A Job Well Done!

Cougar Staff:

As we wrap up field days and 8^th grade commencement programs this week, I look back and think about how rapidly the year has gone by.  Lots of snow days have impacted our calendar, but the students are still getting out of school in May.  We have a week of staff training days to look forward to, and with the coming of PGES, these days couldn’t have come at a better time.  We will be able to get a head start on the new teacher and principal effectiveness system, and this fall we will be able to hit the ground running as we launch the new system.  Thank you so much for another great year at GCMS!

Personnel:

I know that you join me in wishing Mrs. Stacy Pierce a speedy recovery.  Her surgery on Tuesday went well, and her doctors say that she is making good progress.

Please remember Lea Ann Frank and her son, Paul.  Paul’s grandfather, who lives in Florida is in the final stages of kidney failure and will likely pass away in the next few days.  Lea Ann and Paul will be travelling to Florida to be with him.  Please keep their family in your prayers.

Susan Higdon is continuing to recover from her recent knee surgery.  We all wish Susan a speedy recovery as well.

Carla Butler is as busy as a bee taking care of her baby boy, Lucas.  I know that Carla is and will be a great mom, but we look forward to her return to GCMS as well.

We want to wish the best of luck to Mr. Barry Duvall.  As you all know, Mr. Duvall will be retiring at the end of this school year.  Thank you, Barry, for your years of dedication and perseverance.  You have inspired the love of learning and the love of music in hundreds of Grayson County students over the past 25 years (and 31 years counting time in other districts).  Thanks for everything.  You will be missed.

Field Days:

Thank you to everyone who helped to make our 2014 GCMS field days the most successful in recent memory.  Things went very smoothly, and I know that this is due to the work of our GCMS staff.  The Grand Poobaw, David Whitmore, did a great job as always, and everyone pulled together to make things run smoothly.

Friday/8th Grade Commencement:

We are looking forward to our 8th grade commencement programs on Friday.  It seems like just yesterday when these boys and girls came here as 6th graders, but they have grown up right before our eyes.  As always, it will be important to keep our 6th and 7th graders out of the front hallway on Friday.  Our 8th grade commencement programs will be held in the auditorium at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00.  Classes going to lunch should go around outside either in front or behind the building (bus canopy) to get to the cafeteria.  There are always requests of students to attend the 8th grade programs.  Our rule is simple.  We do allow brothers or sisters of 8th graders to attend if they request.  We do not allow other relatives such as cousins or friends.  Please remember to park either in front of the building or behind the band room.  If you park in front, it is fine to park to the right side of the long lane (John Hill Taylor Dr.) that leads into our front parking lot.

Next Week:

June Staff Days:

As you know, Grayson County Schools will be having staff days on June 2-6 and closing day on June 7.  Here is a basic outline of our schedule:

June 2…Domains 1 and 4

                        Half of Science Dept.: science standards with Elem/HS at Centre on Main in the afternoon

                          Monica Heavrin will meet with our faculty from 1:30-3:00

                          Related Arts:  arts specific sessions in the afternoon

June 3…Morning, TBA

                        Afternoon, Domain 2 and Student Voice

                        Half of Science Dept.: science standards with Elem/HS at Centre on Main in the afternoon

                        Related Arts:  arts specific sessions in the afternoon

June 4…Observations, CIITS, EDS, Certified Evaluation Plan

                        Self-Reflection Survey and Professional Growth

June 5…Data Analysis and Student Growth

June 6…District-wide gathering at GCMS

                         Meal and Touring of local industries          

June 7…Closing Day

Quote of the Day:

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Coming Attractions:

May 29…8th Grade Awards Night, 6:00

May 30…Students’ Last Day, 8th Grade Commencement Programs, 8:00, 9:30, 11:00

June 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 will be staff training days.

June 7…Closing Day

June 9-26…Summer Cougar Zone “Movin’ Minds”

June 9-13…Administrator Meetings at the BOE

June 18-20…Data Team Retreat at Smiths Grove

June 24-25..Math Plus grant meetings at GRREC

June 26…Math Plus leadership meeting

July 15-17…Sixth Sense

July 29..GCMS PD Day

July 31...GCMS Opening Day and Back to School Night

Aug. 1….District wide day in Grayson County Schools

Aug. 4…Not a required work day at GCMS

Aug. 5…Students first day of school        

Sigh of Relief

Cougar Staff:

By all accounts that I have heard, this year’s testing efforts were at a very high level!  Thank you so much for emphasizing the importance of every student giving their best.  I truly believe that our results will be very good when they come back in the fall.  I hope that each of you enjoys your well-deserved three day weekend!

Personnel:

Mrs. Higdon did well with her knee surgery earlier this week.  Please remember her in your thoughts and prayers for a quick and full recovery.

Mrs. Pearl’s mom got a good report from the doctors yesterday.  She took a fall on Tuesday when voting in the Republican primary election and broke her arm and jaw.  The doctors say that the fractures were “clean breaks” and surgery should not be necessary.  I know that you all join me in wishing her a speedy recovery as well.

Thank You:

I want to give a special thank you to all of those who worked on this year’s program reviews for arts & humanities, practical living, and writing.  Our scores look very good, and with program reviews “counting” this coming year in our overall accountability, that is great news.  I appreciate your time and efforts in this process.

Assessment Literacy/Peer Observation:

I appreciate everyone’s hard work on Tuesday during our training in the areas of assessment literacy and peer observation.  Becki Pearl did a great job and a great deal of work in preparing and presenting a lot of important information for us that day.  As far as the peer observations, I will be recruiting a team of GCMS peer observers in the near future.  Let’s approach this in a very positive way from the very beginning.  Peer observations are just a way to help our teachers be more successful and will not be part of anyone’s evaluation.

 

June Staff Days:

As you know, Grayson County Schools will be having staff days on June 2-6 and closing day on June 7.  Here is a basic outline of our schedule:
June 2      Domains 1 and 4

                Half of Science Dept.: science standards w/Elem/HS at Centre on Main, afternoon

                Monica Heavrin will meet with our faculty from 1:30-3:00

                Related Arts:  arts specific sessions in the afternoon

June 3      Morning, TBA

                Afternoon, Domain 2 and Student Voice

                Half of Science Dept.: science standards w/Elem/HS at Centre on Main, afternoon

                Related Arts:  arts specific sessions in the afternoon

June 4      Observations, CIITS, EDS, Certified Evaluation Plan

                Self-Reflection Survey and Professional Growth

June 5      Data Analysis and Student Growth

June 6      District-wide gathering at GCMS

                Meal and Touring of local industries          

Supervision:

Our supervision of students is especially important at this time of year.  Please do everything possible to let students know that you are watching them closely.  A little extra supervision can prevent a lot of misbehavior from occurring.  

Teacher Tech Survey:

All teachers, counselors, curriculum coordinators, and librarians in the district need to complete the survey on this link for this year’s faculty tech assessment.  Mr. Graybeal says it takes about ten minutes. Here's the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/95TeacherTech

Quote of the Day:

“We would never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world.” ~Helen Keller

Coming Attractions:

May 26…Memorial Day – No school for students or staff

May 27…School Play for 8^th grade, 8:00, for the public, 5:00 pm

May 28…School Play for 6^th grade, 8:00, for 7^th grade, 12:00

May 28…Field Day for 8^th grade

May 29…Field Day for 6^th and 7^th grade

May 29…8th Grade Awards Night, 6:00

May 30…Students’ Last Day, 8th Grade Commencement Programs, 8:00, 9:30, 11:00

June 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 will be staff training days.

June 7…Closing Day

July 15-17…Sixth Sense

July 29..GCMS PD Day

July 31...GCMS Opening Day and Back to School Night

Aug. 1….District wide day in Grayson County Schools

Aug. 4…Not a required work day at GCMS

Aug. 5…Students first day of school         

                       

This is a Test, This is Only a Test

Cougar Staff:

Things seem to have gone very well with the beginning of state testing this morning at GCMS!  I was out in the building most of the morning and was impressed to see students hard at work and teachers circulating and monitoring the students closely.  Thank you for taking this approach.  The students pick up on whether we take something seriously, and they tend to take it more seriously as well.  I appreciate your efforts and encourage you to sustain this effort throughout testing.  Thanks!

Shout Outs:

I want to give a special shout out to Mark Gary for being here at school today after being involved in an auto accident last night.  He wanted to be here for his kids as testing began today.  I appreciate that sort of dedication. 

Becky Miller came to school despite being sick today, again not wanting to miss being here for the testing. 

I know that there are others who didn't feel well, but were here today anyway.  Thanks for working through it, and doing what you can for the students!

May 20 Staff Day:

As you know, we will be having staff training on Tuesday, May 20.  Mrs. Pearl will be leading a session on Assessment Literacy that morning, focusing on PGES 1f and 3d.  Mrs. Pierce has generously offered to buy pizza for the staff for lunch that day!  We appreciate this greatly!  That afternoon, teachers will be involved in Peer Observer Training.  While only a small number of GCMS teachers will serve as peer observers next year, it should be very valuable for all of us to be trained on the process.  By knowing about the peer observation process, all teachers should be able to gain greater benefit when working with this next school year. 

Good Faith Effort:

Please keep track of students’ good faith effort with the checklist that I sent out earlier.  Students who get 100 percent good faith effort points will be rewarded at the end of the testing with their choice of watching a movie in the auditorium, playing or watching battle ball in the gym, chill zone time in the cafeteria where they can play their electronics, or outside time to play Frisbee or whiffle ball.  Please encourage the students to be here every day throughout testing and to give their very best on the tests!

Quote of the Day:

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” ~Vince Lombardi

Coming Attractions:

May 15-22…KPREP Testing

May 20…Staff Day, no school for students

May 21…GCMS Site Based Council Meeting, 3:00

May 22…Good Faith Reward, 1:00-2:30

May 23…KPREP Make-up Day

May 20…No school for students – Staff training day

May 26…Memorial Day – No school for students or staff

May 29…8^th Grade Awards Night, 6:00

May 30…Students’ Last Day, 8th Grade Commencement Programs, 8:00, 9:30, 11:00

June 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 will be staff training days.

June 7…Closing Day

July 15-17…Sixth Sense

July 29..GCMS PD Day

July 31...GCMS Opening Day and Back to School Night

Aug. 1….District wide day in Grayson County Schools

Aug. 4…Not a required work day at GCMS

Aug. 5…Students' first day of school

Down the Stretch They Come!

Cougar Staff:

Whew!  Rounding the last turn and to the top of the stretch they come!  This week has felt like we are entering that home stretch and hoping we have enough horse left under us to cross the finish line at Churchill Downs!  Busy is an understatement are GCMS these days.  I have a few notes to share with you as our week winds down.

Teacher Appreciation:

As Teacher Appreciation Week comes to a close, I want to share my heartfelt thanks to all teachers and staff at Grayson County Middle School.  I have worked at GCMS as principal for seven years, and I can truly say that I have never worked with a more dedicated and caring staff that really cares about kids.  Thanks for all that you do each day to make GCMS a great place for students and for adults!  A special thanks again to Faye Critchelow, Kelzey McCubbin and our FRYSC for providing such a nice hospitality room for our staff yesterday!

Personnel:

Please continue to remember those who have lost loved ones this week.  Patsy Wilkerson’s father, who is also Cyndi Frank’s father-in-law, and Lea Ann Frank’s grandfather-in-law passed away this week.  Also, David Whitmore’s uncle passed away this week.  I know that the families appreciate your prayers.

Congratulations:

If you have Grace Gorby in class or see her around GCMS, please congratulate her on winning the girls singles championship!  Also, congratulations to Leann and Shawn Majors on their son Brett making it to state in doubles tennis!

One-on-One Meetings:

I have had the most fun that I have had in a long time this week in meeting one-on-one with students at GCMS about our upcoming state assessments.  Mr. Whitmore and Mrs. Miller have also been meeting with students, and we hope to finish up these meetings early next week.  The students have been very receptive and really seem to buy in to the notion that great effort brings great results.  Please continue to stress to the students how important it is for them to do their very best on the KPREP tests this year!

State Assessments:

We will be starting our KPREP testing this coming Thursday, May 15.  Please keep track of students’ good faith effort with the checklist that I sent out earlier.  I will send it again in the near future if you have misplaced the first one.  Students who get 100 percent good faith effort points will be rewarded at the end of the testing with their choice of watching a movie in the auditorium, playing or watching battle ball in the gym, chill zone time in the cafeteria where they can play their electronics, or outside time to play Frisbee or whiffle ball.  Please encourage the students to be here every day throughout testing and to give their very best on the tests!

Please see Mrs. Majors’ earlier emails about the testing schedule for May 15, 16, 19, 21, and 22.  Also, I have sent out a schedule for which classes we will attend in the afternoons.  There is a day or two that we will go to first and second period I the afternoon instead of fifth and sixth.

We are emphasizing more than ever the importance of proper monitoring during testing sessions.  Teachers should be up and circulating around the room while the students are testing.  Please do not be working on the computer, reading professional journals, knitting baby booties, talking on a phone, etc.  You will need to take up student cell phones during testing and give them back after the entire group is finished with testing. 

Quote of the Day:

“High expectations are the key to everything.” ~Sam Walton

Coming Attractions:

May 8…GCMS Data Team will meet after school

May 9…Last day for Friday Schedule

May 9…Jean Day for $5 donation to Relay for Life

May 12…SBDMC training for all SBDMC members, 5:00 at GCHS

May 15-22…KPREP Testing

May 21…GCMS Site Based Council Meeting, 3:00

May 22…Good Faith Reward, 1:00-2:30

May 23…KPREP Make-up Day

May 20…No school for students – Staff training day

May 26…Memorial Day – No school for students or staff

May 30…Students’ Last Day, 8th Grade Commencement Programs, 8:00, 9:30, 11:00

June 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 will be staff training days.

June 7…Closing Day

Thank You Cougar Staff!

Cougar Staff:

Is teaching a job where you get to work with kids all day,  every day?  Or is teaching a job where you have to work with kids every day, all day?  It is and has to be the former, rather than the latter.  It is absolutely necessary to have a positive attitude in working with students.  If you think that you have to be here “like it or not”, it is not a good situation for anybody, not for the teacher, not for your co-workers, and most importantly not for the students.  So let’s all focus on having a positive attitude with your “glass half full” instead of “half empty”.  You could even try having your glass all the way full and pouring it out on all the people you come into contact with each day!  Hope there are no Amelia Bedelias reading this.  That doesn't mean that it is easy.  Teaching is probably the second hardest job there is (right behind parenting), but it is also the second best job there is (again, right behind parenting).  Let’s all be thankful that we get to work with kids each day and have the opportunity to make a positive difference!

Staff Concerns:

Please keep Vicki Staley and Eddie Dennison in your thoughts and prayers.  Their uncle passed away this week.  Also, please remember Venita Wilson, whose cousin passed away this morning. 

Thank You:

Next week is National Teacher Appreciation Week!  We would like to thank our GCMS staff with an appreciation breakfast on Monday morning, May 5.  We will have breakfast sandwiches and donuts from Best Donut of Leitchfield.  This will be set up in the GCMS Library starting at about 6:45 am on Monday morning with enough breakfast sandwiches and donuts for every staff member to have a sandwich and a donut.  Bring your own coffee or breakfast beverage and eat in the library, or feel free to grab a sandwich and donut and take back to your room.  Also, our Family Resource Center will be setting up a hospitality room to thank GCMS staff members on Wednesday, May 7.  This will also be in the GCMS library.  We appreciate everything that you do each day to make GCMS a great place for students and staff!

Remix Education:

The students and staff really seemed to enjoy the assembly program presented by Remix Education on Tuesday afternoon.  I appreciate our teachers coming down and helping supervise the students during the program. 

Lunch Accounts:

I noticed on a recent email from Mrs. Hodges, that adult meal charges at GCMS were rather high.  Please remember that food service requests that adult meal charges never exceed $15.  It will be very important to pay these charges off by the end of the school year.

Supervision/Duties:

Please be very diligent about supervision of the students.  This is the time of year that if a student was ever going to engage in foolish or inappropriate behavior, that time is now.  Usually, just the presence of a staff member will be enough to prevent misbehavior, so please be visible at the class changes, in the hallways, to and from the cafeteria, during walking time outside, and so on.  Also, please be on time to early or late duties.  A couple of minutes might not seem like a lot, but a lot can go wrong in a very short length of time with unsupervised middle school students.

KPREP is Coming: (repeated from last week)

As you know, our KPREP testing is slated for May 15, 16, 19, 21, and 22.  Mrs. Majors emailed out our testing schedule last week.  Yesterday, I also sent you the afternoon schedule for each day so that we will not be missing the same class periods every day during the testing.  Each teacher will need to diligently monitor students during all testing sessions.  I expect teachers to be up and circulating during testing sessions rather than sitting at the computer or reading a professional journal.  I (and central office staff) will be coming around and may be in and out of rooms some.  We will be quiet and careful not to disrupt.  It will be necessary to leave all classroom doors unlocked, and as always all door windows uncovered during testing.  I emailed the good faith effort checklist a couple of weeks ago, and I will email that out again.  Please mark this checklist for each student.  At the end of the testing, we will have a good faith effort reward afternoon on May 22 in which students who have received 100 percent good faith effort will be able to choose activities in the gym (battle ball), a movie in the auditorium, fun activities outside (Frisbee, whiffle ball, etc.), or chill zone electronics time in the cafeteria. 

One on One Meetings with Students: (repeated from last week)

Mr. Whitmore, Mrs. Miller, and I will begin meeting with students about the upcoming testing starting on May 5 during study skills classes.  We will review student data from last year’s KPREP as well as current year data from DEA and try to help motivate students to do their best.  Our plan is to come to your team area during your skills time starting on May 5 and visit each day until we have had a chance to meet with every student.  When we finish the study skills groups, we would also like to visit with students who are in music classes toward the end of that week.

Quote of the Day:

“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.” ~John Wooden

Coming Attractions:

May 5…SBDMC training for new members, 5:00 at GCHS

May 5…Future Cougar Night, 5:30 for Wilkey and 6:30 for Caneyville

May 6…Future Cougar Night, 5:30 for Lawler and 6:30 for Clarkson

May 8…GCMS Data Team will meet after school

May 9…Last day for Friday Schedule

May 9…Jean Day for $5 donation to Relay for Life

May 12…SBDMC training for all SBDMC members, 5:00 at GCHS

May 15-22…KPREP Testing

May 21…GCMS Site Based Council Meeting, 3:00

May 22…Good Faith Reward, 1:00-2:30

May 23…KPREP Make-up Day

May 20…No school for students – Staff training day

May 26…Memorial Day – No school for students or staff

May 30…Students’ Last Day, 8th Grade Commencement Programs, 8:00, 9:30, 11:00

June 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 will be staff training days.

June 7…Closing Day