Merry Christmas from GCMS!

Cougar Staff:

The first semester has flown by, and I hope that it has been a good one for you!  I know that many GCMS staff members have had and are still having health issues or family members with health concerns, and that makes it very difficult.  It is my wish and prayer for the new year that each one at GCMS enjoys good health and happiness.  I appreciate the work that you do and the kindness that you show for our students and for each other on a daily basis.  Please try to spend some relaxation time with family and friends this holiday season.  Also, thank you so much for the generous Christmas gift; I really do appreciate it!   I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Personnel:

Please continue to remember our staff members during the break:  Ellen Thomas and family, Stacy Pierce, Elaine Holley, Pam Armstrong, Laura Goff, Wendy Butler, Karen VanMetre, Ginny Paine’s husband Barker, Shirley House’s husband Jim, Cassie Jarboe’s daughter Alyson, Mary Jane Crawford’s sister, Tez Hawkins lost an uncle this week, David Whitmore’s parents, Carolyn Thomason, my father, and many others.  Also, please remember the family of former GCMS teacher and Principal Gary Gibson who passed away this week. 

Great Job, Team 7:

I enjoyed visiting the classrooms of Team 7 for showcase lesson day yesterday. I appreciate everyone’s flexibility when we had to reschedule because of the snow days of the last couple of weeks.  Highly engaged students and teachers were observed in all four classes, and I know that everyone was able to observe some strategies and ideas that can be used in their classrooms.  Great Job, Team 7!

The Greatest Assistant Principals Anywhere:

I want to give a special thanks to David Whitmore and Becky Miller for being the best assistant principals that any principal or school could ask for.  They each go above and beyond the call of duty every day to make things better for students and staff.  I know that they make my job much easier because of the things that they do.  Monday night, I spent the night with my 91 year old father who just got home after surgery and six days in the hospital.  Needless to say, I did not get much sleep on Monday night.  I was scheduled to work the boys basketball game and the band concert on Tuesday night.  Both Mrs. Miller and Mr. Whitmore offered to take my place, and were so insistent that I gave in and agreed.  That is just one small example of their commitment and dedication to our school.  I appreciate them both very much.

Critical Vocabulary Assessments:
We will be having critical vocabulary assessments in all core content classes on the first Friday after Christmas Break (January 10).  These will be placed in mailboxes during or shortly after the break.

January PLC Day:

Our January PLC is scheduled for Friday, January 17.  Our continuing emphasis on PGES will focus on Domain 3B:  Questioning.  We will also have a guest speaker from GRREC that day to share with us an overview of the new Professional Growth and Effectiveness System that goes into effect statewide next school year. 

CIITS Password Reset/Teacher Technology Assessment:

Each teacher will be required to do a password reset on CIITS as of December 21.  Also, every teacher in the district will be asked to complete a technology assessment in January.  Mr. Graybeal says that the assessment should take about 10-15 minutes to complete.  I will let you know when that assessment is available to complete.

Quote of the Day:

“He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. Maybe Christmas, he thought... doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps... means a little bit more!” ~Dr. Seuss,  How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Coming Attractions:

Dec. 19…Crazy Christmas Sweater Contest, 7:40 in the gym

Dec. 20…Last Day before Christmas Break (end second quarter grading period)

Dec. 20…We will use the regular Mon-Thurs schedule
Dec. 20...Wear Blue Jeans for a $5 donation to Relay for Life

Dec. 20…KYCID Pizza Party Reward, 6^th period

Dec. 21-Jan. 5…Christmas Break
Jan. 10...Critical Vocabulary Assessments in all core classes

Jan. 16…Club/Team/Group Pictures

Jan. 17…PLC Day (no students)

Jan. 20…MLK Day (no school)

Jan. 27…After school faculty meeting

This Week at GCMS

Cougar Staff:

It has been another great week at GCMS!  Of course, we missed our second snow day of the year earlier this week.  Hopefully, we will be able to get through until break without missing any more.  If we have a bad winter, it would be wise to avoid planning any June vacations.  Have a great weekend, everyone. 

Personnel:

Please continue to remember all of those GCMS staff members with health concerns and family members with health concerns.  There are many right now.

Christmas Events:

Since we had to cancel this year’s Christmas Dinner, we have arranged for K’s Café to cater a lunch for our GCMS staff members on Wednesday, December 18.  The menu will include your choice of K’s hand-breaded chicken strips or roast beef and gravy, along with mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, and cheese cake.  Merry Christmas from GCMS!  We are also still planning a potluck meal on Monday, December 16 and a Staff Crazy Christmas Sweater Contest on Thursday morning, Dec. 19 (in the gym around 7:40 am).

Thank You for the Great Breakfast:

Thank you to the Grayson County Board of Education for providing our staff with a nice Christmas breakfast on Monday morning.  We appreciate our GCMS food service staff and the district for providing this breakfast.  It was very good!

Congratulations GCMS Academic Team:

Our 6^th grade academic team tied for first place in this year’s regional 6^th Grade Showcase competition.  We had several individual students to place in written assessments, and our quick recall team finished second.  Great job!

Good Luck Lady Cougars:

Last weekend, the girls basketball conference tournament was cancelled due to the snow and ice.  It has been rescheduled to start this Saturday at McLean County Middle School.  Good luck ladies!

Good Luck at KYA:

About 50 GCMS students are in Louisville and Frankfort the next three days representing our school at the annual Junior Kentucky Youth Assembly.  We wish them the best of luck and a great learning experience at KYA!

Do You Like Christmas Music?

We have upcoming Christmas concerts featuring all three GCMS music performance groups:  our band, chorus, and orchestra.  Check the Coming Attractions listed below for dates and times.

SBDMC Meeting Cancelled:

Due to some member conflicts and no pressing agenda items, the December meeting of the GCMS site based council has been cancelled.

Quote of the Day:

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” ~C.S. Lewis

Coming Attractions:

Dec. 15…GCMS Orchestra Concert, 3:00

Dec. 16…Staff Potluck Lunch in Library

Dec. 16…GCMS Chorus Concert, 6:00

Dec. 17…8th Graders tour the GC Tech Center

Dec. 17…GCMS Band Concert, 7:00

Dec. 19…Christmas Sweater Contest in the gym, 7:40 am

Dec. 20…Last day before Christmas Break (that day, we will be using our Mon-Thurs schedule)

Dec. 20…Bonus Jean Day (you may wear jeans that day for a $5 donation to Relay for Life)

Dec. 21-Jan. 5…Christmas Break

Good Stuff from Ziglar

SUCCESS IS NEVER OWNED; IT IS ONLY RENTED – AND THE RENT IS DUE EVERY DAY...

Character

This summer I had the esteemed privilege of being a keynote speaker in front of 8000 of the world’s top financial professionals at The Million Dollar Roundtable. Recently someone asked me ,“Rory, aren’t you intimidated talking in front of people of that caliber?”   My response, “Absolutely not.” 

Why? 

Because contrary to what you might think, it’s not successful people that are too good to learn anything – they got to where they are by being a student of the game. Quite the contrary, it’s the marginal producers of the world who are typically cynical, inconvincible skeptics. It’s the mediocre performers, the average among the masses, the naysayers and the un-excellent that are the ones who often think they know it all. 

Successful people, on the other hand, live by The Rent Axiom from Southwestern mentioned in Take the Stairs that says “Success is never owned; it is only rented – and the rent is due every day.” 

People who are successful embrace the idea that the rent is due every day. They welcome the challenge. They remain humble, knowing that whatever they did yesterday isn’t enough to last them forever, and they remain hungry, knowing that whatever they’ve accomplished in their past shouldn’t restrict them to what new heights they can achieve in their future. 

Successful people became successful by doing the work that no one else would do. They paid the price that no one else was willing to pay. And they developed the attitude that success isn’t something that is bestowed overnight – but that it’s earned over time. 

So no, I’m not intimidated by them - I’m inspired by them. They are people who are on the journey just like me. They are people who know enough to know that they don’t have it all figured out. 

And so, instead we take pride in, and are thankful for, one more day, where we get the privilege to pay our dues. 

Rory Vaden, MBA, is a Self-Discipline Strategist, Cofounder of Southwestern Consulting, and New York Times bestselling author of Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like....

Cougar Staff:

With snow and ice in the forecast, everyone is getting really excited…and the students too!  I always love to get through the first semester without missing any days, but that may be in jeopardy in the near future.  Mr. Anderson and Mr. Hack will be checking roads and conditions very early on Friday to make a decision about school on Friday and then again about school on Monday.  The district does a School Messenger call on the mornings of days with cancellations or delays, but it is also good to always check the Louisville and Bowling Green TV stations as well as K-105 radio.  Cancellations and delays are also normally posted on the GCBOE twitter account and the Graysoncountyschools.com website.  I know that there are many extracurricular events scheduled for this weekend, and these may be impacted by the weather as well.  It looks like winter is about to arrive.  Please use caution about travelling this weekend, and don’t get out on bad roads if you don’t have to. 

Personnel:

There are so many GCMS staff members with health concerns right now that I want to ask each one to remember your GCMS family in thoughts and prayers.  I know that there are others, but please remember Ellen Thomas and her family, Elaine Holley, Mary Jane Crawford's sister and family, Shirley House’s husband Jim, Cassie Jarboe’s daughter Alyson, Ginny Paine’s husband Barker, and Stacy Pierce.  Stacy stopped by school yesterday and plans to return to work next week.  She will be starting chemo later in December.  Also, please remember Carolyn Thomason, who is recovering after being in the hospital earlier this week. 

Christmas Breakfast:

The Christmas breakfast provided by the Grayson County Board of Education is scheduled for GCMS on Monday, December 9.  If school were to be cancelled or delayed on that day, we will plan to have the breakfast on Tuesday, Dec. 10.  We appreciate the board of education providing this breakfast!

Team 7 Showcase:

We are planning our Team 7 showcase lessons for Tuesday, Dec. 10.  If we were to cancel school one or more days, then the showcase day will be delayed by that many days.  Let me know if that does not make sense. 

Christmas Dinner:

Our GCMS Christmas Dinner is planned for Tuesday evening, December 10 at 6:00.  We will have a catered meal in the cafeteria starting at 6:00, followed by desserts and a visit from Santa in the library. 

Extracurricular Activities:

As I mentioned, we have many extracurricular activities scheduled for the next few days that may be impacted by the weather.  I do want to wish good luck to our GCMS Lady Cougar basketball team as they head into conference play at McLean County, our 6^th grade academic team which will be hosting the 6^th grade showcase here at GCMS, our GCMS Cougar Band which will be involved in the Hometown Christmas parade, playing at the nursing homes, and playing a Christmas concert here on Sunday afternoon.  Our boys basketball game at St. James, scheduled for Saturday, has been cancelled.  Also, the GCMS social sponsored by the cheerleaders for after school Friday has been cancelled.

Royal Visit to GCMS:

Some of you have seen the emails about Royal Albert’s upcoming visit to GCMS.  Albert is a dog from the local Humane Society which has been sponsored by Gwen Franich’s CCR class.  Donna White will be bringing Albert to school on Wednesday morning so that the students can see him and perhaps be inspired to make a donation.  Gwen said that her class is glad to share this project with the school.  We all hope that the students see this as a way to give back to their community by helping with this need.

Sub Limits:

This does not directly affect most of you, but I have heard several questions about the new limitations on substitute teachers and substitute aides/custodians.  Due to changes in health insurance and also changes in classified retirement regs, the following limitations now apply:  substitute teachers cannot work more than 150 school days in a year (from October to October), and classified subs cannot work more than 79 hours per month.

Fire Drill Reminders:

Yesterday’s fire drill went well.  We did notice in a few occasions, teachers walking at the front of their group rather than at the rear.  It is important that the teacher always be the last one out of the classroom to make sure that everyone has exited safely.  Also, always be sure to take your class roster with you for accountability purposes in an actual emergency.

Quote of the Day:

“The bridges you cross before you come to them are over rivers that aren’t there.” ~Gene Brown

Coming Attractions:

Dec. 7…GCMS hosts 6th Grade Showcase (academic team)

Dec. 7…GCMS girls basketball conference tourney, at McLean County

Dec. 8…GCMS Band Christmas Concert

Dec. 9…Christmas Breakfast, sponsored by GCBOE

Dec. 10…Team 7 Showcase Lesson Day

Dec. 10…GCMS Christmas Dinner, 6:00 pm at GCMS

Dec. 15...GCMS/GCHS Orchestra Concert, 3:00 and 5:00

Dec. 16…Staff Potluck Lunch in Library

Dec. 16...GCMS Chorus Concert, 6:00 

Dec. 17…8th Graders tour the GC Tech Center

Dec. 18...GCMS Site Based Council Meeting, 3:00

Dec. 19...Christmas Sweater Contest, 7:45 in the gym

Happy Thanksgiving from GCMS!

Cougar Staff:

As we wrap up another great week at GCMS and enter into the Thanksgiving Break, I want to pause to thank each of you for what you do at GCMS each day.  Every staff member’s contribution and work is important, and I don’t say thank you often enough.  I was reviewing the TELL Survey results earlier this week, and one of the statistics that jumped out at me was that 94.6 percent of those who took the survey said yes, that “GCMS is a good place to work and learn.”  That sounds like a pretty good result on that question, but I would like to see this number at 100 percent next time.  I want people here who want to be here and know that we have a great school for our students and for our staff to work and to learn.  I appreciate our staff coming to work each day, having positive attitudes and high expectations for students and fellow staff, and for everything that you do.  I hope that you have a blessed Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.  Take some time to truly count your blessings.  We all have much to be thankful for.  I thank the Lord every day for blessing me with a wonderful wife and two great children, for great friends and coworkers, for good health, a comfortable home, food on the table, clothes on my back, a great job where I have the opportunity to make a positive difference for kids, and on and on.  I am blessed far beyond what I could ever deserve, and I am thankful.

Personnel:

Please continue to remember those GCMS staff members who have health concerns.  Stacy Pierce is recovering well from surgery and was supposed to get some more test results back today (Thursday).  Laura Goff has returned to work, and we are glad to have her back after having surgery last Friday.  Elaine Holley has been having some medical testing and has a gall bladder surgery scheduled in December.  Cassie Jarboe’s daughter, Alyson, has also had some testing completed, and they are narrowing down what has been causing her health issues.  Many of you know Gayle Ferguson, who used to work as a custodian at GCMS.  Please remember Gayle in your thoughts and prayers.  He is going through chemotherapy dealing with a recurrent cancer.

Back to the Future Day:

Thank you to everyone who helped out with our 6^th grade Back to the Future Day yesterday!  We had a good turnout of 6^th grade parents, and everyone seemed to have a very positive experience.  I appreciate Faye and Kenzie setting up and working the hospitality room.  I also want to thank all of our 6^th grade teachers for opening up your classrooms to our parent visitors yesterday.  By parents getting a glimpse into the daily school life of their children, they can hopefully better understand and become more engaged with their child’s education.

You Are (UR) Statements:

In response to the overwhelming success of the GCMS “I Am Project”, we are asking staff members to post UR (You Are) statements to our students.  Please take a few minutes to write down some of the positives and potential that you see in our students.  This can be to your advisory, to your team, to a particular class, or to our GCMS students in general.  These statements can be given to Becky Miller or Becki Pearl, or you can post it directly up on the wall in the “tunnel” leading from the front lobby toward the library (across from the I Am statements).  Becky Miller put together a very nice video of the I Am project.  I even told her that if she ever gets fired from GCMS, she may have a future as a videographer!  Here’s the link for those who haven’t seen the I Am Project video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWq8oa6SiUk&feature=youtu.behttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWq8oa6SiUk&feature=youtu.be

Early Bird List:

It is time for Mr. Blain to update the School Messenger “Early Bird” list.  This is a list of staff members who would like to receive a School Messenger call from the central office as early as possible in the event of school delays or cancellations due to inclement weather.  Typically, the Early Bird list is called about 30 minutes before everyone else is called.  If you were on the Early Bird list last year and want to stay on it, you don’t have to do anything.  If you want to be added or deleted from the Early Bird list, please let me know.  This is especially nice for those who drive greater distances to get here from out of county or from the farthest reaches of Grayson County.  As always, school cancellations and delays are also posted on the Louisville and Bowling Green TV channels, K-105 radio, and on the GCBOE Twitter.

Help Desk Tickets:

Please utilize the technology help desk ticket system when you have technology needs.  Kevin will get to your tech requests as quickly as possible, and the ticket system is the most efficient way to do this.  Please understand that Kevin cannot always drop what he is doing to respond to your tech issue, but he will get to each and every tech need as quickly as possible.  We appreciate the work that Kevin does each day to make things run smoothly with technology at GCMS.  Thanks.

Also, please take the tech survey that Jerrod Graybeal sent out yesterday.  I completed it, and it really took less than 1 minute to finish.  Please complete this by November 23.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NWWRS8Y

Quote of the Day:

“Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them.” ~Lady Bird Johnson

Coming Attractions:

Nov. 25-29....No School, Thanksgiving Week

Dec. 7…GCMS hosts 6^th Grade Showcase (academic team)

Dec. 7…GCMS girls basketball conference tourney, at McLean County

Dec. 9…Christmas Breakfast, sponsored by GCBOE

Dec. 10..Team 7 Showcase Lesson Day

Dec. 10..GCMS Christmas Dinner, 6:00 pm at GCMS

Dec. 16..Staff Potluck Lunch in Library

Dec. 17..8^th Graders tour the GC Tech Center

Dec. 20..Last day before Christmas Break (that day, we will be using our Mon-Thurs schedule)

Dec. 21-Jan. 5…Christmas Break

It's Novemberrrrrrrrr!

Cougar Staff:

It’s been another very busy week at GCMS, and I have a few notes to share as the week winds down.  I hope that everyone has a restful and relaxing weekend.  As the colder temperatures of November came in, I thought about how fast this school year is flying by.  Earlier this week, I was asked to sing and serve as a pall bearer for the funeral of a dear family friend, Mildred Patterson, and I thought about how fast life flies by. Please take time each day to spend quality time with your family and friends.  Don't let the little things in life dominate your time on earth.  Here is a little video that sort of sums up this idea of keeping the first things first and not getting lost in the details.  Enjoy your time and spend it wisely.  http://play.simpletruths.com/movie/the-empty-pickle-jar-v/?cm_mmc=ExactTarget-_-WS-_-11.13.13-_-PickleJarMovie&utm_source=exact-target&utm_medium=mail&utm_content=WS-_-11.13.13-_-PickleJarMovie&utm_campaign=ecommerce&j=311201&e=jim.blain@grayson.kyschools.us&l=3516_HTML&u=13930944&mid=7001668&jb=19

Personnel:

Please keep those GCMS staff members who are dealing with health concerns in your thoughts and prayers.  Both Stacy Pierce and Laura Goff will be having surgeries on Friday (today).  I know that you join me in wishing each a successful surgery and a speedy recovery.  There are many others who have illness, sick children, family members with health concerns, and on and on.  Please remember your GCMS family.

Non-Tenured Teacher Observations:

Please remember that all non-tenured teachers must have one formal classroom observation each semester.  If you have not already had your observation, then please get together with the administrator in charge of your evaluation to schedule your observation.  These should be completed by December 15.  Tenured teachers are required one formal classroom observation each year, and it is fine for tenured teachers to go ahead and have your observations early in the year.

Thank You Team 1:

I heard many positive comments about the showcase lesson day hosted by Team 1 earlier this week!  I enjoyed visiting each classroom myself.  The students and teachers were highly engaged, and a high level of learning was happening.  Thanks for a job well done.  We look forward to continuing visiting classrooms throughout the building as we share strategies and learn with and from each other.  The peer observation component of TPGES will be structured differently from showcase lessons, but it is certainly great experience for teachers to get in each other’s rooms like this.  We are moving in the right direction!

Veterans Day:

I want to thank everyone who was involved in helping to make this year’s Veterans Day program such a great success.  The GCMS choir, led by Teresa Jarboe, did a wonderful job.  Our Boy Scouts from Grayson County Troup 631 were outstanding as well.   Ben Jackson did a great job in sounding Taps.  As an old trumpet player from way back, I can tell you that playing Taps in front of a large crowd is a lot of pressure on a young fella!  It was especially great to see so many veterans with us on Monday.  They really seemed to enjoy and appreciate the program.  Our students were very well behaved and respectful.  Again, a big thank you to all of our veterans for their service to this great nation.

Congratulations:

Congratulations to Lea Ann Frank and the GCMS Energy Team for winning a $700 grant from Warren RECC.  The team has proposed to install motion sensors to control the lighting in some of our restrooms at GCMS.  This way when the restrooms are not in use, we will not be wasting electricity through lighting.  Great idea!

Bonus Checks:

The Grayson County School Board approved a 1.5 percent bonus for employees at Thursday night’s board meeting.  Employees should receive the bonus checks before Friday, November 29.

Quote of the Day:

“You can make your life whatever you want it to be.” ~Wally Amos

Coming Attractions:

Nov. 20.....6th Grade Back to the Future Day

Nov. 20.....GCMS Site Based Council Meeting, 3:00

Nov. 25-29..No School, Thanksgiving Week

Dec. 9......Christmas Breakfast at GCMS sponsored by GCBOE

Dec. 10.....GCMS Christmas Dinner, 6:00 pm at GCMS

Dec. 20.....Last day before Christmas Break (that day, we will be using our Mon-Thurs schedule)

Dec. 21-Jan. 5..Christmas Break

Next Best Place to Disney!

Cougar Staff:

I sometimes jokingly tell students that GCMS is the next best place to Disney World.  While some may disagree, we should all be very thankful to have such a great place to work each day. Working with young people and having the opportunity to make a positive difference is an awesome thing.  Let's always strive to take full advantage of that opportunity!

We are marching right into November as I write this week’s edition of Cougar Notes.  The school year is going so quickly!  If any of you want to slow down the clock, I’m sure that the Cheer Boosters and BETA Club would be glad to have some extra chaperones for the after school dance today!  Funny how slowly the clock ticks during certain events!  Either way, I hope that everyone has a great weekend.

Personnel:

Please keep your GCMS family in your thoughts and prayers.  We have lots of staff members dealing with health concerns and upcoming surgeries as well as family members with health issues.  Please remember Stacy Pierce, Laura Goff, Cassie Jarboe’s daughter, Tez Hawkins’ son, Karen Van Metre, David Whitmore, Rita Mullins’ daughter, Ellen Thomas’ husband, Pam Armstrong (no field goal kicking), everyone who is still coughing and hacking, and many more.  Also, we wish Kevin Butler a safe return from his mission trip to Africa.

Check out Mrs. Miller’s Blog:

Mrs. Miller has updated her blog!  Check it out at:  http://asstprinmiller.blogspot.com/2013/11/unexpected-shift-to-growth-mindset.html

Veterans Day Program:

We will be having our annual Veterans Day program on Monday, November 11 starting at 7:45 am in the gym.  We would like to honor GCMS parents, grandparents, and staff member who are veterans of the United States military with a brief patriotic program that morning.  We would like for our veterans to be seated in the honorary seating on the floor.  We would like for all staff members to come to the gym for the program and to help supervise our students in the bleachers that morning.  Thanks in advance.

Showcase Lessons:

I enjoyed visiting each of the Team 6 classrooms for showcase lesson day earlier this week.  There were a wide variety of highly engaging learning activities going on in the classrooms.  I heard many positive comments from the other teachers who visited as well.  It is a great feeling to know that with the “peer observation” component of PGES on the horizon, that our GCMS teachers have experience getting used to having colleagues in their classrooms on a regular basis.  We look forward to our Team 1 showcase lessons on Tuesday, Nov. 12. 

Taking Attendance:

Please be vigilant about taking attendance each period.  If you have a student who is counted absent and then comes in later, please make sure that Mrs. Venita is made aware with a phone call or an email, and she can make the necessary correction.  It is important that we always have an accurate accounting of our students, and it also avoids unnecessarily alarming parents when the attendance call goes out each day. 

Video Link from Mr. Belcher:

Josh Belcher shared an interesting video link with some of us this week.  It discusses divergent thinking and the need for school reform to improve in that area. 

Check it out:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKEtm3h2qgo. 

Internet Usage Monitoring:

I want to remind you that school internet usage and school email is regularly monitored by the Grayson County School District and by KDE.  I receive an electronic report each week detailing the internet usage of GCMS staff members.  These reports include total time on the internet, number of website hits or visits, number of violations (inappropriate sites or attempts to log onto inappropriate sites), and specific sites visited.  This monitoring pertains to internet usage on the school’s network or while using school devices off the network.  Some staff member’s names appear on a top 5 list each week for these categories.  While I do not have the time, nor the desire for that matter, to talk to those who appear on the top 5 lists each week, I do want to remind you to always be professional in your school internet usage.  Please don’t email or get on any websites that you wouldn’t want your mother (or your principal or superintendent) to be aware of.  It is also important not to let students use your log-in and to not leave your workstation unattended when logged in.  Thanks.

Quote of the Day:

“It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.” ~Sir Josiah Stamp

Coming Attractions:

Nov. 8.. School Dance, 3:00-5:00, sponsored by Cheer and Beta Club

Nov. 11..Veterans Day Program, 7:45 am

Nov. 12..Team 1 Showcase Lessons

Nov. 13..Progress Reports go home

Nov. 13..High School Softball Meeting, 2:25 pm

Nov. 20..6th Grade Back to the Future Day

Nov. 20..GCMS Site Based Council Meeting, 3:00

Nov. 25-29..................No School, Thanksgiving Week

Dec. 10..GCMS Christmas Dinner, 6:00 pm at GCMS

Dec. 20..Last day before Christmas Break (that day, we will be using our Mon-Thurs schedule)

This Week at GCMS

Cougar Staff:
Thanks for another great week at Grayson County Middle School!  It has been busy and crazy at times, with Red Ribbon Week and Halloween, but in all a great week.  Thanks for a very productive PLC Day today.  I felt like we had some really good conversations about learning targets this morning and about standards based grading this afternoon.  Thank you to the teachers from the teams piloting standards based grading for sharing their experiences so far.  Everyone seemed receptive and interested in doing whatever will benefit students most.  I look forward to more teams considering adopting this approach to instruction and grading.

Staff Concerns:
I know that we have several GCMS staff members and family members who are dealing with health concerns and medical issues right now.  Please remember each other in your thoughts and prayers during difficult times.

Program Review Gallery Walk:
We got a really good response from today's program review gallery walk.  I know that so many of you are doing so many things in your classrooms that will reflect favorably in our school program review.  It is very important that we get these things documented as supporting evidence.

Halloween:
Thanks for helping our students to have fun and "be kids" at GCMS on Halloween.  The costume contest was a lot of fun, and the students loved the staff performance of "What Does the Fox Say?"  Great job!

Quote of the Day:
"Narrow-minded people are similar to narrow-necked bottles.  The less they have in them, the more noise they make pouring it out." ~Alexander Pope

Coming Attractions:

Nov. 6....................Team 6 Showcase Lessons

Nov. 11…………..Veterans Day Program, 7:45 am

Nov. 12..................Team 1 Showcase Lessons

Nov. 13..................Progress Reports go home

Nov. 20……….….6th Grade Back to the Future Day

Nov. 20.................GCMS Site Based Council Meeting, 3:00

Nov. 25-29............No School, Thanksgiving Week

What's Happening at GCMS

Cougar Staff:

There has been frost on the pumpkin this week as the cooler weather of fall has arrived.   It’s been a busy week to say the least at dear old GCMS!  With everything from anti-bullying to KMSA to high school band, there has been lots of activity this week.  I have just a few notes to share as we wrap up and head off to the weekend.

Personnel:

We are glad to have Karen Van Metre back to school returning from surgery.  I know that Karen is still not at 100 percent, and we hope that she continues to get feeling better each day.

Please continue to remember Ellen Thomas and her husband Mike.
We wish Kevin Butler a safe and successful journey as he travels with a mission trip to Africa next week.  This is an exciting opportunity and a great work that Kevin is taking part in!  We will have other technicians here at GCMS on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays the next two weeks until Kevin returns.

EXPLORE Scores:

We received our EXPLORE scores this week, and our students have made strong progress.  We will be going over the scores in detail very soon, but I wanted to let you know that our 8^th grade composite score has risen 4 tenths of a point to 15.4, and all subject areas saw improvement compared to 2012.  This reflects the hard work of our students and staff to improve in the area of college and career readiness.  This will also help improve the CCR component of our school accountability score.  We have also received our 7^th grade scores back, and intervention plans will be developed and carried out to assure that each of this year’s 7^th graders performs as well as possible on next  fall’s EXPLORE.

EXPLORE 2012-13	EXPLORE 2013-14
Composite 15.0	Composite 15.4
Science 16.5	Science 16.6
Reading 14.2	Reading 14.5
Math 15.0	Math 15.7
English 13.7	English 14.1

Thank You:

I enjoyed visiting our related arts classes for showcase lesson day earlier this week.  I observed highly engaged students and teachers in a variety of settings and learning activities!  Thank you for opening up your classrooms for your colleagues to observe, learn new strategies, and share feedback.   Keep up the great work!

Great Job!

I appreciate the team 4 teachers who shared information about standards based grading with yesterday’s visitors at the KMSA workshop.  I also want to brag on Shane Decker for recently being invited and presenting at two different state conferences!  Word is getting out about the great things going on at GCMS.

I want to thank Mr. Parker and Mr. Duvall for their hard work with our band students.  Our GCMS band does an outstanding job, and to think that about one fourth of our high school band that has advanced to state competition this year is actually comprised of middle school students is awesome!  Virtually all of those high school students in the GCHS band came through the GCMS band program, and I know that Mr. Duvall and Mr. Parker had a great part in their development as musicians and great young people!  

Congratulations to Lea Ann Frank and her CCR class for winning a $700 grant from Warren RECC for an energy conservation project.  The project will involve installing motion sensors for lights in some of our restrooms to save on the energy consumption used in rooms that are empty the vast majority of the time.  Great idea!

PLC Day on Friday, Nov. 1:

We have another busy day planned for next Friday’s PLC day.  Our tentative agenda will include:

·         Continuing our orientation to the Professional Growth and Effectiveness System

·         The Importance of Student Learning Targets

·         Growth Mindset

·         CSI Time

·         Potluck Lunch (please bring your favorite dish)

·         Wrapping up our look at KPREP data

·         Standards Based Grading

·         Team Time

Engagement Walk-throughs:

The district team of principals and central office staff will be continuing our “engagement walks” around the district.  I’m not sure when we will be doing the walks again at GCMS, but it is important to always strive to plan your lessons in a way to allow for high levels of student engagement.  If the students are doing hands on, and more importantly, minds on learning activities, they are going to be learning more than if they are just listening to the teacher or filling in a work sheet.  I am glad to say that I am seeing more and more engaging lessons as the year progresses at GCMS.  I also want to continue to stress the importance of student learning targets.  The learning target for each lesson should always match the standard that it comes from and match the learning activities observed in the lesson.  Just posting the target so Mr. Blain will check it off on a form would be worthless… but when the learning target really drives student learning, that is powerful!

Heating and Cooling:

We are having some issues with our air conditioning at GCMS.  Right now, with the cooler temperatures, we are actually blessed because the air is not needed much this week.  Next week is supposed to warm a little, but remain in the 60’s.  Next Friday, maintenance will be completing some work on our cooling system that will hopefully restore us to full capacity after that.

Computer Network:

If you have not already done so, please read the email from Eric Foster that was sent out yesterday afternoon about a computer virus threat that has been going around.  Eric explains how to open certain applications that you may have trouble opening in the typical way.  As always, please never open any emails or attachments that are from senders that you do not know.  Thanks.

Quote of the Day:

“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” ~Aristotle

Coming Right Up:

Oct 28-31……….Red Ribbon Week 

•  Monday….......…Wear Red 
• Tuesday…......…Wear Camo, Jack! 
•  Wednesday..........Wear Orange and Blue 
•  Thursday…....…..Costume Day (no charge/not a fundraiser)

Oct 30……………Picture Retake/Makeup Day

Nov 1…………….PLC Day (no students)

Nov. 11…………..Veterans Day Program, 7:45 am

Nov. 20……….….6th Grade Back to the Future Day

Nov. 25-29.............No School, Thanksgiving Week

This Week at GCMS

Cougar Staff:

It has been a great week at GCMS after returning to school from fall break.  It seemed like most everyone was rested and ready to go, and I saw a lot of great learning taking place this week!  I have just a few notes to share with you as we wrap this week up and head into the weekend.  Have a great weekend, everyone!

Personnel:

Please continue to remember Jeremy Meredith and his family.  Jeremy’s grandmother passed away this week. 

Please continue to remember Karen Van Metre as she recovers from her surgery.  I know that you join me is wishing Karen a speedy recovery.

David Whitmore was back in action this week after his surgery and reports that he is feeling great!

Please continue to remember Ellen Thomas and her family.  They have arranged for Hosparus to start working with Mike.

I know that there are a lot of bugs still going around, so I hope that everyone at GCMS is feeling better soon.

Thank You:

We appreciate Monica Heavrin meeting with our staff at GCMS today.  We all want the very best for all of our students, including those identified with disabilities. All of our students are "our students", and it is up to all of us to make sure that each student gets the very best every day.  It is not just up to our collaborators to take care of identified students.  This is the shared responsibility of all.  We had some good conversations, and I appreciate everyone working together to help lift each student in this sub-population of students.

Anti-Bully Programs:

Nationally known anti-bully speaker Jerry Ackerman will be in Grayson County on Monday, October 21 to speak to students at GCHS and GCMS as well as presenting a parent program on Monday evening.  He will speak to our students Monday afternoon during 6^th period.  We will plan to start calling students to the gym the last few minutes of 5^th period.  The evening program will be in the GCMS auditorium starting at 6:00.  We encourage staff members to continue to work with our students to help stop bullying in our school and in our community.

KMSA Comes to GCMS:

As you already know, there will be a KMSA workshop held at GCMS next Thursday, Oct. 24.  Feel free to stop in the auditorium during your planning period to take in some of the workshop that day.  Also, some of the visitors will be visiting GCMS classrooms that day to see some of the great instructional practices happening here at our school.  I wanted you to know that you might have visitors!

GCHS Band Tour:
The high school band will be touring the county on Thursday, October 24 and plan to play for our student body at GCMS at 2:00 that afternoon.  The band has made great strides this year, and I know that our students will enjoy their performance.

Holiday Meal Survey:

The GCMS Culture Club would like staff input on when you would like to have a staff holiday gathering.  We have traditionally had our gathering sometime the last week or two before Christmas break, but with an extremely “crowded” calendar, it was suggested that maybe in January or February would be better.  Please take about a half minute and respond to the survey monkey survey.  Thanks.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CSM85S8

Board Agenda Items:

We have been instructed that any item that is sent for school board approval should go through the school principal.  Nothing inappropriate has been requested, but to keep everyone on the same page, please always submit items for board approval to Mr. Blain, and then Mr. Blain or Mrs. House will submit them to Karen Colyer to add to the board agenda.

Quote of the Day:

“Life is like a game of tennis; the player who serves well seldom loses.” ~anonymous

Coming Attractions:

Oct. 21……………Anti-Bullying Assembly, 6^th period (call students to gym around 1:30)

Oct. 23……………Related Arts Showcase Lesson Day

Oct. 24………..…..KMSA Workshop at GCMS

                               GCHS Band Performance for the whole school, 2:00

Oct 28-31….…….Red Ribbon Week

Oct 30……………Picture Retake/Makeup Day

Nov 1…………….PLC Day (no students)

Nov. 11…………..Veterans Day Program, 7:45 am

Nov. 20………….6^th Grade Back to the Future Day

Wrapping Up the First Quarter at GCMS

Cougar Staff:

Move 'em out, head 'em up, Head 'em up, move 'em on. Move 'em out, head 'em up: Rawhide.

Cut 'em out, ride 'em in, Ride 'em in, cut 'em out, Cut 'em out, ride 'em in: Rawhide!  Not sure why these lyrics come to mind this week, but on the last week before break and with our annual school walkathon going, these words seemed apropos.   It has been a good first quarter of the school year, and I know that everyone is looking forward to fall break.  I hope that each of you is able to spend some time relaxing and enjoying yourself with family and friends before we return to school on October 14. 

Personnel:

We have several GCMS staff members and family members to keep in our thoughts and prayers. 

Mr. Whitmore is having surgery this morning in Bowling Green.  Karen Van Metre has surgery scheduled for October 7.  Chris Helm is dealing with some blood pressure issues this week.  Also, please continue to remember Ellen Thomas’s family, Rita Mullins’ daughter, and Ginny Paine’s daughter. 

K-PREP Scores:

I want to say once again how pleased that I am with this year’s K-PREP scores.  Making such a strong improvement across the board is a testimony to the great efforts of our students and staff.  We surpassed the goal of moving above the 50^th percentile this year ranking at the 62^nd percentile out of all Kentucky middle schools.  We had improved scores in all six assessed subject areas and scored above the state in reading, math, science, and social studies.  With all this said, we do have plenty of room for growth and further improvement.  It will not be enough to score at the same levels next spring.  Let’s set a goal of reaching the 70^th percentile and the school wide level of “proficient school”.   To view our entire School Report Card and those of other schools in Grayson County or elsewhere in Kentucky, go to the following link:  http://applications.education.ky.gov/SRC/.

Walkathon:

Thank you to everyone for helping to make this year’s walkathon a huge success!  I appreciate our related arts department, headed by Gary Parker, for organizing and supervising this year’s walk.  Also, a big thank you goes to everyone for encouraging the students to work hard and raise money for the school walkathon.  This year’s individual winners were 1^st place Kennedy Kendrick-Bostick, 2^nd place Haley Burnette, and 3^rd place Austin Van Meter.  This highest single team will get a free period of gym time/phone zone/outside time/movie during 6^th period on October 31.  The highest team at each grade level gets phone zone during lunch all week during the first week back after fall break.  We will announce those winners as soon as that info is available.

  

Staff Attendance this week:

Thank you for being here this week!  I know that sometimes staff attendance can be an issue right before a break, but our staff attendance at GCMS was very good this week!

Meetings with Ms. Heavrin:

Special Education Director Monica Heavrin will meet with staff on Friday, October 18th.  She will be discussing strategies for success of our identified special education students.  Please follow the schedule: 

Math- 7:50-8:45

Social Studies, Special Education teachers , Brey, Duvall, Parker, Mike Blair-8:49-9:44

Johnson, Watson, Morris, Twyla Blaylock-9:47-10:40

Language- 12:14-1:09

Science- 1:12-2:07 

Pay It Forward:

I want to remind you of the “Pay It Forward” program that we started at GCMS this year.  Over the past few weeks, there have been several cards placed on the bulletin board next to the teacher mailboxes offering certain “prizes” for someone who meets specified (and more or less random) criteria.  The idea is for those who claim a “prize” to then continue the paying it forward by also offering up some sort of a prize on the board.  If you have claimed a prize but not offered a prize to continue the paying forward, please do so!   Also, if you just want to offer up some sort of a prize, feel free to do that as well.  J

Quote of the Day:

“The highest point of achievement yesterday is the starting point of today.”

Coming Attractions:

Oct 4-11               Fall Break

Oct 14-15             Open Enrollment at GCMS (for health insurance)

Oct 18                   Meetings with Monica Heavrin during planning

Oct 23                   Related Arts Showcase Lesson Day

Oct 28-31             Red Ribbon Week

Oct 30                   Picture Retake/Makeup Day

Nov 1                    PLC Day (no students)