Merry Christmas from GCMS!

This Week at GCMS:

We have had a very busy week at GCMS as we finish up the first semester and head into Christmas Break.  I want to thank everyone who has gone the “extra mile” in making this week special for our students.  Everything from the band, orchestra, and chorus concerts to the drama club play to the ugly Christmas sweater contest have been great.  We have had a plethora of seasonal activities going on and all the while kept our focus on instruction.  That is tough to pull off, but I appreciate how you have succeeded.  I want to wish each student, parent, teacher, and staff member a very Merry Christmas.  I wish you a restful break, time to spend with your families and friends, and a happy, healthy New Year!

Health Concerns:

Please remember Karen Likins as she recovers from her recent foot surgery.  I understand that the surgery went well, and I know that you join me in wishing her a speedy recovery.  Cassie’s daughter, Alyson also had surgery this week, and we wish her a speedy recovery as well.  There are many students and staff members down with the flu and other sickness right now.  We hope that everyone gets feeling better as break starts and that we can get more back to a healthy “normal” when we start back to school on January 5.

Congratulations!

I would like to congratulate a couple of groups of GCMS students who have represented our school very well recently.

The GCMS delegation to this year’s Kentucky Youth Assembly won “Best Delegation” out of 35 middle schools competing in this year’s KYA!  Several of our students won individual awards for speaking, for media reporting, and for bill writing.  Four of our bills passed both houses in Frankfort.  We are very proud of these 55 students and their sponsors:  Teresa Blain, Stacy Pierce, and Melanie Manion.  We also appreciate the parents who attended and helped make this year’s KYA such a success!

Congratulations to our 7^th grade Lady Cougar basketball team for winning the Green River Valley Conference tournament at Butler County last Thursday night.  We look forward to hanging another banner in the Cougar Gym.  Great season, ladies!  I know that Coach Morris, Coach Oller, and everyone at GCMS is very proud of you!

State Compliance Visit:

I have not said much about it, but Grayson County Schools will be having a state compliance visit on January 20-22.  Folks from KDE will be looking at how various programs in Grayson County Schools work, and they will likely make suggestions for improvements.  Some of the areas that they will be looking at include Title I, program reviews, special education, PGES, alternative ed., pre-school, etc.  There will likely be folks visiting our building at least one of those three days.  If you are interviewed, just think of it as a great way to share some of the great things that are going on at GCMS!

Quote of the Day:

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!”

― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Coming Attractions:

Dec. 19…Cougar Bucks Award (see school calendar for details)

Dec. 20-Jan. 4…Christmas Break

Jan. 16…PLC Day (no school for students)

Jan. 30…Students grades 3-12 should have tested their IC user IDs and passwords by logging into IC.

Jan. 30…Teachers will review their PGP and record reflections in CIITS.

Jan. 30…Deadline to have all Peer Observations completed

Jan. 30…Deadline to have all 2nd Mini-Observations completed (non-tenured teachers)

Feb. 16…PLC Day (no school for students)

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

This Week at GCMS:

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season has arrived at GCMS!  You can see Santa hats and reindeer antlers bobbing up and down through the halls, and lots of Christmas cheer is in the air.  We appreciate the Grayson County Board of Education providing our staff with a Christmas breakfast at GCMS this morning.  Everyone enjoyed it, though it made a principal’s diet a little less successful this week.  We also had a great crowd at our GCMS Christmas Dinner earlier this week.  Thank you to everyone who helped make this a success.  I have a few notes to share as this week starts to wind down.

Good News from KDE:

We received some good news this past week.  GCMS has been "re-designated" by KDE and is no longer listed as a "focus school".  I appreciate everyone's hard work in completing the extra tasks that came with being considered a focus school.  As always, I appreciate what you do for the children of our community and for the success of our school. 

Good Luck at KYA!

The GCMS KYA delegation will be in Louisville and Frankfort on Thursday through Saturday of this week.  Over fifty GCMS students will represent our school in this annual student run mock legislative assembly.  The students will actually “take over the Capitol” in Frankfort on Friday in presenting and debating bills that they have prepared.  Mrs. Blain, Mrs. Pierce, Mrs. Manion, and Mrs. Blaylock, along with several GCMS parents will be with the students, and I know that they have worked very hard in preparation for this event.  This also means that Mr. Blain will be having quality “daddy/daughter Mr. Mom time” for the next three days!  Wish me luck as well!

Good Luck Girls!

We would like to wish good luck to our 7^th Grade GCMS Lady Cougar basketball team as they play in the final game of the conference tournament tonight at Butler County.  I know that Coach Morris and Coach Oller are very proud of the girls, and everyone at GCMS is as well.

Faculty Meeting on Monday:

Our December faculty meeting will be held as planned on Monday after school.  Our agenda will include training on the PLC process.  Becky and Becki will lead this training.  We have many teachers who have joined our staff in the years since our initial training and have never had PLC training.  Those who were here for the initial training can certainly use the refresher.  We will also devote part of our January 16 PLC Day to reviewing and revising our PLC norms.  Mr. Whitmore will lead a brief discussion of how to approach documenting Domains 1 and 4 for PGES.

Quote of the Day: 

“If you want a quality, act as if you already had it.” ~William James

Coming Attractions:

Dec. 11-13…GCMS Students at KYA

Dec. 11...GCMS Lady Cougar 7^th Grade Basketball Team in Conference Finals at Butler County

Dec. 12…Teachers should complete roster verification in CIITS

Dec. 15…faculty meeting after school

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. 16…Drama Club Play for the public, 6:30

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. 17…GCMS SBDMC meeting, 3:15

Dec. 18…Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

Dec. 19…Cougar Bucks Award (see school calendar for details)

Dec. 20-Jan. 4…Christmas Break

Jan. 16…PLC Day (no school for students)

Jan. 30…Students grades 3-12 should have tested their IC user IDs and passwords by logging into IC.

Jan. 30…Teachers will review their PGP and record reflections in CIITS.

Jan. 30…Deadline to have all Peer Observations completed

Jan. 30…Deadline to have all 2nd Mini-Observations completed (non-tenured teachers)

Feb. 16…PLC Day (no school for students)

The Beat Goes On

This Week at GCMS:

It has been a busy week at GCMS as we returned to school after the Thanksgiving break.  It has also been a difficult week for students and staff as we deal with the death of one of our GCMS family.  As you know, Mrs. Loretta Clemons passed away during the break.  Loretta was such a sweet lady, dependable and dedicated to her family and to her job at GCMS.  We will all certainly miss her. 

No Office Day:

I really enjoyed participating in “Kentucky No Office Day” on Monday.  Principals across the state used Monday as a day to get out of the office and into the classrooms and other areas of the building.  I enjoyed meeting with teachers, visiting almost 60 classrooms, talking with students, and not being tied down to the office with phone calls, emails, discipline referrals, etc.  All of those things are necessary and important, but Monday was a great reminder to me about all the great teaching and learning that goes on at GCMS!  I hope to do this again soon!

Good Luck Girls!

We would like to wish good luck to our GCMS Lady Cougar basketball teams as they begin conference tournament play.  Our girls will play in the first round at Butler County on Saturday.  If we win on Saturday, games will continue Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday of next week at Butler County. 

CIITS Roster Verification:

Every teacher should go into CIITS and verify the accuracy of your student rosters by December 12.  The student list in CIITS needs to be accurate to assure that student growth percentiles are accurate and so that the student voice survey later in the school year will be accurate.  I emailed our teachers a “quick reference card” that Mrs. Purcell shared with me.  This should guide you through the roster verification process.  For teachers who teach 9 weeks classes, please verify your current 9 weeks class rosters only.  Let me know if you have questions or need assistance.

Observations:

I have enjoyed doing several classroom observations in recent weeks.  Please keep in mind that all peer observations and all 2^nd mini-observations (non-tenured teachers) should be completed by January 30.  If you are ready for your observation, please contact the administrator assigned to you to select a date.  We would be glad to do some more of these before Christmas Break!

Staff Attendance:

We have been having more teacher and staff absenteeism recently.  I know that there are emergencies and other times when you have to be out, but please make every effort to be at work every day that you possibly can.  Our students perform better and learn more when our teachers and staff are here.

Quote of the Day:

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.” ~William James

Coming Attractions:

Dec. 6…GRVC Girls Basketball Tournament begins, at Butler Co.

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. 11-13…GCMS Students at KYA

Dec. 12…Teachers should complete roster verification in CIITS

Dec. 15…faculty meeting after school

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. 16…Drama Club Play for the public, 6:30

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. 17…GCMS SBDMC meeting, 3:15

Dec. 18…Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

Dec. 19…Cougar Bucks Award (see school calendar for details)

Dec. 20-Jan. 4…Christmas Break

Jan. 16…PLC Day (no school for students)

Jan. 30…Students grades 3-12 should have tested their IC user IDs and passwords by logging into IC.

Jan. 30…Teachers will review their PGP and record reflections in CIITS.

Jan. 30…Deadline to have all Peer Observations completed

Jan. 30…Deadline to have all 2^nd Mini-Observations completed (non-tenured teachers)

Feb. 16…PLC Day (no school for students)

Good Stuff from All Pro Dad

10 Things Loving Fathers Do for Their Children

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"He saved me," said thirteen-year-old Gracie Johnson, after her parents, sister, and two cousins were tragically killed in a rock slide. She was speaking about her dad, Dwayne Johnson. The family had gone for a hike along the Agnes Vaille Falls trail in Buena Vista, Colorado. Recent rainfall had made areas of the mountains unstable. As they were walking, one witness described what sounded like loud thunder cracking and boulders the size of cars coming down the mountain as the Johnson family stood helplessly in their devastating path. In an act of heroism, Dwayne dove on top of Gracie as a shield, saving her life and surrendering his own.

In situations like that you have no time to think, instinct takes over. Dwayne Johnson's natural instinct was that of a loving father. Loving fathers are self-sacrificing and protect their children. [Tweet This] Here are 10 more things loving fathers do for their children:

1. Loving fathers… love their children’s mother

Love your wife without reservation - you can’t do much more for your kids than that. [Tweet This] If you are divorced, treat your children's mother with respect, even if it is not reciprocated. Never return disgrace with disgrace.

2. Love them unconditionally

Make sure that your children know you love them no matter what. Don’t confuse this with permissiveness. Unconditional love does nothing to encourage the wrong kind of behavior. In fact, kids who are secure in their father’s love tend to act out less, not more.

3. Grow up

We’re talking about the us here, not the kids. Children don’t want another buddy; they want a dad. They want someone who thinks things through, makes tough decisions, and engages life with responsibility. Someone they can count on.

4. Be there 

“Quality time” is all well and good,but it has nothing on quantity time. Make the time. Everyone has the same 24 hours available. Make yours count.

5. Provide

As best you can. Material provision can be tough when jobs are lost and tough times hit. However, you can always provide a stable home with love and affection.

6. Discipline

Children appreciate an even hand, balance, accountability, and love-drenched discipline. It’s called consistency and, without clearly defined boundaries, it is very difficult to grow up.

7. Value education

Don’t just read to them; read with them. Don’t just fuss about grades; get involved with their homework. Don’t just talk about learning; be a hands-on advocate.

8. Raise them to leave

The simple goal of being a family and parenting our children doesn’t look any more complicated than this: Raise them well equipped to leave home and to establish faithful lives.

9. Teach them to take responsibility

Kids who learn how to duck responsibility and avoid cost will – sooner or later – fall flat on their faces. Loving fathers make sure their children know how to own up, clean up, and move forward.

10. Teach them to love this life

The best predictor of happiness in children is happiness in their parents. If we learn how to love this life and then give that blessing to our kids, they will be well prepared for satisfaction.

Sound Off: What is the most loving thing your father ever did for you?

Huddle up with your kids and ask, “What have I done this week to show you that I love you?” 

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