Weekly Words | October 1, 2022
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Huge shout-out to Coach Leshikar and the Girls' Volleyball Team for a successful regular season! Coach Leshikar was recently informed that the team was just invited to compete in the annual state tournament! This is a HUGE accomplishment for our girls and Coach Leshikar! Congratulations!
Grit
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Team and Family,
What is the most important factor that predicts a student's academic and professional success? Surprisingly, it is not IQ, standardized test scores, or even socio-economic background…It is GRIT.
Grit is defined as non-cognitive trait based on an individual's perseverance of effort combined with the passion for a particular long-term goal. I have linked an article with concrete ideas to consider when implementing more grit into lesson plans. The embedded video on “Austin’s Butterfly” really highlights the value that critique and feedback can add to fostering grit.
In Service to You,
Mr. Walker
Principal
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Teacher & Staff Spotlight |
Each week, we will celebrate teachers and staff members who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to provide all scholars a high-quality education.
This week, we recognize:
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Mr. Chappell came to his interview at AMS Flower dressed to impress. Sitting down with Mr. Chappell, we instantly knew he was the perfect addition to our Flower family.
His intelligence, wit, charisma, and passion for supporting students immediately made a strong impression and to this day, we are very fortunate to have Mr. Chappell share these wonderful qualities and more with our Flower community.
Mr. Chappell supports our students who are acquiring English as a second language. He crafts together engaging lessons that leave students empowered to demonstrate strong character in taking chances and setting ambitious goals for themselves.
We see the work Mr. Chappell not only does with students, but the work he does with building solid relationships with our staff and families. He is always a thought partner, a cheerleader, a mentor, and an inspiration to our community.
We love and appreciate you, Mr. Chappell!
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School Culture & Events:
Hispanic Heritage Month
At AMS Flower, we’ll be celebrating and recognizing Hispanic figures, heritage, and events that have influenced history and have shaped our present day and future all month long. This month, look out for daily recognition on the morning announcements, decorations around campus, and our first ever Lotería Night on October 13 at AMS Flower! Here, we will invite families to play Lotería (a game similar in concept to bingo), eat Hispanic/LatinX dishes from local vendors and food trucks, and experience dance performances from the local community!
Shout-out to Ms. Medina and the Hispanic/LatinX Heritage Committee for putting together this celebration!
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School Culture & Events:
Future for KIDS
Future for KIDS continues this week, Tuesdays from 3:15 – 5:15 p.m. Future for KIDS students are to be dismissed with walker students at 3:12 p.m. to the BACK DOOR of the cafeteria.
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School Culture & Events:
P.O.W.E.R. Assembly
Our next P.O.W.E.R. Assembly is Wednesday, October 5! This assembly is for Honor Roll, Perfect Attendance, and Academic Growth Awards! Please invite families and complete the spreadsheet with your September Student of the Month!
Shout-out to Ms. Medina and Mrs. Rushing for planning this event!
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School Culture & Events:
A Night out with the Phoenix Suns IS COMING!
Our first Night out with The Phoenix Suns is Friday, November 4 against the Portland Trailblazers! Tickets are $40 and sales will begin in October! We will be giving away 10 free tickets for students with perfect attendance between October 3 and November 1! We will continue to promote this week via morning announcements!
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School Culture & Events:
Boys' Volleyball
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Boys' Volleyball will begin shortly, try-out are this week with Coach Cruz!
Stay tuned for more details!
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School Academics & Instruction:
Parent Teacher Conferences
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Parent-Teacher Conferences are October 4-7. Please begin contacting families to schedule your conference. Please utilize the spreadsheet below. Homeroom tabs and specials/interventionist tabs are at the bottom, please navigate carefully to not move anything out of order. Please do not download the spreadsheet, but keep as a live document.
Parent Teacher Conference Translators
Please utilize the spreadsheet below to reserve a translator for parent-teacher conferences. Please do not download the spreadsheet, but keep as a live document.
Daily Schedule
Since we will have 4 consecutive early release days, our schedule will need adjustments. While Wednesday’s schedule will remain the same, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday’s schedules have to be modified in order to ensure two goals are met: all classes are seen and teachers still have prep time. Classes for Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday have been reduced to 35 minute periods to meet the aforementioned goals.
Parent Teacher Conference Bell Schedule: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday:
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School Academics & Instruction:
Teacher Video Reflection
We are extending Q1 Coaching Cycles to October 14 due to a reflection activity involving the Whetstone Teacher Evaluation Rubric. For the 2nd school year, AMS will evaluate its instructional staff using a framework formed by Teach Like a Champion, Get Better Faster, and other data-driven programs that have proven to be a driving force in successful, A-rated schools.
Our PD for the week of October 10 will focus on analyzing the teacher evaluation rubric and self-assessment. We will need every teacher and interventionist to record the first 10-15 minutes of a content specific lesson of their choice by Tuesday, October 11. This recording will not be shared with anyone besides you and your admin coach. The video will be used as a reference tool for your own coaching and self-assessment.
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School Operations:
Maintenance Tickets
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There is a new maintenance ticket system should you need maintenance support with items in your classroom. It is pretty straightforward, please be sure to provide as much detail as possible and include photos whenever possible to support the ticket. Please reach out if you have any difficulty accessing the ticket system.
Ticket Link Below:
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School Operations:
Field Trips
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Field Trips take a lot of behind the scenes planning and coordination. From budgeting and planning details to ironing out logistics, field trips are challenging to plan…and execute. If you are interested in planning a field trip for our students, the authorization form is attached. Please notify Ms. Medina once you are beginning to complete the form and we will work together to ensure we have all bases covered. We need at least 2 weeks prior notice to the date of the trip.
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School Operations:
Extracurriculars
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Clubs, sports, tutoring needs to be approved prior to starting. This is vital as several behind the scenes operations must take place with setting up a club, sport, or tutoring activity after school. From logistics to planning purposefully, extracurriculars take time to develop! Please review the attachment to gain a better idea of the approval process. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.
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School Reminders & Resources:
Lesson Plan Objectives
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Lesson objectives must be posted in a visible place daily in 100% of classrooms. Objectives are a requirement and an AMS Essential. They guide your planning, set purpose for the lesson’s activities and should be aligned to your end of lesson exit ticket or assessment. Please make this adjustment, beginning Monday. |
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School Reminders & Resources:
Lesson Plans
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Lesson Plans must be submitted weekly via SharePoint. Each teacher has a folder labeled by their name. Within each folder, there are cascaded folders by quarter. If you have questions on how to upload to SharePoint or do not have access, please contact me immediately.
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School Reminders & Resources:
Unity Circle Plan
There is no Unity Circle this week due to Parent-Teacher Conferences. We wish to provide teacher work time all week when you are not hosting a conference. Please prioritize:
Grading
Lesson Planning
PLC Collaboration
Updating Bulletin Boards
Contacting Families Who Do Not Show For Conferences
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School Reminders & Resources:
Teacher & Staff Member of the Month
This week, we crowned our first recipients of monthly awards! Shout-out to Ms. Pavone and Darwin for earning Teacher of the Month and Staff Member of the Month, respectively!
We also send a huge shout-out to our Kinder Team comprised of Ms. King, Mrs. Newbill, and Ms. Thorpe for earning Team of the Month!
September Teacher and Staff Member of the Month Nominations!
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Shout-Outs!
Shout-out to Ms. Nixon for receiving the Turtle-ly Awesome Pin! Ms. Nixon has stepped in to support teammates with sub plans, lead PLC meetings, and has been a leader of instruction by planning and executing student centered activities!
Shout-out to Ms. Larsen for receiving the P.O.W.E.R. Unity Chain! We love your energy and dedication that you pour in each day for our students!
Shout-out to Coach Leshikar for leading the girls' volleyball team to the state tournament! We are so proud of you!
Shout-out to Ms. Kaur for coming in and making an instant impact with 4th grade! We are so fortunate to have you join us!
Shout-out to Kirra! Thank you for your service over the last few months! You have made a huge impact at Flower with building relationships, providing instructional support, and supporting so many facets of campus! Thank you!
Shout-out to Lucy as we send her off to prepare for the delivery of a beautiful baby girl! We are going to miss you! Please send photos!
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2022-23 AMS Flower Calendar: |
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