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!