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.