The Circle of Life

This Week at GCMS:

I have to say that this has been one of the toughest weeks that I remember at GCMS.  The passing of Stacy Pierce has been difficult for us all.  I do appreciate everyone pulling together and supporting each other as well as supporting Stacy’s family through this difficult time.  The family passed on their appreciation as well.  Thank you to everyone who visited the funeral home, helped with the services, helped with the meal, sent flowers, said prayers, or helped them in any way. 

The Circle of Life:

Someone commented to me that this week was certainly an example of the circle of life at GCMS.  We celebrated the birth of not one, but two new babies to GCMS staff members this week.  Congratulations to Hannah Embry and her family on the birth of baby Elynn and to Jeremy Meredith and his family on the birth of baby Jackson.  I believe that’s the most GCMS babies at once since the Blain/Webb/Decker babies all came in April of 2008. 

New GCMS SBDMC:

Congratulations to the newly elected 2017-2018 GCMS site based council!  Parent representatives elected last week were Kari Ray and Jackie Stanton.  Teacher representatives elected after a marathon 7 days of balloting are Tracie Johnston, Ellen Thomas, and Shannon Loughran.  I would like to thank parent member Jenny Cummings, as well as teacher members Ashley Johnson and Don Logsdon for their service on the council.  The old council will be in effect through the end of June, with the new council starting in July. 

Cougar Pride Week:

Thanks for encouraging students to participate in Cougar Pride Week as we get geared up for the start of state testing.  We have had a good level of participation around the building, and it seems like everyone has enjoyed the dress-up themes.  I've heard imitation is the highest form of flattery!  

Double Take Thursday!

State Testing:

State KPREP testing will be held at GCMS from May 10-16.  Our counselors have trained everyone and gone over all procedures.  Our teachers have prepared students very well throughout the year.  Please encourage your students to do their very best.  Let us know if you have any further questions. 

Quote of the Day:

“It’s the circle of life, and it moves us all through despair and hope, through faith and love, till we find our place, on the path unwinding.” ~Elton John

Coming Attractions:

May 4….Future Cougar Night (Wilkey and Caneyville), 5:00

May 7…GCMS band concert, 2:30

May 10-16…State Testing at GCMS

May 11…GCMS home baseball at GCHS, 5:30

May 18…8^th Grade Awards, 6:00

May 24…Students’ Last Day of School

May 25-30…Staff Days and Closing Day

August 1…Opening Day at GCMS

August 1…Back to School Night at GCMS

August 3…Kagan Workshop for all GCMS teachers

August 4…District-wide Day

August 7….Not a required workday for GCMS  teachers

August 8….Students’ first day of school in Grayson Co.

Our Many Roles in Life

This Week at GCMS:

The last week of April is winding down, and we move into the final stages of the school year.  Its times like this that I tend to get a little reflective.  Most of you know our daughter, Tessa.  She comes over to GCMS most afternoons after school for a few minutes before Teresa picks her up.  This week, she took the notion to “fix” my nameplate on my desk, where it says “Jim Blain-Principal” and taped a sign over it saying “Jim Blain-My Dad”.  That made me stop and think about the many roles that each of us play in life.  Some are official titles, and some are more important than that.  I hope that as the year winds down that each of you are able to reflect and think about your many roles in life.  Each of us is important to many people, to our students, to our families, to our friends and co-workers.  Never let one role suffer because you get lost in another role.  At the same time, don’t let yourself suffer because you think you have to be all things to all people.  Take care of the ones you love, and thanks for listening to my ramblings. 

Staff Appreciation Week:

With next week being Staff Appreciation Week, I want to take this opportunity to thank our GCMS staff for the hard work and dedication that you show each day.  Your contributions are immeasurable in making a positive difference for the students of our school.  We are planning a staff appreciation lunch on Tuesday as a token of appreciation, so leave that bologna sandwich or micro-mac-n-cheese at home on Tuesday and enjoy a catered lunch on us! 

Operation Preparation:

Thank you to all who are volunteering for this year’s Operation Preparation at GCMS!  I appreciate Mrs. Sims and Mrs. Majors organizing this year’s event.  The 8^th grade year is a great time for students to stop and think about what their future might hold.  Four years of high school go very quickly, and it is so important that students have a plan for the future.

SBDMC Elections:

Congratulations to Jackie Stanton and Kari Ray on becoming our new parent representatives to the GCMS Site Based Council.  I also want to thank Jenny Cummings for her years of service as a parent rep to the council.  The teacher representative elections are still in progress.  Thank you to everyone who has taken interest in serving on the GCMS council.

Cougar Pride Week:

In getting geared up for this year’s K-PREP testing, the students of the Principal’s Advisory Council have planned a “Cougar Pride Week” for May 1-4.  The theme days for students and staff to dress for are:  Monday-Bowties and Tutus, Tuesday-70’s/Disco Day, Wednesday-Hollywood Stars, Thursday-Dress Like a GCMS Staff Member, and Friday-Orange and Blue Cougar Pride Day.  It should be a lot of fun for everyone! 

Quote of the Day:

“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” ~Abraham Lincoln

Coming Attractions:

April 27………GCMS Baseball at Hart Co.

April 27-28….Operation Preparation

April 29….Orchestra Solo and Ensemble Festival at GCMS (also May 13)

April 29….Band Solo and Ensemble Festival at North Hardin

April 29….Beta Club Softball Tournament

May 1-5…Cougar Pride Week

May 2…….Staff Appreciation Lunch at GCMS

May 2 & 4..Future Cougar Nights at GCMS, 5:00 (for current 5^th graders and parents)

The Home Stretch

This Week at GCMS:

We entered the homestretch of the school year this week, with spring break behind us and state testing right around the corner.  It seems that this school year has flown by!  Having so few snow days this year will allow us to finish the school year before the end of May, and most everyone is very happy about that.  I have just a few notes to share as this week winds down. 

Welcome:

We have a new face at GCMS starting this week!  Mrs. Tracy DiFelice has been hired as a one-on-one instructional assistant working with a 7^th grade student.  She has worked at schools in both Kentucky and Georgia, and her husband has retired from the military. They have just recently moved to Leitchfield.  I know that you will make her feel welcome at GCMS. 

Monday Faculty Meeting:

We will have our April teachers’ meeting after school on Monday, April 17.  We will be discussing several items at the meeting dealing with the closing weeks of school as well as thinking toward next school year.  We will go over some reminders about our upcoming K-PREP testing, end of year staff days, Infinite Campus possibilities, and an update from the assessment team.

Sick and Personal Days:

As always, it is important to be at school every day you possibly can.  I know that sometimes health issues arise, and that cannot be helped, but I also know that many staff members come to work even when they don’t feel like it.  I appreciate that kind of dedication and work ethic.  With that said, I want to remind everyone that sick and personal days are for just those reasons.  If you take a sick day, it should be because you are sick or attending to a sick family member.  Each of us get two personal days each year to take for personal reasons.  I sent out an article a few months ago about a teacher in another district who lost her job because of taking sick days to go on a vacation.  Please always follow the policy strictly.  Please let me know if you have questions about this. 

SBDMC Elections:

Site Based Decision Making Council elections are right around the corner.  Nominations will be taken for both teacher representatives and parent representatives to the council from Monday, April 17 through Friday, April 21, and both elections will be held on Tuesday, April 25.  Teachers and parents may nominate others or may nominate themselves.  This is a great way to help your school!

Living Well Promise:

If you have chosen one of the Living Well insurance plans, it is required that you complete your Living Well Promise by June 1.  Anyone who has the Living Well plan but does not complete the Living Well online promise or Vitality Check is not eligible to take a Living Well insurance plan next year.  Please let me know if you have questions about this. 

Quote of the Day:

“If you learn only methods, you’ll be tied to your methods.  But if you learn principles, you can devise your own methods.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Coming Attractions:

April 13….Beta Club Induction Ceremony, 5:30

April14….Mid Term Grades go home

April 17-21…SBDMC Nominations

April 17-21…SGG Results Scoring (during CSI or see admin)

April 25….SBDMC Elections

April 28…Completion of summative conferences (non-tenured teachers)

May 15….Completion of summative conferences (tenured teachers)

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