May 17, 2019

Let's finish the school year in a strong and FUN way!  I know we still have testing going on and we need to encourage our students to reach their goals!  AND there are some awesome ways to complete the school year in a fun and strong way.  Take a look at THIS ARTICLE and THIS ARTICLE to get started on some easy fun ways to culminate the year including making the students the teacher or hosting a talk show....try to include the outdoor classroom too!

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?

SUPER HERO SHOUT OUTS!

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• SUPER DUPER UPER AMAZING SHOUT OUT TO MATH.  YOU ALL ROCK FOR TAKING KIDS, TESTING STUDENTS, GETTING IT DONE!!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Tamia for bringing daily treats and happiness for Admin Appreciation Week!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Lynn and Karron for working with Ryan's THIRD sub that we have had! THANK YOU!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Karron and Katherine for offering to help with lesson plans and ideas for 3rd period in Ryan's class! ~Lynn
• SUPER awesome shout out to Tamia for ALL of the testing, lesson planning, and reconfiguring of Lilia's absences!  THANK YOU!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Jason for taking on the scorpion by the library....even if it was fake! ~Carol
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dave and Dan for always making me laugh at yard duty! ~Carol
• SUPER awesome shout out to all who go to their yard duty without having to have a reminder phone call!
• SUPER awesome shout out to all who wished me a happy birthday and sent love my way!  A special shout out to my ELA ladies who have made this year the best yet! ~Heather
• SUPER awesome shout out to Tamia for all you have done as site rep!  Thank you to Sue for keeping me in touch with all of the Reminds!  You are both amazing! ~Carol
• MAJOR SUPER awesome shout out to my lunch crew: 6th grade team!  You have made my year, thank you for always making my day! ~Karron
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sue for ALWAYS making us feel like a family! ~Julie and ALL OF GVMS
• SUPER awesome shout out to Karron for sharing her umbrella this morning with me during the torrential downpour! ~Megan
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• SUPER awesome shouts out to:  Heather Toll, Megan Layne, and Aubry Russell for sorting the CAASSP cards by teacher and period...THANK YOU For all of teachers allowing students to complete the tests.....much appreciated....and Brenita for doing breaks at our end of town. Susan Ratterman, Michele Silva, and Michele Reimer for helping with the incoming 7th graders testing after school...even walkiing the students up to my room!!!! ~SUE
• SUPER awesome Shouts Out to: all the Green Valley staff for your Awesomeness, Dedication, Hard work, and Commitment to our students. It has been great working at Green Valley and building some special relationships. Special Shout Outs to Sue Kinder (My Angel), Jason Morace, Dustin Cloud, Anita Green, Heather Toll, Dan Pozzesi, Lorraine Nitto, and Karen Andrews for your Kindness, Smiles, and for helping me during some hard Times and in times of need. Thank you Kristen and Christine for being Great Bosses and for being understanding when I was dealing with hardships (There has been a few). However, God is AWESOME! I Thank GOD for Blessing with this journey called 'Life'. I pray for Blessings, Good Health, Peace, Love, and Happiness for all of you!! Congrats to Sue Kinder, Mr. Peckham, Michelle Reimer,, and Susan Ratterman, LIVE, LOVE and ENJOY your retirement. YOU ARE NOW A PART OF THE "EVERY DAY IS SATURDAY CLUB!" ~PAULA

May 10, 2019

THANK YOU for all you do.  I know we have said and tried to show it and just another reminder that we truly appreciate the hard work, dedication to our kids, and collaboration that you all do day in and day out!  Just one more time on the Kid President video =)  Always makes EVERYONE smile!!

As we continue through testing season, how do we keep students focused and encourage them to do their best (besides just saying it to them)?  Take a look at THIS ARTICLE about surviving and thriving during testing season and get simple ideas for ways to give our students support and encourage them to do their best! 

As we get closer and closer to the end of the school year (or closer and closer to retirement for some!), burnout can be a MAJOR concern!  How can we help each other with burnout???  Take a look at THIS ARTICLE for some easy and fun ways to make sure that you stay energized, recharged, and on top of your game for the end of the school year to MAKE IT AWESOME!!  Things like incorporating play time into the school day (outdoor classroom in the garden anyone?), NOT giving yourself extra homework, and leaning on your friends!

SUPER HERO SHOUT OUTS!

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• SUPER DUPER UPER AMAZING SHOUT OUT TO ENGLISH.  YOU ALL ROCK FOR TAKING KIDS, TESTING STUDENTS, GETTING IT DONE!!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Tamia and Carol for representing us!  We appreciate all of your hard work! ~Cristina
• SUPER awesome shout out to Carol for working with our new student, Ma Ja, during state testing!  Super appreciate it! ~Julie
• SUPER Awesome shout out to my secret pal!  I cannot wait to find out who you are soon! ~Karron
• SUPER awesome shout out Rosa for helping me with swim stuff!! ~KC
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sarj, Nate, and Liz for helping me with my P5 kids and helping me out! ~Heather T.
• SUPER awesome shout out to Rosa for my beautiful gift!  I absolutely love it! ~Heather T.
• SUPER awesome shout out to Admin for the awesome Teacher Appreciation Week! You Rock! ~Heather T.
• SUPER awesome shout out to Lynn and Katherine for tackling the Foss kits in the back!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Heather for ALL her work with Check in and Check out kids!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Cloud for having my back and covering my class so that I could catch my breath and get water!  You're my boy Blue! ~Diaz
• SUPER awesome shout out to everyone who asked how I was feeling and checked in on me!  You made me feel loved and missed! ~Katherine
• SUPER awesome shout out to everyone who helped me finish the testing for the kids! ~Cristina
• SUPER awesome shout out to Heather P., Lynn, Karron and Julie for the lunch laughs!! ~Cristina
• SUPER awesome shout out to Tara for ALWAYS keeping us in the loop!

May 3, 2019

As we continue through testing season, how do we keep students focused and encourage them to do their best (besides just saying it to them)?  Take a look at THIS ARTICLE about surviving and thriving during testing season and get simple ideas for ways to give our students support and encourage them to do their best! 

"____ 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!!!

How do we #finishstrong?!?!  I know we are tired.  I know we are stressed.  I know there is a lot of pressure.  I know we ALL have things going on outside of GVMS.  I also know that we are here, with each other (and awake usually), more than we are with our families. So, again, HOW do we FINISH STRONG and encourage others to do the same??  Well, I think the pic above nails it.  Mic drop.  Keep Moving.  Plan for success. COLLABORATE.  Grow as an educator. Evaluate your goals and ask for feedback.  

CELEBRATE CELEBRATE CELEBRATE!

Celebrate YOU!  Celebrate YOUR/OUR STUDENTS!  Celebrate PARTNERS at GVMS!

SUPER HERO SHOUT OUTS!

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• SUPER awesome shout out to Tamia for taking care of Lilia's IEPs, her testing, her lesson plans, and MORE.  You are a ROCK STAR!  
• SUPER awesome shout out to Rosa and Brenita for taking care of all you do and helping us with our 6th graders! ~Julie
• SUPER awesome shout out to Cherry and Lucero for helping us with our runners and other classroom challenges! ~Julie
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dave for coordinating Sport O Rama, the most legal fun you can have at school! ~Carol
• SUPER awesome shout out to Alisa for already working on the PE Orders for next year!
• SUPER awesome shout out to History Department for being a great group of people to work with! ~Carol
• SUPER awesome shout out to Heather T for taking those that needed to complete make ups!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Cristina, Sandy and Kevin for wanting to pilot the new textbook and take on more meetings! ~Carol
• SUPER awesome shout out to My Secret Pal for all the great gifts! ~Peter
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sue for letting me borrow your weed wacker for the garden this weekend! ~Katherine
• SUPER awesome shout out to Mimi for being here for Aida and letting us go to the bathroom! ~Sue
• SUPER awesome shout out to Kevin for his big heart for these middle school kiddos!

April 18, 2019

Let's stay MOTIVATED!  

How do we do that you ask? GREAT question!  There are so many ways that we can stay focused, positive, and motivated to do the best for our students!  From trying a new teaching approach (Go visit some of our AWESOME colleagues around campus to steal ideas!), to making time for FUN, take a look at THESE easy ideas to get you started!

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!!

How do we #finishstrong?!?!  I know we are tired.  I know we are stressed.  I know there is a lot of pressure.  I know we ALL have things going on outside of GVMS.  I also know that we are here, with each other (and awake usually), more than we are with our families. So, again, HOW do we FINISH STRONG and encourage others to do the same??  Well, I think the pic above nails it.  Mic drop.  Keep Moving.  Plan for success. COLLABORATE.  Grow as an educator. Evaluate your goals and ask for feedback.  

CELEBRATE CELEBRATE CELEBRATE!

Celebrate YOU!  Celebrate YOUR/OUR STUDENTS!  Celebrate PARTNERS at GVMS!

SUPER HERO SHOUT OUTS!

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• SUPER awesome shout out to Ric for putting my chair together! ~Heather P.
• SUPER awesome shout out to Aubry, Jason, and Lorraine for letting our guest new teacher hang out in English today!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Peter for helping with the field trip to Cal!  And thanks to Megan and Liz for being a chaperone! ~Heather T.
• SUPER awesome shout out to Admin for trying to boost morale in creative ways, especially through our stomachs! ~Heather P.
• SUPER awesome shout out to History for their productive collab day!
• SUPER awesome shout out to our Dept Chairs for their leadership!
• SUPER awesome shout out to my Secret Pal for my birthday gift yesterday!  I felt very loved on my birthday yesterday! ~Larissa
• SUPER awesome shout out to Karen and Annette for covering for me when I need a break! ~Katherine
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sue for testing and retesting the students to go into Acc 7!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Heather and Honor Society for ALL of their donations for the Spring Fling!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sue for the cute sign in the garden!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sarj for the donations from Winters and Lorraine for the vino!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dustin for always making the time to check in and see how I am doing! ~Katherine
• SUPER awesome shout out to those BOOSTING MORALE!  We could always use more positive vibes on campus!!!

April 12, 2019

 

As we get to the end of the school year, it can be a HUGE task to keep our (any, for that matter) students engaged!  How do we do this??  How do we overcome the principle of least effort? Smile?  Beg?  Plead?  Let's ENGAGE!  Click HERE to learn 7 ways to integrate high-intensity in-class activities to keep YOU and YOUR students engaged as we get closer and closer to the end of the year!

I couldn't help but share this cute video about testing!  Please feel free to play it with your classes (BEFORE TESTING WEEKS!) so that we can continue to encourage our students to do their best!

How do we #finishstrong?!?!  I know we are tired.  I know we are stressed.  I know there is a lot of pressure.  I know we ALL have things going on outside of GVMS.  I also know that we are here, with each other (and awake usually), more than we are with our families. So, again, HOW do we FINISH STRONG and encourage others to do the same??  Well, I think the pic above nails it.  Mic drop.  Keep Moving.  Plan for success. COLLABORATE.  Grow as an educator. Evaluate your goals and ask for feedback.  

CELEBRATE CELEBRATE CELEBRATE!

Celebrate YOU!  Celebrate YOUR/OUR STUDENTS!  Celebrate PARTNERS at GVMS!

SUPER HERO SHOUT OUTS!

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• SUPER awesome shout out to Sandy for taking on the basketball tournament and supervising!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sue for the awesome garden sign! ~Katherine
• SUPER awesome shout out Rosa, Larissa, Julie, Nate, Aubry, and Alex for covering for me when I had to leave for health reasons! ~Lynn
• SUPER awesome shout out to Kimberly for the awesome GVMS Vikings sign for the auction!!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Cristina for the cup that says "tears of my students"! ~Julie
• SUPER awesome shout out to KC for the ice cream root beer floats! ~Julie
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sue for ALWAYS taking notes at ALL of the meetings that we have!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Ric for putting together a chair SO FAST!! 
• SUPER awesome shout out to Tom for helping me out after the faculty meeting on Tuesday! ~Heather P
• SUPER awesome shout out to Lynn and her team for the serenity garden! ~TAP Class
• SUPER awesome shout out to Kevin Rogers, our new swing shift custodian! 
• SUPER awesome shout out to Sandy and her awesome Leadership crew for their help at RHS on Thursday! ~TAP Team
• SUPER awesome shout out to Marlys and Lilia for help with the CAASPP at the DO!~ Uma
• SUPER awesome shout out to Tamia and Carol for spearheading the Tutorial Vote!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Doug and Voz who always check on me after hours! ~Uma
• SUPER awesome shout out to Brenda for arranging subs for RSP and TAP!
• SUPER awesome shout out to 6th grade for coming together to plan for math!
• SUPER awesome shout out to Gwynn and Sandy for all they did to support at the RHS event on Thursday! ~Uma
• SUPER awesome shout out to Shirley, APE Teacher, for organizing the Special Olympics for all of middle school!  Everyone had fun! ~Uma

April 5, 2019

One of our VERY favorite things to do each day is be in classrooms.  Quite frankly, when we aren't, we get a little depressed.  We love a classroom where students are sharing what they are learning (not what their weekend plans are or what they just saw on SnapChat), we love them demonstrating their learning, and we love when our staff is engaged with them.  Going into a quiet classroom, with the teacher behind a desk and no interaction going on is not our thing.  Why is engagement so important?  We have also said is MULTIPLE times: high engagement yields high learning and low behavior issues.  Don't believe us?  Check out THIS ARTICLE on ways to increase engagement and the research behind it.  Yes, another article proving it =)

YEP.  We are here.  The time when motivation for students (and adults!) can be a STRUGGLE.  What can we do?  The struggle IS real....Do we sit back and "just get through it"?  NOPE!
We help students motivate themselves through choice, independence, constantly ask thinking questions, and make it a mystery/controversy to show what they know.  Take a look at THIS ARTICLE to spark engagement, get students (and yourself!) motivated and finish STRONG!

How do we #finishstrong?!?!  I know we are tired.  I know we are stressed.  I know there is a lot of pressure.  I know we ALL have things going on outside of GVMS.  I also know that we are here, with each other (and awake usually), more than we are with our families. So, again, HOW do we FINISH STRONG and encourage others to do the same??  Well, I think the pic above nails it.  Mic drop.  Keep Moving.  Plan for success. COLLABORATE.  Grow as an educator. Evaluate your goals and ask for feedback.  

CELEBRATE CELEBRATE CELEBRATE!

Celebrate YOU!  Celebrate YOUR/OUR STUDENTS!  Celebrate PARTNERS at GVMS!

SUPER HERO SHOUT OUTS!

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• SUPER awesome shout out to Angie for all of her work with our students and parents!  Thank you for being here while Christine was on maternity leave! ~KC
• SUPER awesome shout out to Elizabeth for the great effort and work sh puts forth with our students! ~Peter
• SUPER awesome shout out to HISTORY for taking on Naviance, registration, Soul Shoppe....anything else? =) ~KC
• SUPER awesome shout out to Julie for always meeting with me with parents and taking over when I need her to! ~Lynn
• SUPER awesome shout out to Lynn and Sue for saving me and helping with Ryan's grades and such! ~KC
• SUPER awesome shout out to Tamia for getting projections done super duper fast and submitting them!! ~KC
• SUPER awesome shout out to Julie for helping me make sense of the testing schedule!~ Karron
• SUPER awesome shout out to Dustin for always keeping the line of communication open! ~Tara
• SUPER awesome shout out to Larissa, Kevin, Julie, Megan, Lynn Cristina, Kristen and Sandy for helping with Academic Olympics....much appreciated or the activity does not happen!~ Sue
• SUPER awesome shout out to ALL staff for filling out the SST and 504 feedback forms!  It helps the process go a lot smoother and you all have ROCKED it! ~Heather