MCMS Staff Update- October 23 - 27, 2023

Good Afternoon MCMS,

I hope everyone has had a great day!  We are able to put another week in the books and look forward to a relaxing fall weekend.  Thank you for going over the Earthquake Drill with your students yesterday.  Maintaining preparedness for all possible emergency situations is critical in student and staff safety.  With the start of a new quarter, this is a perfect time to review all emergency drills and student expectations.  

We look forward to celebrating Red Ribbon Week.  Thank you for educating our students on the importance of this week and advocating for a Drug Free Life.

Make sure you are looking over the 2023-2024 MCMS Calendar for current activities and events on campus.  If we have any changes to the calendar, we will make sure to let everyone know.  

Below are updates and reminders for this coming week, October 23-27. Please let me know if you have any questions about this email, upcoming events, classroom supplies, or anything else.  We are here to support you!

Happy Birthday! We wish a very happy birthday to those who celebrate this week!

• Betsy Hentz (10/21)
• Janna Richardson (10/24)

Supervision

• Please make sure you are standing at your door at class change, this helps with possible disruptions in the hallway.
• Please make sure you are in your classroom or duty location by 7:25 AM each day.  Please communicate with me, Eric, or Katie if you will be late.
• Thank you for documenting strikes, timeouts, and referrals.  That documentation is helpful as we address ongoing discipline issues and increased consequences.
• Continue to communicate home with parents regarding school behavior issues, that helps build the school/home connection.  We appreciate that extra step in communication, we know it takes time out of your schedule to complete.

Instruction

• Please let us know if you need any additional instructional resources.  We do have some instructional funds remaining and want to make sure you have what you need.
• Please refer to Jared's email for updated information from the curriculum area.
• We are excited to see the iReady competitions within teams and grade levels, we know this engagement will help students grow in their math and reading skills.
• Thank you for updating your lesson plans, each administrator will be reviewing those as we complete our weekly observations.

Professional Learning - Second Quarter

• Below are the remaining Wednesday Professional Learning dates for the second quarter.  The dates highlighted in yellow will be full faculty.  I will send additional information and reminders.
• October 25th - Early Release- Teacher Work/Collaboration Time
• November 1st - Content Team Meetings
• November 8th - Leadership Team
• November 15th - IDM PL- Content Delivery
• November 22nd - Thanksgiving Break!
• November 29th - Coke and Conversation
• December 6th - Early Release- Teacher Work/Collaboration Time
• December 13th - Leadership Team
• December 20th - MCMS Holiday Social! 

Ellevation Training

• Below are the Ellevation Training modules you will need to complete this school year:
• Semester 1: Pathway- Understanding Multilingual Learners: 
• Intro to LTELs (Q1)
• Intro to Multilingual Learners (Q1)
• Intro to Newcomers (Q2)
• Intro to SIFE (Q2)
• Semester 2: Pathway- Developing Academic Language (4 modules in this pathway):
• Intro to Develop Academic Language (Q3)
• Develop Academic Language with Meaningful Messages (Q3)
• Develop Academic Language with Strong Sentences (Q4)
• Develop Academic Language with Weighted Words (Q4)
• If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Carpenter for more information.

Teacher Absences

• Please continue to post detailed assignments within Schoology for your students to complete.
• If you have a planned absence, make sure the substitute has a laptop in your room and student assignments are easily accessible.
• If you have an unplanned absence, work with your team to print any needed material.  The front office and administration are willing to help when needed.

Facility Updates/Needs 

• Please let us know if you have any classroom or facility needs.

MCMS Schedule- October 23rd - 27th

• Monday (10/23)
• RRDD - Team Colors or Gear
• SDNC School Board Meeting
• Tuesday (10/24)
• RRDD - Hawaiian Shirt and/or Lei
• Team Meetings @ Planning - Team led
• Football Playoffs AWAY at Lexington @ 7:00 PM
• Wednesday (10/25)
• RRDD - Camo
• Early Release @ 1:00 PM - No School Meetings
• Thursday (10/26)
• RRDD - Clothes from any decade
• PSAT for 8th Grade
• Friday (10/27)
• RRDD - Neon Colors

Sneak Peek at 10/30 - 11/3:

•  (10/30), Team Meetings (10/31), Lockdown Drill, NCCC Career Day for 8th Grade, PL - Content Meetings (11/1),  (11/2), Club Day (11/3)

7 Mindsets Schedule

• Thank you for continuing to teach the 7 mindsets curriculum and infusing it within your daily teaching.
• Mindset of the week- Passion First
• 7 Mindsets Schedule 2023-2024

Please let me know if you have any questions about this week's updates or any other topic.  

Have a great day!

Dr. Dobyns