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STAFF NEWS AND NOTES

NUTS & BOLTS


24 EDITION 24, ISSUE 24 In Like A Lion Edition

March 2, 2012

KUDOS - To the Student Council and co-advisors Kristina Gabriele and Melissa Brandt for tonights 6th Annual Faculty Basketball Game. This has become a very popular event for our school, especially our students, and continuing to host it is certainly a benefit for our Student Council but also for the entire school climate. Thanks also to Ken Rizzo who did most of the work with coordinating the game with the team from Lisha Kill Middle School. Thanks also to Tracy Henry and Mary Lancaster for the 1st of its kind Cake Auction that will be taking place this evening as well. A lot of people working together have once again created an excellent school event. Hope you are planning on attending and enjoying a very fun filled evening. Go, Faculty Bison! Go!! - To Steph Majewski for her work again this year with the American Cancer Society Daffodil Days fund raiser. Annually Steph organizes this drive for funds and she is pleased to announce that $415.00 was collected and donated to the American Cancer Society. Thanks, Steph, for your efforts with this fund raiser but thanks also to everyone who purchased daffodils and thus contributed to a very good cause. Great job by all!!

MARCH WORKSHOP DAY SCHEDULE Our schedule for the March 23 workshop day is as follows: All staff reports to SHS auditorium 8:00-8:15 Mr. Corr 8:15-8:45 Mary Ratzer; Inquiry in the Common Core 8:45-9:00 Ms. Skeals 9:00-9:15 Break The following schedule is for non-math and non-ELA teachers. 9:15-10:15 Session 1 Common Core 101 HS Auditorium 10:30-11:30 Session 2 Discipline Specific Common Core Video; Discipline Specific Content Area Reading Strategies 11:30-12:45 Lunch 12:45-3:15 Work on One Grade Level Lesson Exemplar to Infuse Content Area Literacy Shift of the Common Core Share Out: Cross Grade Level Lessons as time permits For math and ELA teachers. 9:15-11:30 Session 1 By grade level work with a single strand to translate standards. 11:30-12:45 Lunch 12:45-3:15 Share Out: Cross Grade Level Progression 6-8 & 9-12 Work on One Grade Level Lesson Exemplar to Infuse the Instructional Shifts of the Common Core Learning Standards. Librarians and 1 or 2 Selected Teaching Partners 9:15-11:30 Inquiry Based Research: Collaborative Team Planning with Mary Ratzer. 11:30-12:45 Lunch 12:45-3:15 Continued Inquiry Based Research Planning CAKE AUCTION EVENT As inspired by the NYSATA workshop Tracy Henry attended, she and Mary Lancaster have organized their "Fun with Foods" club this year to prepare students for a cake auction to take place on March 2nd with the SJHS faculty basketball game. The Fun with Foods club, which meets on Thursdays after school, is made up of about 20 kids. The students have created sketch designs for the cakes they will be making, and each after school meeting is dedicated to a different cake making technique. The cakes will be brought to school on Friday evening before the faculty basketball game and anyone in attendance will have the opportunity to win a cake through a "pick-a-prize" auction (Chinese auction). The students will help Tracy and Mary set up a display for each cake, and sell raffle/auction tickets. All proceeds from the event will then be donated to the Regional Food Bank of Northeaster New York. Tracy and Mary are very excited about this event! The kids are as well! We haven't had any major problems so far (knock on wood) so we would love your help in advertising our activity. Thank you again for your help and support! Please let Tracy or Mary know if you have any questions. FACULTY MEETING REMINDER Our next scheduled faculty meeting is set for Monday, March 5. We will meet in the assembly room beginning at 2:30 pm. Agenda items include: 1. March 19 Literacy related faculty meeting reminder 2. Interim report timeline 3. Infinite Campus Grade Book usage 4. Other 5. Gift Giving Staff members are reminded to let R. Moore know if for some reason, you will not be able to attend the faculty meeting. PTA/STAFF RECOGNITION TEA The PTA Council is planning on holding its annual Staff Recognition Tea on Tuesday, March 27. Employees are recognized for their years of service beginning at 20 and denoted every five years after that. Shaker Junior High School staff members to be recognized include: 25 years: Bob Bedell, Steve DeMarco, Cheryl Germinerio, Jeff Holmes and Debra Howard. 20 years: Holly Blau If anyone should be recognized for 20, 25, 30years of service, please let R. Moore know asap. SUNSHINE FUND Each year we have several events that take place which call for recognition from the entire school community. Money for these cards of sympathy, flowers, etc, comes from our building Sunshine Fund. We periodically have to replenish the fund and your assistance in doing so is appreciated. Contributions of $10.00 can be given to Holly Lindhurst or Holly Blau for our building Sunshine Fund. INTERIM PROGRESS REPORT SCHEDULE The 3rd quarter interim progress report schedule is listed below: Wednesday, February 29 Tuesday, March 6 Friday, March 9 Monday, March 12 Grading Window open Last day of interim period Grading Window closed at 12:00 p.m. Progress reports printed & mailed

PM BUS SUPERVISION ZONE #1 ZONE #2 ZONE #3 ZONE #4 CAF C. Myer T. Schanz C. Patenaude K. Peterson T. Galvin People are reminded to be on duty on a daily basis to make sure that supervision is provided.
ALL STAFF MEMBERS ARE REMINDED THAT THE BUS SUPERVISION IS AN ASSIGNED DUTY AND IT IS IMPERATIVE FOR ALL STAFF MEMBERS TO BE WHERE ASSIGNED DUTY; IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ARRANGE FOR REPLACEMENT PERHAPS BY SWAPPING WITH A COLLEAGUE.

LONG-TERM CALENDAR OF EVENTS Fri. Mar. 2 7:00 pm Annual Faculty Basketball Game vs. Lisha Kill Middle School Mon., March 19 Faculty Meeting, Literacy Skills Thurs. Mar. 22 7:30 pm Beauty and the Beast Fri. Mar. 23 Teacher Workshop Day 7:30 pm Beauty and the Beast Sat. Mar. 24 7:30 pm Beauty and the Beast Sun. Mar. 25 2:00 pm Beauty and the Beast Mon. Apr. 2 International Potluck Dinner Thurs, April 5 Faculty Feud Fri. Apr. 6 Good Friday No School Mon. Apr. 9 - 13 Spring Vacation Apr. 16, 17, 18 ELA 7/8 Assessments Apr. 24, 25, 26 Math 7/8 Assessments Thurs, April 26 PTA/PAC Meeting Tues, May 1 7:30pm Concert #1 Wed., May 2 7:00pm Public Forum on the budget SJHS Thurs., May 3 French 8 Field Trip to Clark Art Institute 7:30pm Concert #2 Tues., May 8 7:30pm Concert #3 Wed., May 9 6:30pm District Art Show Thurs., May 10 7:30pm Concert #4 Fri., May 18 7:00pm Faculty Play May 23-June 1 Science 8 Performance test Thurs., May 24 Track Meet Fri., May 25 Track Meet Rain Date Fri., June 1 Science 8 Performance Test NCTA Retirement Dinner Mon., June 4 Science 8 Written Assessment Thurs., June 7 6:30pm Studio Art Show Reception 7:00pm Parent Orientation Wed., June 13 7:00pm PTA/PAC Fri., June 15 6th Grade Student Orientation 7:00pm Grade 8 Awards Program/Dance Fri., June 23 Regents Rating Day CALENDAR OF EVENTS Mon. Mar. 5 2:30 pm Faculty Meeting Tues. Mar. 6 5-week Interim Point 7:30 am Staff Development Committee Wed. Mar. 7 No Special Events Scheduled Thurs. Mar. 8 No Special Events Scheduled Fri. Mar. 9 Faculty Basketball Game Snow Date CHARACTER TRAIT ASSIGNMENT Mar. 5 9 Foreign Language Mar. 12 16 PE/Health/Music Mar. 19 23 English Mar. 26 30 Social Studies Apr. 2 5 Science Apr. 16 20 Math Apr. 23 27 Art/Tech/H&C Apr. 30 May 4 Foreign Language May 7 11 PE/Health/Music May 14 18 English May 21 25 Social Studies Thankful Polite Considerate Generous Cheerful Loyal Sympathetic Patriotic Trustworthy Fair Cooperative

SPECIAL AREA DEPARTMENT PRESENTATIONS As part of our eighth grade programming unit, presentations by the high school departments have been scheduled for MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2012 WITH A SNOW DATE OF MARCH 13, 2012. The presentations will take place in the junior high school assembly room. Representatives from Technology, Art, Family and Consumer Science, Business and Music will present their ninth grade course offerings. The guidance department has scheduled this date because it works with the schedule for our programming unit. The time frame will be approximately ten minutes per presenter. PLEASE ARRANGE ANY AUDIO-VISUAL NEEDS WITH STEPHEN BROWN AT EXT. 4558. The eighth grade parent night at the high school is scheduled for Thursday, March 15, 2012. Period 1 Period 2 Norris & Houston Halls Clay & Calhoun Halls 7:45am 8:25am 8:29am 9:09am

We would like the students to complete this activity between February 27 March 9th. This allows two weeks for all classes to implement this project. The decorated shoes will then be posted throughout the building. Please look for the directions in your mailbox if you are an Advisor or an 8th grade special area teacher. If you have ANY questions, please see Margaret Demeter, Toni Lyng or Tracy Henry. VIDEOCONFERENCE On Friday afternoon a small volunteer group of eighth graders are participating in a videoconference concerning Eleanor Roosevelt's Legacy and Human Rights. Kathryn Peterson and Judi Stott want to thank everyone who helped to make this opportunity possible; Liz McNamara, for communicating with the conference sponsors and arranging IPs, links and other things technical; Tom Mein for finding and delivering the equipment (and also some studio adjustments); and Stephen Brown, here in our building, for setting everything up, helping test, and in general, being very patient with the zillions of questions we had. Sue Smith (welcome back) also made sure IC listed our program. So as you can see, this was a team effort. Thanks again to all for ensuring our success. EDUCATION IN THE NEWS From Education Week, February 22, 2012 edition District Ends Rule on Teacher Neutrality The school board in Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin district has voted to end a policy in which teachers had to remain neutral if issues of sexual identity came up in class. The board replaced the policy, blamed for contributing to a school culture that led to the bullyingand eventual suicidesof several gay students, with one that promotes "a respectful learning environment in which teachers facilitate student discussions of contentious topics in a balanced and impartial manner. The policy and bullying issues led to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Educations office for civil rights that began in 2010. The districts former neutrality policy was created in 2009 to undo a 1995 directive to teachers that said homosexuality would not be taught as a normal, valid lifestyle. The Respectful Learning Environment Curriculum policy is intended to establish the dignity and self-worth of all students, district officials said. The local teachers union agreed with the new policy, but some parents objected, saying it would allow homosexual propagandas into the classroom. -Nirvi Shah Ky. Schools to Track Students' Body Mass In a nod to the growing problem of childhood obesity, the Kentucky board of education recently approved a proposal that would require schools to calculate and record a child's body mass index, or BMI, based on weight and height. At the same time, the proposal also eliminates the practice of checking middle school students for the spine condition scoliosis. The American Academy of Pediatrics calls childhood obesity an epidemic and recommends BMI screening for early identification of excessive weight gain. Kentucky ranked third in the number of children ages 10 to 17 considered obeseat 21 percentin a 2010 study by the nonprofit advocacy group Trust for Americas Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Mississippi was first, at almost 22 percent, and Georgia second at 21.3 percent. The trust said that as of 2011, 21 states were calculating BMI in schools, up from four in 2005. The new regulation could take effect in the 2012-13 school year. AP Affirmative Action Ban Draws Court Challenge Backers of affirmative action asked a federal appeals court this month to overturn California's 15-year-old ban on considering race in public college admissions, citing a steep drop in black, Latino, and Native American students at the states elite campuses. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeal heard arguments in the latest legal challenge to Proposition 209, the landmark voter initiative that bars racial, ethnic, and gender preferences in public education, employment, and contracting. The complaint was filed in January 2010 by several dozen minority students and advocacy groups. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said affirmative action is needed to increase racial diversity at the University of Californias most prestigious campuses and professional schools. Data shows that UCs efforts to enroll diverse student populations without considering race have failed, they argued. Ralph Kasarda, who is defending Proposition 209, told the justices that the San Francisco-based appellate court was correct when it upheld the affirmative action ban. He called the current challenge redundant and baseless. -AP

HIGH HONOR, HONOR, MERIT ROLLS DATA Following are the comparative data for the second quarter of the 2011-2012 school year and the previous three years as well. HIGH HONOR, HONOR, MERIT ROLLS 1st QUARTER DATA
High Honor Gr. 7 Gr. 8 Honor Gr. 7 Gr. 8 Merit Gr. 7 Gr. 8 Calhoun 5 24 Calhoun 29 34 Calhoun 4 19 Clay 5 10 Clay 39 47 Clay 21 12 Houston 15 5 Houston 28 37 Houston 13 23 Norris 11 5 Norris 35 33 Norris 21 22 Total #/% 36/8.9% 44/ 9.7% Total #/% 131/32.4% 151/33.2% Total #/% 59/ 14.6% 76/16.7% Grade 8: 455

Enrollment: 2nd Quarter 2011-2012


nd

Grade 7: 404

FIVE YEAR 2 QUARTER DATA


Gr. 7 2011-2012 2010-2011 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 Gr. 8 2011-2012 2010-2011 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 High Honor #/% 36/8.9% 89/20.5% 105/23.2% 91/19.2% 81/16.8% High Honor #/% 44/9.7% 115/25.4% 90/19.0% 80/16.2% 88/19.3% Honor #/% 131/32.4% 143/32.3% 117/25.8% 121/25.5% 114/23.7% Honor #/% 151/33.2% 110/24.3% 132/27.9% 119/24.1% 126/27.6% Merit #/% 59/14.6% 43/9.7% 46/10.2% 44/9.3% 63/13.1% Merit #/% 76/16.7% 64/14.2% 55/11.6% 89/18.1% 47/10.3% Total #/% 226/55.9% 291/65.7% 268/59.2% 256/53.9% 258/53.5% Total #/% 271/59.6% 289/65.4% 277/58.6% 288/58.4% 261/57.2%

TWO-YEAR 2nd QUARTER COHORT COMPARISON


Gr. 7 2010-2011 Gr. 8 2011-2012 High Honor #/% 89/20.5% High Honor #/% 44/9.7% Honor #/% 143/32.3% Honor #/% 151/33.2% Merit #/% 43/9.7% Merit #/% 76/16.7% Total #/% 275/62.1% Total #/% 271/59.6%

SUPPORTING DIGNITY FOR ALL WALK A MILE The Stand Up against bullying committee has been meeting and designing student centered activities to help prevent bullying while promoting positive peer interactions. A recommendation was made, and supported by Dr. Moore, that we implement an activity through the 8th grade special area classes (art, technology and home and careers) and 7th grade advisory groups. This is a follow up activity related to the Mike Donahue presentation that took place at our high school this past fall. Mike Donahue frequently referenced walking a mile in another persons shoes. We have designed a simple activity that can easily be implemented during the first ten-fifteen minutes of class for two consecutive class periods. Advisors and 8th grade special area teachers will be provided with the activity outline on February 17th through their main office mailbox. Our goal is to have every 7th and 8th grader decorate a paper shoe and write a message on the shoe that promotes positive peer interaction and support. Again, students can be as creative as they wishas long as their message is anti-bullying and/or supports positive peer interactions.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK You can neither bluff nor can you impress someone who isnt paying attention. David Mamet

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