February 24, 2014

Have you checked out the Stories of Kindness on the Hixson Kindness Challenge site? It's exciting to see this initiative begin to take shape. Please consider ways you might start a chain reaction by using the kindness cards given to you earlier this term. A recent Hixson tweet received national attention when Rachel's Challenge re-tweeted a story of kindness.

Fourth Monday Tech Development
I will provide more information on Monday about where and with whom you will meet. You will be organized based on your responses to the survey sent out last week.

March's Thinking Strategy
Proficient readers:

• spontaneously and purposefully create images using all five senses and their emotions as they read.
• create images that help them engage and make text more memorable.
• use images to make interpretations from the text.

Click here to access the resources to support March's Thinking Strategy: Sensory Images. Leveraging images is good for student learning and relates to Marzano strategy 12 Recording and Representing Knowledge as non-linguistic representations have been shown to enhance student understanding, engagement, and memory.

HR Update

• I suspect that we will be receiving an HR update from Linda Holliday soon regarding iObservation. Some changes were suggested by the PBTE (Performance-Based Teacher Evaluation) Committee.
• First round interviews for the next principal of Hixson are early this week.

Third Trimester

Conferences and Spring Break are just weeks away, and then the year will settle into a more predictable rhythm (weather and water mains holding steady, hopefully). For me, the pace of the year always quickens at this time; this can be stressful. Dr. Martin Seligman, author of Flourish and Learned Optimism, suggests an intentional practice of gratitude to maintain an optimistic word view. It's not just thinking of something about which to be intentionally grateful; it's also about reminding ourselves about why we are grateful for whatever recalled in the first place. This "why" is sustaining.

I am grateful that all of you have been so resilient and steady this fourth term. I am grateful because it supports a steadier environment for our students and because it makes the work more joyful for me because I can count on you.

Fourth Monday Faculty Meeting PD

Please take a moment to complete this three-question survey so that we can better plan for Monday’s 1:1 PD.

Click here to review the Presentation I gave at the end of January regarding our Fourth Monday development.

February 17, 2014

This week's update is just a list of several reminders. I hope Friday was productive for you and that your extended weekend was enjoyable. I shared the link for March conferences on Friday and, rather immediately, two parents already signed up.

Have a great week!

iDEA (PD) Representative
Congratulations to Patrick Dempsey who received the majority of the faculty votes to represent Hixson on the the District iDEA Committee.

Late Start Schedule
Click here for more information about the district late start schedule in general and about Hixson's late start schedule in particular.

ALICE Training
Click here for the link to Friday's post that re-capped the Active Shooter/Intruder training that we received.

Track Day Feedback
So far, I think we have received some really good feedback about Track Day.  Click here for the link if you have not yet and would like to give feedback.

Design Questions 2-5 Review
Click here to review the Presentation from Friday's review of design questions 2-5, and Click here for a list of Marzano strategies and their desired effects, based on my notes during our training.

This week, I will begin Tuesday with an off campus meeting and will be gone most of Thursday morning for a district admin meeting.

Active Shooter/Intruder and ALICE Training

Intruder Drills
We will practice a modified lockdown and intruder drill second semester.

All-Call Code: 3892
To make an all-call, pick up the receiver, dial 3892, and begin speaking.

Please consider the best places to place this code.  By the phone might not be, given that students often use classroom pones.  It will be good to place this in your sub binder as well.  We can also add it to the faculty list of numbers we share annually.

Modified Lockdown
During a modified lockdown drill, you check to make sure the hallway around your class is empty and that your door is locked.  You should continue teaching or working as you were.  Do not let anyone in until the lockdown is over and do not let anyone out without permission or an escort.  Here is the procedure:

• A modified lockdown is announced.
• Check the hallway to make sure it is clear (if it's not, bring the students into your classroom).
• Check to make sure your door is locked.
• Check your e-mail for further information.
• Continue teaching or working as you were.
• An announcement will be made when the lockdown is either over or if another alert is necessary.

Please make sure your students understand what a modified lockdown drill is as well.  If you have questions, please let me know.  I'll do my best to answer these for the entire staff.

Lockdown
Below is a version of the ALICE video we watcher last year.  Please make sure to have reviewed the Intruder/Active Shoot Drill Discussion points by clicking here.

Here is a middle school version of an ALICE training video.



More information will follow as we prepare for these drills.

February 10, 2014

This week is Random Acts of Kindness week.  Rachel's Challenge differentiates between random and targeted acts of kindness. Really, I think the world can benefit from kindness whether random or target, so if you're interested in educator resources this, click here.

Faculty Meeting: 2/10

Our 2/10 faculty meeting has two agenda items:

• Adapting and Modifying assessments.  Some faculty members have expressed an interest in learning more about or sharing techniques for adapting and modifying tests and quizzes. 
• Feedback and Ideas for Track Day.  Track Day is our only whole school event, and the PE teachers, Dr. Miller, and I think your feedback is important in what ways might we better make use of this tradition.
• We have three faculty interested in serving on the district iDEA (PD) Committee.  This means we will need to vote as only one may join.  Our interested faculty members are: Dawn Meyer, Mark Daniels, and Patrick Dempsey.

I'll send a link for gathering feedback for Track Day and for voting for the iDEA committee rep after the faculty meeting.

Professional Development Day: 2/14

So far this day looks like this:

• 8:30: ALICE and Intruder Drill Training Re-Fresh with Ofc. Davis (presentation-based, not experiential)
• 10:00-11:30: Department Time
• 11:30-12:30: Lunch (on your own)
• 12:30-1:30: Personal Plan Time
• 1:30-2:30: Team Time
• 2:30-3:30: Brief Review of the Desired Effects of DQs 2-5

Links to Other Important Posts

• 7th Grade Parent Orientation (2/11 beginning at 6:30pm)
• February's Thinking Strategy: Monitoring Comprehension
• WGSD Foundation and Alumni Grants

This week, I will be out of the building on Tuesday to attend to some business for the trust of a recently deceased friend and a doctor's appointment.  I will begin Thursday with a meeting off campus, but should arrive at Hixson before the end of first hour.

February 3, 2014

I have a lot to share this week . . .

Annual Budget Meeting: 2/3
Dr. Roberts will be meeting with department chairs and other interested faculty on Monday, February 3rd, in Sherri Evans' room to discuss next year's budget.

Faculty Meeting: 2/10
Our 2/10 faculty meeting has two agenda items:

• Adapting and Modifying assessments.  Some faculty members have expressed an interest in learning more about or sharing techniques for adapting and modifying tests and quizzes. 
• Feedback and Ideas for Track Day.  Track Day is our only whole school event, and the PE teachers, Dr. Miller, and I think your feedback is important in what ways might we better make use of this tradition.

Professional Development Day: 2/14

So far this day looks like this:

• 8:30: ALICE and Intruder Drill Training Re-Fresh with Ofc. Davis (presentation-based, not experiential)
• 10:00-11:30: Department Time
• 11:30-12:30: Lunch (on your own)
• 12:30-1:30: Personal Plan Time
• 1:30-2:30: Team Time
• 2:30-3:30: Brief Review of the Desired Effects of DQs 2-5

If you have any feedback on this draft, please e-mail me by clicking here.

Cell Phones and Other Devices

Cell phones and other devices should only be out, on, and/or in use with adult permission and supervision.  Please remind students before they leave class to put their devices completely away.  Please remind students in the halls to have their devices stowed as well.  Jason Heisel will make an announcement to remind students as well.  It was about this time last year that students needed a similar reminder.

Student-Led Conferences

Click here to view some student-led conference resources that Dynamic team shared with me.  These resources are well-structured and will support the student-led conference well, I believe.  I can gather other team resources in a similar folder in the faculty handbook on Drive.

iDEA Faculty Representative
The district professional development committee is now the iDEA committee.  Randy Rachal has served on this committee for several years and will be cycling off.  Melissa Hellwig is currently serves on this committee, and Hixson needs on more rep.  Click here to e-mail me your interest.

Links to Other Important Posts

• 7th Grade Parent Orientation
• February's Thinking Strategy: Monitoring Comprehension
• WGSD Foundation and Alumni Grants

This week, I will begin Tuesday and Thursday off campus for curriculum and administrator meetings and will be out of the building altogether on Friday.