Two Guest Authors in RED Included in This
Winfield Middle School Parent Blog
November 9th, 2015
PBiS 1st Quarter Data - Updated With October Data
Below is an unsolicited post from a guest blogger, delivered to Mr. McCracken and reproduced here for your contemplation.
This 6th grader does a wonderful job articulating the phrase, “Hurt people, hurt people;” a reminder that some people hurt others because they themselves are hurting.
Student Author: Pennies and Dimes
Dear Mr. McCracken,
On Monday, my sister asked if a dime costs more why is a penny bigger?” That night I couldn’t sleep a wink because I was thinking about a lesson that I could use that phrase on. Here it is, “Say a bully is the penny, and a dime is the victim. The penny is bigger and stronger while the dime is smaller. A bully approaches you and instantly picks on you and you decide to stay calm and ignore it. The bully is still picking on you, he's in your face, calling you names and you show no offense to anything that he says. Eventually the bully will stop, and when he does, he's still bigger but he knows he's only won the battle, not the war. The second that the bully stops is when you've won the war and the bully knows it. So after you've won the war, he is still bigger but he feels less worth it. Now the bully feels like he's only worth one penny. But on the other hand, the dime is happy, he's still smaller but he feels like a hero. He knows he's won so he feels like 10 cents. That is my student lesson today, I hope you've enjoyed it.
Student EW
Winfield Middle School
PBiS
Still keeping tabs on our PBiS data, a full month shows a slight increase. The fresh perspective of the Warrior Way Store and the Spirit Sticks are a big hit with social or relational capital and The Mix Bucks and McCracken Money seem to be effective motivators. We purposely keep the students guessing on who might really be winning to maintain the excitement. Students gather the tickets and redeem (spend) them in the Warrior Way Store, held in the library periodically. Pink or Purple is catching on at the Middle School.
Daylight Savings Time
It does take a few days to adjust to the time change. Even the “additional” hour seems like a benefit but the body does have to adjust. Here are some pointers to review for fun. Maybe I should have sent them out last week?
Monday - 11/9
Ms. Mix is at a Counselor's Conference Monday and Tuesday.
Basketball just about every night this week, both boys and girls, 7th and 8th grade!
See Brackets for Tourney Play -
Monday - Girls at 4:00 - Boys at 5:15
Wednesday- Girls at 6:30 - Boys at 7:45
Thursday - TBD
Tuesday - Girls at 6:30 - Boys at 7:45
Wednesday- Girls at 6:30 - Boys at 7:45
Thursday - Girls at 4:00 - Boys at 5:15
Tuesday - 11/10
Fundraiser Orders delivered to the Middle School at the end of the school day to the cafeteria.
Wednesday - 11/11
Veterans Day - A bit different this year. Breakfast first followed by pictures and then the ceremony.
8:00 AM Breakfast at the Middle School - guests expected - registration requested.
Student Author: Tribute
The people before you are risk takers
They are freedom fighters
They spend parts of their career watching the borders
With their bravery and courage
We’ve learned to value freedom,
Something we shall never forget
Is the protection you gave us.
Matthew Bates
8th Grade Winfield Middle School
Thursday - 11/12
7th and 8th graders and their teachers will attend a Safe Choices presentation at the High School. There is an opt out sheet. We have published it on the web and parents may access via this link.
Friday - 11/13
Saturday - 11/14
Opening Day in Missouri
Upcoming
11/17 Limousine Rides for the top 30 fundraisers. They will head to Pizza Hut in Troy for lunch that day. We have so many, it will take two trips to get everybody there and back! Well done. Thanks for supporting our school with your purchases.
11/17 Board of Education Meeting at 6:30pm
11/18 Junior Achievement will briefly be spotlighted during the November 18th Professional Development time with teachers and staff. Teachers will then receive additional training in using a new assessment tool called “eValuate.” This program has garnered support among educators across the country with its unequaled track record of helping students strengthen their skills. Here’s a link, if you would like to know more.
11/19 - ELA and Social Studies may meet for collaboration.
Professional Development
Why do some people start another project before they finish the one they are working on? How can others stay with a single project to its conclusion? To gain another perspective, similar to a personality test, we heard about an analysis of individual work modes called a Kolbe Index.
Concluding Remarks
Watching this staff work together, helping the students learn respect, academics, responsibility and how safety is more than just a nice term, inspires and motivates us in the front office to do our very best. We strive to articulate goals, reach those benchmarks and then celebrate those successes, all while maintaining a positive and happy attitude. Last week, we discussed at lunch how being happy was not the goal. We theorized being happy was our frame of mind or state of being along the way to our goals.
Mr. McCracken
Principal
Winfield Middle School
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