Happy Thanksgiving!

This Week at GCMS:

As we pause next week to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, I would like to say that I am very thankful for so many blessings in my life.  Our son, Scott, will be home from Minnesota, and I look forward to family time with him, Teresa, and Tessa next week and again at Christmas.  I am thankful for my work family as well.  We have a great group of people at GCMS, and it is a pleasure to work with you each day.  Our challenges with this age group, this size school, and problems in this community are great, but I thank you for the hard work and dedication that you show here every single day.  Finally, I am thankful for those who have influenced me over the years, including my parents.  Dad recently turned 94 and lives in the nursing home now.  It has been a difficult transition, but I am blessed to still have him.  Today would have been my mother’s 88^th birthday.  She passed away 16 years ago, but not a day passes that I don’t think of the love and wisdom that she always shared with our family.  The Lord has been very good to me, and I am truly thankful.

Observations:

Observation reminders:  all non-tenured (and probation year) teachers will need a second mini-observation by January 13.  Please contact your observing administrator to schedule your observation.  Also, those teachers who need a peer observation this year should have those completed by January 13 as well.  Full observations for summative year teachers may be completed any time after your peer observation has been completed.

Safe Crisis Management:

Wendy Butler shared this information with me about reducing the number of hours for initial and recertification safe crisis management trainings. From now on, initial trainings will be 12 hours and recertification trainings will be 6 hours. With reducing the hours, it also reduces the staff to participant ratio. For initial trainings, the ratio is 1:12 and for recertification trainings it is 1:6. It is very important that when someone attends a training that they are registered where we have enough trainers to meet this ratio.  We are going to have another initial training December 5-8. Training will be from 3:30-6:30 each night. Location will be determined at a later date.

Friday Announcements:

Hats off to Shane Morris and the IT Club for the new format Friday Video Announcements!  The first two editions have been very informative and even more entertaining.  It is so fun to see the students presenting news about our school.  I look forward to seeing future shows!

Catch Up Café:

We have been having some problems lately with students not showing up for Catch Up Café.  If we have to fish them out of the cafeteria, it often cuts into the time that they have to work in CUC.  The simplest and best way to help this is for teachers to always check the CUC list to see if any of your lunch class is on the list.  Then remind them right before lunch that they are to report to CUC.  Thanks for your help with this.

Week in Review:

We were very pleased with this year’s Veterans Day program at GCMS.  We had over 40 veterans to sign in at the program, and our students did a great job showing appreciation and respect for our veterans.  We had a great faculty meeting on Monday afternoon as well.  I appreciate Gary Parker and other members of the assessment team for leading the sessions about how to provide effective feedback to student work and assessments. 

Quote of the Day:

“Life is like a game of tennis; the person who serves well seldom loses.” ~anonymous

Coming Attractions:

Nov. 21…GCMS Home Boys Basketball, 5:30

Nov. 22…GCMS Home Girls Basketball, 5:30

Nov. 23-25…No School, Thanksgiving Holiday

Nov. 28…GCMS Home Boys Basketball, 5:00

Nov. 30…Team Leader Meeting, 7:15 am

Mid-November GCMS News

Tis the Season:

It has been a brief week at Grayson County Middle School after the long weekend and Election Day.  This time of year is so broken up in the calendar that it is sometimes hard to get the “normal school” rhythm going.  We will be here all week next week, and then it’s Thanksgiving Week.  Three weeks later, its jingle all the way!  The school year is flying by, and I have just a few notes to share with you.

Veterans Day Program:

We are planning our annual Veterans Day program at GCMS for Friday, November 11.  We are hoping to have a good number of veterans and active duty military in attendance again this year.  It is so important for our students to learn about the significance of our veterans and their sacrifices for our country.  We have invited veterans to arrive at 7:30, and I would like for our GCMS staff members to come and be seated in the bleachers with the students.  The program should begin at about 7:40.  I would like to thank our veterans, whether they be staff members, parents, grandparents, or community members for their service to protect our freedoms and our nation. 

Faculty Meeting on Monday:

Our November faculty meeting is scheduled for after school on Monday, November 14.  We will meet in the library at 3:00 with our focus on the assessment work that is going on at GCMS.  We want to take a good look at feedback on assessments to make sure that we are providing the most effective feedback possible to guide student learning.  Members of the assessment committee will be leading this segment of the meeting.  As usual, the meeting should last about 45 minutes and we plan to finish before 4:00. 

Infinite Campus Parent-Portal: (repeat from last week)

We are getting more and more parents using the Infinite Campus parent portal.  This is a great sign of increasing parent involvement in student academic success.  This also makes it more important than ever for teachers to keep grade posting up-to-date in Infinite Campus.  Teachers, please make every effort to get grades in quickly.  We don’t ever want parents to check the portal and find that grades have not been posted and are not up-to-date.  This is another great way for teachers and parents to partner for student success. 

Quote of the Day:

“Leadership is not about the next election, it’s about the next generation.” ~Simon Sinek

Coming Attractions:

Nov. 10…GCMS Home Boys Basketball, 5:30

Nov. 10…GCMS Host Night for School Board meeting, 6:00

Nov. 14…November Faculty Meeting, 3:00

Nov. 14…GCMS Home Boys Basketball, 6:00

Nov. 16…Midterm Grade Reports go home

Nov. 17…GCMS Home Girls Basketball, 5:30

Nov. 21…GCMS Home Boys Basketball, 5:30

Nov. 22…GCMS Home Girls Basketball, 5:30

Nov. 23-25…No School, Thanksgiving Holiday

This Week at GCMS

We are in Full Swing:

November is traditionally one of the busiest months of the school year at GCMS.  Both girls and boys basketball seasons are in full gear.  Our music programs are very active with concerts and performances.  Many of our middle school students have participated in high school marching band this year and were part of the “Top 10 in the State” performance this past Saturday!  Go Cougar Band!  Our GCMS cheerleaders are doing very well, and recently finished second in competition at the Cheer Challenge in Bullitt County.  Cross Country has had a great season and much success as well.  GCMS recently had 9 students to qualify for and participate in All-State Chorus!  Archery, baseball, Cougar Zone, Beta, DECA, drama, KYA, and on and on…  There are so many great activities for students in our school system.  Let’s always encourage our students to get out there and participate.  When students find their passion, whether that be sports, music, drama, or whatever, that is what will drive them to succeed in school.  Go Cougars!

                                     Junior High All-State Chorus

Movers and Shakers:

Did you ever notice that if you want something done, and need to delegate, you have to ask some of the people who are already the busiest.  I try to spread things around, but those who are going to get things done tend to be the ones already getting things done.  Do you feel like no one ever asks you to lead a project or initiative?  Look at what you have been doing already.  If you want to be a “mover and shaker” or “change maker” then step up and volunteer.  When there’s a need, step up to meet the need.  Everybody is busy, it’s true, but I have noticed that the busiest people always find time and strength to do even more.  That’s what makes a “go to” person.  So take it as a compliment if you are asked to lead an effort.  Someone is expressing their confidence in you. 

Infinite Campus Parent-Portal:

We are getting more and more parents using the Infinite Campus parent portal.  This is a great sign of increasing parent involvement in student academic success.  This also makes it more important than ever for teachers to keep grade posting up-to-date in Infinite Campus.  Teachers, please make every effort to get grades in quickly.  We don’t ever want parents to check the portal and find that grades have not been posted and are not up-to-date.  This is another great way for teachers and parents to partner for student success. 

Grayson County Schools App:

The much anticipated Grayson County Schools App went live this week.  I encourage everyone to download the app onto your smart phone and other devices. Visit the App Store or Google Play and search Grayson County Schools, KY to download it today.

 The new app has great potential as an effective communication tool in our school system.

Quote of the Day:

“Some men see things as they are and say “why?”  I dream things that never were, and say “why not?” ~George Bernard Shaw

Coming Attractions:

Nov. 4…KIP Survey (6^th and 8^th graders)

Nov. 7-8..No School in Grayson County (PLC Day postponed)

Nov. 10…GCMS Home Boys Basketball, 5:30

Nov. 10…GCMS Host Night for School Board meeting, 6:00

Nov. 14…November Faculty Meeting, 3:00

Nov. 23-25…No School, Thanksgiving Holiday

This Week at GCMS

Another Great Week:

We have had another great week at GCMS!  I felt like we had a productive follow up meeting after our instructional rounds from last week.  We will be continuing the work with the assessment focus and working on those “next level of work” items identified during the process.  Thanks again to everyone who helped with the rounds. 

Red Ribbon Week:

I had a kid ask one day this week, “why don’t we ever have a spirit week at GCMS?”  I responded “you mean where everyone dresses up in different themes each day?”  He said “yes, that would be great!”  I elaborated, “how about school colors one day?”  He loved it.  I went on, “and a camouflage day and a sports team day!”  By this time, he was on to me…”kind of like this week, huh?”  Red Ribbon Week is a lot of fun, but it gets a little crazy as well.  We need to always remind ourselves that if one kid says no to drugs because of these activities, it is well worth the craziness. 

PLC Alternative Plans:

Since there will be no PLC Day on November 8, we are working on plans for an alternative professional training.  This will likely be set up through Google Docs, so everyone can participate and respond digitally.  We will structure the learning so that it is worth 6 hours of professional credit.  This learning will support the focus areas that we are working on and will likely explore the concept of growth mindset.  This will not have to be completed right away.  We will give you plenty of advance notice about the due dates, etc.  More information to come!

School Rings:

Students who ordered school rings from Balfour will have their rings delivered during lunch on November 10.  Students will need to pay their balance in order to pick up their ring. 

Halloween:

GCMS will have a costume day on Monday, October 31, including a costume contest in the gym that morning.  Categories will include 1. Scariest  2. Most Original or Funny  3. Best Group.  Basic guidelines are:  no masks except for during costume judging, any face paint or hair coloring spray should be applied at home and not brought to school and not on the buses, no clown costumes because of media hype and threats elsewhere, and no real or fake weapons of any sort as part of costumes.

Quote of the Day:

“People often tell me that motivation doesn’t last, and I tell them that bathing doesn’t either.  That’s why I recommend it daily.” ~Zig Ziglar

Coming Attractions:

Oct. 24-31…Red Ribbon Week

Oct. 27…Walkathon Rewards

Oct. 31…Costume Contest, 7:45 am

Nov. 1....Boys Basketball Home Opening, 5:30

Nov. 4…KIP Survey (6^th and 8^th graders)

Nov. 7-8..No School in Grayson County (PLC Day postponed)

Nov. 14…November Faculty Meeting, 3:00

The Hum of Activity!

Another Great Week!

It has been another great week at Grayson County Middle School!  Lots of activities make our school an exciting place to be.  I have just a few notes to share as our week comes to a close.

Instructional Rounds:

Our team of observers enjoyed visiting the GCMS classrooms yesterday and saw many great lessons and learning activities in action.  We were able to observe in all core classrooms, ECE classrooms, and related arts classrooms yesterday.  I appreciate Mr. Robinson and Mrs. Meredith assisting us with observations.  Our team worked after school yesterday to analyze our observation notes, and we plan to share feedback with our faculty after school on Monday (October 24).  We will meet in the library at 3:00 with two main agenda items.  Wayne Meriwether from Twin Lakes will be here to share some information about our local hospital, and then we will discuss and share feedback from instructional rounds.  Thank you everyone for making this process go smoothly yesterday.

Edgenuity Lab:

I appreciate the extra efforts that everyone is making to utilize the Edgenuity lab as one more chance for students to be successful.  Several students have been able to bring grades up through the Edgenuity program, and that is the goal.  Several students have been assigned and not yet brought their grades up, but as they discover that learning is “unavoidable”, hopefully, they will succeed as well.  Thank you to our Title teachers for taking this on, Mrs. Miller for spearheading this program, and to our classroom teachers for helping our students succeed.

GCHS Band Performance:

We are happy to have the GCHS marching band performing at GCMS this afternoon.  We will be flipping 6^th and 7^th periods today.  All students should go to 7^th period right after 5^th period today.  We will begin calling students down to the gym near the end of that class around 1:40 this afternoon.  Depending on how much time is left after the performance, we may or may not return students to teams afterward.

Halloween:

GCMS will have a costume day on Monday, October 31, including a costume contest in the gym that morning.  Categories will include 1. Scariest  2. Most Original or Funny  3. Best Group.  4. Staff Members.  Basic guidelines are:  no masks except for during costume judging, any face paint or hair coloring spray should be applied at home and not brought to school and not on the buses, no clown costumes because of media hype and threats elsewhere, and no real or fake weapons of any sort as part of costumes. 

School Rings:

Students who ordered school rings from Balfour will have their rings delivered during lunch on November 10.  Students will need to pay their balance in order to pick up their ring. 

Quote of the Day:

“Failure is success if we learn from it.” ~Malcolm Forbes

Coming Attractions:

Oct. 21…GCHS Band to perform at GCMS

Oct. 24…Faculty Meeting after school, 3:00

Oct. 24-31…Red Ribbon Week

Oct. 27…Walkathon Rewards

Oct. 31…Costume Contest, 7:45 am

Nov. 4…KIP Survey (6^th and 8^th graders)

Nov. 7-8..No School in Grayson County (PLC Day postponed)

Nov. 10...GC School Board meeting at GCMS, 6:00

Nov. 14…November Faculty Meeting, 3:00

Back To It!

Welcome Back!

It was good to have everyone back this week after a week of fall break.  The first quarter of the school year is always such an exciting time, but it is also a hectic time, so the break is certainly needed.  As we wind our way toward the end of this week, I have just a few notes to share.

Instructional Rounds at GCMS:

As you know, our school-based instructional rounds at GCMS are scheduled for Thursday, October 20.  We plan to get in all classrooms that day for 10 minute walk-throughs, and we will be focusing on formative assessment.  I sent you the schedule and the guiding questions which our team of observers will be considering.  I have asked our 4 teachers who have been participating in the L2L Aspiring Principals program to assist with the observations and analysis.  The team will stay after school that day to analyze our data, and then we will share our analysis with the faculty after school on Monday, October 24.

Street Heat Band at GCMS:

Our PBIS reward assembly for the students is planned for Friday afternoon of this week.  The Street Heat Band from Jefferson County will be performing for our student body at 1:00 on Friday.  We appreciate Stacy Pierce and Mr. Whitmore for making the contact and taking care of details for the concert.  The group has performed here in past years and is always a big hit with our students!

Observations:

Observation window 1 is well underway and should wrap up on October 31.  If your peer observation falls in window 1, please be arranging this with your peer observer.  Also, non-tenured teachers should be arranging your first mini-observation of the year if you have not already done so.  For folks in your summative year, please remember that your peer observation needs to take place before your full observation by the principal or assistant principal.  Tenured teachers not in your summative year may set up your mini observation at any time. 

Quote of the Day:

“I bring you the gift of these four words:  I believe in you.” ~Blaise Pascal

Coming Attractions:

Oct. 14…Reward Concert for students with no referrals.

Oct. 19…Report Cards go home.

Oct. 20….Instructional Rounds at GCMS

Oct. 21…GCHS Band to perform at GCMS

Oct. 24…Faculty Meeting after school, 3:00

Oct. 24-31…Red Ribbon Week

Fall Break Edition

Happy Fall Break!

As we wrap up the week and head into Fall Break, I want to wish everyone a restful and stress-free break.  I will be at GCMS each day next week, but if you need me, please call ahead.  I plan to neither get here at 6:00 am, nor stay until dark thirty next week.  I hope that everyone has a great fall break!

KPREP Scores:

As I shared with staff members on Tuesday afternoon, this year’s KPREP scores were something of a mixed bag for GCMS.  I am very proud of the improvements that we saw.  The biggest improvement area came in the area of on-demand writing with about a 4 point jump.  Everyone’s hard work with the new writing format seems to have made a positive difference in our writing scores.  I appreciate everyone continuing to utilize this format.  Our math scores showed good progress as well, and our overall growth score showed a nice increase.  The work that is already underway to target students for intervention will make a big difference in both our Gap score and our novice reduction.  Middle Schools are unique to the Kentucky testing system in that our KPREP tests every student every year.  This is not true at the other levels.  Thanks for all that you do to help students succeed at GCMS! 

                              Walkathon Top 3:  1. Chloe Cox   2. Zeb Bratcher   3. Kyle McWhorter

                                          
Walkathon:

Thank you for another great effort with this year’s GCMS Walkathon.  Our related arts teachers, title teachers, Kim Dennis, Shirley House, and many others have worked tirelessly to pull off another successful school wide fundraiser this year.  The final count is not in at this time, but we will be able to add a significant amount of funding to provide more instructional technology at GCMS.  This year’s top three student fundraisers were Chloe Cox, Zeb Bratcher, and Ryan McWhorter.  Team 8 was the top team in this year’s team fundraising competition.  Congratulations to these winners, and thank you to everyone who helped in any way!

Instructional Rounds:

We are planning our school-based instructional rounds at GCMS for October 20.  We will do both a morning session and an afternoon session in order to get into every classroom at GCMS, and we will be using our problem of practice regarding assessment.  The school observer team will complete the analysis after school that day and then present our feedback to the faculty after school on Monday, October 24.  I appreciate your input on guiding questions, and I will be sending those out to you in the near future. 

Observations:

Observation window 1 is well underway and should wrap up on October 31.  If your peer observation falls in window 1, please be arranging this with your peer observer.  Also, non-tenured teachers should be arranging your first mini-observation of the year if you have not already done so.  For folks in your summative year, please remember that your peer observation needs to take place before your full observation by the principal or assistant principal.  Tenured teachers not in your summative year may set up your mini observation at any time. 

Quote of the Day:

“Persistance is what makes the impossible possible, the possible likely, and the likely definite.” ~Robert Half

Coming Attractions:

Sept. 30-Oct. 7…No School (Fall Break)

Oct. 14…Reward Concert for students with no referrals.

Oct. 19…Report Cards go home.

Oct. 20….Instructional Rounds at GCMS

Oct. 21…GCHS Band to perform at GCMS

Oct. 24…Faculty Meeting after school, 3:00

Oct. 24-31…Red Ribbon Week