Happy American Education Week and Happy
Thanksgiving!
It seems
like we hear more and more criticism of public education and public school
teachers every day. Whether it is coming
from “school choice” voucher advocates, charter school advocates, those
supporting separation of church and state, those criticizing separation of
church and state, the Democrats, the Republicans, the Kentucky Department of
Education, the Federal Department of Education, or any number of other sources,
public schools and teachers seem to be constantly under fire. This seems so ironic, since the public school
teachers that I know and work with are some of the most caring, hardworking,
dedicated professionals anywhere. As you
crunch on an apple donated by our local American Legion Ladies Auxiliary for “American
Education Week”, I want to thank you for what you do for kids and for your
community each and every day. This world
is a better place now and in the future because of the work that you do with
kids! Thank you!
I am
planning to take a couple of days off during the Thanksgiving Break, so there
will not likely be a Cougar Notes blog next week. I hope that each of you enjoys the
Thanksgiving holiday and gets to spend some quality time with your
families. We all have so much to be
thankful for in this country and in this community. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Great Job Team 4!
Thank you to
Team 4 for hosting showcase lesson day today!
I was reading an article in Education Week that described how beneficial
it is for teachers to receive feedback from other teachers. Our showcase lessons are a great way for this
feedback to happen, and our new peer observation process is another great
opportunity for teacher to teacher feedback.
I appreciate our teachers being open to feedback from colleagues and
always working to improve your professional practice!
Back to the Future:
We had just
over 50 parents here yesterday for Back to the Future Day! Combined with the parents who attended our 6th
grade BTF Day earlier this year, that makes close to 140 parents who attended
this year’s Back to the Future Days. I
heard many positive comments from parents about the lessons that they
participated in, the work that our teachers were leading, and the good behavior
shown by our students that day. Thanks
for making this year’s BTF Days a big success!
Dress for Success:
In a recent
article that made the KSBA headlines page, Christian County Middle School is
featured for having “Dress for Success Day” every Tuesday at their school. All of their boys are encouraged to dress
professionally, including wearing a tie on Tuesdays. We all know that we have an issue with our
boys at GCMS underperforming our girls, and I would like for us to try
something similar to what CCMS has done.
Let’s start thinking about this and talking to our Friday Advisory
classes about the importance of appearance and how that can affect
mindsets. Through promoting professional
appearances, perhaps we can have a positive impact on the mindsets of our boys
and a subsequent carryover to their success in school and beyond. Several staff members have already offered to
donate neck ties to have on hand for those boys who do not have one. Let’s start collecting ties in each team and
get this initiative going when we return from Christmas Break. Here’s the link to the article I mentioned: http://www.ksba.org/protected/ArticleView.aspx?iid=50UGP2&dasi=3G32
PGES
Reminder:
Mr. Whitmore
emailed our teachers yesterday with a reminder about gathering evidence for
domains 1 and 4. Please be mindful to
collect evidence/artifacts throughout the year to support what you are doing in
those two domains.
Mr. Whitmore’s
message from yesterday: It is hard to
believe we are almost half way through our first year of PGES, but most of the
observations and evaluations are still ahead of us. As we get used to our new
system it is important to remember to keep artifacts and documentation of
Domain 1 (Planning and Preparation) and Domain 4 (Professional
Responsibilities). Domains 1 and 4 are not typically observed during a lesson
and require documentation on your part. The attached document [in yesterday’s
email] gives examples of the types of evidence you can start saving for Domains
1 and 4, either in a paper file or uploaded as artifacts into CIITS. We want to
make the transition as seamless as possible and I know most of you already have
the types of evidence recommended to show progress in these domains. I also put
a paper copy in your boxes. All non-tenured teachers and all eighth grade
teachers will be evaluated on Domains 1 and 4 this year, so please remember to
start collecting evidence. All other teachers can start collecting evidence as
well. Let us know if you have questions or need assistance.
Quote of the Day:
“Believe that life is worth living and your
belief will help create the fact.” ~William James
Coming Attractions:
Nov.
20…Academic Team at Knowledge Masters (TV Tournament)
Nov.
22…Cougarbots Team at WKU Robotics Competition
Nov.
24…Hooked on Science Program (6th grade science)
Nov.
26-28…No School, Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 8…Staff
Christmas Dinner at GCMS, 6:00 (sign up in the office)
Dec. 11…Christmas
Breakfast provided by GC Board of Education, 7:15-8:15
Dec. 15…Santa
Hat Day
Dec.
15..GCHS Chorus performs at GCMS, 10:00-10:30
Dec. 16…Reindeer
Day
Dec. 16…Staff
Potluck in the GCMS Library
Dec. 17…Elf
Day
Dec.
17…Drama Club Christmas Play (7th grade at 8:15, 8th grade at 9:45, 6th grade
at 1:00)
Dec. 18…Ugly
Christmas Sweater Day
Dec. 19…Cougar
Bucks Award (see school calendar for details)
Dec. 20-Jan.
4…Christmas Break
