Celebrate the Small Things

As a principal it is easy to become consumed with the negatives, shortcomings or lack of good judgements that come across my desk. The truth of the matter is is that when a student needs to talk to me in private or a teacher needs to "shut the door," there is a pretty good chance that it is to report a poor decision, confess a wrong doing or report a problem that they heard. This is NOT why I choose to lead. I choose to lead because I believe that the young people of this great nation have crazy potential. I believe that without a quality education it is impossible to accomplish your dreams. I believe that teaching is one, if not the most noble profession in the world. Last, but not least, I know that a school can be the bright spot during a dark time for our students even if they may not realize it at the time. 

As a father my perspective on education has continued to evolve. When I look at what I want for the kids and community of Eaton the answer starts and stops with placing quality people with the tools and support to work with these young people effectively. Having quality, inspiring, hardworking teachers in place to fulfill their dreams while working to make students come true is a must. 

What a great time to be in education. Not only are there technological tools that give us access to countless resources but we also are living in a time where accountability has continued to increase based on an array of state tests. Accountability is a great thing if accountability is done correctly. The keys to having accurate data for teacher accountability are very similar to collecting student data; it must be done at different times, using multiple measures and being transparent concerning the goals and the objectives that the individual should be striving to meet. Accountability is all about raising ownership and if teachers take greater ownership of their students' success then the entire school/ district/ community can achieve things never thought possible. 

"Each finger can be easily broken but close them into a fist and the power increases significantly."

Professional Development for All

                                                 

Ask most teachers what they get out of a PD day and the answer usually is something like: "well it's something we have to do." So as a principal of a middle school where we have endured 8 calamity days, 11 snow, fog or ice delays, and 17 testing days thus far, it is my goal to change that answer from something teachers feel they have to do into something that teachers feel is beneficial to themselves and their students. 

The real question is, why should teachers care? Does the work equal more hoops to jump through? By that I mean are we working on goals that are never followed? Are we creating paperwork to justify the hours spent without students in the building? I challenge teachers to continually ask, how does this improve a students life? Easy to say not easy to make happen. It is always easy to point the finger and play the blame game of who's at fault when your time as an educator is being wasted. But a wise man once said, if you do not like what you are being fed than pick up the spoon and feed yourself. 

So lets take the time to reflect and look more carefully at the decisions we are making, the time we are spending, and if again we are not using it to better student learning, then why are we doing it. So let's do the work and make it meaningful! Have a great day or not the choice is yours. 

                                                                 

                                                                  

Showing Up Matters

During the course of a school year there are a number of reasons students are absent; illness, family crisis, or other crisis are all acceptable reasons for students to be absent. In reality it is very common for a secretary to hear that the driveway was to slick, I stayed up to late or I had nothing to wear. These are not acceptable reasons and students are cheating themselves out of a completely unique experience. EMS is a place full of people who care, work hard and completely pride themselves on making the best out of each minute of the school day. Maybe students and parents alike say, what does it hurt to miss a day here or there.You know who it hurts YOU! Each day you have approximately 5 1/2 hours of classtime. Which equals 910 hours of learning per year. 

You always get out what you put in and if your not putting in the effort to show up then you are not going to reap the benefits of what a first class education can afford you. 

Testing Season

In middle schools across the state life will be very different starting on February 17th. The new states tests that are all online will start the "performance based" section which will be in the areas of Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science. Through the capabilities that computers afford as opposed to paper pencil, students will be asked to manipulate and manage the content in an entirely new way. At EMS students are being exposed, educated and coached up in ways that will ease the anxiety that these high stakes test afford.

Two important acronyms to know are P.A.R.C.C. and A.I.R. 

P.A.R.C.C. (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career)

-language arts

-math

A.I.R. (American Institute for Research) 

-social studies

-science 

Dates of Tests based on grade level (1st round only)

6th Grade: February 18- 20/ March 4-6

7th Grade: February 23- 25/ March 9-10

8th Grade: February 26- March 3/ March 11- 12

Here at Eaton Middle School You Matter!

Let the Second Half Begin

We are now entering the second half of the 2014 - 2015 school year here at this wonderful place called EMS. We started this journey with 8 goals in mind and they still ring true. 

GOALS
1. Teach with love, patience and passion.
2. Teach lessons that excite future learning.
3. Ensure all students are safe.
4. Constantly and consistently assess the progress of all students
 and use this data to drive instruction.
5. Give respect and expect respect.
6. Communicate with parents constantly.
7. Create cross- curriculum lessons.
8. Celebrate student achievements.




This is a monumental year in education as students are taking different state tests than ever before.

The key differences are:
1. Tests are electronic not paper pencil
2. Language Arts skills are ultra important. (5 tests per student)
3. Reading comprehension will be an intricate part of each test.
4. Students are tested in the area of Social Studies again. (6th only)
5. Two types of tests: Performance Based & End- of- Year

Soar like Eagles

Mid- Way Celebration

You must look back to move forward. 

During the first semester here a at EMS we have had a number of successes that were acknowledged during our Mid- Way Celebration Assembly. The assembly was on the last day of the semester, December 19, 2014 in the Performing Arts Center. The mid- way celebration was an opportunity for the entire middle school student body to acknowledge the many accomplishments students have made in the first semester. A special thanks to the band and choir members who performed as well as the student council members who lead in a number of capacities.


Here is a list of acknowledgements that occurred.

M.A.P. Champs

Spelling Bee Finalist

Students of the Month

Quiz Team Members

Straight A's 

Perfect Attendance

Presentation of "Pie in the Face" money towards the local cancer foundation. 

5 Items of Focus

1. Make Learning Fun- One of the primary reasons we have weekly lesson plans due at the the end of the week is to plan our "hooks" for the upcoming weeks. Reminder "HOOKS" are a way to get our students excited about the upcoming lesson.

2. Teamwork- This is something said in staff meetings, district meetings and department meetings but is it truly practiced? Sure it is easy to chat about common students with teachers in neighboring classrooms. Let's stretch ourselves to talk to other teachers who have common data, common struggles and successes.

3. Claim Evidence Reasoning- I know many of you are not ELA teachers, but we will all reap the benefits of our students becoming better at using informational text to form actual ideas, thoughts and conclusions. Reminder: your 2nd CER is due by December 12.

4. Pacing Guides- As we all want to provide the most authentic learning experience possible for all of our students it is key to have proper planning. Our pacing guide will help all of us become more familiar with the new learning standards as well as give us greater ownership of our material.

5. Support- no matter how great we are alone we will achieve more together. Be an advocate for EMS, It's a great place to be!