April 29, 2016

Here is our plan for next week and CAASPP testing, so PLEASE make sure that you know where to send your students if they need extra time:

We will be taking ALL the "spill overs" in the library next week unless you want to or are willing to keep them or have them test on the next assigned day. We will be borrowing Dave's chrome books for ELA as we did with Kristin's for Math. If we have WAY too many students, we will move into a classroom to continue. Thank you for your help!

Please continue to help us by sending students to other classrooms to work or for a time out. If they are officially class suspended, please send them as usual. We are really trying to support SBAC testing and the back office is getting WAY too crowded!

This graphic can be really hard to see and the article is much better. Click HERE to read about 15 differences between a teacher-centered and student-centered classroom. Our goal is to have EVERY classroom at GVMS be and stay a STUDENT-CENTERED CLASSROOM!!! Check out the article to see the list!

I know this is ANOTHER article but I loved it....Do we think our grading system is fair? Is it working for ALL of our students? Check out THIS ARTICLE for a QUICK read on zeros, the ten point scale and more. It's definitely something to think about ;)

What does a modern educator look like? I am glad you asked... THIS ARTICLE describes the photo in more detail to include thoughts and practices such as seeing yourself as a "co-learner", allowing yourself to fail, feeling secure to ask colleagues for help, embracing change and more. We are getting there GVMS!

Yes, it can be a little scary. Yes, it can be a little nerve wracking. Yes, it can be a little uncomfortable. And yet, we DO need to OPEN OUR DOORS! Why do we, as teachers, need to watch others in action? Because we LEARN so much! Check out THIS AWESOME ARTICLE on the reasons why: to see the successes, the failures, the learning experiences and more! This is happening more and more on our site and we could NOT be more excited!!

Mark your calendars!! Here are some dates to remember:

April 25-May 13 SBAC
April 29 No School :)

April 30 Spring Fling

May 11 Guitar Night

May 16-May 20 Teacher Appreciation Week

May 19 Spring Concert

May 20 Sport O Rama/Teacher Appreciation Lunch

May 26 8th grade trip to Allan Witt/8th grade dance

May 27/30 No school

June 2 8th grade promotion/minimum day

June 3 Teacher workday

June 4 End of year party at Carol's house

August 9 WEB Day

August 11 Staff Retreat- Technology, Google EVERYTHING, Illuminate, TEAM BUILDING!

October 25, 26, 27 Challenge Days for 7th and 8th graders

Have you checked out our Fish Moments?

BE THERE: Thanks to ALL TEACHERS who let kids stay and also helped with testing and more! SUPER appreciate it! Thank you to WENDY and SUE for covering for Sarj!

PLAY: Tell me what the GVMS stands for on the back to get yours...and no, it's not just Green Valley Middle School silly!! :); We still have some up for grabs!!

MAKE THEIR DAY: Have someone to nominate for ROCK STAR TEACHER? Email Kristen ASAP or click HERE!  
Thanks to TAMIA for taking an IEP on Monday that wasn't even hers, making sure the parents were taken care of, and covering Dawn's testing group!
Thanks to LYNN, JOE, DAN P., KEVIN, SARJ, ELIZABETH, POZZESI, LORRAINE, DON, CRISTINA, JULIE, SHAWNA, KIMBERLY, KRISTY, TOM, HEATHER, GIGI, SUE, ALLISON, CAROL, DAVE M., DALAL, KEN, CHRISTEN, TAMIA, PRISCI, and LACEY/TRACY for already completing the Student of the Month for the last month for MOST IMPROVED! We have so many to choose from and that's AWESOME!  PLEASE pick one ASAP if you have not done so! The link is HERE!
Thanks to all SECRET PALS that are still making other people's day! PS- Mine is a ROCK STAR and I totally appreciate her/him!! :) 
Thanks to RIC for all his double duty that he has been doing to ensure we are clean and covered!

CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE: LET'S STAY POSITIVE PEEPS! KEEP ON SMILING! 

April 22, 2016

Here is our plan for next week and CAASPP testing, so PLEASE make sure that you know where to send your students if they need extra time:

Monday, April 25, after 1st period (during 3rd) Kinder, Schwarzbach, and Vargas please send any overflow testing students to Christine in Booker's room. Laffey, McKenna, and Garza please send your students to Kristen in Toll's room.  

After 3rd period (during 5th) Kinder, Schwarzbach, Vargas, Pozzesi, and Diaz please send students to Christine in the library. Laffey, McKenna, Garza, and Hafich please send your students to Kristen in Laffey's room.

Tuesday, April 26, after 2nd period (during 4th) Vargas, Diaz, and Pozzesi please send students to Christine in Vargas' room. Laffey, Hafich, and Garza please send them to Kristen in the libary.

After 4th period (during 6th) Kinder, Schwarzbach, Diaz, Pozzesi, and Vargas please send students to Christine in the library. Laffey, Hafich, and McKenna please send to Kristen in Garza's room.

For Wednesday and Thursday, please follow what we have for Monday and Tuesday.

If we need to carry over to the next day, we will deal with that on a case by case basis in the library to ensure that all students have completed the math portion of the CASSPP.

As we get closer and closer to the end of the year, we often hear more and more negative talk (about not teaching a standard well enough, preparing our kids well enough, the amount of activities, etc). We know that this is a STRESSFUL time of year and we are here to SUPPORT you! Please watch this short video too. We loved it!

Yes, it can be a little scary. Yes, it can be a little nerve wracking. Yes, it can be a little uncomfortable. And yet, we DO need to OPEN OUR DOORS! Why do we, as teachers, need to watch others in action? Because we LEARN so much! Check out THIS AWESOME ARTICLE on the reasons why: to see the successes, the failures, the learning experiences and more! This is happening more and more on our site and we could NOT be more excited!!

Mark your calendars!! Here are some dates to remember:

April 25-May 13 SBAC
April 29 No School :)

April 30 Spring Fling

May 11 Guitar Night

May 16-May 20 Teacher Appreciation Week

May 19 Spring Concert

May 20 Sport O Rama/Teacher Appreciation Lunch

May 26 8th grade trip to Allan Witt/8th grade dance

May 27/30 No school

June 2 8th grade promotion/minimum day

June 3 Teacher workday

June 4 End of year party at Carol's house

August 9 WEB Day

August 11 Staff Retreat- Technology, Google EVERYTHING, Illuminate, TEAM BUILDING!

October 25, 26, 27 Challenge Days for 7th and 8th graders

**Please remember that August 8, 9, 10 are PD days for FSUSD! Here are a few that will be available for you to participate in:

Doug Curry on 8/10

Illuminate workshop

MAP Workshop

ED Tech workshops

and more!

Have you checked out our Fish Moments?

BE THERE: Thanks to CHRISTINE for taking on master schedule as I really appreciate it! :)

PLAY: Tell me what the GVMS stands for on the back to get yours...and no, it's not just Green Valley Middle School silly!! :); We still have some up for grabs!!

MAKE THEIR DAY: Have someone to nominate for ROCK STAR TEACHER? Email Kristen ASAP or click HERE!  
Thanks to LYNN, JOE, DAN P., KEVIN, SARJ, ELIZABETH, POZZESI, LORRAINE, HEATHER, GIGI, SUE, ALLISON, CAROL, DAVE M., DALAL, KEN, CHRISTEN, TAMIA, PRISCI, and LACEY for already completing the Student of the Month for the last month for MOST IMPROVED! We have so many to choose from and that's AWESOME!  
Thanks to ALEX for the caffeine on Wednesday and to KRISTY for hosting the PD! Thanks to all SECRET PALS that are still making other people's day! PS- Mine is a ROCK STAR and I totally appreciate her/him!! :) 
Thanks to RIC for all his double duty that he has been doing to ensure we are clean and covered!

CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE: LET'S STAY POSITIVE PEEPS! KEEP ON SMILING! 

April 15, 2016

Please remember that when you are writing a behavior referral, do not use another student's name to describe what happen between the two (or more). These referrals are sent home and we don't need to share that information with parents. Please use ID number or initials even and we can ask the kids. Thanks!

Please remember to KEEP those GOOD NEWS REFERRALS COMING! Already we have had --- sent to the office! THANK YOU!!!

Also, there is a strong possibility that we are moving to afternoon faculty meetings on Tuesdays. We were asked to this year and held off. Please make sure you are aware of them and we will get you a calendar asap!

Still working on building that rapport with students? Not sure how to even start? Check out THIS ARTICLE on 5 Easy Tips for Creating Real Rapport with OUR Students!

Check out this great video on your words and how they matter! It's really cool!

Mark your calendars!! Here are some dates to remember:

April 25-May 13 SBAC

April 30 Spring Fling

May 11 Guitar Night

May 16-May 20 Teacher Appreciation Week

May 19 Spring Concert

May 20 Sport O Rama/Teacher Appreciation Lunch

May 26 8th grade trip to Allan Witt/8th grade dance

May 27/30 No school

June 2 8th grade promotion/minimum day

June 3 Teacher workday

June 4 End of year party at Carol's house

August 9 WEB Day

August 11 Staff Retreat- Technology, Illuminate, TEAM BUILDING!

October 25, 26, 27 Challenge Days for 7th and 8th graders

Please remember that August 8, 9, 10 are PD days for FSUSD! Here are a few that will be available for you to participate in:

Doug Curry on 8/10

Illuminate workshop

MAP Workshop

ED Tech workshops

and more!

Have you checked out our Fish Moments?

BE THERE: Thanks to ALEX, ALLISON, and DAN for taking charge of the voting on Thursday! Thanks to ALL that voted!

PLAY: I love our new shirts! Tell me what the GVMS stands for on the back to get yours...and no, it's not just Green Valley Middle School silly!! :); We still have some up for grabs!! Thanks to SUE, ALLISON, and DON for participating in the Mathletics with the Oakland As'! That's awesome!

MAKE THEIR DAY: Thanks to DAVE for making the student store happen! I love that it's taking off!!! Thank you to KRISTY for taking the time to go to Mundy to watch SKYPE Across America! IT is THE COOLEST thing to Skype to classrooms and people all over the world!!! Interested? I can hook you up!!

CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE: LET'S STAY POSITIVE PEEPS! KEEP ON SMILING! 

April 8, 2016

So.... Spring is here. Can you tell yet? Please help us reinforce the rules, specifically on keeping our hands to ourselves (didn't we learn that in KINDERGARTEN??), no tonsil hockey, short shorts, bare bellies and skinny tank tops are NOT okay. Please send down to the office as we are reinforcing this as much as we can keep up with!

What does your classroom management say about you? Yearning to try something NEW that ACTUALLY works versus just sending students out or down to the office? Take a look at THIS ARTICLE for 19 Big and Small Classroom Management Strategies!

Please take a moment to look at the Doug Curry training opportunity coming to FSUSD June 6, 7, and August 10. He will be presenting his workshop on supporting students in creative and supportive ways! It will qualify for regular Buy Back, not Common Core and can still be claimed for 15-16 for the June dates and 16-17 for the August date. Check out the FSUSD website for more info. Check out the FSUSD website HERE to register and be on the look out for PD coming before school starts August 8, 9, and 10!

Mark your calendars!! Here are some dates to remember:

April 25-May 13 SBAC

April 30 Spring Fling

May 11 Guitar Night

May 13 Teacher Appreciation Lunch

May 16-May 20 Teacher Appreciation Week

May 19 Spring Concert

May 20 Sport O Rama

May 26 8th grade trip to Allan Witt/8th grade dance

May 27/30 No school

June 2 8th grade promotion/minimum day

June 3 Teacher workday

June 4 End of year party at Carol's house

August 9 WEB Day

August 11 Staff Retreat

October 25, 26, 27 Challenge Days for 7th and 8th graders

Please take a moment to complete THIS survey as we continue to improve our customer service at GVMS!  We appreciate your anonymous information!

Have you checked out our Fish Moments?

BE THERE: Thanks to ALL who are at their yard duty regularly! It is so impressive that we have almost 100% every day!!! Thanks to those that are helping others by switching when needed :) Thanks to SUE for the faculty meeting notes and the MDTP user guide! Thanks to ALL who have started entering a name for "Most Improved" for the last Student of the Month. This one really means a lot to me so I appreciate the thoughtful consideration that many have already given!!!

PLAY: I love our new shirts! Tell me what the GVMS stands for on the back to get yours...and no, it's not just Green Valley Middle School silly!! :); We still have some up for grabs!! I hope that you will also take advantage of getting a "Kind is the New Cool" shirt for GVMS too! We love all of the positive school spirit!

MAKE THEIR DAY: Thanks to those that have purchased their Spring Fling tickets! It is nice to have the support! Way to go Dan on a fabulous job with the District Jazz Festival!

CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE: LET'S STAY POSITIVE PEEPS! KEEP ON SMILING! 

April 1, 2016

Welcome back! I hope that you had a fantastic Spring Break and have come back to school rested and ready to tackle the end of the year! We know what this looks like- a whirlwind of activity, so hang on to your hats!

A HUGE thank you to Anita for stepping in while Christine was on maternity leave! I cannot thank her enough for the ideas, support, patience and dedication she gave to this position. I know it was hard especially since her students desperately miss her! Until Christine returns on April 8th, John will be filling in as AP! Please welcome him as we are "borrowing" him from Crystal for just a bit!

Take a look at THIS ARTICLE for 10 teacher tools that can help "techify" your classroom from Kahoot ideas, to Edpuzzle, to Let's Geddit, this article explains (quickly) how to incorporate these tools to make your job and life easier, while engaging our kiddos even more!

When reviewing the grades and grade reports, I was reflecting on how many students are really failing and what more we can do to support them. I don't have the "golden ticket" answer for this nor am I by any means suggesting we don't currently help our kids... I really want to think outside of the box as a whole school team. What does it say when a student earns an F or a Zero? Is there a pattern? Yes, our kids need to complete and turn in their work. No arguing there! Can we think of anything that is radically supportive (especially as we rewrite the SPSA within our budget constraints) so that we have less Fs and zeros? Just thinking out loud....

Have you checked out our Fish Moments?

BE THERE: Thanks to ALL who are staying to help with the dance! Thanks to ALL who are at their yard duty regularly! It is so impressive that we have almost 100% every day!!!

PLAY: I love our new shirts! Tell me what the GVMS stands for on the back to get yours...and no, it's not just Green Valley Middle School silly!! :); Thanks to DON for FREAKING me out this AM! :)

MAKE THEIR DAY: Thanks

CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE: LET'S STAY POSITIVE PEEPS! KEEP ON SMILING!