Madison Middle School

By barsotti_p 　https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/madisonstaff/2021/06/11/june-11-2021/

Hi Madison Staff,

Welcome to the last blog post of the year. We did it!!!!

Here’s what’s happening this week:

This Week’s Schedule:

Quick Links: Please make sure you’re signed into your 4J Google Account to access many of these links.

• Focus Slides for Wednesday: I am super excited about this time with your next year students and starting the message that everyone belongs.  We have included two games to play with your Focus class but if you have other ones you like more, please play them instead.  If you have any questions before Wednesday, please reach out to Peter or Anne.
• Master Schedule Next Year: We have not schedule the students yet but this is our first draft we are going to schedule our student in for next year.  If you have any questions, please reach out to Peter.
     

MADISON INFORMATION

• Feedback on Our Leadership: We have had the opportunity to provide you with feedback this year (though we still have more to do this week), we are seeking your feedback on our leadership this year. These responses will be read only by Gina and Peter. There are three questions: What have you appreciated about our leadership this year, what would you recommend we improve upon or do differently, and what other feedback do you have. I hope you’ll feel safe to be very honest about things that are going well and things that could be contributing to people feeling unsupported, unheard, or any issues in staff culture or collaboration. 
      
• Grading Day Friday: Report card grading day is a regular work day, but HR does allow teachers to work from home if you notify your administrator (me) in advance. Be sure to plan ahead if you need to collaborate with any colleagues on grading. Also, be sure to use this time for grading and not use it to run errands around town. Teachers are highly visible members of the community, so keep in mind public perception. HR has said in the past that if working off-site on grading days is abused, we will not be allowed to continue the practice.         

• End of Year Check Out: Linked here is the check-out checklist for teachers. 
           
• 8th Grade Celebration: In case you missed my email, we are celebrating the 8th graders on June 17th from 5 to 7.  They will drive through the parking lot as we wave and say our good byes.
    
• Staff Shout-Outs: Consider giving someone a staff shout out! If you need absolutely anything, please don’t hesitate to connect with me. We didn’t have any shout outs this week, so please consider taking a moment to celebrate a colleague whose made an impact this year.    

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND OTHER INFORMATION

• LGBTQIA+ Resources: With this month being Pride Month, I thought I’d share some resources related to fostering an inclusive classroom for all students. 
  • welcomingschools.org has a collection of read alouds and lessons designed to be age-appropriate and support inclusivity and representation. Some lessons are tagged with grade level suggestions.
  • Supporting LGBTQ Students in Elementary School: This Edutopia article shares 3 strategies for creating an LGBTQ inclusive classroom: include LGBTQ children’s literature in your classroom library, rethink practices that reinforce the gender dichotomy, and capitalize on teachable moments.
  • Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Students: These resources from Teaching for Justice include a guide for teaching LGBTQ youth, a webinar, and book and film recommendations.

Dates for Next School Year:  

Wed, July 28                Peter and Gina Report Back
Wed, Aug. 25               School psychs, nurses, and SPED consultants report back
Mon, Aug. 30                Teachers Report Back
Fri, Aug 27                   196 day employees report back
Thur, Sept 2                 192 day employees report back
Thur, Sept 9                 Transition day for all of our students 🙂 – No 6th grade only day this year.

I hope you have a wonderful last week!

Peter and Gina