Week of September 26th

Hilsman Rockstars:

We hope you have had a relaxing and restful weekend! This coming week, please continue the work of excellence you do each day alongside our students.  We received some very positive feedback from Dr. Lanoue and Dr. Gant from their walk-throughs on Thursday.  They observed the higher order questioning, a strong instructional framework, overwhelming evidence of your collaborative planning, and solid classroom management.  Both Dr. Lanoue and Dr. Gant are now pushing us to take it the next level.  A couple of caveats based on their feedback:

1) Make sure we are using computer-based interventions coupled with effective instruction.  We don't want to appear as though the computer is babysitting the student.

2) ELT time is where we can really make gains with our students.  Use this time to engage in meaningful, inquiry-based learning.  Ms. Hogan will provide resources for you all to support ELT instruction.

Monday:

• Office Maintenance Meeting 9:30
• Administrators Meeting 10:30
• Instructional Team Meeting 11:30
• Informal walkthroughs by Tolbert, Forker and Hogan

Tuesday:

• SMI makeups for 8th grade during ELT w/Hogan in the cafeteria
• Informal walkthroughs continue 
• RTI meetings during planning 

Wednesday: Wear your Hilsman uniform! 

• Collab planning with Hogan (ELA/Soc. Studies)

Thursday

• Collab planning with Hogan (Math/Science)
• New Panther Cohort meeting with Hogan 4pm - Stephens' room

Friday

• Walkthroughs

Week of September 18, 2016

Greetings,

Thank you for your work this week. In preparation for TKES walk-throughs, we performed informal walk throughs to measure where we are as a school with instruction. The feedback that you received should have provided you with a clear picture of what is to be observed in your classes according to the district's observable practices. In addition, I visited with each grade level Friday to reinforce some areas that as a building we need to improve. I have listed a few reminders below along with the weekly happenings.

• Communication: Please make sure that you are communicating with parents regarding students' behavior and progress. Continue to smile and welcome our parents into the building. Pantherville Nation will continue to rise higher as we communicate with all stakeholders to make decisions in the best interest of the students.

• Grade Book: Your grade book should be updated every 7-10 days. A parent should be notified if their child is failing before the end of the progress period. Remember that zeros are not an option. Make sure that you have provided students with every opportunity to correct the issue. Mrs. Brinkley will run a report every two weeks to ensure that we are compliant.

• Discipline: Be FIRM, FAIR, and CONSISTENT. Students are beginning to test the waters. Remember that we are in control of every situation. If you loose control then we have lost the battle. On the other hand, reinforce the positive behaviors with the house points. The Houses are really giving us the positive boost that we need to encourage our students to go beyond the PAWS Expectations.

• Although instruction is looking great, remember to plan and implement engaging activities for your students. Use the instructional framework and the plans that have been provided for you. Work collaboratively with your colleagues. There is no I in TEAM.

• Duties and Responsibilities: We are all doing a terrific job of coming to work and arriving on time! THANK YOU! When you miss school, the students miss out, and we ALL miss you. It is important to seek an administrator's approval before leaving campus for any reason. Planning time is designed to plan. 

• Lesson plans are due to at midnight on Sundays! Please post your plans on time. 

• SMI makeups should be completed by Friday! 

Lastly, teachers, despite how difficult our jobs appear, remember that you are SOMEBODY! YOU matter because without YOU, our students would not be SUCCESSFUL. This week I challenge you to take pride in what you do. 

                Everyone who remembers his own education remembers teachers, not methods and techniques. The teacher is the heart of the educational system.

Sidney Hook

Monday:

• Office Maintenance Meeting 
• Administrators Meeting
• Instructional Team Meeting 
• Informal walkthroughs by Tolbert, Forker and Hogan

Tuesday:

• Walkthroughs continue 
• RTI meetings during planning 

Wednesday: Wear your Hilsman uniform! 

• Tech WOW during collab planning with Hogan (ELA/Soc. Studies)
• Third Wednesday District Meetings 

Thursday

• Tech WOW during collab planning with Hogan (Math/Science)

Friday

• Walkthroughs

Week of 9/11/2016

Good evening!

Hopefully you all enjoyed your weekend and celebrated the Dawgs' win this Saturday! Thank you all for enduring the events last week.  It was busy but you all hung in there and smiled the whole time. This week should be calmer. Please remind your students of the PAWS Expectations in the halls, cafeteria and the classrooms. In addition, please perform uniform checks in every class. We want to make remain firm, fair, and consistent! Hunker down Panthers! See you in the morning.

Check out the weekly events:

Reminder: 

• Finish your HR videos this week.

• Make sure that your grade book is updated and that your progress grades are posted.

• Take attendance during the last 10 minutes of class! You MUST take attendance EACH DAY EVERY CLASS.

Sunday: 

• Grades due at noon
• Lesson plans are due

Monday:

• Office Maintainace Meeting
• Administrators Meeting
• Instructional Leaders Meeting
• Informal walkthroughs by Forker, Tolbert and Hogan
• PBIS  Meeting 4:00-5:00 in the PL Room

Tuesday

• Walk-throughs
• Tech Wow Session with Piazza
• SMI Make Ups
• RTI Meetings with Tolbert

Wednesday: Wear your uniform to school

• Collaborative Planning with Hogan (ELA/SS)

Thursday:

• Collaborative Planning with Hogan (Math/Sci)

Friday: Spirit Shirt and Khakis

• Walkthroughs

Week of September 5th

Thank you all for another great week at Hilsman! Our seventh grade housing ceremony went extremely well - hats off to our PBIS team again. We will be conducting walk-throughs throughout the week using the Hilsman Walk-through form shared with you last week during collaborative planning.  This blog is also now linked in the Panther PLC site on the home page. We have a busy week ahead, so please read carefully below.

Panther PLC Link

Sunday

• Lesson plans due at midnight

Monday

• Happy Labor Day

Tuesday

• IB WOW Session during 2nd planning in the PL Room for all grade levels
• 4:00 p.m. SILT Meeting

Wednesday-Wear your HILSMAN uniform day

• Collaborative Planning (ELA,SS)-Bring examples of student work to examine
• 4:00 p.m. Faculty Meeting 

Thursday: ALL BULLETIN BOARDS NEED TO BE FINISHED BY THURSDAY!!!

• 8:30 a.m. House sorting ceremony for 6th grade, connections teachers, custodial staff, parapros, and cafeteria staff
• Collaborative Planning (Math,Sci) Bring examples of student work to examine
• 6:00 p.m. Title I Parent Meeting & Open House

Friday

• 8:30 a.m. Principal's Coffee in the Media Center 
• SMI Makeups (an email will come from Hogan)

Saturday 

• Go Dawgs!

Sunday 

• GRADES DUE by noon

Week of August 28, 2016

Good afternoon staff,

Wow! If you were not apart of our first House Assigning Ceremony, you missed a treat. A big shout out to Mr. Forker, Mr. Cain, Mrs. Holland, Mr. Hussain, and Mrs. Johns for taking the vision and making it reality. 8th grade teachers, you all absolutely ROCKED! I greatly appreciate your energy and willingness to make a difference. The video credits goes to Mr. Yunngman! The video was AMAZING! I am so excited about the direction that we are headed in at Hilsman. It is my hope that although we are in a season of change that ALL of us will catch fire and soar. I know that change is uncomfortable and challenging at times. However, if we all agree to do what is in the best interest of the students, respect each other's work, work together, and continue to be firm, fair, and consistent, we will RISE UP! Let us not allow negativity to spoil our greatness. I expect greatness because I know that Excellence will be our end result. Here is to a great week!

House Assigning Ceremony-Please view and show to your students Monday!

Panther PLC Link
https://sites.google.com/a/clarke.k12.ga.us/panthers-plc/

Sunday

• Lesson plans due at midnight
• Complete self assessment and orientation for TKES

Monday

• Building Management Meeting  8:45
• Administrators' Meeting           9:30
• Instructional Team Meeting     11:30
• 9:00 Wilson Reading Training (Cain, Watkins, Luthi)
• IEP/504 Meetings

Tuesday

• SRI make ups with WQ
• WOW Session during 2nd planning in the PL Room for all grade levels

Wednesday-Wear your uniform day

• Collaborative Planning (ELA,SS)-Bring examples of student work examine

Thursday-Wear your favorite Super Hero Shirt and JEANS

• Author visit
• Collaborative Planning (Math,Sci) Bring examples of student work to examine
• PBIS Meeting-4:00 in PL Room

Friday

• 7th grade House Assigning Ceremony
• Progress report period ends

Week August 21st

Good afternoon Staff,

This week will be a busy one as we are now moving into the real business of school. I can not say thank you enough for an amazing first two weeks of school. It is true that we have the best staff in CCSD! Please remember to reinforce rituals and routines. Discipline issues are taking off and we  want to rapidly enforce consequences. Below are the events of the week.

Please view: https://youtu.be/JI4y_VeJSmQ

Reminders: 

PTO: There will be a PTO meeting Tuesday at 6:30. Please make every effort to attend. Our PTO provides a lot of support to our school. It would be great for us to actively engage in the meetings. There are only two meetings a year. I am requesting that you attend at least one if not both of the meetings.
In addition, PTO is preparing to begin our annual Yankee Candle Fundraiser. The packets are in your mailbox and should be passed out to students Monday during homeroom. I personally placed one in every staff member's box. Let's all support this fundraiser by pledging to sell at least two candles. We can do it! 

Attendance:  Teachers are expected to take attendance each period of the day. From the faculty handbook, "Teachers are to check attendance daily in each class period and post it on Infinite Campus by the end of each period." We need attendance posted into Campus by the end of each period. 

Grade Book and Scheduling: Thanks to Coach Page for providing a tutorial on setting up Grade Book in Campus.Please remember our grading policy and expectation for posting grades. This is a reminder that grade books should be updated every 7-10 calendar days. Below you will find the link. 

https://drive.google.com/a/clarke.k12.ga.us/file/d/0B3nYE0Gwhn65REt6MEN5Zk1GVms/view

TKES: TKES orientation will be held this Friday during your 1st plannings.


Sunday: Lesson plans due by midnight

Monday: Second Step Training will be held during 1st planning for all grade levels.  It is mandatory that everyone attends this training.

• Administrator Team Meeting 8:45
• Instructional Team Leader Meeting 9:30
• Monday extended homeroom - give the SRI. See Hogan's Friday email with the presentation embedded. Send students with a pass to Hogan (she'll be in the main hallway) to troubleshoot any login difficulties. 
• 1st planning is Second Step training for everyone. 
• 2nd planning 7th grade math (Aqui and Pavone) meet with Glenda Huff for Math 180 training. 
• Any teachers needing help setting up grade book in Campus, meet Hogan after car rider/bus duty in the PL room (107) for assistance. 

Tuesday: RTI Team Meetings

• SMI in extended homeroom (more to come on this)
• SAMR WOW sessions with Steve Piazza (times & locations will be sent out ASAP)
• PTO Meeting

Wednesday: Showing unity-Staff wears uniform

• We are protecting your time on these two days. Collaborative planning and data analysis: you should be meeting with your content team during plannings on these two days to plan collaboratively, analyze student work, etc.  Ms. Hogan has scheduled times to sit with each of your teams and assist in this important work. 
• Social Studies/ELA Planning

Thursday:

• New Panther cohort will meet with Hogan in the PL room at 4pm
• Math/Science Planning 
• House Ceremony

Friday: Wear your khakis and spirit shirts

• TKES Training during 1st planning

Jaguar News:

Tuesday, August 23 Softball @ Discovery 5:00

                             

                              JV/V Volleyball vs. Eastside/Hart Co. 5:00/7:00

Thursday, August 25 C-Team Football vs. Elbert Co. 5:30

                               Softball vs. Oglethorpe Co. 5:30

Friday, August 26  Varsity Football vs. Discovery  7:30

Saturday, August 27  Softball Round Robin Play date @ CS ( TBA ) CS plays 9:00 am and 7:00 pm.

GO JAGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's Happening the week of 8/14/2016

Faculty and Staff,

I can not thank you enough for a great first week of school.It was a busy week but an AWESOME one. Parents praised you all last week for making them feel welcomed in the building and for providing them with important information. They also mentioned how everyone appeared to be happy and excited to see the students. I wanted to pass this along as we embark upon our second week of school. Keep up the good work! When you smile, others will join you.
 Please continue to reinforce rituals, procedures, and expectations. Schedules should be settled this week.  Mr. Forker should be meeting with you all soon to finalize discipline procedures.  Below you will find what's happening for the week!

Sunday- Please watch: https://youtu.be/BxtCw_ucqOQ

• Lesson plans are due by midnight

Monday

•  Admin meeting at 8:30 am 
• Grade level team meetings

Tuesday

Begin looking at data and deciding on ELT placements

• RTI team meetings
• 8th Grade (level RTI meetings)

Wednesday-Staff Uniform Day

• 1st planning ELA
• 2nd planning Social Studies

Thursday

• 1st planning Science
• 2nd planning Math

Friday-Wear your spirit shirt and khakis

• Laura Ambrose will visit SS classes from 8-12