Welcome Spring!

Happy Spring Break!

As our week winds down and we get ready to head off to spring break, we are getting ready to hit the homestretch of the school year.  It has been another great year, and I want to thank everyone for working so hard to help our students succeed.  I hope that you are able to get some rest and spend time with family and friends next week. 

Staff Concerns:

Please keep your GCMS family in your prayers.  There are so many GCMS staff members and their family members who are having health issues right now that I apologize that I am probably leaving people out.  Ellen Thomas and Mary Ann Hack are both having health issues right now.  Stacy Pierce is continuing to undergo cancer treatments and has been frequently in and out of the hospital.  Angie Escue’s mother, Tez Hawkins’ father in law, Chris Drake’s father, Tonya Haycraft’s mother, Laura Goff’s mother.  Again, I apologize if I am leaving someone off this list.

Summative Evaluations:

The administrators will need to meet with each summative year teacher for your summative conference sometime after spring break.  For non-tenured and probation year folks, we need to do this by April 30.  For tenured teachers, we need to do this by May 15.  If any of you already have your Domains 1 and 4 evidence gathered, we would be glad to look at that next week during spring break.  (I have Ali Clemons’ binder already!)  Please follow the mantra of “less is more” for Domains 1 and 4.  One artifact/and or a brief narrative paragraph for each of the 12 components of Domains 1 and 4 would be great.  We plan to check student growth goal results during CSI meetings the second week back after spring break. 

Go Cougars!

We have many GCMS students who are participating in spring sports at the middle school and at the high school.  The baseball, tennis, and track seasons are in full swing, and archery is getting ready for state competition.  If you have students participating in spring sports, please wish them good luck and congratulate them when you hear results.  Sometimes our spring sports get lost in the shuffle regarding recognition. 

Calendar:

Students’ last day of school this year will be Wednesday, May 24.  After that, we will have two staff days (May 25 and 30) and closing day (May 26).  We are currently working on the May calendar and will let you know about other May events in the near future.

Quote of the Day:

“No matter where you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.”

 ~Anthony D’Angelo

Coming Attractions:

March 31…PBIS Assembly featuring The Great Chinese Acrobats (for all students with no behavior referrals since the fall assembly)

March 31…deadline for all formal classroom observations

March 31…All post assessments for SGG’s should be complete

April 3-7…Spring Break

Marching Through March!

This Week at GCMS:

It has been another eventful week in the Land of the Cougars.  I know that everyone is going at a long run since we didn’t get many snow days this year.  Just one more week, and we will go on Spring Break!  We are almost there, and we will be smiling when school is out before the end of May!  I have just a few notes as the week winds down.

Great Job Cougars!

Congratulations to the GCMS band and orchestra programs!  All 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade ensembles earned distinguished ratings at this year’s KMEA concert festival this week.  Good luck to our GCMS choir which will be going to festival next week.

Mrs. Sims was notified yesterday that our GCMS Beta Club was the number one middle school in the state in raising money for Norton’s Children’s Hospital through the Piggies for Preemies program.  Great job Beta Club!

Good Luck Cougar Volleyball!

Both the 7^th grade and 8^th grade Lady Cougar volleyball teams have advanced to the finals of the Green River Valley Conference Tournament!  The teams will play in the finals tonight at Hancock County.  Good luck ladies!

WKU History Contest:
Good luck to those GCMS students who will be participating in the annual WKU History Contest tomorrow at Western.  Grayson County has had many winners in past years, and I wish this year's group the very best as well.

Summative Conferences:

We will need to schedule and conduct summative conferences in the coming days.  For non-tenured teachers and probation teachers, we need to conduct these conferences by April 30, and for tenured teachers in their summative year, we need to do these by May 15.  Please get your Domain 1 and 4 binders to your assigned administrator a few days ahead of time, so we can look through your evidence and streamline the actual conference time.  If you have questions, please contact me or one of the assistant principals. 

Next Year:

Please let me know if anyone is planning a change in status for next year:  retirement, job change, moving to Bermuda, etc. as soon as you know.  It makes planning for next year much easier when we know changes as early as possible.

Quote of the Day:

“Success is the sum of small efforts—repeated day in and day out.” ~Robert Collier

Coming Attractions:

March 24…GCMS Students compete at the WKU History Contest

March 25…KHSAA Regional Archery Competition at Warren East

March 31…PBIS Assembly featuring The Great Chinese Acrobats (for all students with no behavior referrals since the fall assembly)

March 31…deadline for all formal classroom observations

March 31…All post assessments for SGG’s should be complete

April 3-7…Spring Break

A Great Day to Be a Cougar!

There were GCMS Cougars as Far as the Eye Could See Awaiting the GCHS Lady Cougars on Their Way to the State Tournament!

This Week at GCMS:

It has been a whirlwind week at GCMS!  There has been a lot of excitement around school with the GCHS Lady Cougars winning the region and heading for state.  It was so awesome yesterday to see our kids cheering for the high school girls as their tour passed by GCMS.  Our annual Battle for Heart to support the American Heart Association also went off without a hitch, raising over $10,500 for AHA with this year’s event.  I appreciate Crystal Bratcher and our related arts department heading up the efforts. 

Teacher Peer Observation Days:

We are looking forward to our next step with our school wide focus on assessment feedback, with two days of teacher peer observations next week.  About half the teachers will be observing on Tuesday and the remainder on Thursday and focusing on identified areas for growth.  We will plan to have follow up conversations about the observations as part of our March 17 PLC day.  I appreciate Mr. Parker and the assessment team for organizing the days.  I believe Mr. Parker will send out a final copy of the observation schedule and observation form before Tuesday. 

Good Luck Academic Team:

I would like to wish the best of luck to our GCMS academic team competing at State Governor’s Cup, Saturday through Monday.  Our FPS team qualified for state competition as did Eli Helm in social studies.  Good luck to these students and their coaches, Ellen Thomas and Nycol Hart. 

TELL Survey:

We plan to have teachers to complete this year’s TELL Survey during our March 17 PLC day as well.  Teresa Lush is our KEA/GCEA building representative and will have log in information for each teacher.  I appreciate Teresa taking care of this responsibility for our faculty. 

Quote of the Day:

“We have a right to choose our attitude.” ~Viktor Frankl

Coming Attractions:

Mar. 10….No School (GCHS Girls in State Tournament)

Mar. 11-13…GCMS Academic Team at State Governor’s Cup

Mar. 14 & 16…Peer Observation Days at GCMS

Mar. 15…GCMS SBDMC Meeting, 3:15

Mar. 17…PLC Day

Mar. 31…Deadline for All Formal Classroom Observations

Better Safe Than Sorry!

This Week at GCMS:

I was watching Channel 3 News this morning, and they were recounting the storms that hit Henryville, Indiana and other areas on March 2, 2012, five years ago today.  It was a stormy day here too, if you recall, as we had tornado warnings and golf ball sized hail falling from the sky.  We spent quite a bit of the school day in the hallways and held some of our students later than usual after school that day.  After school was clear, our family spent a big part of the evening with Teresa’s family then returned to find golf ball sized holes all over our siding and golf ball sized indentions all over our roof.  Thinking back, I realize how truly fortunate we were at our house and in our community.  The losses could have been much worse, and we must always take weather safety very seriously.  I was glad that the district played it safe yesterday with a two hour delay when the weather was threatening right at morning bus time.  As we go through spring, let’s be vigilant about always staying as safe as possible.

Come Out and Support Our Students:

It is always great to see GCMS teachers and staff at ballgames, concerts, and other extracurricular activities.  As a principal, I get to attend a large number of evening events each year, and I have noticed that the kids love it when their teachers are there showing support.  It’s getting late in the school year, but there are still lots of events to attend.  I know everyone is tired after the long day at school, but if you come out sometime, I believe you’ll be glad you did! 

Staff Attendance:

The cold and flu season is here in full force, and our staff attendance has suffered lately.  I know that sometimes absence is unavoidable because of sickness.  But with that in mind, please try to be present for every day of school possible when you are well.  We have some great substitute teachers, but as I have said many times, a sub on their best day is not equal to the teacher on their worst day.  Thank you. 

School Funds:

As you know, the GCMS deadline to spend 920X money was Tuesday, Feb. 28.  If you have not already contacted Mrs. House about any further spending, no more requests will be considered for this year’s allocation.  Also, for future reference, please always go through your department heads for any spending of 920X money (next year and in future years).

(The Following Notes are Repeated from Last Week):

Legislation in Frankfort:

There has been much talk about what new legislation will come out of the General Assembly this session.  Senate Bill 1 represents a huge overhaul of education in Kentucky, regarding standards, testing, evaluations, and a whole host of education topics.  Separate legislation is also likely to pass to establish charter schools in Kentucky.  Other education proposals range from restroom choice to carrying guns in schools to site based council powers.  This session may have the biggest impact on Kentucky schools of any session in the past 20 years.  My advice is that if you feel strongly about one or more of the education issues being debated, contact your representatives in Frankfort. 

You may leave a message for any state legislator at 1-800-372-7181, or you may email Representative Tim Moore at tim.moore@lrc.ky.gov or Senator Steve Meredith at stephen.meredith@lrc.ky.gov. 

Assessment Focus/Peer Observation Days:

Teachers, please review the email that Gary Parker sent out yesterday with subject line “Observ-a-palooza”.  Following up on our “next level of work” recommendations for our problem of practice, we are planning two days of peer observations to focus on various aspects of assessment.  This is planned for March 14 and 16, with follow-up conversations during our March 17 PLC day, which so far is still planned as a staff only day.  I appreciate the assessment team and Mr. Parker for organizing this effort.  Our plan is to conduct the peer observation days in place of spring instructional rounds.  Each teacher will get to observe in a colleague’s classroom and focus the observation on a specific part of assessment or feedback where our survey indicated a desire for growth.

 

College Fridays in March:

Once again, we plan to celebrate March Madness by wearing college shirts and hats each Friday in March.  Encourage everyone to support their favorite college or university in this way! 

Observations:

All formal classroom observations must be completed before the end of March.  Please contact your administrator to schedule your observation if you have not done so already.  Remember, non-tenured teachers need 2 minis, a peer, and a full.  Tenured summative year teachers need a peer and a full, and tenured non-summative year need a mini.

Quote of the Day:

“Much of what we see depends on what we are looking for.” ~Phil Calloway

Coming Attractions:

Mar. 2….Home Volleyball, 5:30

Mar. 3.....State-wide Tornado Drill, 9:07 am

Mar. 6….Testing Training after school (app. 2 hours)

Mar. 14 & 16…Peer Observation Days at GCMS

Mar. 15…GCMS SBDMC Meeting, 3:15

Mar. 17…PLC Day (unless we miss