Madison Middle School

By gaston_e 　https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/madisonstaff/2019/10/06/october-6-2019/

Happy three day week! I don’t know about you, but this week comes just in time!

Here’s the rundown:

• Monday – Monday is going to be a little hectic with Peter out all day and Anne doing Naviance lessons in 7th grade science classes. If you are so inclined, Audrey and I would appreciate help with supervision out front at the end of the day. Many thanks!
    
  • Peter out Monday – Peter will be out all day at a PACE threat assessment training. 
      
  • Anne – Naviance in 7th grade Science on Monday – Anne will be visiting 7th grade science classes to do Naviance lessons. Please know she won’t be available most of the day for students.
      
• iPad Carts Open until 1st period – Our office staff would very much appreciate it if iPad carts could stay unlocked until the end of Focus. We don’t have office assistants to get iPads for kids who are late until 1st period. On Fridays, carts can stay unlocked until the end of 1st period if that makes life easier for everyone.
     
  
  • Treats for Cart Managers – I have cookies for our cart managers. I’ll leave a bag of cookies in each wing, if someone would be kind enough to let the cart managers know they are there. Thanks!
     
• Thursday Progress Reports and PD Day – Below is the schedule for Thursday. The morning is reserved for progress reports. The afternoon will be a tech training at South Eugene:
  • 8-12 – progress reports
  • 12-1 – lunch and drive time to South Eugene
  • 1:00-2:45 – Keynote speaker for tech training
  • 2:45-4:00 – Breakout session (use directions below to sign up for your session)
       
• Signing Up for Thursday’s PD Session – The process is a little complicated to sign up for your PD session. Here are the steps:
  • Go to 4jpd.net. Enter your username (email without the @4j part) and click “Forgot Password” if you haven’t logged in before. It will send you a password reset email. Once you’ve reset your password, log into the website.
  • On the top left is the “Course Search” section. Click “Show All”.
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  • Scroll down to “October 10, 2019 District Technology Training” and click “View all sections” in the bottom right.
    
  • Scroll down to the sessions that start at 2:45pm. Choose the session you’d like to attend and click “Register.” The next screen will give more info about the session and the classroom it’ll be in. On that page, when you click “Next”, you will officially be registered.
      
• Classified Professional Learning FRIDAY – Friday is a regular work day for administrative and classified staff. Below is the information I received, but they don’t tell me much, so let me know if I’m wrong 🙂
  • Collaborative Problem Solving PD, 8:30-10:30 – Intended for elementary and middle school EAs who work with students who display behaviors that can disrupt learning (for themselves or others). If you are interested in this training, please register at 4jpd.net and follow the steps above, but choose the correct training session.
      
  • SafeSchools/TalentEd  – Classified staff can use this time to access technology to complete SafeSchools trainings and the Self Evaluation and Goal Setting Form in TalentEd. You’ll need a newer device to submit your TalentEd forms, so please let Erin know if you need access to one of the extra iPads.
     
• River Walk – Thank you for your input on the River Walk. Below are the details shared in my email last week. Climate Team will discuss and decide on cell phones.
  • 9:30-11:45 – River Walk
    • Walk with Focus class
    • Madison to Spring Creek, around building or parking lot
    • Spring Creek to Awbrey Park, around building or parking lot
    • Awbrey Park to Madison via River Road
    • Classes will arrive back likely between 11:30 and 12:00 (that’s the goal!)
    • Total route is 4.2 miles and Google says about 75 minutes at a normal pace
    • Phones TBD
    11:45-1:00 – BBQ and extended activity time
    • BBQ will be out on the front lawn if the sun is shining. It will be indoors if not.
    • Walk your class through the BBQ as you return.
    • After kids eat, they can choose to play on the field or basketball courts
    • Phones TBD
    1:00-2:35 – Focus classes and raffle tickets
    • Kids return to Focus classes and prepare raffle tickets with first and last name
    • Student envelopes with their raffle tickets inside will be in Focus teachers’ mailboxes by the end of the BBQ
    • We will provide a list of raffle items and their corresponding bucket # (ex: Vans gift card is bucket #12). Kids can write the bucket numbers on their tickets if they want to be super efficient and prepared 🙂
    • We will call grade levels down to the gym to use their raffle tickets.
    • Teachers provide an activity for kids to do
    • Phones are NOT allowed once we are back in the building
    • Please do not allow Google, YouTube, etc on iPads during this time
    • If kids will have a choice of room to go to, please have them stay in that room – no switching after they pick a room
    • If you’re doing a movie, show only G or PG movies unless the whole class has a PG-13 approval signed in Synergy
    We will announce raffle winners throughout the next week during announcements. On Friday, October 25 we will announce how much money was raised and what school and class rewards were earned. 
       
• Fast Bridge Feedback – If you’re participating in the Fast Bridge pilot, the district is asking for your feedback. It’s completely optional, but a great opportunity to have your voice heard. Visit this link to submit your feedback.  
    
• Repeat: CPR/First Aid Classes – We have 12 staff members for our Madison training. Date and time TBD. More info will come from Mary. If you’re unable to join that group, here is the info for other classes. Classes are held at Howard from 4-8pm. Class Dates for 2019-2020 Wednesday, September 25th; Wednesday, October 23rd; Wednesday, December 11th; Wednesday, February 26th; and Wednesday, April 29th. To sign up, please complete this form and give it to Mary. 
    
• UO International Cultural Service Program (ICSP) – ICSP offers free presentations and classroom visits by specially trained international UO students. They can give educational and cultural presentations, such as music, dancing, storytelling, religious ceremonies, and martial arts. This year they have 33 students from 27 different countries. You can request ICSP students to do presentations through their Registration Website or by emailing icsp@uoregon.edu. For more information, please visit the ICSP website.
   
• Why fan fiction is a great tool for young writers  – Students who resist creative-writing prompts in class might enjoy writing in someone else’s fictional world, a genre known as fan fiction. Researchers say the positive feedback and mentoring often present in online fan fiction communities encourage novice writers of all ages to polish their skills, while engaging in an activity that feels like play rather than work. See this Atlantic article for more.
   
• The Irrefutable Case for Taking Class Outside – “Research suggests that regular contact with nature… can improve students’ physical fitness, mental health, academic achievement, and cognitive social-emotional and motor functions.” See this EdWeek article for more details.
   
• Schedule of Upcoming Events:

October 7 (M) 
     Anne teaching Naviance – 7th grade Science classes all day
     Peter at PACE Threat Assessment training all day (downtown)   

October 8 (T) 
     7:45, TLC Meeting (conference room)
     9:00-11:00, Peter and Erin at All Admin Meeting (downtown)

October 9 (W) 
     Walk + Roll to School Day
     River Walk permission slips due
     2nd period, Peter and Erin doing informal observations
     3:45, Climate Team Meeting
     4:15-6:15, FastBridge Reports Training (TBA?)

October 10 (H) 
     No School – Grading and Tech PD
     8:00, Progress Reports & Staff Breakfast
     1:00, Tech PD (South Eugene HS)

October 11 (F) Tyler and Amanda’s Birthdays!
     No School – State Inservice Day (Day off for teachers)
     Regular work day for admin and classified staff
     8:30-11:30, Climate Team ISLA training (library)

October 14 (M)
     Regular Day

October 15 (T)
     Regular Day

October 16 (W)
     8:00, Staff Meeting (Library)

October 17 (H)
     River Walk Money Due (turn in to office)

October 18 (F)
     River Walk Day!
     2:45, Early Release PD – Early Warning Data
     3:30, Grade Level Team Meetings