Faculty Notes

I hope everyone had a great week!

Please be prepared to attend a division meeting immediately after carpool Monday.  We will be starting off in Whittington McLemore's room and then dividing into two groups using the classrooms in that pod.  Please bring your Mac to this meeting as there will be a professional development component to our time together.  CEUs will be provided.

As we continue to implement more and more technology in our classrooms, I would like to remind you not to forget the powerful tool that is iTunes U.  iTunes U recently surpassed the 300-million-download milestone.  These downloads are from major colleges and universities from around the world, and I am sure there is plenty of useful material there if we're willing to look for it.  This article discusses the many uses of iTunes U.

I hope you have a great weekend, and I'll see you Monday!

Friday Notes

Happy Friday!  We have officially survived the first FULL week of school!

We have several announcements this week, so here goes:

Please mark your calendars for a couple of upcoming important dates:

August 30 - We will have a division meeting at 3:40pm.  Our regular meeting rotation will begin the Tuesday after Labor Day with a K-12 faculty meeting in Willett Hall.  Division meetings will fall the second Monday of every month.  If we are out on a Monday, the meetings will be held on Tuesday.

September 13 - We are planning a parent/student/teacher get-together immediately following the middle school football game against MA.  Please try to drop by even if for just a few minutes.  Also, please try to keep this event in mind when scheduling tests and projects for the 14th.

Please post some grades to Edline by August 30.  Our commitment to parents is that we will post grades every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month.  Proactive communication with our parents is of paramount importance here at Trinity.

Please remember our PTO Back to School Night next Tuesday, August 24.  Parents will be coming to your classes to meet you after a brief program in Willett Hall.  The schedule for the evening is as follows:

7:00 - Parent Meeting - Willett Hall
1st Period     7:30-7:37
2nd Period    7:42-7:49
3rd Period     7:54-8:01
4th Period     8:06-8:13
5th Period     8:18-8:25
6th Period     8:30-8:37
7the Period   8:42-8:49

We will have our first chapel of the year next Wednesday, August 25, in Willett Hall.  We will be following activity schedule.

We will follow a pep rally schedule next Friday, August 27 as we have the first pep rally of the year.

Each year, Beloit College publishes their "Mindset List."  The list consists of facts concerning the incoming freshman class (college class of 2014).  I thought you might find it entertaining.  The "Mindset List" for this year may be found here.  

Have a great weekend!

Great First Week!

Hats off to each of you for making this a great first week back in the saddle!  Things are running smoothly, and that is because of your hard work and professionalism.  Thank you!

Just a couple of reminders as we head into our first full week of school:

We have a K-12 faculty meeting Monday afternoon in Willett Hall.  We should begin at about 3:40pm.  Our topic will be the accreditation process and what to expect when our visiting team arrives in October.

Our end of quarter dates for this academic year are as follows:

1st Quarter - October 8
2nd Quater - December 17
3rd Quarter - March 4
4th Quarter - May 19

Please remember that our Pyramid of Success Character Education Program begins Monday.  You may pick up the first block of your pyramid from Kelly Long.  Next week's theme is "Industriousness," about which Coach Wooden said, "Success travels in the company of very hard work. There is no trick, no easy way."

Coach Wooden believed Industriousness to be one of the chief cornerstones of success, hence, we begin with that block.  We will then move on to Enthusiasm, which serves as the second cornerstone of the pyramid.  From that point, we will fill in the bottom, then move up.

Remember that our plan is to simply look for ways throughout the week where it is appropriate to discuss or reinforce the theme.  I will prepare a devotional for Monday's lunch announcements which will serve as an introduction for each week.

In encourage you to visit Coach Wooden's Official Website and learn more about him and his teaching philosophy.  It is important to note that Coach Wooden was a high school English teacher for many years, and considered himself a "basketball teacher" rather than a coach.  There is much to be learned from this well-lived 99 year life.

I hope you and your family enjoy a wonderful weekend.  See you Monday!