Wednesday MM - Day Two

Good Morning!

The Regional Ready Meeting in Greensboro was informative.  Mariah will be sharing some resources and highlights at our next open space meeting.

Reading is the Action of the day.  Thanks to Deb for organizing this event.

SIT will meet in the media center from 3:25-4:30 today.

Check out the Blog from our IT department on Leap Day

Brunson Live will begin again on the video feed March 14th.

Subs:

Denise Jennings for Nicole Londono

No sub yet for Demarie Anderson

Tuesday MM - Day One

Good Morning!

This Friday there are two additional opportunities for professional growth;

 - Dr. Martin and staff invite all AIG teachers to hear updates on AIG from 3:30 - 5:00 at the education building

 - Two companies that specialize in connecting teachers with Grants and loans for further education will be in the media center here at Brunson from 3:30 - ??? your questions are answered.

This afternoon Mariah and I will attend the 2012 READY Regional Outreach Meeting.  Info is below.

State Superintendent June Atkinson and senior NCDPI officials are excited to be coming to Greensboro on Tuesday, February 28, for the 2012 READY Regional Outreach Meetings.  

This is going to be a wonderful opportunity for principals, teachers, superintendents and public information officers to hear about the significant changes under way in North Carolina public schools, and how all the pieces will fit together to ensure that students are better prepared for college, career and life. 

The presenters are looking forward to spending time with those of you who are doing such incredible work in our schools every day.  They also welcome your feedback as North Carolina moves forward with: 

- new Essential Standards and Common Core State Standards; 

- a new state accountability model;

- additional professional development support for educators and schools; 

- new uses of technology to support learning; and 

- an enhanced teacher and principal development model.

Subs:

No sub for Nicole Robinson pm only

Gayle Moore for Stephanie Smith - morning

Gayle Moore for Mariah Lee PM - afternoon

Monday MM - Day SIX

Morning All!  I had a good weekend and am looking forward to March. 

Be supportive of each other as we continue to work our way toward spring.  We ofter hear the phrase, "many hands make light work" in reference to yard work or house cleaning, yet it is applicable to teaching as well.  Let's all embrace the opportunities to make each other feel great about the work we love. 

Snaps to ESL staff, Mrs. Londono, Ms. Lee, and Mrs. Moore for whipping through:

31 kinder tests (45 min each) and 130 students x 4 subtests   

Special thanks to the instr. assistants, esp Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Rush, for proctoring a million times!

With the exception of 1 or 2 absentees, ACCESS testing is complete!  ESL classes will resume on Monday. 

Tuesday we have the Tableaux in the gym.

We get an extra day this year, February 29th, as we adjust our human created calendar to match our planet's revolution around the sun that warmed our day so nicely yesterday.  We will take advantage of this bonus Wednesday by scheduling a SIT meeting.  During school hours, Read across America will be celebrated with Dr. Suess books and guest readers .

Thursday is Picture Day and Dental Screening.

Friday a team will attend a Systems Thinking presentation at the central office.

Saturday we begin the Cap Art project with Cindy Sanders and the PTA grounds Team.

Subs Today:
Joey Stone for Paige Sipe

Friday MM - Day 5

Good Morning!

Below is some information from our State Board;

Severe Weather Awareness Week - Severe Weather Awareness Week is scheduled for March 4-10. The statewide Tornado Drill will take place on Wednesday, March 7, at 9:30 a.m. At that time the National Weather Service will issue a Required Weekly Test over the NOAA weather radio system. This will serve as a signal for school administrators to begin their tornado drill. The drill will conclude when participants complete their drill activities. No all-clear message will be issued. If this time is not convenient for your school’s instructional program, you may schedule your school’s drill on another day close to March 7.

  

Mark Your Calendars for the 2012 Teacher Working Conditions Survey - The 2012 Teacher Working Conditions Survey is set for March 26-April 20. In 2010, over 105,000 licensed educators completed the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey! Districts and schools can use the data collected through the survey for continuous school improvement and professional development planning. All school-based licensed educators and administrators are strongly encouraged to complete the survey. Anonymous access codes will be distributed via the same process as in previous years to the NCAE association representative in each school. The survey also may be accessed online at www.ncteachingconditions.org. The Help Desk will be available to answer all your questions via phone, IM or email during that week. If you have lost or have not received an access code, the help desk will be available to assist. We will publish the help desk number prior to the survey release date. For more information, please contact Lynne Johnson at lynne.johnson@dpi.nc.gov or Eliz Colbert at eliz.colbert@dpi.nc.gov. 

 

Please respect the stage and if you use it for any reason,  return it to the state it was in before you arrived.  Next week we have 5th grade Tableaux on Tuesday followed by Pictures and Dental Screening on Thursday.

Subs;

Denise Jennings for Anne Campbell

Thursday MM - Day 4

Good Morning!


Great SIT Meeting last evening, thanks for the informed discussion and participation.


Zone Tour today at 11:45


Subs:
Crystal Rook for Tanya
Rosemary Hazy for Stephanie
Denise Jennings for Anne

Wednesday MM - Day three

Good Morning!

SIT meeting tonight at 3:25 in the media center.  We will discuss our CCES module training plan for the next three modules.  The proposed plan

• March 30th - Module Three in all 4 disciplines. 
• April 26 through May 11 two rotations of LTM - Module Four in all 4 disciplines.
• June 10th - Module Five in all  4 disciplines.

We will also continue to discuss our next steps for our STEM Magnet Implementation. 

• Problem-Based Learning
• AIG license
• EIE in greater depth
• Renzulli
• Learning Focused

Our Magnet meeting for 10 am today was postponed until March. 

Welcome back Debbie as she "scoots" around our school. 

Subs:
Jane Desantis for Tanya Lovin
Lynn Boyles for Demarie Anderson
Helene Elbein for Mary Lauren Burrell

Tuesday MM - Day 2

Good Morning!


I am looking forward to our SIT meeting Wednesday at 3:25  We will have a follow up meeting next Wednesday February 29th as we prepare for Sharon Holmes to visit on March 14th.


I need a quick 10 minute meeting today at 3:20 for all HAG teachers in Tonya's classroom.


Our Magnet kindergarten applicants will be in the media center this morning to enroll for 2012-13.


Try the new e-mail and let's tap into the power that exists.


Subs:
No sub for Nicole Robinson
Theresa Thomas for Paige Sipe

Friday MM - Day One

MIX-IT-UP DAY!!!

I am excited about our lessons and activities about Kindness and Compassion that we will be providing to our students today.  Do not forget that we make a difference in our student's lives based on the manner in which we engage with them.  

Be.present
Be.active
Be.engaged
Be.a leader

Be.kind
Be.compassionate
Be.____________

"Children are not what YOU think they are.  Children are not what THEY think they are.  Children will become what THEY think YOU think they are."  -Dr. Dudley Flood-

Subs:

Michaela Barnhardt for Debbie Woodruff

No sub for Lynn Vernon

Thursday MM - Day Six

Good Morning!

I am sorry to have missed the faculty meeting as I was at the central office in a scheduled meeting with Dr. Martin.  This year I serve as the elementary representative on the Forsyth Principals Association, and our monthly meeting with Dr. Matin is part of the feedback loop designed to increase communications between the central administration and the schools. 

Today I am at our Elementary Principals meeting and will not return until dismissal. 

Here is a note from Bud about our CCES training;

Friends,

Day 3 of CCES professional development is fast approaching. Again, here is some information that will make everyone's experience more positive.
Unless we have discussed it, teachers should attend the same session they participated in on October 31 & January 23 . This is imperative due to our space constraints.

Encourage Car-pooling
Most of our training locations will have 450 participants. While we have chosen locations with large parking lots to accommodate this number of people, participants may want to consider car-pooling in order to reduce the amount of traffic.

Lunch
We have a plan to stagger dismissal for lunch so that 450 people are not leaving for lunch at once. However, with the amount of traffic that will be created and only an hour allotted for the lunch break, participants may want to consider bringing their own lunch. Just a suggestion.

Start and End Times
While most sessions begin at 8:30, not all of them do. Please refer to the professional development spreadsheet for the correct start times. The March professional development offerings spreadsheet is attached.

PRTS
Unfortunately we are still not able to accommodate your requests to send PRTs to the CCES RC day training. Please do not send them. The elementary ELA sessions are over capacity already.

Principals, APs and CCs
Principals, APs, and CCs are welcomed to attend the CCES sessions on the RC days. The ELA and math sessions are beyond capacity. If you choose to attend an RC day session, please consider attending science and social studies (we have lots of flexibility here).

Pre-Kindergarten Teachers
Pre-Kindergarten teachers will meet at the Special Services Center again.

Locations
Elementary Reading / Language Arts - Clemmons Middle
Elementary Math - Meadowlark Middle
Elementary Science - Sherwood Forest Elementary
Elementary Social Studies - Kimmel Farm Elementary
Pre-Kindergarten - Special Services Center (aka: Old Diggs)
Secondary English / Language Arts - Reagan High
Secondary Math - North High
Secondary Science - Mt. Tabor High
Secondary Social Studies - Parkland High
All Health/PE - Mineral Springs Middle
All CTE - Atkins High
All Foreign / World Language - Education Building
All ESL - East Forstyh Middle
All Visual and Performing Arts - Reynolds High
All Information and Technology - Morgan Elementary
All Media Assistants - Education Building

Registration
Please ensure that your faculty has registered for the appropriate session by 4:30 on Friday, February 17. Remember that some of the sessions in the professional development applied to all three days and some require participants to register for each day separately.

Sessions for teachers that do not fit into the categories outlined in the CCES deployment plan
Teachers who will not be attending CCES sessions on the February 20 RC day because they do not fit into the categories outlined in the CCES deployment plan may choose from the following sessions.
1) Academic Interventions for Struggling Students Part 2- Glenn High Media Center (This session will have different content covered from the October 31 and January 23 RC Days, so if a teacher wanted to learn more about interventions they may want to attend this session)
2) Content Area Literacy Strategies - Middle Fork Media Center
3) Differentiating the Classroom for Success - Philo Media Center
4) CCES:Culturally Responsive Pedagogy K-12 - Administrative Center, Room 384
5) CCES: Information/Technology-K12 - Morgan Elementary

If you have questions, please email me.

Regards,

Bud
Bud Harrelson
Program Manager
School Improvement

Wednesday MM - Day 5

Good Morning!

A couple of common expectations arose from our specialist meeting today

• Students shall always be supervised - The transition of supervision between classroom and special, then special to classroom, shall be made with both visual &verbal communication between the two faculty members.
• Specials are 40 minutes in length - they begin at the posted time and end 5 minutes prior to the next posted time.
• Bathroom opportunities shall be provided before the special begins to preserve the short 40 minute instructional time for the teacher to deliver the special curriculum.

At the faculty meeting this afternoon.  We may start some new open space topics around Safety and supervision.

Speaking of safety, I received the following communication through our WSFCS Student Services Department,  Please read.

RALEIGH – Throughout January, several local health departments across North Carolina have reported multiple outbreaks of norovirus, prompting state public health officials to issue advice on steps everyone can take to avoid this common and unpleasant gastrointestinal illness.

"The most important message we have right now is that people who are ill with vomiting or diarrhea should not work, go to school or attend daycare while they are having symptoms, "said State Epidemiologist Dr. Megan Davies. "Everyone needs to wash their hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water. This is the most effective way to protect yourself and others against norovirus since hand sanitizers alone are not as effective against this hardy virus."

Noroviruses are easily transmitted by touching a contaminated surface as well as by direct contact or by eating food or drinking liquids that have been contaminated with the virus. Noroviruses are notoriously difficult to kill with normal cleaning and disinfecting procedures. Surfaces that have been contaminated with stool or vomit should be cleaned immediately and disinfected with a freshly prepared diluted bleach solution or a bleach-based household cleaner.

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramping. Some may have fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and a general sense of tiredness. The symptoms can begin suddenly and an infected person may go from feeling well to very sick in a very short period of time. In most people, the illness lasts for about one or two days. People with norovirus illness are contagious from the moment they begin feeling sick until at least three days after they recover. Some people may be contagious for even longer, she added. Infection can be more severe in young children and elderly people. Dehydration can occur rapidly and may require medical treatment or hospitalization.

"Unfortunately, there is no specific medications to treat norovirus, but infected people should drink plenty of liquids to replace fluid lost through vomiting and diarrhea," Davies said. "The best course of action is prevention."

Davies offered several simple steps to take if you suspect the presence of a norovirus:

· Wash hands frequently with soap and water, especially after toilet visits and before preparing, serving or eating food or drink. Hand sanitizers are not as effective against norovirus.

· Clean and disinfect surfaces contaminated with vomit or diarrhea immediately using a bleach-based household cleaner, or dilute household bleach 1:10 in water (must be mixed fresh daily; never use undiluted bleach).

· Stay home when sick.

· Do not prepare food for other people when sick and for at least three days afterward.

For more information about norovirus, see the Division of Public Health Web site at www.ncpublichealth.com. More detailed information about cleanup in private homes and in other settings can be found at www.deh.enr.state.nc.us/ehs/dfp_fooddefense-epidemiology.htm.

Tuesday MM - Day 4

Good Morning!

We are having a specialist meeting today at 11:35 in the Art room.  Bring your lunch and be prepared to discuss procedures for supervision.

Faculty meeting will be Wednesday at 3:25 SHARP.  We had a slow turnout at our last session and will need everyone on time as we will begin with a presentation from Stephanie on the new e-mail system.  From there we shift into some new topics for our open space.  The CCES planning team will meet at the conclusion of the faculty meeting in the Media office. 

A few subs today.
Welcome Ms, Michaela Barnhardt who is here for Mrs Woodruff.  Debbie fell over the weekend and has broken a foot and sprained an ankle.  She is to return to the doctor this Wednesday for casting and will update us on her status then.  Please keep her in your thoughts.

Joey for Mariah pm only

Monday MM - Day 3

Good Morning!

I would recommend that we all increase our awareness of the political climate that drives education.  I am fortunate to be able to listen to Dr. Martin each month and he sits on the State Board as the current Superintendent of the Year.  Below are a couple of blogs that give some insight to the process.

Dr. Atkinson talks about the READY initiative and what it means for North Carolina’s students. Read more about the new accountability model and the Common Core State Standards
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/statesuperintendent/blog/2012/20120201.

See why Dr. Harrison says some word games are hurting our public schools at
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/stateboard/aisi/2012/20120127.

Also please be sure to check the district website for Dr Martin's updated Monthly Message. 

Please follow the links sent via e-mail concerning the Arts Council Drive and the Rachel's Challenge Kick-off at Mix-It-Up day.

Speaking of e-mail, this Friday at 5pm the system will shut down until Tuesday the 21st.  When we power back up we will be working in a new platform that will be introduced to us by Stephanie at our meeting this week.

Remember that next Monday the 20th is our CCES training day #3.  All Teacher assitants will inform Silvia if they are working or switching the day with one at the end of the year. Thanks to all for your flexibility and dedication to helping students succeed in our new CCES curriculum.

Subs:

Joey Stone for Mariah Lee

Friday MM - Day two

Good Morning!  Let's have a FANTASTIC FRIDAY. 

I am following a friends journey with Cancer who is in Baltimore to have surgery today.  Recently she wrote a post on CaringBridge about the overwhelming feeling of Gratitude that she is experiencing.  She realizes that being cared for and a having a plan is in place to help her overcome the disease in her body is not a given and she is considering it a "luxury."  As I reflect on her thoughts, I recognize my belief that to give thanks in hard times shifts my energy from negative to positive.  Then, with this new found and enriching energy, I am able to help others and release my selfish tendencies. 

Today, I am going to focus on being thankful for our immense responsibility to serve children.  I am going to bathe in the joyous feeling that our efforts matter.  I also trust that our students are equally grateful for our care and the plan we help them devise to live a rich and rewarding life.  Join me today and let's make a the World a better place.

Subs:
Lynn Boyles for Linnea Patrick

Thursday MM - Day One

Good morning!


A Big day for Asha as she is being recognized as the North Carolina "Yes I Can" Award winner!


Thanks to our SIT for participating in a rich dialogue about our next steps to build our professional capacity to deliver an engaging curriculum based on STEM principles.  We are looking at the following which are linked below.  Please take some time to research and have some conversations about what you believe will increase your efficacy.

• Problem Based Learning
• Renzulli
• AIG certification
• Systems Thinking

Today is a great day to begin to prepare for Mix-It-Up day.  Review the materials and talk with your partner(s) to create an amazing plan for your County to thrive next Friday, February 17th.

No Sub for Janet Gauss
Denise Jennings for Anne Campbell

Wednesday MM - Day 6

Good Morning!

FANTASTIC DAY with Liz Parry!!!!  thanks to everyone who shared and thanks to everyone who listened.  We have an amazing amount of EIE/STEM expertise that is building within our rooms.  Let's continue to find avenues to build capacity in ourselves as well as our colleagues.

Check out this article from PRISM magazine, a publication of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) - You will see quotes form our own Elizabeth Parry....

 http://www.prism-magazine.org/jan12/feature_01.cfm

Today we are being visited by our EC director Sam Dempsey and our new Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, Dr David Fonseca.  Please make them, as well as all guests and visitors, welcome in our learning environment.

SIT meeting tonight at 3:25

Big honor for our Green team as we are being recognized at a Luncheon Wednesday for our efforts to improve the beauty of our school grounds.  Collen Lopina will attend as a parent along with Anne and Betty Jo to represent our staff.  Good work by all to consider our environment and the sustainability of our planet.  Think about a Spring garden and contact Andy if your class wants a plot!

No subs for today as of 6pm Tuesday.

Tuesday MM - Day five

Welcome our EIE Guru - Liz Parry
Sessions held in the LTM room

8:35 – 9:05

Webster, McNatt, McGee, Patrick, Smith

9:20 – 9:50
Sarfert, LaPlante, Grisette, Saldana, Williams

10:05 – 10:35

Overby, Campbell, Anderson, Peddle

10:50 – 11:20
Gray, Woodruff, Gulledge, Sanders

12:35 – 1:05
Binkley, Hailstock, Smith , Moore, Lovin

1:20 – 1:50
Kiger, Londono, Phelps, Zarate, Fidali

2:05 – 2:35
Mason, Lee, Weber, Sipe, Kangalaris, Ingram, Gauss,

3:20 – 4:00
“Optional” EIE support session in the media center.

Please bring Stem Notebooks & be prepared to share your experiences with Liz and your peers
This schedule is printed and posted on the board, Please refrain from printing

Remember the dates of Feb 17, 18, 19, and 20 as "down-time" for ALL email as we transition to the new system.  Stephanie Smith continues to search for a date to get our Central Office Trainer here to teach us the nuances of the shift.

I am at a joint principals meeting this morning and will see you all in the afternoon.

Monday MM

Good Morning!  Lots of stuff for you to peruse for this week!

Be. news .... Far from perfect, but filled with creativity, good writing and mucho enthusiasm, here's the most recent online publication. Scroll down to see some of the new items.

http://wsfcsel.schoolwires.net/Page/50909

Feb. 6-10 National School Counseling Week

State Superintendent June Atkinson has proclaimed Feb. 6-10 as National School Counseling Week in recognition of school counselors’ efforts to help:

- students explore their abilities, strengths, interests and talents;

- teachers and other educators to help students explore their potential and set realistic goals for themselves; and

- parents focus on ways to further the educational, personal and social growth of their children.

Feb. 13-17 is School Bus Driver Appreciation Week

Gov. Bev Perdue has proclaimed Feb. 13-17 as School Bus Driver Appreciation Week (SBDAW) in North Carolina. The proclamation is available online at www.ncbussafety.org . This is a change from the traditional SBDAW the first week in May to coincide with the national LOVE THE BUS campaign. LEAs and schools can register their LOVE THE BUS events at www.ncbussafety.org/LovethebusNC/index.html .

2012 Teacher Working Conditions Survey
- In 2010, 105,688 licensed educators completed the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey! Districts and schools can use the data collected through the survey for continuous school improvement and professional development planning. The Teacher Working Conditions website (www.ncteachingconditions.org) is rich with school data, resources and tools for school teams.

The 2012 Teacher Working Conditions Survey is set for March 26-April 20. Anonymous access codes will be distributed via the same process as in previous years to the NCAE association representative in each school. The survey also may be accessed online at www.ncteachingconditions.org. The Help Desk will be available to answer all your questions via phone, IM or email during that week. If you have lost or have not received an access code, the help desk will be available to assist. We will publish the help desk number prior to the survey release date. For more information, please contact Lynne Johnson at lynne.johnson@dpi.nc.gov or Eliz Colbert at eliz.colbert@dpi.nc.gov.

Burroughs Wellcome Fund Afterschool Grants Available

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF)’s Student Science Enrichment Program (SSEP) supports out-of-school time programs with a common goal: to enable primary and secondary students to participate in hands-on scientific activities and pursue inquiry-based exploration. Since 1996, BWF has awarded 150 grants totaling $22 million to 70 organizations that reach nearly 35,000 North Carolina students. Programs range from afterschool programs, year round science experiences, Saturday academies or summer camps. These awards provide up to $60,000 per year for three years. For grant information, please visit BWF’s website at www.bwfund.org/pages/155/Student-Science-Enrichment-Program/ . April 16 is the deadline to apply.

Friday MM - Day two

Good morning!

PBIS Celebration today - 1:15 for upper grades and 2:00 for Kindergarten, first and second.

I am at a YMCA Board meeting and will see you all mid-morning.

Subs:
Valerie Bunch for Lynn Vernon
No sub for Dorothy Manigault
Joey Stone for Trish Gulledge
Be careful about Monday as the day after the super bowl is the hardest day to get a sub.

Thursday Day 2

Notes from Kathy:
* Please turn in your EOQ booklets by Friday.
* Does anyone have a hot plate? We need one for a science unit.
* The ACCESS language proficiency testing for LEP students will begin next Wednesday (2/8) and run for close to 3 weeks. There will be no ESL classes during this time. You will be notified of written test dates for your students, but speaking tests are 1-on-1 and students will be pulled throughout the day.
* Look for an upcoming e-mail asking for "free" times when an engineer could visit your class. Note that we "mixed it up" so check to see with whom who you are paired before responding.
* E-mail will be down Feb 17, 18, 19, and 20 preparing for the BIG CHANGE on Feb 21!

* We've got a good, core group of Tuesday morning workers and I was hoping that you could remind the teachers in your daily blog that we are meeting each week and happy to help out!  We've found that tasks like collating, stapling, cutting, etc. seem to be best for our group, yet we are open to other tasks as well!  The only thing that has proved challenging is grading, so we ask that the teachers not pass that along to us.  Otherwise, we'd be happy to stuff Tuesday packets and we've heard that the laminating machine is up and running again!   :)

Just as a reminder, we meet in the cafeteria every Tuesday morning from 8:15 - 10:00am.  Teachers can place their projects, enclosed in the large manila folder with their name on it, in the Terrific Tuesday bin in the teacher workroom.  Please include a set of short instructions and let us know if the project is a high priority (needs to be returned that day) or if it can be taken home and returned the following day or even worked on the following week.  

We're so grateful for our fantastic Brunson teachers (and staff)!

Sincerely,

Mikilani Yamada

Subs:

Esther Hicks for Tonya Grisette

Wednesday MM - Day One

Good Morning! 

Our First two modules of CCES delivery in our LTM have been accomplished (with a couple of exceptions)  I want to thank you all for working together and modeling 21st century skills with your collaborative efforts.  Our CCES team will meet this week to determine our next steps for modules 3-5. 

Single School Culture and Learning Team Meetings will resume beginning today.  One of the agenda items is to listen for some feedback on the district training and our own module delivery. 

Schedule for Global studies today is:

Jeff/Andy for Patrick

Art for Laplante

Art for Campbell

Music for Gulledge

Read the following metaphor for teaching/education and reflect for a brief discussion at our faculty meeting tonight;

"Early pilots knew that a spin was fatal, for no pilot had ever survived a spin. But with the increased use of parachutes, a pilot who had left the plane and parachuted to the ground often saw the now pilotless plane right itself-that is, the plane, left alone, would self-correct out of a spin-leading the aeronautic community to deduce that a spin was survivable, if one could learn from the natural reactions of the plane. The plane was not causing the spin; the pilot was." David Mamet, Theatre

Subs:

Dorothy Campbell for Debbie Woodruff

Nelida Flatow for Nicole Londono

No sub for Damita Sharp