September 29, 2017

We continue our mission to Teach LIKE A PIRATE!  The next focus is CRAFTING engaging lessons.  Yes, this requires planning, preparation, and presentation.  Of course it does.  YOU have to actively turn up the heat. YOU have to bring energy to your lesson through enthusiasm and showmanship.  We all know that we get tired.  If you are so tired, every day, that you can't bring the heat, then let's talk.  Layer in as many engaging strategies and techniques as can reasonably fit.  Make it so that OUR students WANT to come to school and are dying to come each day.

ENGAGEMENT is a topic that we will ALWAYS be addressing.  

What if we asked our STUDENTS how best they learned?  What if, we sent THEM a quick Google survey (or by hand!) to ask them and then USED those strategies to TEACH in your classroom?  This has DEFINITELY happened in many of our classrooms! Check out THIS ARTICLE on how middle school students spoke out on student engagement and what mattered most to them.  It's a SUPER easy read!

We CANNOT stress how important student engagement is. The payoff is LIFE CHANGING!!  We have asked these questions over and over AND they're worth asking again:

WOULD YOU WANT TO BE A STUDENT IN YOUR CLASS???

IF YOUR STUDENTS DIDN'T HAVE TO BE IN YOUR CLASS, WOULD THEY SHOW UP ANYWAY??

MAP Testing window CONTINUES and make ups will take place with us in the library! Thanks for your patience with this!

*PLEASE PLEASE be sure that you select the CORRECT name test for your grade level when you set up your testing sessions:

Grades 6, 7, 8:

Growth: Reading 6+ CA 2010 V2

Growth: Math 6+ CA 2010

CLICK HERE for resources and step by step instructions (with screen shots) as to how to administer if you need them!

Check out some of the NEW Tweets that are ALWAYS going on around campus!  Stop by and see what's happening in your colleague's classrooms!  These pics below are updated WEEKLY!  Aren't following everyone yet?  Follow US @GVMSVIKINGS and we have everyone's Twitter handle! =)

SUPER HERO SHOUT OUTS!  KEEP THEM COMING!  We love the "I Noticed..." and will add as many as we can!
Click HERE to add! (49)

• SUPER awesome shout out to Trevor for keeping our upstairs clean! ~Carol
• SUPER awesome shout out to Elizabeth for making Challenge Day even happen!! ~K&C
• SUPER awesome shout out to Ryan, Lacey, Katherine, Dan, Alex, Alisa, Kristy, Josiah, Jacob and Barb for participating in Challenge Day too! ~Elizabeth
• SUPER awesome shout out to Jason for always checking in when I have been out and helping our family during this hard time! ~Dustin
• SUPER awesome shout out to Rosa for taking care of all the PE clothing issues! ~K&C
• SUPER awesome shout out to Carol and Olvera for helping with my lesson plans when I was writing them with puking kids at home! ~Dustin
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dalal for being so supportive and on top of things with MAP testing! ~Lorraine (and K&C!)
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sue for letting me use her classroom and test my kids!  You are the best! ~Tamia
• SUPER awesome shout out to Alex Chalmers (our Tech guy) for always taking time out of his busy day to answer a question! ~Ken
• SUPER awesome shout out to Christen for running IEPs quickly and keeping on track! ~Sue 
• SUPER awesome shout out to Allison for making sure I am on track with dates and staying organized to help me! ~Dustin
• SUPER awesome shout out to Julie for helping with 6th grade MAP make up tests! ~K&C
• SUPER awesome shout out to Susan, Michele S., Rosa, Annette, Elizabeth, Ken, Cristina, Alex, Tamia, Anita, Don, Alisa, Sue, Lynn, Ryan, Kristy, Dalal, Jamie, Kimberly, Katherine M., Dave M., Josiah, Jacob, Peckham, Lacey, Julie, Christen, Amy, Aubrey, Allison, Heather T., Carol, Karyn, CL and KC for writing 336 GOOD NEWS REFERRALS for SEPTEMBER ALREADY!! Let's keep this party GOING!!

 **SEE BLOG AS IT HAS WAY MORE DATES**

*Wednesdays are College Days
*Mondays/Fridays are GVMS Spirit Days!

September 22, 2017

We continue our mission to Teach LIKE A PIRATE!  The next cornerstone is ENTHUSIASM!  If nothing else,, if you ramp up your enthusiasm level in the classroom, you will be far ahead of the game and a dramatically better teacher.  Just notice what happens when I don't get on the loud speaker to pump up our school!  

We ALL must deal with the circumstances such as we find them, so no matter what, we must try to ACT enthusiastic!  Fake it till you make it.  

As a teacher, your day has positive and negative experiences.  What YOU choose to attend to and give in to creates your reality.  This is definitely something I must also keep in mind, especially this past week.  However, enthusiasm rubs off so don't choose to focus on the negative or hang with those that are negative.  DON'T BE DRAGGED DOWN!! (pages 65-71).

What is PBIS, you ask?  PBIS is not just for the team that attends the meetings nor is it just for the students we see the most often in the office!  PBIS is the prevention-oriented way for US at GVMS to organize evidence-based practices, improve the use of these practices and maximize academic and social behavior outcomes from students. Basically, it supports the success of ALL OF OUR GVMS STUDENTS!!  Check out THIS ARTICLE for more information!

ENGAGEMENT is a topic that we will ALWAYS be addressing.  We CANNOT stress this enough:  Higher engagement = Higher academic achievement and lower behavior concerns.  That's really so simple and all there is to it.  Students who have to "sit and get" are bored and have completely tuned you out.  Completely.  

Calling on one student when you ask a question means that YOU have given the others the permission to be turned out.  Is that seriously what you want?  Stop reverting back to this and just calling on one student at a time.  It just tells the other students that they don't have to learn, listen or pay attention.

HERE is a easy read article to help generate effective questions and help you GET AWAY from calling on one student at a time!

We CANNOT stress how important student engagement is. We have asked these questions over and over AND they're worth asking again:

WOULD YOU WANT TO BE A STUDENT IN YOUR CLASS???

IF YOUR STUDENTS DIDN'T HAVE TO BE IN YOUR CLASS, WOULD THEY SHOW UP ANYWAY??

MAP Testing window CONTINUES and thank you to Dalal for fielding some of the questions and issues we couldn't get to!  WE KNOW it's been super stressful with the problems with the MAP website.  We are doing the best we can and will have make ups in the library the first week in October.  We just don't have the space on our calendar to do it any other time!

*PLEASE PLEASE be sure that you select the CORRECT name test for your grade level when you set up your testing sessions:

Grades 6, 7, 8:

Growth: Reading 6+ CA 2010 V2

Growth: Math 6+ CA 2010

CLICK HERE for resources and step by step instructions (with screen shots) as to how to administer if you need them!

Check out some of the Tweets that are ALWAYS going on around campus!  Stop by and see what's happening in your colleague's classrooms!  Aren't following everyone yet?  Follow US @GVMSVIKINGS and we have everyone's Twitter handle! =)

SUPER HERO SHOUT OUTS!  KEEP THEM COMING!  We love the "I Noticed..." and will add as many as we can!
Click HERE to add! (40)

• SUPER awesome shout out to our kids for being nicer to one another! ~ Don
• SUPER awesome shout out to Heather P. for her eagerness and excitement for Math Boot Camp! ~Sue
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sue for organizing the Math Boot Camp! ~K&C
• SUPER awesome shout out to Christen for always making people feel better and leaving her room with a solution and a smile! ~Sue and KC
• SUPER awesome shout out to Christen for always being patient and calm! ~Aubry
• SUPER awesome shout out to our ladies (Rosa, Brenita, Mimi, Aida) constantly on the yard for being there and ready to help! ~Michele R.
• SUPER awesome shout out to Jason for checking in on a colleague daily to see what he could do to help! ~Carol
• SUPER awesome shout out to Christine and Elizabeth for helping me during my melt down.  Seriously! ~KC
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dave O., Dave M, Allison and Jason for making sure that Dustin's class ran smoothly when he was out! ~Carol
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sue for joining Site Council AGAIN! ~K&C
• SUPER awesome shout out to Susan, Michele S., Rosa, Annette, Elizabeth, Ken, Alex, Tamia, Anita, Don, Sue, Lynn, Ryan, Kristy, Jamie, Kimberly, Katherine M., Dave M., Josiah, Jacob, Peckham, Lacey, Julie, Christen, Amy, Aubrey, Allison, Heather T., Carol, Karyn, CL and KC for writing 269 GOOD NEWS REFERRALS for SEPTEMBER ALREADY!! Let's keep this party GOING!!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR! **ALSO SEE BLOG AS IT HAS MUCH MORE**

*Wednesdays are College Days
*Mondays/Fridays are GVMS Spirit Days!
Spirit Wear Order forms are in your mailbox! Due Sept 29!

*September 26/28- Challenge Days in gym
*September 26- Department Meetings

*September 26- District College Fair at FHS at night

*September 27- Make up picture day
*September 27- All Things Tech Night at GVMS

*September 29- Superintendent Visit/PTC Meeting

September 15, 2017

We continue our mission to Teach LIKE A PIRATE!  The CONTINUED key component is ASK AND ANALYZE!   Take a moment to ask yourself, "How can I make this lesson outrageously entertaining, engaging, and powerful so that my students will never forget it and will be desperate to come back for more?"  That is AWESOME!  COMMIT.  START WORKING.  Then, be open (to ideas, suggestions, failures, messes, and positives!).  Capture ideas and thoughts when they happen- take notes, have index cards, a journal, anything that reminds you to MAKE YOUR LESSONS FUN!! (pages 44- 47).

Thank you for the lively discussion at Tuesday's faculty meeting.  We appreciate the comments, ideas, and suggestions for lunch detention as we look at the practices that have been going on for the past three years.

PBIS is not "just another trend" in how we work with our students.  PBIS is all about building relationships, student accountability, and repairing relationships.  For example, while we understand the need to "have a break" a student by class suspending them, sending a student out and not repairing the relationship just fosters an environment of mistrust.  What is it, exactly, and what does it mean for GVMS?  Though we have been over it, take a look at THIS quick video as well:

There is a TON of research that supports the restorative practices in the classroom and one of the best ways to start is with proactive circles that build a sense of community and relationships in your classes.  It takes less than 10 minutes to do this which will have LASTING positive results between you and your/our students!  Take a look at this SHORT video:

PBIS Video

ENGAGEMENT is a topic that we will never stop addressing.  We CANNOT stress this enough:  Higher engagement = Higher academic achievement and lower behavior concerns.  That's really so simple and all there is to it.  Students who have to "sit and get" are bored and have completely tuned you out.  Completely.  

Calling on one student when you ask a question means that YOU have given the others the permission to be turned out.  Is that seriously what you want?

Here is another article on student engagement, ways to increase it, easy ways to implement it, and the BIG payoff for doing so!  Read it! =)

We CANNOT stress how important student engagement is. We have asked these questions over and over AND they're worth asking again:

WOULD YOU WANT TO BE A STUDENT IN YOUR CLASS???

IF YOUR STUDENTS DIDN'T HAVE TO BE IN YOUR CLASS, WOULD THEY SHOW UP ANYWAY??

MAP Testing window opens September 18 and thank you to the teachers who have put their testing dates into THIS SHEET.  If you have not done so, please do so immediately so that we can ensure you have enough devices!

*PLEASE PLEASE be sure that you select the CORRECT name test for your grade level when you set up your testing sessions:

Grades 6, 7, 8:

Growth: Reading 6+ CA 2010 V2

Growth: Math 6+ CA 2010

CLICK HERE for resources and step by step instructions (with screen shots) as to how to administer if you need them!

SUPER HERO SHOUT OUTS!  KEEP THEM COMING!  We love the "I Noticed..." and will add as many as we can!
Click HERE to add! 

• SUPER awesome shout out to Cristina for sharing the narrative hyperoc with her team! ~Julie
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dalal for leading her department in the POD (with food!) this week! ~K&C, Heather T, and Julie!!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Heather, Lorraine, Jason, Aubrey, Julie, Cristina, Anita, Lacey, and Ryan for their hard work, dedication, determination and collaboration during the English POD this week!  WE LOVE IT!!!! ~K&C
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dalal for helping me set up my grade book! ~ Barb
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dave F. for letting us borrow his Chromes when my carts wasn't working! ~Kristy
• SUPER awesome shout out to Cristina for the awesome pirate flag! ~Julie
• SUPER awesome shout out to the increased collaboration of the 6th grade team! Let's keep it going! ~Julie 
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dustin and Dave F. for doing TREEAT paragraphs in your classes! ~Heather T.
• SUPER awesome shout out to the staff members participating in Spirit Week this week!  We loved the twinsies, the PJs, the Bay Area love and more!! ~K&C
• SUPER awesome shout out to Susan, Rosa, Elizabeth, Ken, Alex, Tamia, Don, Sue, Lynn, Ryan, Kristy, Jamie, Kimberly, Katherine M., Dave M., Josiah, Peckham, Lacey, Julie, Amy, Aubrey, Allison, Heather T., Carol, Karyn, CL and KC for writing 219 GOOD NEWS REFERRALS for SEPTEMBER ALREADY!! Let's keep this party GOING!!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

*Wednesdays are College Days
*Mondays/Fridays are GVMS Spirit Days!
Spirit Wear Order forms are in your mailbox! Due Sept 29!

*September 15- First Staff Social at Sticky Rice after school!  Join us!
*September 18- First MAP Test Administered

*September 19- Leadership Meeting

*September 22- Progress Reports Due/Student of Month Names due!

*September 26- Department Meetings

*September 26- District College Fair at FHS at night

*September 27- All Things Tech Night at GVMS

*September 29- Superintendent Visit/PTC Meeting

September 8, 2017

We continue our mission to Teach LIKE A PIRATE!  The next key component is ASK AND ANALYZE!    Ask yourself, is there another way/place/method for delivering this lesson?  Would I want to sit here and listen to this?  Yes, being creative can be a challenge for some, AND, give yourself a little credit.  Even if it's a minor change in your delivery, this alone can increase engagement!  Have an open min and the willingness to suspend disbelief in your creative ability!  TAKE A RISK!  Do YOU want to sit in a room and ?  Does that help YOU learn?  Didn't think so!  (pages 33-43)

We have gone over student engagement multiple times and it's a topic we will visit A LOT!  Student performance and student behavior is SO MUCH more positive when you foster these with high levels of student engagement.  It creates an emotionally and intellectually safe classroom, decreases behavior and boredom concerns, and increases academic performance.  Check out THIS ARTICLE for easy peasy ways to increase student engagement!   We CANNOT stress how important student engagement is. We have asked these questions over and over AND they're worth asking again:

WOULD YOU WANT TO BE A STUDENT IN YOUR CLASS???

IF YOUR STUDENTS DIDN'T HAVE TO BE IN YOUR CLASS, WOULD THEY SHOW UP ANYWAY??

MAP Testing window opens September 18 and thank you to the teachers who have put their testing dates into THIS SHEET.  If you have not done so, please do so immediately so that we can ensure you have enough devices!

*PLEASE PLEASE be sure that you select the CORRECT name test for your grade level when you set up your testing sessions:

Grades 6, 7, 8:

Growth: Reading 6+ CA 2010 V2

Growth: Math 6+ CA 2010

CLICK HERE for resources and step by step instructions (with screen shots) as to how to administer if you need them!

We have been sending hundreds of letters to colleges to get gear from the student store and classrooms!  When gear from an adopted college comes it, we will send it your way!  Please remember to wear and promote college awareness every Wednesday, if not every day!  Once the application and documentation are prepared, we will send this out to all!  The blank templates for staff code of conduct and 

SUPER HERO SHOUT OUTS!  KEEP THEM COMING!  We love the "I Noticed..." and will add as many as we can!
Click HERE to add too! 

• SUPER awesome shout out to Jason for always helping with tech problems that I may have and being willing to help any staff and students! ~Paula
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sue for so kind and helping math and ALL teachers at ALL times!  She comes into classes to support and model and rocks! ~Paula
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dave O. and KC for delivering display boards almost immediately! ~
• SUPER awesome shout out to Lacey for the work with Digital Citizenship in the library and how well her students worked! ~Annette
• SUPER awesome shout out to OUR KIDS for proudly showing off their work and their school that they love coming to! ~Cristina
• SUPER awesome shout out to Kristy for taking time out of her day to help me become more computer literate! ~Kimberly
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dave Montz for promoting the trend of male teachers wearing shorts =)! ~Dave M.
• SUPER awesome shout out to Susan, Rosa, Elizabeth, Ken, Alex, Tamia, Don, Sue, Lynn, Ryan, Kristy, Jamie, Kimberly, Katherine M., Dave M., Josiah, Peckham, Lacey, Julie, Amy, Aubrey, and KC for writing 124 GOOD NEWS REFERRALS for SEPTEMBER ALREADY!!  Let's keep this party GOING!!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

*Wednesdays are College Days
*Mondays/Fridays are GVMS Spirit Days!
Spirit Wear Order forms are in your mailbox! Due Sept 29!

*September 12- September Faculty Meeting in library

*September 12-14- English PODs

*September 13- Dine and Donate at Mary's
*September 15- First staff social after school at Sticky Rice!

*September 18- First MAP Test Administered

*September 19- Leadership Meeting

*September 22- Progress Reports Due/Student of Month Names due!

*September 26- Department Meetings

*September 26- District College Fair at FHS at night

*September 27- All Things Tech Night at GVMS

*September 29- Superintendent Visit/PTC Meeting

September 1, 2017

We continue our mission to Teach LIKE A PIRATE!  The next key component is RAPPORT!  Rapport is incredibly important because it helps create buy in.  Model the behavior you want from your students...let your hair down and get playful!  Put a premium on making your class fun.  Over and over I have asked our GVMS staff: Would YOU really and truly want to be a student in YOUR classroom?  If the answer is STILL no, take a long hard look at WHY??

So....start interacting with our students as human beings, not just subordinates.  Our kids can tell the difference between real and fake interest.  (pages 19-32)

THANK YOU for taking the leap of faith at Back to School Night on Wednesday!  We know it was such a change and some good/some bad aspects.  While we like the concept, we have some kinks to work out!  We are looking at a hybrid model for next year with a little more structure, but some serious fun to it too.  Please give us your productive and constructive feedback HERE!  Check out some of the AWESOME stations, rotations, activities and set up we had going on around our campus to keep the parents and students engaged, even at Back to School Night!!

Seems like a no brainer...ALL relationships matter.  The ones between collegues here, the ones at home, the ones with our students.  HERE are 4 benefits to building positive relationships with students including higher academic achievement, less behavior issues, and more.  Even when we get frustrated with students and they challenge us...take a deep breath, a step back, and pause for a moment to remember: WE ARE THE ADULTS.  WE are the ones who need to act like it and we have no idea what may be going on in the lives of our students outside of GVMS.  

We are starting to work on our application to become an official No Excuses University (NEU) school at GVMS!  SUPER EXCITING!  Remember, this is the belief and philosophy that every student has the right to be educated in a way that prepares them for college and that it's OUR responsibility to create six systems that make college a reality (http://noexcusesu.com/about/).  Sure, not every student will want to go to college, and it's our job to just prepare them for that option should they so choose!  We have such a POSITIVE critical mass that we are excited to do this!

SUPER HERO SHOUT OUTS!  KEEP THEM COMING!  We love the "I Noticed..." and will add as many as we can!
Click HERE to add too! 

• SUPER awesome shout out to Kristy for the way she greets her students daily with a high five! ~ Ken
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dave F. for getting into it with the morning announcements! ~Don
• SUPER awesome shout out to Jacob for making awesome connections with staff and students all across our campus! ~ Carol
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dave F. for always being willing to led out his chrome books! ~ Dalal
• SUPER awesome shout out to our campus monitors and staff on the yard for being on top of things at all times! ~Don
• SUPER awesome shout out to our English Department for lending a hand and checking in on one another!  Thank you for helping me get back on my feet!  You all are awesome! ~Aubry
• SUPER awesome shout out to the Admin for checking in on everyone daily and saying "have a great day!" ~Katherine R.
• Super awesome shout out to Ryan for prepping for his absence, training his students, and ensuring they were awesome for the sub!  Way to go already! ~Sue
• SUPER awesome 
• SUPER awesome shout out to Kristy, Dalal, and Heather for sharing her creative "techy" ideas to all staff for BTN! ~ Sue, Admin, and EVERYONE! 
• SUPER awesome shout out to gen ed teachers for meeting the needs of our TAP students, making them feel safe, comfortable, and LOVED! ~Christen
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sue for getting everything ready for the Math Boot camp!  
• SUPER awesome shout out to the LADIES of our math department 6-8 for agreeing to be a part of the Math Boot Camp!  You Rock!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sue, Mimi, Rosa, Cristina, Tamia, Kristy, Peckham, Julie, Heather P., Christen, Allison, Heather T., Elizabeth, Dalal, Dustin, Lacey, Katherine, Amy (subbing for Sandy!), Lynn, Ken, Don and Margret for writing our 144 AUGUST GOOD NEWS REFERRALS!  Let's get this party started!!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

*Wednesdays are College Days
*Mondays/Fridays are GVMS Spirit Days!
Spirit Wear Order forms are in your mailbox! Due Sept 29!

*September 4- No School/Labor Day
*September 8- Spring Perfect Attendance/Honor Roll Awards during lunch!
*September 12- September Faculty Meeting
*September 12-14- English PODs
*September 13- Dine and Donate at Mary's
*September 18- First MAP Test Administered
*September 19- Leadership Meeting
*September 22- Progress Reports Due/Student of Month Names due!
*September 26- Department Meetings
*September 26- District College Fair at FHS at night
*September 27- All Things Tech Night at GVMS
*September 29- Superintendent Visit/PTC Meeting