Time Marches On!

Cougar Staff:

January has come and gone, and it has been quite a month!  Between the cold temperatures and the illnesses and health concerns that have hit our staff, we are hoping for a better February.  On a personal note, our son Scott turned 20 this week!  This does not seem possible.  It seems like he should still be the little red headed elementary student riding Moon Smith’s bus over to the high school from Lawler each afternoon instead of being a sophomore at Vanderbilt.  Time marches on.  We are looking forward to a trip to Nashville this weekend to see him and go out for a birthday meal.  We are truly blessed and thankful for our children.  I hope that everyone will stop and be thankful for the blessings in your lives, whether it be a wonderful family, great friends, a job to support your family, or the blessing of good health.  I think everyone, myself included, gets too caught up in the day to day stresses of life.  When something goes wrong, please try to stop and ask yourself “will this problem be a big deal ten years from now or even one year from now?”  If the answer is no, then try to get through it and forget about it.  If the answer is yes, then try to deal with it positively and work for the best results possible.

Personnel:

Please continue to remember those staff members who are dealing with health problems and have family members with health concerns:  Nena Tucker, Pam Armstrong, Wendy Butler, Paige Lopez, Chris Drake, Stacy Pierce, Cassie Jarboe, Shela Herman, and several others. 

I want to welcome our newest staff member, Emily Hornback.  Mrs. Hornback will be working as a one-on-one aide with a student based in Mrs. Lindsey’s class, taking Mr. Whobrey’s place after he was hired as the new FMD teacher at GCHS.

Good Luck:

I would like to wish good luck to GCMS teams and groups representing our school.  Our GCMS academic team will be competing in Regional Governor’s Cup competition tomorrow.  Our 7^th grade boys basketball team has advanced in the GRVC Tournament and will continue play next week.  Finally, our GCMS Cheerleaders will be leaving for national competition in Florida late next week.  There will be a sendoff for our cheerleaders here at GCMS gym on Monday night at 6:00.  Please come out and show your support!

"Keys to Educating Middle Grades Students in Poverty":

We all know that it is our daily challenge to teach students who live in poverty.  About 70 percent of students in Grayson County are on free and reduced lunches, and many are from families living in poverty.  Between now and our next faculty meeting, I would like for you to view the webinar "Keys to Educating Middle Grades Students in Poverty" with Ruby Payne.  We will follow up on the webinar at our February 17 after school faculty meeting.  Mrs. Miller will set up a Wall Wisher for you to post to as we get closer to the meeting date.  Please look for specific strategies that you can use in your classrooms or with your advisory students.  Here’s the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szncUEECSjc&feature=em-share_video_user.

From Goodness to Greatness? 

Many of you have read Jim Collins’ popular book, From Good to Great.  Collins talks about the notion that many times “good” is actually the enemy of “great” and that we get comfortable and content when we are having good results rather than pushing on for great results.  Looking at a different perspective, have you ever thought about what a terrible thing it is when someone moves from “goodness” to “greatness”?  When someone who shows kindness, morality, and love sacrifices those attributes in exchange for power, position, and “greatness”, it is a truly tragic thing.  Maybe there is another book in that notion! 

Principal Certification Grant:

Have you ever considered getting your principal’s certificate?  Whether you have or not, right now might be the “best deal” you will ever get on the program at WKU.  Their new program does require that you already have your Master’s degree (with a minimum 3.0 GPA for masters coursework) and at least 3 years teaching experience.  GRREC is involved in a grant for four school districts including Grayson County that is helping to pay tuition for the principal program at WKU.  Your reduced rate for tuition would only be $125 per graduate hour!  That is compared to WKU’s regular rate for graduate tuition of $490 per graduate hour!  The program is 30 graduate hours total and could get you your Rank I.  The first of three 20 student cohorts will start in the Fall semester, 2014 with each cohort lasting 18 months.  The tentative application deadline for the Fall 2014 cohort is March 28, 2014.  I have some brochures about this program on the round table in my office.  There will be a recruitment event in late February or early March.  Feel free to grab one if you are interested.  Also, as always, I would be glad to sit down and talk with anyone who might be interested in becoming a principal.

Quote of the Day:

“Training teaches people what to do; education teaches people what to be.” ~Nido R. Qubein

Coming Attractions:

Feb. 3…GCMS Cheerleader Sendoff, 6:00 pm

Feb. 10..Parent/Teacher Conference, 4:00-6:00

Feb. 11..7th/8th Grade Back to the Future Day

Feb. 17..Makeup Day, School will be in session.

Feb. 17..after school faculty meeting

Feb. 18..Team 4 Showcase Lesson Day

Feb. 28..Please do not spend any 920X classroom funds after this date

Mar. 26..Reward Assembly for all students with no office referrals, 1:45

Mar. 28..Battle for Heart, AHA Event

Mar. 28..Makeup Day, School will be in session.

Apr. 18..Makeup Day, School will be in session.