Happy Christmas Eve!

I hope everyone is enjoying this Christmas Eve! Just for fun, here is one of my favorite Christmas tunes played by the Boston Pops, directed by John Williams. Enjoy Sleigh Ride!

Merry Christmas!

Thank you for the wonderful job you do each day! You are deeply appreciated!

I hope you and your family have a Holy and Merry Christmas!

Faculty Notes

Happy Friday!

Well . . . we've made it to exam time! In one week you'll be heading out the door to a well-deserved two-week vacation. Hang in there!

As was announced during lunch today, we will have our final Paw Print day of the semester Monday. Students may redeem Paw Prints for a dress-down day Monday. I will send an email of students participating before homeroom Monday morning.

Please remember that lunch will be served until 12:30 p.m. during exams in order to accommodate our teachers who participate in that program.

You might want to take some time over Christmas vacation to check out this blog post which points the way to National Geographic's extensive image collection. Included in the article are some tips on integrating photos from the database into your lesson plans.

I also thought you might like this inspirational story. Let's keep in mind the impact we have on our kids each day.

Thanks for a great week, and have a spectacular weekend!

2009 Edublog Awards

Teachers,

I invite you to check out the winners of this year's Edublog awards. Perhaps you will find some that you can bookmark and refer to on a regular basis:

Best Individual Blog - "Once Upon a Teacher"

Best New Blog - "Favorite Parent"

Best Class Blog - "Miss McMillan's Blog"

Best Student Blog - "EDucation ToGoBox"

Best Resource Sharing Blog - "Free Tech for Teachers"

Best Teacher Blog - "Math Models"

Best Educational Tech Support Blog - "edu.Mac.nation"

Best Library Blog - "TLC = Tech + Library + Classroom"

Best ELearning Blog - "Love Learning"

Best Educational Use of Audio - "Cool Teachers Podcast"

Lifetime Achievement Award - "2 Cents Worth"

Happy reading!

E-Learning for Kids

Teachers,

When you get a chance, check out this great SmartBoard site. It includes interactive whiteboard activities for kids up to age 12, so I'm sure you'll find some good middle school content there.

I hope you are having a great day!

Faculty Notes

Happy Friday!

As we go into the final two weeks before Christmas vacation, here are some important reminders:

1. Please see that your grades on Edline are current. We want to ensure that parents have a clear picture of where their children stand this close to the end of the semester. If a student is in danger of failing, please notify the parents by phone and discuss the matter.

2. Our January 4 in-service will feature Dr. Frank Buck in two morning sessions that I believe will be very helpful for all of us. Dr. Buck is an expert in the area of organization and time management, and has helped countless teachers and administrators "get it together." He is the author of two books, the most recent of which will be published in January. You may read Dr. Buck's blog on organization here.

3. Homeroom teachers will be given Sage Dining surveys to be distributed to your students early next week. Please impress upon your students the importance of completing these seriously, as we are striving to make our lunch program the best it can be.

4. Please plan on a brief faculty meeting Monday afternoon after carpool in Kathy Pirtle's room. We will discuss exams and other end-of-semester housekeeping items.

Thanks so much to Kathy Pirtle, Latrell Fussell, and Lisa Smithson for putting together our annual trip to the Shakespeare Festival. We deeply appreciate your hard work!

Have a great weekend!

Faculty Notes

Good Afternoon!

I hope your  short week has been a good one!  Here are just a couple of quick reminders about next week:

Please be mindful of our 'Twas the Night school performance Wednesday morning.  Also, please remember to plan for our Shakespeare Festival trip this coming Friday.  We will depart at around 9:00 a.m., enjoy the show, then head to the Eastdale Mall for lunch before returning to school.

As I count my blessings this Thanksgiving season, I'm reminded of how thankful I am for each of you.  It is such a joy to work with a wonderful team of professionals.  Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Faculty Notes

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone has had a great week and is looking forward to a relaxing weekend.  Hang in there!  Just two more school days before Thanksgiving break!

Monday’s meeting slot is scheduled for SAIS committees.  However, you may use the time to work on curriculum issues instead.   There is certainly no need for a lengthy stay after school either day next week.

We will be on chapel schedule next Tuesday for our Thanksgiving Chapel.  This schedule is posted on the Faculty Staff Bulletin and will be emailed to you early next week as well.

Best of luck to our Wildcats as they take on Luverne tonight!

Have a great weekend, and GO CATS!

Faculty Notes

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone enjoyed the Veteran’s Day holiday Wednesday.  Each year I am reminded of how much we owe the brave men and women of our armed forces – those serving today, those who have gone before, and especially those who have given their lives for our freedom.  While it is a refreshing break for us, let’s not forget why it is celebrated.

Take so time to peruse and bookmark this site, presented by the Verison Foundation.  It includes multiple resources for teachers of all grade levels.  Hopefully you will stumble upon some things that you can use in your teaching.

When checking out our Mac Mobile Laptop Cart, please be mindful of the many other teachers who wish to use this valuable resource.  We are asking that you limit use of the cart to no more than two to three days at a time.  Also, please make absolutely sure that the cart is locked when not in use, and that your classroom is appropriately secured.

Please make plans to join us at our first ever Middle School Bonfire and Cookout tomorrow night.  We will meet by the tennis courts from 6-8pm.  Don’t worry, we’ll show the Alabama and Auburn football games!  This will be a great opportunity for us to fellowship with our students outside the classroom environment.

Have a great weekend!

Faculty Notes

Teachers,

Thanks so much for your continued help this week as we have tried to have as normal a week as possible.  I especially appreciate your support of our dress down day for Project Give on Thursday, and our Paw Print spirit day today.

We will be meeting at 3:40 Monday afternoon in Kathy Pirtle's room.

Have a great weekend!

Faculty Notes

Teachers,

I have come away from this week convinced that you and I have been placed at Trinity by the will of God, and that we serve a very important purpose each and every day. Words cannot express my appreciation for the way you have handled what has been a very tough week. I have seen you function as the Body of Christ, ministering to our students through their grief, and showing them the love that they need to see and feel during such a trying time.

Please continue to keep an eye on all of our students in the days and weeks ahead. We will all be passing through various stages of grief, and we will need each other more than ever.

Our plan for this week is to have a sense of normalcy return to our campus. However, please continue to be sensitive to the way you classes feel at any given moment. You know your kids best.

Many thanks to Kay Kirtland and Ahna Baggett, along with Latrell and Anita for standing in the gap up a Camp Cosby. I knew that the 6th-graders were in good hands as we guided our kids through this tragedy back home. I owe those kids a field trip, so we're going to put together a day trip sometime in the spring (thanks, Kay!).

Thanks also to Whittington McLemore for preparing and running our trip to the Capitol, State House, and Judicial Building Friday. It was so good for our 7th-graders to get off campus at the end of the week.

To the 8th-grade teachers, thanks for letting the kids have some time to talk Thursday. Your flexibility allowed our kids to pray, begin the healing process, and bond as a class. I know they are grateful for that time.

I am deeply humbled to serve as your principal, and I look forward to seeing each of you tomorrow morning. I will send an email early in the day with the business of the week. For now, please accept my heartfelt thanks for a job well done.

God Bless.

Faculty Notes

Happy Friday!

Thanks for putting up with “Homecoming Madness” around here the last few days!  The kids certainly were creative with our spirit days, and seemed to have fun this week.

Please mark your calendars now for a 6-12 chapel to be held November 2.   We will be talking about Neverthirst, which is a ministry that provides clean drinking water in communities where dirty water accounts for a great deal of sickness and death each year.  We will also learn about Friendship Mission, a local ministry here in Montgomery.  This will begin a school wide emphasis on the importance of focusing on missions locally and around the world.  You may find out more about Neverthirst by accessing their website here.

Please remember that I will be away at Camp Cosby with our 6^th grade students Monday through Wednesday of next week.  Randy Ragsdale will be acting principal in my absence.

Our 7^th grade students will be out of school next Friday as we tour Montgomery’s government buildings.  As a part of their Civics curriculum, students will be examining the executive, legislative and judicial branches of our state government, and will have a picture made with Governor Riley at the State Capitol Building.

We are excited to announce that Mayor Todd Strange will be our guest on Tuesday, November 17.  Mayor Strange will be having lunch with our student council as a part of our Lunch with Leaders program.

Here are a couple of links that may be of interest to you:

This site offers suggestions for ways you can go beyond Powerpoint presentations with the projectors in your classrooms.  These ideas, combined with the use of our SmartBoards should be able to provide you with quite a bit of variety in your daily teaching.

Tech and Learning offers some practical ideas regarding student-centered Wikis, demonstrating the truly interactive nature of Wikis and how they may be used in your classroom.

Have a great weekend!

Faculty Notes

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone has had a great week and is looking forward to homecoming at Trinity!

Here are some pictures of Justice Harold See visiting with our student council last week.  His presentation was quite impressive, and has prompted me to invite him to speak to the entire student body in the near future.

Thanks so much for you help with our testing this week.  Things went very well and that is due, as always, to your professionalism.  We sincerely appreciate the way you handle this each year.

Please be mindful of your weekly duty assignments and the general supervision of our students.  While we can't be everywhere at all times, we are expected to provide a reasonable amount of supervision while students are present on our campus.  Should you need to leave you classroom for a moment, please alert a teacher in an adjacent room or notify the office.  If you can't make a duty assignment, please find a substitute or notify the office.

Next week promises to be an exciting time for everyone here at Trinity.  Encourage your students to get into the homecoming spirit!  If you have a chance tomorrow, drop by and visit with the kids while they construct their floats -- they'll really appreciate that!

There will be no faculty meeting Monday.  Have a great weekend!

Faculty Notes

Happy Friday!

I hope you have had a great week and are looking forward to a much-deserved three-day weekend!

Many thanks to Whittington McLemore who helped put together our first ever "Lunch with Leaders" program for the student council.  Members of the council had the opportunity to have lunch with former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Harold See in our conference room.  Justice See spoke of his struggle to overcome dyslexia and a host of academic issues in elementary school, to eventually rise to the top of his class in high school, college, and law school.  He then spoke of his fascinating journey to the Alabama Supreme Court, and the challenges and rewards associated with service on the Court.

Students on the council asked intelligent questions and were engaged throughout the meeting.  In other words, they did us proud!  Congratulate them when you get a chance!

I would also like to thank Rebecca Helms for the wonderful job she did yesterday as our featured chapel speaker.  Look for more "middle school-only" chapels throughout the year.

You should have received a reminder sheet in your boxes today regarding grades for the 9-weeks.  Please make sure that everything is ready to import by Monday, October 19.

Thank you for your assistance with our testing next week.  I have every confidence that things will go well because of your professionalism and attention to detail.

Have a great weekend!

Faculty Notes

Happy Weekend!

I hope your week went well and that you are enjoying some R & R today!

As we head into next week, please keep the following in mind:

1. There will be no faculty meeting Monday.  This day has been set aside for department heads to meet with David Yohn and myself. 

2. Beginning Monday, 8th grade students will be served lunch from a new window in the lobby of Willett Hall.  When you have lunch duty, please help us ensure that only 8th-graders use this lunch window.

3. Please remember that proactive communication is of utmost importance, and is a high priority at Trinity.  Parents surely understand that we can't return phone calls and emails within minutes, but these should be handled within 24-hours at the very latest.  Also, it is most important that parents be contacted at the first sign of academic trouble.  We have had several very productive early conferences this year that came about as a result of a teacher notifying a parent of academic issues.  It is much better to have positive interaction with parents on the front end than it is to try to clean things up at the end of the year.  Try to set aside time each day to clear the email in-box and return all phone calls.

4. Please keep in mind that although we are blessed with tremendous resources here at Trinity, these resources are to be shared by all teachers.  Our library and our Mac carts are utilized by teachers in grades 6-12 and K-12 respectively, and should not be reserved for extended periods or on a "standing" basis.  There is limited space in the library, and we currently operate with two Mac carts (25 computers each) for a school of over 900 students.  Your help with this will be greatly appreciated.

5. We have a great problem at Trinity -- the kids absolutely love the library!  However this presents some problems when students crowd into the space before school.  Some are there to check out books or take AR tests.  However, many are using the space to hang out with their friends.  Please take a little time this week to discuss proper behavior in the library.  Encourage your students to enjoy the space, but not at the expense of other students.  I will reinforce this idea at lunch Monday.

Thanks, as always, for the outstanding job you do each day.  You are deeply appreciated!

Have a great weekend, and GO CATS!

Faculty Notes

Good Saturday Morning!

I apologize for the late post.  I spent yesterday at home with a sick child, taking my own advice not to send a student to school who is running a fever.  Hence, the late and brief post that follows:

We will be meeting in grade-level teams Monday afternoon after carpool.  I will assign classrooms for these meetings, and will relay that information to you in the Daily Announcements Monday morning.  I will be asking you to discuss ways we can help some of our struggling students, and I'll stop by each meeting with some important "announcement-type" information for you.

I hope you have a great weekend, and I hope your team wins today (GO TROY)!

The Friday Memo

Happy Friday!

Thanks for a great week!  Here are some quick things to keep in mind for next week:

1. We will meet briefly after school Monday as a division.  I am hoping to get you some training on Wikis for the posting of assignments.  Stay tuned . . .

2. Here is our new make-up test schedule:

Monday - Math

Tuesday - English

Wednesday - Science

Thursday - Social Sciences

Friday - Bible/Foreign Language Rotation/Electives

3. Our assembly Monday morning will be held across the street at Eastwood Presbyterian Church.  Please require students to stay on the sidewalk when walking to the sanctuary so we don't track grass/dirt onto the carpet.  We want to be good neighbors! :-)

Thanks for your hard work and dedication each day.  YOU ARE THE BEST!

The Friday Memo

Happy Friday!

I'll keep this post brief so you can get on with your Labor Day celebrations:

1. Please remember that we are now posting assignments to Edline.  Many of you have been doing this for some time, and we even have teachers using Wikis for this purpose.  This will take a tremendous load off of our Guidance Center personnel during this busy flu season.  I have Edline posting instructions in my office if you need them.

2. Thank you so much for the professionalism you have demonstrated in our parent conferences.  We are developing an outstanding partnership between home and school that will benefit our students, and you are helping make that happen.  Continue to be proactive in the area of communication.  This can only help all parties involved.

3. We have a K-12 faculty meeting scheduled for Tuesday at 3:40 in Willett Hall, with a promise from Mr. Neu that we will be out by 4:10.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Labor Day!

The Friday Memo

Happy Friday!

I hope you had a wonderful week!

Here are just a few quick announcements as we head into the weekend:

1. Thanks so much for your participation in our capital campaign.  Your support makes quite a statement about the mission and vision of our school. 

2. SAIS committees are scheduled to meet Monday afternoon.  If you have not heard from your committee chair, please contact them to see if you are required to meet.

3. Please make plans to support the middle school football team Monday afternoon at 5:00.  They will be opening their season here against Alabama Christian.

4. Try to peek in on our volleyball team when they play here at home.  Games usually begin at 4:30 and are listed on the calendar on the Trinity website.  It means so much to the kids when you show your support!

5. Thanks for the great job you did at PTO night this week.  I am hearing great things from parents!  They are showing confidence in our program, and that is because of YOU and the professional way in which you do your job.  Keep up the good work!

6. As always, Let Coach Ragsdale or me know if we can ever help you by speaking with a student.  We are happy to provide an encouraging word with respect to academics or discipline.  Our job is to support you, so please let us know how we can do that.

Have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

The Friday Memo

Happy Friday!

Thanks so much for a GREAT first week of school!  Many people have commented that this has been the smoothest opening of school they can remember.  I agree!  You are all to be commended for a JOB WELL DONE!

Here are a few important announcements:

1. Please mark September 14 on your calendar as "AR Day" in the middle school.  We will be planning several exciting events throughout the school day to celebrate reading.  More info to come in the very near future.

2. We will have a chapel service next Wednesday, and a pep rally next Thursday.  Schedules will be posted at the beginning of next week for these two events.

3. Full time teachers are eligible for a $100 gift for school supplies from our PTO.  Part time teachers will receive $50.  Instead of being given this money in the form of cash this year, we are asking that you turn in your receipts to the business office and they will reimburse you.

4. Please continue to reinforce preventative measures for dealing with the Swine Flu.  We have plenty of hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes available.  Please contact the maintenance office for these items.  It is also very important that we not discuss the diagnosis of specific students by name due to their privacy rights.

5. Our PTO parent night will be next Tuesday, August 25 beginning at 7:00 p.m.  A detailed schedule will be emailed to you Monday.

6. If you have not already done so, please turn in your pledge card for the capital campaign.  We are very close to 100% participation in the middle school and we need your support!  Thanks so much to those of you who have already gotten these in!

7. Please see me if you are interested in attending a seminar in Birmingham entitled "Strengthening Your Instruction for Gifted Students Through Advanced Differentiation Strategies."  Dr. Richard M. Cash will be leading this event.

8.  Look for our new "Paw Prints" to show up in your boxes Monday.  Coach Ragsdale and I will also be prepared to roll out our rewards plan next week, so encourage the kids to keep up the good work!

Thanks again for a great start to the school year.  Have a great weekend!

The Friday Memo

Happy Friday!

Thanks so much for a wonderfully smooth start to the school year!  I am so pleased with the way everything has gone, and I'm looking forward to an outstanding year!

Please make plans to attend a faculty meeting Monday afternoon as soon as the carpool line clears (probably somewhere around 3:40).  I will announce the room number in an email Monday morning.

We will be discussing the reward system for our new behavior plan, so come with some great ideas!

Enjoy your weekend!

You Tube Alternatives

Good Morning!

The folks over at "Free Technology for Teachers" have posted an article outlining 30 alternatives to You Tube for use in your classroom.  You can access the blog post here. Perhaps you can take some time this summer to peruse these sites for video resources.

Have fun!  

Technology and Bloom's

The folks over at "Tech and Learning" have some great ideas about how to utilize technology at various levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.  Click here to read the article.  It's a keeper!

Smart Board Resources

Hello, Teachers!

I hope this post finds you having a relaxing and well-deserved summer vacation!

Check out this site for some some great Smart Board resources as you plan for next year.

Happy Monday!

Good Afternoon!

I hope your week is off to a wonderful start today!

Please remember the following upcoming events:

Friday, May 1 - National Jr. Honor Society Induction - 8:15 am

Monday, May 2 - Treasure Island Scavenger Hunt - 8th grade

Tuesday, May 5 - Middle School Awards Day

We're almost there!  I hope you find this video inspirational.

Have a great week!

Good Monday Morning!

Good Morning!

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful weekend!

Here are some important announcements as we enter the week:

1. Please remember that we have a K-12 faculty meeting this afternoon in Willett Hall.

2. Please begin thinking now about faculty meetings being held regularly on Tuesdays next year.

3. 8th Grade Teachers: Please check your calendars and see if you are available for a brief meeting at 3:30 this Thursday, May 23.

4. Everyone: Begin making plans for an end-of-year de-briefing to take place a the close of the school year.  Make notes now with respect to what worked and what didn't during the last nine months.  Everything is on the table - we want to make the school better and better each year.

One last thing: Do you feel like this lady? 

This last little bit of the year is often the toughest to slog through.  I encourage you to take things one day at a time, and persevere to the end.  Your work is important and worthy, and you have been called to this most important profession.

I hope you find some encouragement from these words, written by Paul to the churches at Galatia some 2000 years ago:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. -- Galatians 6:9

Have a great week!

Smart Board Resources

Good Afternoon!

Check out this website for some great resources for your interactive whiteboard.  You will probably want to book mark this one!

Have a great afternoon!

Selenia Science Comics

Science Teachers,

Check out the Selenia Science Comics website for an excellent way to get your students interested in science and thinking like a scientist.  Through fun comics, investigations, and experiments students learn abut key science concepts in a way that will grab their attention and make science exciting.

Let me know how it goes!

Nuts and Bolts

Teachers,

Please see me if you are interested in attending the Nuts and Bolts Symposium at Destin Middle School June 9-12.

Nuts and Bolts covers many timely, middle school-specific topics such as:

-- The Differentiated Classroom

-- Literacy

-- Student Achievement

-- Leadership

-- Homework

-- Motivating Students

-- Technology Education

-- Classroom Management

-- Classroom Strategies

For more information, visit the Nuts and Bolts website.

Have a great day!

Happy Monday!

Good Afternoon!

I  hope everyone enjoyed a restful and meaningful Easter weekend.  We're now gearing up for those last few weeks of school -- hang in there!

Here are a few reminders:

1. Keep April 20 open for a possible K-12 faculty meeting.  This isn't etched in stone yet, but you'll now be prepared if it comes to pass.

2. Please feel free to let me know if I can help you motivate some of your students with respect to academics.  Several of our teachers have brought students to me for an extra motivational talk when grades slip some.  I am happy to help you with this if you think it would be beneficial.

3. Please remember to keep students engaged in meaningful activities through the very end of the school year.  As a former band director, I know how students can feel that the year is over once the spring concert has passed.  However, it is important that we "play every day" (as band directors would say) right up until the end of school.

4. As you know, student issues come to the forefront this time of year, so let's all work together on preventative measures in this area.  Make sure that your students are supervised at all times, and feel free to correct students who are not in your class.  This is truly a team effort, and we all need to work together to keep things running a smoothly as possible.

Keep up the good work, and have a great week!

Happy Monday!

Good Afternoon!

I hope your Monday is off to a great start.

Please remember that we have a K-12 faculty meeting at 3:45 p.m. today in Willett Hall.

Spring is here and the "sap is rising," so to speak.  Please help us out by keeping an eye out for our kids throughout the school day.  If each person takes care of their particular "zone," we should be OK.

Also remember to follow through with your classroom management plan and write demerits when necessary.  We stand prepared to give you the back-up you need from the administration.

Please keep the lines of communication open with parents.  If you see that a child is struggling academically, please inform the parents and invite them to be a part of the solution.  It is especially critical that parents know if their child is in danger of failing a course.

Thanks so much, as always, for your steadfast dedication to our students.  You are truly appreciated!

Have a great week!

Story Top

Teachers,

You might want to check out this Story Top site which allows your students to create comic strips for use in your classroom.  This could be ideal for encourage writing or to make project presentations fun and entertaining.

Have a great day!

E-Learning Opportunities

Please see me if you are interested in e-learning opportunities offered by the State Department of Education this summer.

Good Monday Morning!

Good Morning!

I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend!

Here are just a few quick announcements as we begin the new week:

1. Please make plans for an extended first period this Thursday, April 2.  We should be able to dismiss first period at around 9:20.

2. Please make plans for a faculty meeting next Monday, April 6, at 3:40 p.m.   If we do not meet as a K-12 group, we will meet as a division.

3. Teachers who have lunch duty will need to help us dismiss tables once they are clean after the bell rings.  Our students have been doing a better job with this, but we will have to stay on top of this type of thing until the end of the year.

4.  As always, please keep communicating with parents in a proactive manner.  Parents appreciate this and it goes a long way toward preventing problems.

5. It is more important than ever that we look for ways to include writing in every part of our program.  Many of you are coming up with some wonderfully creative ideas to this end, and I may ask you to share them with your fellow faculty members.

Thanks, as always, for your professionalism.  It is an honor and a pleasure to work with you each day!

Have a great week!

Blood Drive Reward for Middle-Schoolers

Teachers,

Please remind your students to encourage their parents to participate in our Blood Drive this Friday between the hours of 7:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. in the South Gym.  The grade that brings the most parents will be treated to a Krsipy Kreme party.  The ninth grade is included in this contest, so let's make sure that the party goes to a middle school grade!

Thanks for helping us give the "gift of life."

Ideas to Inspire

Teachers,

Check out this great website for a ton of ideas for use across the curriculum.  Let me know what works out best for you.

Have a wonderful day!

Smile and Move!

Good Morning!

At the risk of publicizing a book (which is not what I am trying to do) I invite you to check out this "Smile and Move" website.  With just a few minutes of your time and an few clicks of the mouse, you can receive a healthy dose of encouragement and a great attitude adjustment (which we all tend to need in the "home stretch!").  

Thanks so much for who you are, and for your dedicated service to Trinity!

Have a Terrific Tuesday!

Blog Subscription Information

Teachers,

Please note that you can now enter your email address in the space to the right of this post and have each new post delivered to your inbox.  There have been many questions about subscribing to this blog, and this seems to be the very best answer of all.

Thanks to my good friend Frank Buck for putting me on to this through his school system blog.

Good Monday Morning!

I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather we had this weekend!

Here are a couple of announcements as we begin our final week before Spring Break:

1. We will have a faculty meeting this afternoon in Whittington McLemore's room (right next door to Kathy Pirtle's room).  We will be learning how to use our Apple Mobile Laptop Carts and you will receive CEUs for attending.

2. 7th grade lesson plans are due by Friday.

3. Please remember that proactive communication is very important.  Grades should be updated on Edline the first and third Monday of each month.  If a student begins having academic difficulty, notify the parents and document your conversation.  Along the same line, please notify parents of any discipline problems you may encounter.

4. Please remember that we are moving toward conferencing as a team.  I am trying to discourage parental "drop-in" conferences.  This language will be in next year's handbook and we will make it a matter of practice throughout the middle school.  Conferences may be scheduled through the Guidance Center

I'm looking forward to seeing each of you at 3:40 today in Whittington's room!

Have a great day!

Good Monday Morning!

Our weekly faculty announcements will be posted on Monday mornings beginning today.

Here are some general announcements to start off the week:

1. There will be no faculty meeting this afternoon.  I will try to cover our important points here in order to avoid keeping you here after school unless absolutely necessary.  I will be planning some professional development activities for the remainder of the year, and we will try to use our faculty meeting time for that type of thing.

2. Sixth grade and fine arts lesson plans are due this week.  Please have them in by Friday.  If you teachers in the other grades feel as though you missed a week, it is fine with me if you simply turn in your plans on your next due date.  We will follow with 7th grade and technology next week, and 8th grade and PE the week after Spring Break.

3. Please help us during the day by keeping your classroom doors closed and locked.  It is also very important that you notify a teacher in an adjacent room if you must leave the room for even a few moments with students present.  We should avoid leaving classes unattended, but if an emergency arises, please have the teacher in the room next door help keep and eye on your students.

4. Thanks so much for the wonderful job you did in helping us handle our tornado warnings Friday.  Things ran smoothly due to your professionalism.

5. I have been so impressed with the infusion of writing into so many classes across our curriculum.  Thanks for the effort in this area!  Please continue to find ways to have your students write, even if just a little every couple of days.  This is a skill that they will be called upon to utilize throughout the remainder of their educational career and future work life.

6. If you find an opportunity, please take a moment to thank Ahna Baggett for leading our first-ever middle school chapel service last Thursday.  The feedback on this new endeavor has been nothing but positive.

7. If a parent requests a conference with you, please tell them that these are now being scheduled through the Guidance Center and that we are meeting together in grade level teams.  This allows us to examine issues that are present in all classes and work together for a solution.

Have a great week!  

The Friday Memo (Saturday Edition)

Happy Saturday!

I usually publish this post at the end of the day on Friday.  However, I had two back-to-back birthday parties to get my daughter to, so being Daddy had to come first.  I'm sure you parents understand!

Please remember that we will have a brief faculty meeting at 3:40 Monday afternoon in Kathy Pirtle's room.  I'll go over all announcements and important information then.

Have a fabulous weekend!

The Friday Memo - Thursday Edition

Good Afternoon!

Just a couple of quick announcements before we head out of here for a much-deserved long weekend:

1. There will be no faculty meeting when we return Tuesday.

2. I will have all of your lesson plan notebooks ready to give back to you by the end of the day Tuesday.  I have really enjoyed reading about the many great things you are doing in your classrooms!

3. Lesson plans are due next week for 6th grade teachers and any 8th grade teachers who haven't gotten them in yet (yes, you get a pass because of DC!).  This should put us back on track -- please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

4. Remember to continue to find ways to implement writing across the curriculum.  I have been so pleased to see this in many of our classes - keep it up!

I would like to extend a very special THANK YOU to our DC chaperons: Kathy Pirtle, Kathy Moody, Elisa Bowden, Rebecca Helms, Barbara Littlepage, Trip Franklin, Randy Ragsdale, and Dann Cleveland.   You guys, along with our tour guides and students  were AWESOME!  What a great trip!  

I have an idea: Let's do it again next year!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Saturday!

I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  Here are a few announcements and reminders:

1. Please remember to keep Edline updated every other Monday.  It is also a good idea to keep parents posted as to what is going on in class at any given time.

2. Proactive communication is key.  It is always a good idea to make parent contact at the very first sign of academic or behavioral trouble.  It is also a good idea to call parents when their children are doing well or when significant improvements have been made.

3. If a parent requests a conference with you, please have them contact the Guidance Center to set it up.  From now on, we will conference as a group, with the guidance counselor and an administrator present.

4. Please help us keep an eye out for anything that could be considered bullying at our school.  If we are all making sure that our areas of responsibility are adequately supervised, we should be able to prevent most acts of bullying from ever happening.

5. Your lesson plan notebooks are in and your plans will be returned to you in these binders.  They are big enough for you to include test copies and work samples (as many have done) if you wish.

6. Mr. Neu will be serving as the acting middle school principal while Randy and I are in Washington this week.  Please take any immediate issues to him in our absence. 

7. You may follow the progress of our Washington trip by checking out our parent blog each day.  We will give a brief report on the events of the day along with photos and maybe even a video or two.

8. Please add our 8th grade students, chaperons and bus drivers to your prayer list this week.  Pray specifically for good health, safe travel, and a wonderful, memorable experience for our students.

Have a great weekend, and I'll see you Feb. 9!

The Friday Memo (On Saturday!)

Greetings!  I hope you are enjoying a great weekend!

Thanks for holding the fort down for me while I was away yesterday.  I had the opportunity to attend a conference with my wife at the University of Alabama.

Please remember that we will have a faculty meeting at 3:40 Monday in Kathy Pirtle's room.  I will go over any important announcements at that time.

Have a great "rest of the weekend."  See you Monday!

The Friday Memo

Happy Friday!

I hope you had a wonderful week!

Here are just a couple of announcements:

1. We will be having a combined middle school/upper school chapel service Wednesday, January 21.  In order to accommodate our new lunch program, we will be having this service immediately following first period.  Chapel should run from 8:50-9:30 after which we will proceed with homeroom and second period.  Beginning in February, every other chapel service will be divided, with middle school students having a separate chapel service.

2. Lesson plans will be due beginning January 20.  The first group scheduled to submit plans will be the 6th grade and fine arts teachers.  Please make sure that you have your plans in the box that will be provided in the copy room before leaving for the day.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

3. Feel free to show Tuesday's inauguration ceremonies on your Smart Board.  CNN has particularly good audio and video streaming and will be broadcasting everything live.  Keep in mind that coverage will begin before the actual swearing-in ceremony (at 11:00 our time) and will last all afternoon.  Eighth grade teachers may want to show even just a few minutes and give the kids a taste of DC before we go in a couple of weeks.

Enjoy your long weekend!  See you Tuesday!

Welcome Back!

Teachers,

Thanks for a great first week back!  If you are like me, you're still pinching yourself over this new lunch program.  The food is great, and we are now getting into the groove of how things will work with this new service.  Thanks so much for all of your help as we have worked out the kinks this week.  As always, please feel free to offer suggestions as to how things can be improved.

Here are just a few important announcements and reminders:

1. Please remember that we will be meeting in our SAIS committees Monday beginning at 3:40.

2. Mr. Neu's State of the School address will be Tuesday evening at 6:30 in Willett Hall.

3. Group A is scheduled to turn in lesson plans January 20.  I will have your binders to you next week.

4. Our State Course of Study books are here.  You may pick yours up in my office.  These will be especially helpful with some of our SAIS committee work having to do with curriculum.

5. If you have forgotten to get your list of "activity" type fees to me, please do so as early Monday morning as possible.

Have a great weekend!