Grades due this weekend, Contact parents before giving failing grades, when does zero equal 50? Pass/Fail in Ac Lab, Follow IEP for SPED student's grades
Attendance Numbers
From the data, it appears the Pizza Challenge made an impact on our attendance. We are also focusing on those students in the 88-90% range as well: our “A” Team. We expect this to have an impact and are looking for ways to support our wards while they are with us.
FLAT STANLEY
How do our Flat Stanley Visits look? I, personally know about a few travelers.
Petrified forests, the desert, around the world, a camp fire???
Schedule:
Friday - April 8th
Chess Trip
“A” Team visit for students on the 90/90 cusp.
Saturday - April 9th
Track at Louisiana at 9:30
ACT Test @ 8:00
Monday - April 11th
Binder Meetings - MATH / ELA Map final preparations - Terri out today
Tuesday - April 12th
Track at Fulton at 4:00
Board of Education Meeting @ 6:30 - New members
Wednesday - April 13th
Principals' meeting @ Wydown MS in Clayton - 8:00 AM
Jay Reese at CO Board meeting
Thursday - April 14th
PBiS in Davis’ Room
Track at Montgomery County at 4:00
Friday - April 15th
Tax Day (Extended to the 18th this year)
Assembly - Ac Lab Challenge and Spring Sports
“A” Team
Myra Collins to return to view and feedback with MATH.
Middle School DodgeBall Tournament
Upcoming at the Middle School
Block Schedule
To align with the high school, the middle school will be following a modified block schedule.
MAP TESTING
Middle School
May 5th & 6th
May 10th & 11th
SUMMER SCHOOL
This year, we will be inviting students to summer school based on attendance and achievement in MATH and ELA. Candidate lists are being compiled right now.
SUMMER ACADEMY
Another transition program to ease students into the high school routine is called the SUMMER ACADEMY. Eighth Grade candidates will be selected, invited and hosted to participate in this outstanding, acclaimed program. Activities at the High School build connections, relationships and prepare the students with a boost and head start as they transition to the complex world of high school. FACT: a student with a poor freshman year is far more likely to drop out and never recover from the setback of the credit system. High school students must earn over 22 high school credits to graduate. Successful completion of the SUMMER ACADEMY gets students off on the right foot with their first .5 credit, before they even enter August!
SIx Flags - May 12th
4/8 Chess Club Field Trip
4/22 City Museum - Reading Counts Award
4/29 National Junior Honor Society Induction
5/4 Spencer Library - Meet the Author
5/5 MAP Testing - Middle School
5/6 MAP Testing - Middle School
5/9 MAP Testing - Middle School
5/10 MAP Testing - Middle School
5/11 MAP Testing - Middle School
5/12 Six Flags - Leadership
5/16 Field Day - Middle School
5/18 Chris’s Cakes for Attendance and Student of the Month
5/19 8th Grade BBQ & Walk-Out (8th grade graduation)
5/20 Teacher Checkout
Teacher PD - Summer Stipend Days
Discipline Numbers
Interesting Discipline numbers. Let’s continue to address the little stuff to minimize the big stuff. I don’t mind these numbers like this knowing we are heading into the end. It is better to stay with them all the way in than quit early. Thanks
Thanks for investing some of your summers in planning for success:
NOTHING IS AUTOMATIC!
Some of our tasks surround these activities:
Align the standards with our Pacing Guide to continue to build an outline and framework for assessments. Connect the standards with DOK, SWBAT and other meaningful activities,
Rich Hill Staff and faculty of Winfield Middle School have been in a discussion about the effects of poverty and socio-economic status on academic achievement levels. After watching this film, more of a stream of consciousness behind the two young men from Rich Hill, we had to rejuvenate ourselves. Invictus was our response and reminded us to draw from within, remember our own successes and serve those in other stations based on our quality, not theirs.
eValuate Data
Cycle A
Cycle B
Middle School Character Words of the Month
January Integrity - Doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.
February Consideration - Careful thought over time, not rushing into things, going slow and breathing.
March Empathy - Seeing the world through another’s eyes.
April Confidence - The assurance that you accomplish the task before you.
Note the way our building wide vocabulary lessons focus on the needs of our students.
Conclusion
Movie Review: Rich Hill - Watching this film reminded me of a stream of consciousness recording of these three young men. A few things happened in my mind and thought process
- I saw the same behaviors, people and characteristics in many of our students. (It seems like just the names were changed)
- The three stars were trapped in a cyclic pattern that was too hard for them to get off without external support. (That could be us.)
- School there looked like school here. (Thinning hair, goat, and rehearsed speech, DFS, troubles and the geographic fix to solve their problems, because things were always better before, in the past.)
- Motivation comes through the relationships. (These students tended to drive and push those that could help them the best farther and farther away, just by building their walls, acting out and doing the ONLY thing they know what to do. THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS!)
- We must deliberately remind ourselves who we are, what we do, and our purpose in this place.
You, as a staff, as a team, with great confidence and compassion, offer such good variety, interest and enthusiasm to the lives of our students. They thoroughly enjoy your contributions to their lives but seldom do they say it the way we like to hear it. Regardless, keep up the GREAT work.. We saw it all week long as you addressed things both inside the classroom and outside in the halls.
I appreciate all of it.
Tom McCracken
Winfield Middle School
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