Friday the 13th, #Icestorm2017 and a Full Moon! What an adventure!

Jan 12, 2017 

#snapshots

The combined Make up Band Concert with Christmas in January demonstrated many hours of practice, growth and improvement.

Bust a move with ROCKET from Harlem Wizards

Where is it?

Schedule for Jan 16th - 20th

Monday

• MLK Day IS NOW a makeup school day. School WILL be in session.
• Valentine's Day Chocolate Fundraiser Sales till January 23. Delivery Feb 9th

Tuesday

• PBiS Tier 1 Meeting in Harmon’s Room

Wednesday

• Early Release Day
• Work Day for Teams
• BRIEF share outs from Committees and Subcommittees
• PSiS Tiers 1 & 2
• Culture Climate
• Activities
• Attendance
• Finger food for everybody, even the Biggest Losers???
• NAEP Test
• Math Vertical Collaboration day with the High School - tbd

Thursday

• Chess Club in Utlauts room
• Binder Teams to work in the afternoon
• Valentine's Day Fundraiser Kick Off -
• Sales: 1/23 - 2/9

Friday

• 7th & 8th ELA Collaboration Day - Jan 20th
• 6th ELA Collaboration Day - To be rescheduled

Nice work KG!  

Upcoming/Ongoing

• Yearbook Sales Window - Jan 23rd - Feb 17th
• Board of Education Meeting, - Pushed back to 24th
• Math Vertical Collaboration day with the High School - tbd

• Activities Committee - Jan 24th -
• Initial Discussion about the Six Flags Trip
• PBiS Tier 2 - Jan 31st
• Early Release Feb 1st AND it’s also the date for our NAEP tests -
• All we provide is the location and students.
• NAEP will come and bring everything necessary.
• Additional details will follow.
• The Megan Meier Foundation is Hosting the Feb 24th Workshop

NOTES

1. If you need a sub, call sub finder at (570) 266-7646.  
1. To begin the process, the machine will ask for your phone number
2. We may have duplicated efforts during our transition period.
2. Harlem Wizard event will be Feb 19th at 2 PM at Troy Buchanan High School.  
1. Sign up to have fun and go out there for the sake of a good cause.
3. Culture and climate highlights from Tuesday
1. Jan 18th Early Release - Our goal is to use it for a brief report back and team work session
2. Video sessions will begin during your classes
1. Record teaching, then visit with McC that afternoon if possible for the scoring
3. A tuned Unit of Instruction will be due Feb 10th from the NEE.  
1. If you complete it earlier, please send me an email and we can review it.
4. NAEP test will be Feb 1st for some 8th graders
5. Mathletes to the High School for possible vertical teaming Feb 15 early release
4. Thank you for the flexibility during the Grade Level Group photos Tuesday.
5. For the current Fundraising Opportunity, there was a thought about another assembly but we passed on that and will address it during lunch.
6. We visited at the Superintendent's Parent Round Table Meeting and hear good things about the middle school and the job folks are doing, serving students, building connections and considering every situation individually.
7. The Megan Meier Foundation is Hosting the Feb 24th Workshop about bullying that those 25 students were invited to. Permission slips are due ASAP.  Please allow those students to come to the office to submit their permission slips.  
8. If we were to do a Flipped meeting, I would suggest we start by looking at this school in Ohio, with some similarities as a good comparison school.
9. Over the break, I did hear about a clip about a school in Ohio with very similar demographics and struggles, along with their plan to address those concerns.
1. Look here for a brief Trailer or review and a complete investigation can be found here on the documentary.
2. Search Oyler School for even more.
3. Thanks BC.
10. Please continue mailing out another round of postcards for your AC LAB student.  You may also send them for students in your class but not in your AC LAB as well.  Feel free to grab some from the stack in the copy room.

Word of the month from the top of our Student Planners :

“FAIRNESS”

Conclusion:

It is an honor to work alongside each of you. The Grade & Content Teams, Groups, Committees, Subcommittees, Binder Teams and connections among this staff are truly authentic.  Back during my initial interviews with some of you five years ago, everyone mentioned the best thing about this building was the people.  I am getting to learn that more and more each day, through each conflict we work around, every time someone uses courage and has a tough conversation and even hearing less complaining and more suggestive brainstorming.  Problem solving with this group leads to positive results.  Well done Team.  

Sincerely,

Tom McCracken