Monday Memo Week of September 28th, 2015

Essential Information                 

-  SLO Update:  Reminder that all content learning goals are NOT created equal. In our SLO process some content lends itself to broader goals, some more narrow.  There really is no "right" and "wrong" when it comes to your Learning Content, as long as you are sure that if students demonstrate mastery of the learning targets in the Learning Content, then that will prove they understand the overarching Learning Goal in the SLO.  Please let us know if you have any questions from last Monday's PLC. 

-  New due date: i-Observation Professional Growth Plans are due Monday, October 19th.  I see I need to approve them by 11-2, so this will give me plenty of time.  We will all have one common goal "Tracking Student Progress" for our SLO work.  Let me know if you have any questions Please reference this link for the training video Growth Plan Video

-  Team Meetings: I need to reschedule the following teams please!  Quest, Can you please do Thursday 10-8 at 9:30?  DLT is conflicting with our monthly.  Thanks.  Synergy and Synthesis, can you please do Friday 10-9 at 10:30 Syng and 2:30 synth for this month only?  Innovation, can we please meet Friday 10-9 at 9:30 just for this month only?  These teams, please let me know what will work for you and I will get your team meetings back on the calendar.  I appreciate your understanding, I have SJ training all day Friday.  Thanks!

-  PBIS Committee is open for new members!  Please send an email to Aimee Vogt if you are interested in joining our 15-16 PBIS team.  Meeting dates and times will be generated from team feedback.  

-  Our first department chair meeting is today- Monday, 9/28.  Here is the link where you can contribute ideas to the agenda: 

https://docs.google.com/a/wgcloud.org/document/d/1ENqMPT_ZQoiJ3OsitystKkmsBh8d4vlYfDAZNyx7h_w/edit?usp=sharing

Good to Know                              

-   PAWSitive office referrals are making an impact on students :)!  Thank you for taking a moment to fill out this quick form on the Blog for students caught being Ready, Respectful, and Responsible.  Parents have even commented on how exciting it was to see a positive letter sent to them about their middle school child.  Remember to write up a student you see doing the right thing!  

-  TRIVIA NIGHT is this Saturday- please join us to support bringing the Rachel's Challenge Assembly back to Hixson!!

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Monday Memo Week of September 21st

Essential Information                 

I saw this several times on Sunday on
my "jog" in Creve Coeur Park and couldn't
stop thinking of SLOs... the kids wanted
to know why I was taking a picture of the ground!

-  PLC Today 3:30.  Focus on SLOs, which we are taking s-l-o-w-l-y.  Please bring your PLC binder and relevant materials.  Room assignments:

• ELA, Science, and electives (except PE) will meet in the cafeteria with Dr. Smith, Dr. Vogt, and Jill Right
• Social Studies and PE will meet in room 118 with Dr. Miller
• Math will meet in room 114 with Dr. Roberts

Please be sure you have watched the Flipped PD video for Learning Content and Rubric for this afternoon. Let me know if you have any questions.

Click here for 9-21 PD video

-  New due date: i-Observation Professional Growth Plans are due Monday, October 19th.  I see I need to approve them by 11-2, so this will give me plenty of time.  We will all have one common goal "Tracking Student Progress" for our SLO work.  Let me know if you have any questions Please reference this link for the training video Growth Plan Video

-  Please check the blog calendar to ensure I have your team meeting times reflected correctly.  As I was new to Google Calendar in August, I realized I set them to repeat monthly but then Teresa showed me the "every fourth Friday" option I didn't know existed!  Quest managed to move itself on the calendar to Saturdays (no worries Susan and Jordan) so, another set of eyes is appreciated- thanks!  Let me know and I will make changes accordingly, and my thanks to Teresa!

-  Discovery Map Update for this week:  Interventions this week: Social Studies and Science teacher (1 day).  Rachel's Challenge activity: "Showing Kindness" should be completed in Discovery this week.  Thank you!

-  PBIS Committee is open for new members!  Please send an email to Aimee Vogt if you are interested in joining our 15-16 PBIS team.  Meeting dates and times will be generated from team feedback.  

-  Toner will now be supplied for the remaining classroom printers for 15-16 only!!  We have made arrangements to keep the toner flowing for this year.  Please use sparingly as we continue to be fiscally conscientious.  After this year we will not have the in-room printers, however, printing stations will be strategically located throughout the building for convenience.  Thank you!

Good to Know                              

-  Our first department chair meeting will be Monday, 9/28.  Please let me know if there is anything you would like included on the department chair agenda for the 28th.  

- Here is the link where you can contribute ideas to the agenda: 
https://docs.google.com/a/wgcloud.org/document/d/1ENqMPT_ZQoiJ3OsitystKkmsBh8d4vlYfDAZNyx7h_w/edit?usp=sharing

- PAWSitive office referrals are making an impact on students :)!  Thank you for taking a moment to fill out this quick form on the Blog for students caught being Ready, Respectful, and Responsible.  Parents have even commented on how exciting it was to see a positive letter sent to them about their middle school child.  Remember to write up a student you see doing the right thing!  

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Monday Memo Week of September 14th, 2015

Essential Information                 

- Discovery Map Update for this week:  Interventions this week: ELA and Math teachers/ Enrichment: Social Studies and Science teachers

-  Friday 9/18 Term 1 ends

-  PTO Grant Applications Due this Tuesday, September 15!

-  i-Observation Professional Growth Plans are due Wednesday, September 30th.  We will all have one common goal "Tracking Student Progress" for our SLO work.  Please reference this link for the training video Growth Plan Video


-  Department PLC meets on Monday, September 21st for SLO work in learning content and rubric for the SLO.  

- Flipped PD training video for 9/21:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4lFyx1V8aj0eG1QaGllZ1RXLVE/view?usp=sharing


-  Faculty meeting dates this year will all be utilized for department PLC work/SLOs.  I have met with the curriculum coordinators so we are on the same page and collaborating on PLC work during this time.  Dates are: 9/21, 10/5, 10/19, 11/2, 11/16, 12/7, 2/1, 3/7, 4/4, 4/18, 5/2, 5/16 (if needed).  In addition, we will also devote PD days to PLC and SLO work as well on 10/30, 2/12, and 3/21. 

Good to Know                              

-  Our first department chair meeting will be Monday, 9/28.  Please let me know if there is anything you would like included on the department chair agenda for the 28th.  

- Here is the link where you can contribute ideas to the agenda: 
https://docs.google.com/a/wgcloud.org/document/d/1ENqMPT_ZQoiJ3OsitystKkmsBh8d4vlYfDAZNyx7h_w/edit?usp=sharing

-  Wednesday evening 9/16 PTO meeting at 6:30 in the library followed by our first speaker series event on Internet Safety for kids, feel free to join us!

- PAWSitive office referrals are making an impact on students :)!  Thank you for taking a moment to fill out this quick form on the Blog for students caught being Ready, Respectful, and Responsible.  Parents have even commented on how exciting it was to see a positive letter sent to them about their middle school child.  Remember to write up a student you see doing the right thing!

- Hixson is now the proud owner of a popcorn machine in the cafeteria, thanks to a 14-15 PTO grant!  We plan to reward students who have received a Pawsitive office referral at intervals throughout the year with a bag of popcorn.

Monday Memo Week of September 8th

Essential Information                 

-  Hope you all enjoyed a wonderful 3 day weekend!  We took the kids to Incredible Pizza (my first time going there), it was a lot of fun for the kids and us... I beat Jeremy in basketball and ate gluten free pizza :).  Looking forward to hearing about everyone's weekend on Tuesday.

-  We have started our Walkthrough observations, please check your wgcloud email for formative walkthrough feedback.  Let us know if you have any questions or want to discuss any of the feedback, the value in the process is in the conversation and clarification.

-  Faculty meeting dates this year will all be utilized for department PLC work/SLOs.  I have met with the curriculum coordinators so we are on the same page and collaborating on PLC work during this time.  Dates are: 9/21, 10/5, 10/19, 11/2, 11/16, 12/7, 2/1, 3/7, 4/4, 4/18, 5/2, 5/16 (if needed).  In addition, we will also devote PD days to PLC and SLO work as well on 10/30, 2/12, and 3/21. 

-  -Link to SLO flipped PD video for August:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4lFyx1V8aj0eU1PQmtkc05ZbkE/view?usp=sharing 

-  Flipped PD video for our work on Learning Content and Rubrics for the SLO on 9/21 will be released the week of 9/14

-  This week I will be sending out a video link on choosing your professional goals for 15-16 in i-observation along with the date which we need goals submitted by.  We will all have 1 common goal and 2 self-selected professional goals.  Please let me know if you have any questions after watching the video.

- PAWSitive office referrals are making an impact on students :)!  Thank you for taking a moment to fill out this quick form on the Blog for students caught being Ready, Respectful, and Responsible.  Parents have even commented on how exciting it was to see a positive letter sent to them about their middle school child.  Remember to write up a student you see doing the right thing!

Good to Know                              

-  Our first department chair meeting will be Monday, 9/28.  Please let me know if there is anything you would like included on the department chair agenda for the 28th.  

Here is the link where you can contribute ideas to the agenda: 
https://docs.google.com/a/wgcloud.org/document/d/1ENqMPT_ZQoiJ3OsitystKkmsBh8d4vlYfDAZNyx7h_w/edit?usp=sharing

-  Wednesday evening 9/16 PTO meeting at 6:30 in the library followed by our first speaker series event on Internet Safety for kids, feel free to join us!

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