Red Ribbon Week Oct 26-30

Winfield Middle School

RED RIBBON WEEK

Oct 26-30th

At the Half Price Books store in Chesterfield, chill-axing with a free cup of coffee, a few good books and an hour to invest, the writing and creating process flowed freely. Those chairs look just like our library's. (Nice touch, Mrs. Emily Hines!) The free coffee satisfied a late night caffeine urge and the wireless was hyper-fast. Google Docs worked like it was on my own hard drive, making for a truly refreshing evening!

Celebrations

This week at Winfield Middle School there were multiple reasons for celebration. Student behavior has been adhering to the Warrior Way, doing the right thing at the right time with the right people. They were apparently excited to be back at school on Wednesday after their five day Fall Break. They seemed to miss their friends here at school. Emotional Intelligence was tested and pushed to the limits for many of them but they endured the distraction of a three day week and did a great job.

Emotional Intelligence

Current research in education ties positive correlations between student emotional intelligence and success at school. (Emotional intelligence includes three basic skills: identifying what you are feeling, identifying what others are feeling, and finally, being able to manage your own feelings in a productive and helpful way.) Students who address their emotions in healthy ways, understand the emotions of others and process the outcomes are better able to strengthen connections and facilitate learning and efforts. 

Here's Mrs. Gracey, proud to attend Winfield High School’s National High School Honor Society celebration and reminding us all to persist.

As 7th grader Drew Songer put on a poster recently, "When you feel like quitting, remember why you started!"  

So simple but so profound.  

Seeing success in others drove many of us into education.

Now, we are hooked.

See our Counselor's Corner at...

RED RIBBON WEEK

DAILY DETAILS

Here is the schedule in graphic form as well as the written details below.

Monday: 10/26 - Shade out Drugs (Shades and Hats)

www.cridercenter.com has presented to the 6th and 7th grades, and will now present in Mr. Ross' Room - Mon, Tues and Weds of this week.

Basketball practices continue: girl's early, boys late

Tuesday: 10/27 -  Too Bright for Drugs (Bright Neon)

Wednesday: 10/28 - Join the Fight Against Drugs (Military or Camo)

Thursday: 10/29 - Wild About Being Drug Free (Wacky Hair/Dress)

Friday: 10/30 - Team Up Against Drugs (Sports Teams / Class Color)

ASSIGNMENT NOTE:Teachers will compile Progress Reports this weekend and will need all student work submitted prior. Please ensure your students have all their work completed and turned in for maximum credit.

AC LAB Dodgeball Tourney for 7th and 8th hours - Mr. Daugherty's AC LAB will host this in-school event.

After school, a Costume Social in our Cafe will be hosted by members of the Winfield Middle School Honor Society. Student costumes are expected at the party but not required. However, they are not to be worn during the school day.  Students may change into their costumes after the Dodgeball Tournament at school, and then attend the event from 3-5pm. Students should be picked up at school at the end of the event.

Upcoming events for your radar:

Nov 11 - Veterans Assembly will be held in the MIDDLE SCHOOL Gym after a breakfast for VETERANS and student guests. Please RSVP to let us know of a potential meal count. At the Middle School, we enjoy honoring the VETERANS from our community on this special day through an assembly and meal. We are proud to host this annual event at the Middle School and feel our minor act of gratitude is a small token of appreciation. The events and proceedings of the day are always special and typically appreciated by those VETERANS who have attended in the past. Feel free to call for additional details as well.

Nov 12 - Breakdown St Louis will present at our High School in the morning for 7th and 8th graders. This contemporary assembly, coming from local students, shares an inspiring message of self-advocacy, empathy and healthy peer relationships. The high school students will attend first, then the 7th and 8th graders will be shuttled over to attend a second presentation. See their website for additional details and follow them on twitter.

Nov 17 - Our FALL FUNDRAISING EVENT was so successful at the Middle School and so many students earned a PIZZA HUT LIMO PARTY, the 22 passenger limo will need to travel to Troy in two shifts. Additional details and permission slips will follow.

TBD - DART 6th Grade Survey

TBD - Preferred Family Health Conference: bringing area agencies together at one time, in one location, to inform our community of available resources

Progress Reports

Current settings in our online student grade book, SIS, allow our grades to tally cumulatively since August. Term 2 is an extension or continuation of the Term 1 grade. It does NOT average or start over, but adds to the previous scores, presenting a single, overall grade. Parents view the overall grade on the emailed report cards and individual reports still remain available through the parent portal.

Conclusion

Thank you for the support and care of our students. This fall and Halloween season can lead students to take unnecessary risks. Encourage them to make good choices and do the right thing.

Remember: The Warrior Way focus encourages and fosters desired behaviors rather than punishment and giving attention to bad behavior. It’s not a big difference but the results are 
amazing!

Thanks

Tom McCracken

Winfield Middle School

email to:  tommccracken@winfield.k12.mo.us

On Twitter: @mccracken63

Facebook: Middle School facebook

Who really enjoys the Break the most? Parents, Teachers or Students?

Parent Blog

Fall Break

Great fun in an ELA class combining Battleship with Vocabulary!

Collaboration

Teachers collaborate and talk to each other about teaching strategies, methods, classroom management, and routines.  At the Middle School, one routine is called a HOT Sheet (Homework On Time). Students with unfinished  or missing assignments may be pulled out of gym or an elective class to finish their work. If they still need time, , they may have a “working” lunch or extra tutoring  after school. This helps students learn responsibility, accountability and how to make good use of their time. When we determine that interventions are needed in a student’s life, supporting that student’s organizational skills and motivation are always at the forefront of our thoughts.

Kudos

Special shout out to Mr. Ross and Mrs. Gracey for their “mentions” at the High School Honor Society meeting. Teachers routinely work long hours. Although they never expect or require it, shout outs of appreciation and remembrances of positive influences often times sustain them through the stretch. Here, two teachers have obviously measured success through the success found in those served. Success, measured when others around us reach their goals, is the sweetest. Deeper goals in teams extend the reach of individuals acting alone. Well done!

Fundraiser

Great job supporting the students during their fundraising efforts. We have already raised more money than last year and orders are still arriving. Students have done well at management, solicitations and have developed some new organization skills while asking for orders, collecting information, and bringing all their sales back to school. Our schedule for pick up is NOVEMBER 10 at 2:45 - 4:00. Delivery reminders will be repeated, however, as that day draws nearer. Thanks.

New APP for math help:  This cell phone app is great as a learning aid and also for homework assignments. Please note, though, it is NOT a test taking tool. This app gives step by step solutions to problems, even showing work.  Photo-math. Try it, but not on the test.

PBiS

The PBiS Warrior Way store is gathering inventory and should be up soon. Students are enjoying earning Pink and Purple Tickets. As the tickets are spent in the Warrior Way store, students may also cast a vote to decide whether Mix has to dye her hair Purple or McCracken has to dye his hair Pink! Our Warrior Way Store is filling up with useful, as well as entertaining items of student interest. Stay tuned for more details!

Friday - No School - Beginning of FALL BREAK

Saturday

8th Grade Volleyball Tournament at Hannibal at 8:30

Monday- No School

Tuesday- No School

Board Meeting at 6:30 - Recommendations presented

Wednesday - October 21

No Early Release Day until Nov 4th

Basketball practices resume; the boys’ team and the girls’ team will sharing resources

CRIDER in Mr. Davis’ Room this week with 7th graders

Thursday - October 22

Fall Choir Concert at the High School Gym starting at 7:00. Both the Middle and the High School will be presenting.

Friday - October 23

Upcoming Events

8th Grade Crider Presentations -  October 26, 27 and 28 in Social Studies (Mr Ross’ Class)

Red Ribbon Week – October 26th – 30th

Social/Dance after school on OCTOBER 30th

Next Early Release Day is not until November 4th

DART 6th Grade Survey - TBD

Preferred Family Health Conference bringing area agencies together at one time, in one location to inform our community of potential resources

Who really enjoys the Break the most? Parents, Teachers or Students?
It seems everyone enjoys the distractions but getting back into the routine is healthy for all of us.  
Thanks community for supporting teacher Professional Development!

A True #tbt pic & BLING we can earn at...

Throw Way Back for this Thursday Photo

Guess, who is this Middle School staff member???  Answer is buried in the post!

Quarter Grades:

Teachers will submit up-to-the-minute grades on Sunday evening. As usual, parents can access those grades directly. Parents:  Please plan to attend an evening at the Middle School to support your student, pick up their grade cards and collaborate with their teachers.  Students want to know we support their efforts.  We will print all the grade cards at one time.  Upon arrival, find the registration desk, pick up the hard copy, then visit with the teachers.  Grade cards that have not been picked up will be sent home with student on October 21st, the first day back after fall break. Thanks

Teacher Collaboration

When teachers collaborate about lessons, techniques, teaching and feedback, student achievement actually increases. At the Middle School we have established multiple collaborating times throughout our schedule. uring planning hours, grade-level teachers of one subject share the time together. On Mondays, grade level teachers of various subjects meet together to review data, student work, effective lessons, and prepare common assessments. Two afternoons a month,, called Early Release Days, we meet for extended periods of time,  sharing new teaching strategies, planning, and setting the direction for the next month. . Winfield School District is engaged in another project called “Vertical Meetings.” This initiative allows us to hire substitute teachers (of which we could always use more) a few days throughout the year so that departments can spend an entire day together collaborating, planning and reviewing curriculum details. Relationships are forged during these times and teachers truly begin to collaborate together.  Competition diminishes and cooperation becomes the new norm, all because we spend time together. During Vertical Meetings, teachers from each grade level to work shoulder-to-shoulder, determining how specific skills are progressing from one grade level to the next. Any time spent in vertical meetings is simply irreplaceable. Many thanks to the community for supporting us in these measures.

Parent - Teacher Conferences

District Conferences are this week. The Middle School will be hosting visits on Tuesday (10/13) and Thursday (10/15) after school from 3-7 pm.  many of our staff wear multiple hats and have other obligations as well. Please check your email inbox for contacts or messages from a teacher forced by prior obligation to miss one of the planned meetings. For instance, the football team has a game on Tuesday, so we know they will be busy and unable to attend both events. All staff unable to be present for conferences have assured me they will be available for meetings with parents at other times. Please feel free to email or call teachers regarding opportunities to visit as necessary.

Responsible, Respectful and Safe

Warriors of Wonder (WOW), Purple MIX BUCKS or Pink McCracken Money:

The right people, at the right time, doing the right things are our middle school applications of the Warrior Way. We want to be that school where all students want to be here, doing the right things! Teachers and students both earn WOWs for being caught doing the right things. These tokens shore up our students’ social currency through positive teacher feedback.

MIX BUCKS and MCCRACKEN MONEY are earned by the students in order to redeem items in the Warrior Way Store. The winners also cast a vote to decide whether Mix has to dye her hair Purple or McCracken has to dye his hair Pink!  

Some of the Bling students earn supporting the school through fund raising.

Assignment Interventions

HOT Sheets: (Homework On Time) sheets are one intervention we have at the middle school to help students learn accountability. Students may miss gym class, lunch or have to stay after school if they fail to get their work done during class time.

PINK SHEETS: We also have a daily assignment sheet that students and teachers complete hourly throughout the day for sending home to parents.

Academic Detention:  Mon-Thur until 4pm - Students may stay after school to use the computers, complete assignments, or keep and maintain their grades without receiving a HOT Sheet.

Teacher Tutoring: Teachers understand some assignments take extra attention to complete. In daily Ac Lab and many mornings before school, teachers are available to aid students with assignments.

New APP for MATH HELP:

We discovered an app that reads the math problem, recognizes the equation, then checks the answer and supplies steps if necessary.  Photo-math   Download this app onto your smart phone to get that quick extra help when math gets tough.

H-Monday – October 12 – Columbus Day

Basketball practice begins. girls, and then boys will share the gym and rotate weekly 3:00-4:30 and 4:30-6:00

I-Tuesday – October 13

Parent - Teacher Conferences at the Middle School - 3:00-7:00pm

Final football game of the season. Away, Wright City

G-Wednesday – October 14

Fundraising orders due. Make checks payable to Winfield School District.

G-– October 15

Parent - TeacherConferences at the Middle School - 3:00-7:00pm

Volleyball against Wright City at Home

I-Friday – October 16 - No school FALL BREAK

N-Saturday – October 18 –

8th Grade Volleyball Tournament at Hannibal at 8:30

S-Monday – October 19 - No School FALL BREAK

Tuesday – October 20 - No students, FALL BREAK

Teachers will gather for Technology PD training

Winfield School Board meeting at 6:30

Upcoming Events

7th Grade Crider Presentations – October 21, 22 & 23 in Social Studies (Mr Davis’ Class)

8th Grade Crider Presentations -  October 26, 27 & 28 in Social Studies (Mr Ross’ Class)

Red Ribbon Week – October 26th – 30th –

Dodge Ball?

Social/Dance after school

CPI Training

Faculty Mtg Oct 23rd AM

PBiS Mtg Rescheduled for Oct 29th 7:15 am w/ Guest

Next Early Release is NOT till November 4th.

DART 6th Grade Survey - TBD

PFH Health Conference

Middle School: Show me your friends...

Show me your friends...

...and I will show you your future.

Three years is enough time for...

Watching students grow and develop provides a daily reminder of the strides made during these formative middle years.  Students, cautiously leaving childhood behind, continue forward on their path toward  becoming fine young men and women.  It is our distinct pleasure to aid and support them in this progress. One issue we teach frequently is what we call “locus of control.” Circumstances can cause young people to gravitate toward a perspective that “life happens to me,” instead of seeing themselves as having control or power over their own lives. We often make decisions based on partial or limited information but our connections and relationships with this group affects them the most profoundly.

I spoke Friday at lunch over the saying: “Show me your friends and I will show you your future." Looking around the room, I saw so many young people who have overcome staggering adversity and obstacles along their short paths. I  felt both encouraged as well as overwhelmed. We must continue to offer aid, teach them with compassion, and remind ourselves of our self-appointed role as their teachers. Some relationships in that room may be only a few weeks old, but other relationships have gone on for generations. (Thanks Ms. Mix)

Hall Decor

Since the mind can't think two thoughts at the same time, we want students to focus on the positive. Wall decorations featuring student-created motivational sayings are going up all over school. Students often read and consider these quotes from their peers as pertinent and worthy of consideration. We are preparing for our Parent / Teacher Conferences coming up next week and are trying to add individuality and a personal touch to our school. Let us know how things look when you come up, please.

Updates

Note the changes to this webpage. It is becoming a clearinghouse for all things Middle School. Favorite links, parenting pointers, staff bios and the SIS Portal (which is the teacher's’ online gradebook) are all listed there on the right hand side. Additional items can be added by contacting the office through email. (kristengross@winfield.k12.mo.us)

Communication

Staff are currently considering the best method for staying in touch with parents. Some options are regular emails through SIS, a weeblie web page, a link to their planbook or their curriculum guide. Stay tuned as we improve our building to parent communication. (We secretly want to be the school that communicates too much!)  Facebook may not be the most reliable and regular source of pure academic news so we are considering additional modes as well.

Schedule

We try and list as many things as possible pertinent to our building but the District Tandem Calendar has everything. (We recently discovered a feature that allows you to add individual items to your own calendar!)  Below are some of the highlights of this week.

Monday – 10/5/15

PICTURE RE-TAKES on Monday, first thing at the Middle School

Softball hosts Montgomery County at 5:00 pm

Tuesday – 10/6/15

Our new teachers receive training through a “how to” book titled Teach Like Champion, by Doug Lemov.

Football travels to Montgomery County for a 5:30 pm kick off

Volleyball to Wright City at 5:00 pm

Wednesday – 10/7/15

Early Release Day

Little Cheer Clinic begins in our Gym @ 6:00 pm

Friday – 10/9/15

End of the Quarter – Report cards will be delivered at the Parent / Teacher Conferences next Tuesday and Thursday with Parent Portal access in place through the duration.

Upcoming

Fall Break

NO SCHOOL -

Friday-October 16th

Monday-October 19th

Tuesday-October 20th

See our Facebook page for fun details.

...a child to make the turn?