Gatekeepers

"I know you are glad it's the end of the school year and things are starting to slow down", said the Ridiculously Misguided Adult.

"Yes", said the Extremely Exhausted Teacher (with that I am too tired to inform another misguided soul look).

Only educators understand what we are going through at this time of year. This is just a reminder that we need to continue to push and take complete advantage of the extra time we have been given before the test. We will survive and, in the end, we will reap the fruit of our labor.

I am extremely proud to be your principal. Please schedule a meeting with us if you need anything. Even if you just need to vent. Take care of each other and practice random acts of kindness in the building. Let's end this year on a positive note.

After looking at the statistics for this page, I am wondering if anyone knows it is there. Previously you had to logon to access the information. I have now made it visible to all. Please take a look and let me know if there or items you would like to see on this page.

https://www.rcboe.org/site/Default.aspx?PageType=1&SiteID=16&ChannelID=5569&DirectoryType=6

Thank you to all who helped to celebrate our assistant principals last week. I was so thrilled to see the cards, notes, emails, and many gifts to let them know how much you appreciate them. Thank you.

A few weeks ago we had a wonderful time learning about the changes in CCRPI calculations with the amazing Rachel O'Dell. Here are a few things we learned.

Virtual Tutor courses are now set up in Edgenuity in the Blended Learning side and are ready to be assigned to students. Teachers can assign the entire course or assign specific strands of the course with a shorter time frame. Edgenuity has created a webinar for teachers with directions on how to get stared and to assign the courses to their students.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/puo0tlkvq94voqg/2018-03-15%2010.01%20Introduction%20to%20Virtual%20Tutor%20(VT)%20Courses%20in%20Edgenuity.mp4?dl=0

Please sign up on Business Plus. Pick a course any course. Email Dr. Singh and let her know you plan to attend so that you can receive TKES credit. Remember we all need professional learning hours for TKES/LKES this year. https://eo.rcss-k12.org/ifas7/emponline/

We need all K-2 teachers reading endorsed. Please make sure you have applied for your reading endorsement application. The deadline is April 15th.

Richmond County Mathematics Department is pleased to announce this exciting endorsement opportunity to teachers seeking to improve teaching and learning in Mathematics for Grades K-8.

The Endorsement is comprised of three courses, along with a field experience, designed to meet the requirements of the Georgia PSC’s program standards. Through face-to-face meetings and use of an online learning platform, participants will deepen their content and pedagogical knowledge to improve student achievement in math.

In order to be officially enrolled in the RCSS

Endorsement Program, please follow the

procedures as outlined below.

• Complete the online registration process for the endorsement program after submitting your application https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RCSSMath

• Completed Endorsement Application

• Completed Teacher Disposition Form (within the application)

• 2 Completed Letters of Recommendation (within the application)

• Copy of Teaching Certificate (the actual certificate from GaPSC)

• Application can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/RCSSMath

Middle School teachers must now become high school certified to teach high school courses. Do you need more information regarding test information, district level support, reimbursement Information, and GACE testing dates? Check this out: https://www.dropbox.com/s/nwnw38iq0zssgel/Certification%20Requirement%20to%20Teach%20High%20Courses%20in%20Middle%20School%20(1).pdf?dl=0

Watch this video for a unique way to allow students to participate in peer evaluation.

https://www.peergrade.io/

Did you know we have our own FPS commercial? It will be used next year for promotion and recruitment fairs. I thought you might want to take a look. https://www.rcboe.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=16&ModuleInstanceID=71292&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=71485&PageID=25

Based on feedback this year, we will only have 3 Math/ELA Benchmark Administration Windows so we will not overlap during Milestone Testing. All Benchmark open ended scoring should be completed within Performance Matters by March 29th. This information should be used to help guide the next few weeks of instruction prior to Milestone Administration.

The required iReady screening window will be open from April 10th – May 11th. All Kindergarten – 9th grade students will need to complete the test.

To promote and support the implementation of MATH TOOLS into mathematics instruction, please complete the following survey(s).

Teachers OPINION matters!

Elementary - https://tinyurl.com/mathtools2018elem

Middle School- https://tinyurl.com/mathtools2018ms

May 1, 2018 marks the month long celebration of Law Day, and the theme for this year is “Separation of Powers: Framework for Freedom.”

In conjunction with Law Day, the Augusta Bar Association is sponsoring a poster contest open to all students in grades 3-8. Students can participate by creating a poster exploring how the system of checks and balances through the separation of powers preserve political liberty and provide a framework for freedom. All entries must be received by April 20, 2018 and must be accompanied by the official entry form, contest flyer, and entry forms with specific contest rules and details here. https://www.dropbox.com/s/zndl1dog6cuekso/2018%20Law%20Day%20Poster%20Contest%20Entry%20%20Form.pdf?dl=0

Although the national celebration is April 26th, we will participate in Purple Up Day, April 30th! Every Friday, we will honor our children in a special way. Last week, cupcakes! This week, I can't wait to see.

The kindergarten classes will be participating in a tour of the commissary April 18th. This is in celebration of Purple Up Day.

Middle School Sports Banquet- April 26th 6:00-8:00, FPS Auditorium

Due to the May GMAS Testing Window the Gifted 'testing window’ is also adjusted.

Gifted Testing

Grades 3-5 will be tested April 12-27th.

Grades K-2's will be tested May 7th - 31st.

Itinerant teachers will be coming to your school to test the 771 K-2 students.

PreK - TBA

Kindergarten - May 25th (time TBA)

1st Grade -TBA

2nd Grade - May 22nd @ 1:30 pm

3rd Grade - May 24th @ 9:30 am

4th Grade - May 23rd @ 9:30 am

5th Grade - May 23rd @ 1:30 pm

6th & 7th Grade - May 21st @ 11:30 am

8th Grade - May 21st @ 10:00 am

Please join us May 19th for a great time. We are so proud of our middle school. They have worked so hard and deserve this celebration. Please let us know if you would like to help.

The middle school students will participate in Challenge Day May 22nd.

Hopefully we won't need as much of this as we did last year. The following is an update regarding summer school:

Summer school will only be held during the month of June and students will attend Monday through Friday (no alternating days) – 8:30AM – 3:00 PM.

There are 6 Middle School sites (GHMS, Hornsby, Langford, Morgan Road, Murphey & Pine Hill) which will house middle and elementary school students. Our students will be assigned to Morgan Rd.

So what about Benchmark 3. The following are four powerful questions to ask yourself:

1. Based on the results, what adjustments need to be made in instruction?
2. Are you on the curriculum map and scheduled to complete all concepts before May?
3. Are instructional activities aligned with the depth of the standard?
4. Are students prepared to write constructed and extended responses?

-FYI: The benchmark shows that many students are not attempting the constructed and extended response items. What is your team's plan to change this?

The videos are organized to support teachers in the implementation of the Georgia Standard of Excellence (GSE) based on teacher requests for independent professional development support for the implementation of the GSE. Each video is a demonstration classroom lesson, professional learning session, or informational resource that focuses on instructional strategies and/or specific standards geared to add additional strategies to your toolbox of instructional strategies!

Where are they locate?

The catalog is located in RUBICON in the TEACHER & STUDENT LESSON PLAN RESOURCES link (in every unit at the bottom of the unit)!

The RCK12 “What to Do When Guide” is designed to offer teachers a variety of resources to address specific deficiencies or gaps in student grade level understanding.

Items included within may be used directly after a pre-assessment or following instruction and the formative assessment indicates the student needs additional support to master the standard.

Where are the guides located?

The guide is in RUBICON in the TEACHER & STUDENT LESSON PLAN RESOURCES link (in every unit at the bottom)!

An informed parent is a partner in education. Please ensure your parents know about the district resources regarding curriculum and how they can help.

ELA: https://www.rcboe.org/Page/30338

Math: https://www.rcboe.org/Page/8603