Madison Middle School

By barsotti_p 　https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/madisonstaff/2023/06/09/june-9th-2023/

Madison staff,

Four days left – we got this! Here are this week’s updates:

Madison INFORMATION     

• Last Day of School: There has been a change and we are having a full day ending at 3:35.  I wish it was a noon release but no one asked me my opinion. This is the latest draft.  I do not see the times changing much but maybe some supervision assignments might change.
• No Yearbook, but yes signature book: As most of you know, Madison included track and promotion pictures in the yearbook, so that means they will not be ready until this summer.  Most schools do a yearbook signing activity at the end of the year, but we cannot.  That being said, the office is creating a Signature Book for students to get signatures.  We will hand out the 8th grade books during promotion practice on Wednesday and 6th/7th graders on Thursday. 
• End of the Year (More Structure versus Less Structure): I am very comfortable with you using part of your period for signatures, but please do not use the whole periods.  We will have behavior issues if that is your only activity on the last day.  
• 8th Grader’s Week: 
  • Monday – Normal (probably your last day with 2nd and maybe 3rd period)
  • Tuesday – Field Trip
  • Wednesday – Normal Focus and First (So Theater students can set up the chairs for promotion).  Second period – 8th graders will all come to the small gym and line up alphabetically. During promotion practice, 7th grade band members will be helping. When promotion practice and awards is over – 8th graders will do a normal rest of the day.
  • Thursday – We are to take attendance this day.  The language I am using that we are not sure who will attend so teachers will do all their wrap up on Monday and Wednesday.  8th grade teachers please have activities ready for students that show up even though we do not know how many will show up.
• Staffing Update: The PE job is posted and closes on the 14th.  If you know anyone you want to work with next year – please encourage them to apply: Link to Job. I do not know when our other jobs will be posted but if you know a SS teacher that wants to work part time, please let Gina know.  Also we should be looking for a couple of EAs if you have friends you want to work with – please let Gina know and she will let you know when the job gets posted.
          
  
• Locker Clean Out Time: We are going to clean out lockers on Wednesday during Focus Class.  Please work out with your commons teachers to split the time so all the students are not out at once.  From this point on – I am fine with backpacks being carried to class.  Even though the students do not have their computers, I am hoping they still have their writing utensils, etc so they know it is a school day and not just here to hang out.  
• 2023-24 Master Schedule: Linked here is a draft of next year’s master schedule. The first tab is the main schedule and the other tabs are what will change each quarter or semester.
       
• Repeat: Report Card Window: Courtney is opening the report card window today – June 9th. Please remember that you need to email your canvas grades to Courtney for each trimester.  If you need/want help – Nicholas Hadley is district person who can help you. 
        
• Repeat: TalentEd Goals Reflection: All licensed staff need to complete the Goals Reflection in TalentEd before the end of the year. Please let me know if you have any questions. Here is the link to the spreadsheet that the amazing Dorothy created that can help with your end of year data for the grade guardian risk score.    Some helpful data for the behavior goal can be found attached to email sent by Dorothy on June 6th.

• Repeat: End of Year Tasks: If you like to pre-plan, linked here is the end of year checklist. All items need to be completed before you officially check out at the end of the year. 
• Summer Technology Check out for Staff –
  Here is the link to click on for Summer take-home. 
  Mark will have a COW up front for educators to put their iPads, MacBooks, and assorted chargers in for those who aren’t taking them home. He will be updating Operating systems and programs as well on those that remain here. 
  If you take it home- please DO update it to Ventura and run the appropriate Managed Software Updates. 
•  

  Interim Assessment Summer Opportunity – I have met with district and state reps to work on a plan for our work on Interims, next year. If you are interested in earning money over the summer to engage in this work, watch for an email on Monday containing details about both the pay and the work product for that time.  
         

DISTRICT INFORMATION            

• 2023-24 District Calendars: Staff were emailed next year’s Employee Work Year Calendars and the District Calendar. There are two mid-term grading days on the calendar that are new to elementary schools. This is to put all grades on the same calendar (no more days where elementary is in session, but secondary isn’t and vise vera), but the district will need to bargain with EEA about what these days look like for elementary school teachers. It’s unclear if they’ll be planning days or if elementary will begin sending home mid-term reports for families.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND OTHER INFORMATION   

• Learning for Justice Spring Issue: The Spring issue of Learning for Justice’s magazine is chock full of some really incredible content. The focus of this issue is in acknowledging a student’s rightful place in the school and in the classroom community. This is only something if you want some summer reading or looking for ideas for next year.
    

Looking Ahead:

Looking Ahead:

June 30 – Principals Last Day
July 26 – Principals and Mary Report Back
August 14 – Courtney and Donna Reports Back
August 24 – 196 Day Classified Staff Report Back
August 25 – Licensed Staff Report Back
August 30 – 192 Day Classified Staff Report Back
September 4 – Labor Day
September 6 – First Day for 6th Graders
September 7 – First Day for 7th and 8th Graders

This is my (Peter) last ever Madison blog post. It has been my honor to serve as your principal these past 6 years. Madison has felt like my home since I started and I have so much love for this place and all who work and learn here. Thank you so much for being such an amazing and supportive community. Madison truly is the best!

We hope you have a wonderful last week!

Peter and Gina

These have been my reminders the last four week and are even more important the last week of school.

• End of the Year (More Structure versus Less Structure): Keep students busy.  Middle schoolers need to change activities at least every 15 minutes.  That might mean you do a longer warm up activity to have less work time.  Leaving students to work on an assignment for longer than 15 minutes – you will start to have behavior problems in your classroom.
• End of the Year (More Structure versus Less Structure): Make Up Days or days where the students finish activities before the bell.  Please have things for them to do.  Just hanging out and moving about the classroom will create headaches for the students trying to work plus you. Also, please make sure that you are marking tardies; particularly after break and lunch. That’s an area where we’re starting to see kids push limits.
• End of the Year (More Structure versus Less Structure): In most classrooms towards the end of the year, we are doing projects and group work.  When doing these type of assignments, please work very hard to structure them in a way to keep all students engaged.  I would not recommend using the commons areas as they are very hard to supervise and this time of year, students like to wonder away from where they are supposed to be if not supervised.
• End of the Year (More Structure versus Less Structure): Please do not let students go to other teachers room unless you have talked to the teacher.  Just writing a note because a student asked is not good.  We have a lot of subs in the building and I feel students are taking advantage. As we get closer to the end of the year, we need more structure than less.