The Friday Memo

Happy Friday!

I hope you have had a good week.

Here are just a couple of important announcements:

1. PLEASE make sure that you are posting tests to the calendars in the teacher workroom. I will post next week's tests to the parent blog at about 3:45 this afternoon. As of this writing, there are no tests listed for 7th grade, which is fine if that is in fact true.

2. If you have not already done so, please submit your goals to me as soon as possible.

Next Week at a Glance:

Monday, September 1: - Labor Day

Tuesday, September 2:

5:00pm - MS Football @ ACA

Wednesday, September 3:

Picture Day

Thursday, September 4:

5:30pm - MS Volleyball @ St. James

7:00pm - Varsity Football @ BB Comer

Heads Up! Week of September 8:

Monday, September 8:

3:45pm - K-12 Faculty Meeting

5:00pm - MS Football vs. MA (Home)

Tuesday, September 9:

4:30pm - MS Volleyball @ Montgomery Catholic

Thursday, September 11:

4:30pm - MS Volleyball vs. MA (Home)

Friday, September 12:

7:00pm - Varsity Football vs. Lafayette (Home)

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12: 1

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Blogging in the Classroom

Happy Hump Day!

We have two teachers (that I know of) here at Trinity who are using blogs with their students. Christy Colee is using this blog primarily as a parental communication tool, while Emily Head is using this blog as an interactive tool with her students. In fact, Emily had her students posting to her blog using the Mac mobile laptops this morning.

As we begin our times of professional development together, I will be happy to show you how to create your own blog and use it in your classroom. I must warn you, however, it can be addictive!

Have a great afternoon!

Mac Lab

Here are some pictures of Whittington McLemore using our wireless Mac lab today. I encourage you to give this a try. Your kids will love it!

Communication is Key

Teachers,

I have already had some of you stop by to let me know that you are concerned about the progress of certain students, and have contacted their parents accordingly. Let me encourage all of you to be proactive with respect to parent communication. It is much better to let parents know that there is a potential problem than to let things fester to the point of frustration for all involved. Once you have made contact, please remember to document, document, document!!

Additionally, I will be happy to speak with any students who are not applying themselves in your classroom. We have bright kids here, so I'm sure some just need a gentle nudge in the right direction.

Don't forget to let parents know when their children do well. Time invested in positive communication could reap great rewards when problems arise later on.

Keep after it -- you're doing a great job!

September 5

Teachers,

I realize that next week is a short week. However, please try your best not to schedule a major test for next Friday, September 5. Our varsity football team is traveling to Sylacauga to play BB Comer, and I am sure that many middle school siblings will make the trip. The reality is that students will be attending school Friday after a late evening.

Please take this into consideration when planning your major assessments next week.

Also, Thanks for your assistance this morning with the severe weather. You are the best!

The Friday Memo

Happy Friday!

Thanks for a great start to the school year! You have done an absolutely fantastic job of helping us set the tone for a successful year - now let's work hard to keep the momentum going!

Here are some general announcements:

1. Please remember that we should never dismiss students from a class before the bell rings. Please continue to make sure that your classes are supervised at all times.
2. Absence forms are available in the Copy Room. These must be turned in to my box when you are absent for any reason.
3. The deadline for PTO teacher requests is Friday, August 29. Please submit your request to Mr. Neu.
4. Please make sure that you are posting tests to the calendars in the teacher workroom. I will begin posting these to the parent blog next Friday.
5. Remember PTO Open House next Tuesday evening. This will be a good opportunity to explain your classroom management plan to parents.
6. Remember that we have a fire drill Monday morning. This will be the only announced fire drill of the year. It is important that you remind your students of all emergency procedures periodically throughout the year.
7. Remember that we have a Pep Rally next Thursday. Notice that we will be running a special pep rally schedule and not our typical activity schedule.
8. I understand that it is a bit of an inconvenience, but please make sure that your classroom doors are closed and locked during the school day. The safety of our students needs to be our primary concern.

Next Week at a Glance:

Tuesday, August 26

4:30pm - MS Volleyball vs. MA (Home)

7:00pm - PTO Open House

Thursday, August 28

Pep Rally (Special Schedule)

4:30pm - MS Volleyball vs. Prattville (Home)

5:30pm - Tailgate Party

7:00pm - Varsity Football vs. St. James (Home)

Heads Up! Week of September 1:

Monday, September 1

Labor Day - NO SCHOOL!

Tuesday, September 2

5:00pm - MS Football @ ACA

Wednesday, September 3

School Pictures

Thursday, September 4

5:30pm - MS Volleyball vs. St. James/Kinston @ St. James

7:00pm - Varsity Football @ B. B. Comer

Kathy Pirtle has a quote on her classroom wall that is one of my favorite. Let's keep these words in mind as we approach our work each day:

"Nothing great was ever achieved without ENTHUSIASM!" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have a GREAT Weekend!

Email Trouble

Teachers,

I am aware that some of you are still not receiving emails here at school, while they may be showing up on your computer at home. I have posted a notification to parents on my Principals' Blog explaining this.

We'll try to fix this problem as quickly as possible.

Pep Rally

Teachers,

There has been some confusion as to whether the Middle School is invited to the first pep rally of the year on August 28. The good news is WE'RE INVITED! Hopefully our kids will enjoy it.

On a similar note, I encourage you to try to make it to some of our Middle School athletic events - even if for just a few minutes. The kids notice when you are there, and it means so much to them. In fact, our volleyball team plays Catholic today at 4:30 in the Old Gym. Stop by if you can!

Smart Board Resources

Teachers,

I have enjoyed visiting your classrooms this week. You are all doing such an outstanding job! I have noticed the use of the Smart Board among our teachers and have found some resources that you might like.

Click here and you will be directed to a blog post where some "expert" Smart Board users have provided resources for the classroom. These lessons cover the entire K-12 area, so you may have to do some hunting for your particular grade level and subject. However, I believe you will find it well worth your while.

Please feel free to experiment with the use of our interactive whiteboards. They really speak the language of our children: technology and visual appeal.

Have a great day!

Forms, Forms, Forms

Teachers,

Please remember that we have some "opening of school" forms that need to be turned in to the office. You will see a specific list of these in last week's Friday Memo.

Please remember to turn these in after they have all been collected and placed in alphabetical order. Also, please remember to keep a good record of who has and has not returned these items.

I hope your week is a good one!

Friday Memo Correction

Teachers,

You only have to sign out/in when you leave campus for some reason during the day.

I hope you have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

The Friday Memo

Middle School Announcements:

1. Please remember to have your evaluation goals to me by Friday, August 29.
2. Test sign-up sheets are located in the Copy Room. Please consult these sheets when planning your tests. You must place your test date/subject on this sheet. There can be no more than two (2) major tests on any given day in the Middle School.
3. Please remember to wear your ID badges daily.
4. There are sign-in/out sheets in the office -- please use them daily (despite what I may have said during in-service).
5. Next week, let's remind students that they may only eat in Willett Hall or outside during break.
6. For the most part, the kids are doing well with dress code issues. the key here is to present a united front and point out any problems (especially un-tucked shirts) immediately.
7. Along the dress code line, there seems to be some confusion regarding which girls' shirts may be tucked in and which may be worn out. We will settle on this among the administrative staff (that's my way of saying "Let me talk to the ladies in the office . . .") and possibly follow up with a "fashion show" for teachers and students to clarify the issue.
8. Remember to give $20 toward the hospitality fund. You may make this payment in the Business Office.
9. Faculty meetings begin September 8 and will include the following rotation each month:
First Monday - K-12
Second Monday - Middle School
Third Monday - Departmental Meetings
Fourth Monday - Professional Development
Fifth Monday - Off
10. You are such a professional faculty! We're off to a great start -- now let's keep it up!

Next Week at a Glance:

Wednesday, August 20

Classroom Management Plans due to Coach Rags

Thursday, August 21

4:30pm - MS Volleyball vs. Catholic (Home)
Come out and support our girls!

Saturday, August 23,

MS Volleyball Capital City Jubilee
Time & Location TBA

Heads Up! Week of August 25:

Tuesday, August 26

4:30pm - MS Volleyball vs. MA (Home)

7:00pm - PTO Back to School Night (6-12)

Thursday, August 28

4:30pm - MS Volleyball vs. Prattville (Home)

5:30pm - Tailgate Party

7:00pm - Varsity Football vs. St. James (Home)

Friday, August 29:

Evaluation Goals Due

" . . . he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion

until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

Have a GREAT weekend!

We're Making News!

Teachers,

Check out this blog site and you'll find a neat article about our Middle School blogs here at Trinity. Frank Buck is an organizational "guru," and has been my primary mentor in the area of educational leadership. I highly recommend his blog for great tips on getting and staying organized. He has also published a book that is a tremendous help as well.

We'll be talking some in faculty meetings on how we can implement some of Frank's ideas here.

I hope that your first week is going well!

Keep up the good work!

First Day Announcements

Teachers,

Thanks for your attention in faculty meeting today. I also appreciate some of the excellent feedback that you have given me regarding some of our policies, etc.

I forgot to mention a couple of things (see, I told you I would!):

1. When taking up forms from your students, please do not send them to the office until you have a form from everyone. Also, please help the office staff by putting the forms in alphabetical order before they go to the front office. It is most important that we get back everything we give out, so please keep good records.

2. I failed to mention dress code, but let's be sure to get on that from the get-go. If we all are consistent in reminding our kids to keep those shirts in, from day one, we can keep a handle on this one.

3. Let's meet in Kathy Pirtle's room for just a few minutes tomorrow after the dust settles to debrief and give me an opportunity to go over anything that I have missed (I'm sure there will be something). I promise -- I won't keep you long!

4. One final thing - The new teachers who attended my classroom management seminar last Friday will receive CEUs. The form should be in your box. Please fill it out and return it to Diane Berney (you might want to make a copy for yourself as well).

Remember - You never get a second chance to make a first impression. If we get this year started out right, and remain consistent and unified, we'll have a great school year.

Thanks so much for all you do!

The Friday Memo

Teachers,

If you've been on campus this week, you've noticed the "buzz" in the air as we quickly approach the first day of school. Our 6th and 7th grade students now have their lockers, and the Wildcat Girls did an outstanding job of helping them find their classes. Our new teachers have been participating in orientation and seem excited about getting started next week.

Here are a few reminders as we approach the first day of school:

1. If you have not already done so, please remember to stop by the Business Office to pick up your PTO monetary gift. I'll be happy to pass along thank you notes to the appropriate people should you feel moved to write one.

2. Please check your class schedule carefully and make sure you have enough desks/chairs in your classroom. Due to some unavoidable conflicts, we have a few classes that are larger than we would like. We want to make sure we don't spring desk/chair requests on our outstanding maintenance staff at the last minute.

Next Week at a Glance:

Monday, August 11:

8:00 Continental Breakfast, Devotion, and No More Bullies Discussion - Fine Arts Hall

10:15 No More Bullies Discussion Groups (k-12)

12:00 Board Lunch - Fine Arts Hall

1:00 - 3:00 Work in Rooms

Tuesday, August 12:

7:45-8:30 PTO Back to School Breakfast and Devotional - Fine Arts Hall

9:00 Middle School Faculty Meeting (Location TBA)

11:30 Departmental Lunches

12:30 - 3:30 Work in Rooms

Wednesday, August 13:

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (Ready or not!) - 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 14:

6:30pm - Pre-Season Football Scrimmage

Heads Up! - Week of August 18:

Thursday, August 21:

4:30pm - MS Volleyball vs. Catholic (Home) Come out and support our girls!

Saturday, August 23:

MS Volleyball Capital City Jubilee - Time and Location TBA

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us - Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

Have a Great Weekend!