May 24, 2018

As we get more and more antsy about it getting closer to the end of this school year, we notice that the positive vibes can sometimes be shoved to the side.  This is one of the times throughout the school year that we need it THE MOST!!  How can we continue to foster our positive school climate so that we are just as excited to come to GVMS today as we were at the beginning of the school year?   
While we have several school-wide systems in place to promote a positive school culture, we are already planning for an even STRONGER positive school culture for next school year.  Take a look at THIS ARTICLE regarding what we, as a collective group, can do to take our staff (and, in turn, students!) to the next level!!

Would YOU come back to visit YOU? Ask yourself, have I engaged my students?  Have I made a lasting POSITIVE impression on them?  Have I connected with them on a level more than just with subject matter?  If you said NO to any of these, take a moment to reflect on your teaching.  ARE YOU MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT AND A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE?

I have already registered, have you?!?!  Don't miss out on this exciting and engaging PD where you can learn all new ways and ideas for engaging students, increasing your technical knowledge, and all while attending an "unconference"!!  Sign up NOW and don't miss out!  It's going to be FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!

As we enter our last few weeks of school (I know you aren't COUNTING or anything!), it is absolutely critical that we continue to consistently reinforce our expectations, routines/procedures, and rules.  We are seeing ridiculous increases of negative student behavior.  Yes, we know, it's Spring. Yes, they are middle school students.  Yes, we know testing makes them antsy.  AND, as the adults on campus (yes, that's you all!!) it is necessary that we continue to reinforce what we do at GVMS, supervise all students at all times, and are visible to encourage students to follow the rules. 

Need some new ideas on keeping students engaged?  Take a look at THIS ARTICLE about easy ways to end your year on a highly engaged, positive note!

We have our annual site walk through scheduled for Monday, June 25 so please be sure that you have taken personal items home, discarded items that are obsolete, and de-cluttered our classrooms.  Extra supplies need to make it back to the supply closet and if you want anything donated to charity, please leave it on the table outside the mail room by Friday, June 8 and it will magically disappear for you =)

We will be going 1:1 next year and, in order to make that happen, this is what we must do:

• Remove all markings of room number/teacher name
• Have all chrome carts with chrome books delivered to library starting Monday, June 4
• Deliver ALL chrome books that are in lockers to library beginning Monday, June 4
• If there are ANY repairs that are needed, enter the FMX ticket NOW!
• Those students that do not remember to bring their device will have to check one out in the library in the morning and return it in the afternoon
• Alex will spend summer accounting for our devices so that they are ready to be assigned to students for 18-19

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

Click HERE to add! (270)

• SUPER awesome shout out to Tamia, Carol, Lorraine, Paula, Heather T., Aubry, Sue, Allison, Cristina, Megan, Alisa, Kristy, and Julie for coming to support the Restructuring Plan for tutorial!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Paula for encouraging my students to be quiet for other! ~Sharon
• SUER awesome shout out to Josiah for all of your help and collaboration with RSP students.  You will be missed! ~Cristina
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sue and Dave O for checking on me during testing! The support is greatly appreciated! ~Katherine
• SUPER awesome shout out to Alex c. for checking on people during testing! ~Heather P.
• SUPER awesome shout out to Don for being my partner for the past three years!  Happy retirement! ~Cristina
• SUPER awesome shout out to Josiah for always being encouraging and helping to everyone! ~Sharon
• SUPER awesome shout out to Julie and Anita for the awesome ELA collaboration in 6th grade! ~Cristina
• SUPER awesome shout to Dave O. for checking and supporting us on block schedule! ~Josiah
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sandy and Dustin for the great Civil War projects! ~Carol
• SUPER awesome shout out to Ryan for wanting to spread and spreading positive energy wherever he goes! ~Heather P.
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sue for showing her very best care to every student, every day.  She is a great role model and we are lucky to have her! ~Josiah
• SUPER awesome shout out to Peter for taking Career Day and running with it! ~KC&CL
• SUPER awesome shout out to Cristina for keeping me under control when I needed to be "controlled".  It has been a pleasure to work with her! ~Don
• SUPER awesome shout out to Heather P. for always being upbeat, positive, and willing to lend a helping hand! ~Lynn
• SUPER awesome shout out to Julie for always being concerned about her students and willing to go to bat for them! ~Lynn
• SUPER awesome shout out to Heather T. for setting my class up for a sub when I couldn't make it here! ~Megan
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dave F. for providing support and an encouraging word! ~Sharon
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dustin, Carol and Aubry for keeping Sport O Rama fun!  Love coaching with you guys! ~Cristina
• SUPER awesome shout out to Bates, Booker, Campus Monitors, Diaz, Hafich, Kinder, Laffey, Lapid, Love, Layne, McKenna, Patterson, Perriatt, Pozzesi,  Rice, Schwazbach, Reimer, Wheeler and Admin for writing 241 Good News Referrals for MAY!

May 18, 2018

"____ more days" seems to be the most common greeting we here lately....

If you think that you are feeling the "burn" and classroom management is slipping, the Good Behavior Game is a quick and easy solution for your most "challenging" period during the day!  It has a TON of evidence to support it, it's easy to do and it has impressive outcomes (click here!) and results in classrooms, especially in secondary!! 

Check out THIS LINK on a "how to" guide to get started NOW!!!

I have already registered, have you?!?!  Don't miss out on this exciting and engaging PD where you can learn all new ways and ideas for engaging students, increasing your technical knowledge, and all while attending an "unconference"!!  Sign up NOW and don't miss out!  It's going to be FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!

As we enter our last few weeks of school (I know you aren't COUNTING or anything!), it is absolutely critical that we continue to consistently reinforce our expectations, routines/procedures, and rules.  We are seeing ridiculous increases of negative student behavior.  Yes, we know, it's Spring. Yes, they are middle school students.  Yes, we know testing makes them antsy.  AND, as the adults on campus (yes, that's you all!!) it is necessary that we continue to reinforce what we do at GVMS, supervise all students at all times, and are visible to encourage students to follow the rules.  I mean, they aren't complicated or anything!  We truly appreciate your continued diligence and support to make the end of the school year super awesome and successful!!

We LOVE donations and all that we continue to receive from grants, donations, and Donor's Choose!  Please don't forget that, when you apply for a grant or Donor's Choose and use the name of GVMS to solicit donations, all gifts, grants and bequests become district property.  Check out the Board Policy 3290 just to ensure that we follow the guidelines!  Let me know if you have questions!

We have our annual site walk through scheduled for Monday, June 25 so please be sure that you have taken personal items home, discarded items that are obsolete, and de-cluttered our classrooms.  Extra supplies need to make it back to the supply closet and if you want anything donated to charity, please leave it on the table outside the mail room by Friday, June 8 and it will magically disappear for you =)

We will be going 1:1 next year and, in order to make that happen, this is what we must do:

• Remove all markings of room number/teacher name
• Have all chrome carts with chrome books delivered to library starting Monday, June 4
• Deliver ALL chrome books that are in lockers to library beginning Monday, June 4
• If there are ANY repairs that are needed, enter the FMX ticket NOW!
• Those students that do not remember to bring their device will have to check one out in the library in the morning and return it in the afternoon
• Alex will spend summer accounting for our devices so that they are ready to be assigned to students for 18-19

HERE ARE SOME OF THE SHOTS FROM TWITTER AND AROUND OUR CAMPUS THIS WEEK!   SEND US A TEXT TO COME VISIT AS WE LOVE IT!

    

    

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

Click HERE to add! (253)

• SUPER awesome shout out to MATH AND ENGLISH for plugging away at CAASPP and making sure students complete their tests!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to SUE and DAVE and HEATHER for taking all of our overflow testers for us!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to our SPED squad for taking care of ALLLLLLL of the transition IEPs to GVMS and from GVMS!
• SUPER awesome shout out to SUE for getting the math manipulatives for all of the math department!
• SUPER awesome shout out to BARB, DUSTIN, POZZESI, SANDY, KIMBERLY, TOM, AUBRY, and SUE for attending the transition IEPs for our outgoing 8th graders!!! ~SPED Squad
• SUPER awesome shout out to DON for being my partner for the past three years! ~Cristina
• SUPER awesome shout out to DAVE O. for always being in the right place at the right time! ~Sue
• SUPER awesome shout out to SHARON and JULIET for handling CAASPP testing so well! ~Sue
• SUPER awesome shout out to ROSA, BRENITA, AIDA for always helping in the classes that need it! ~KC and CL
• SUPER awesome shout out to BRENITA and ROSA for having our backs! ~Joanne
•  SUPER awesome shout out to ALISA for her positivity around Sport O Rama and her thoughtfulness when planning activities around testing! ~Aubry
• SUPER awesome shout out to OUR SCHOOL for staying in one piece while KC was away!~ Sue
• SUPER awesome shout out to EVERYONE who provided breaks to English during CAASPP testing! ~Heather T.
• SUPER awesome shout out to LORRAINE, MEGAN, and AUBRY for all of your support and team work!  We are so much stronger together! ~Heather T
• SUPER awesome shout out to 6TH GRADE TEAM for making it another great year! ~Cristina
• SUPER awesome shout out to KATHERINE for taking the lead at the Science Collaboration!  She created some things that were extremely helpful in planning!~ Lynn
• SUPER awesome shout out to Bates, Booker, Campus Monitors, Diaz, Hafich, Kinder, Laffey, Lapid, Love, Layne, McKenna, Patterson, Perriatt, Pozzesi,  Rice, Schwazbach, Reimer, Wheeler and Admin for writing 167 Good News Referrals for MAY!

May 11, 2018

I just attended a training that had awesome and useful content and I needed to learn all of it.  AND I got "talked at" for TWO HOURS straight.  Two hours.  It got me thinking, again, about the many students in our classrooms who are completely NOT engaged in what you are presenting.  Is that THEIR issue or OURS?  Easy.  It's ours.

How do we continue the engagement and make it EASY on ourselves?  Check out THIS link on the 10:2 method, feedback, and the 3-2-1 method for 7 EASY PEASY ways to keep the engagement high instead of you doing ALL of the work/talking and our students TUNING out.

As we enter our last few weeks of school (I know you aren't COUNTING or anything!), it is absolutely critical that we continue to consistently reinforce our expectations, routines/procedures, and rules.  We are seeing ridiculous increases of negative student behavior.  Yes, we know, it's Spring. Yes, they are middle school students.  Yes, we know testing makes them antsy.  AND, as the adults on campus (yes, that's you all!!) it is necessary that we continue to reinforce what we do at GVMS, supervise all students at all times, and are visible to encourage students to follow the rules.  I mean, they aren't complicated or anything!  We truly appreciate your continued diligence and support to make the end of the school year super awesome and successful!!

We LOVE donations and all that we continue to receive from grants, donations, and Donor's Choose!  Please don't forget that, when you apply for a grant or Donor's Choose and use the name of GVMS to solicit donations, all gifts, grants and bequests become district property.  Check out the Board Policy 3290 just to ensure that we follow the guidelines!  Let me know if you have questions!

We have our annual site walk through scheduled for Monday, June 25 so please be sure that you have taken personal items home, discarded items that are obsolete, and de-cluttered our classrooms.  Extra supplies need to make it back to the supply closet and if you want anything donated to charity, please leave it on the table outside the mail room by Friday, June 8 and it will magically disappear for you =)

We will be going 1:1 next year and, in order to make that happen, this is what we must do:

• Remove all markings of room number/teacher name
• Have all chrome carts with chrome books delivered to library starting Monday, June 4
• Deliver ALL chrome books that are in lockers to library beginning Monday, June 4
• If there are ANY repairs that are needed, enter the FMX ticket NOW!
• Those students that do not remember to bring their device will have to check one out in the library in the morning and return it in the afternoon
• Alex will spend summer accounting for our devices so that they are ready to be assigned to students for 18-19

HERE ARE SOME OF THE SHOTS FROM TWITTER AND AROUND OUR CAMPUS THIS WEEK!   SEND US A TEXT TO COME VISIT AS WE LOVE IT!

    

    

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

Click HERE to add! (240)

• SUPER awesome shout out to Dave F. for organizing and taking on Sport O Rama! ~Barb
• SUPER awesome shout out to Olvera, Lucero and Cherry for help with CAST Testing! ~Barb
• SUPER awesome shout out to Rosa, Brenita, Aida, and Joanna for responding so quickly to a situation with so much going on! ~Michele R.
• SUPER awesome shout out to Christen, Tamia, Josiah, Jacob, Carla, and Karyn for tackling the first round of transition meetings!  You all ROCK!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Olvera and Kinder for checking on me on Monday and answering the questions from the kids! ~Ryan
• SUPER awesome shout out to CL and KC for keeping their cool and tag teaming to handle the chaos of the front office! ~Michele R.
• SUPER awesome shout out to Josiah, Dave O., and Sue for checking on the newbies and subs on the first day of CAASPP testing! 
• SUPER awesome shout out for the DUDE. BE NICE stickers!  We LOVE seeing these on campus! ~Don
• SUPER awesome shout out to the kind and compassionate people that I work with!  Thank you to Allison, Dustin and Trevor for checking on me! ~Carol
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sandy for coming to my rescue and going to get sandpaper for my project! ~Kimberly
• SUPER awesome shout out to Katherine for rescuing an alligator lizard from the staff bathroom and relocating it! ~Don
• SUPER awesome shout out to Susan, Brenda, and Michele S. for keeping the front office running smoothly even with the craziness going on at all times! ~Michele R.
• SUPER awesome shout out to Cristina for jumping in the help Andi with SBAC testing and practice! ~Julie
• SUPER awesome shout out to Brenita, Aida, and Rosa for always checking on me to see what I need! ~Karen
• SUPER awesome shout out to Bates, Booker, DeVries, Hafich, Kinder, Love, Layne, McKenna, Nitto, Patterson, Peckham, Peila, Perriatt, Phillips, Rice, Russell, Schwazbach, Teague, Toll, Wheeler, Reimer, Rosa, and Admin for writing 275 Good News Referrals for April!