MRHS Shark Sightings Post #12 12.13.16

Five Ways Teachers Can Impact School Culture: by Danny Steele- 2016 Alabama Principal of the Year

I found this article interesting and timely.  We have been discussing school culture regularly here at MRHS and it was refreshing to read a perspective from another principal in another school/district/state.  The focus of the article is on how teachers can impact school culture and take ownership in how the school operates.  Mr. Steele points out a key point when he states "while the most important role for teachers is to teach students in their classroom, they should never underestimate their potential for impacting the culture of the school."  I believe it goes hand in hand with my personal belief as an educator that enthusiasm is free and it is contagious, but so is negativity - it is your choice, and that choice directly correlates with school culture and student learning.

Take a look at the five suggestions Mr. Steele shares as options for teachers to get actively involved in the promotion of a positive and thriving school culture.  I am sure each of us can add to that list.  We have examples of teachers, support staff, administrators and students positively contributing to a strong culture every day at MRHS and we need that to continue.  To be a great school each of us need to push ourselves to be active contributors to a thriving school culture.   Remember, never underestimate your potential to have a direct impact on creating an ideal culture at our school.     

PLC Meetings for Wednesday December 14 will meet in the Library at 2pm 

Agenda: 

• Jawsome Hour Presentation (approximately 45 minutes)
• Department PLC - remaining PLC time

PEP Rally will be Friday December 23: See Schedule Change Below!

Next Wednesday, December 21, 2016 we will be running a regular M,T,Th,F bell schedule and not have enrichment period. 

On Friday, December 23, 2016 we will run a Wednesday bell schedule and have enrichment (PEP Rally) last period so that we can have our PEP Rally on Friday.  

​​8 Tools to Make the Writing Process Easier in G Suite

BetterCloud Monitor | Writing. It isn’t easy. To help, we’ve rounded up eight of our favorite tips and tricks in G Suite that can help make it a little easier. These tools can help with gathering research, identifying themes, finding the perfect word, fixing your grammar and spelling, and more.

ICYMI: Take Google Calendar to the Next Level with These 3 Extensions

BetterCloud Monitor | From color coding days of the week to tracking time spent on tasks, these extensions will help supercharge your Calendar productivity and efficiency.

Now You Can Cite Sources in Google Docs with One Click

BetterCloud Monitor | If you write a lot of research reports in Google Docs and need to cite online sources often, you’ll love this new feature that Google just rolled out for Docs. Now you can insert citations as footnotes with the click of a button.

Proposed Changes to ELA and Math Standards Available for Public Comment:

This week the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to release for public comment new drafts of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for English Language Arts and Literacy (ELA/Literacy) and Mathematics. Comments may be made from December 1, 2016 through February 17, 2017 through an online survey. Educators interested in learning more about the proposed changes to the Frameworks are encouraged to check out the ELA/Literacy and Math Standards Review page on ESE’s website or sign up for one of ESE's Office Hours sessions scheduled throughout the comment period.

Survey on History and Social Science Framework Revision:

As Massachusetts embarks on the revision of the 2003 Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework, the Department encourages educators and others to offer comments on and suggested revisions to the current framework via a survey. The survey will take approximately 10–20 minutes to complete and will remain open until February 6, 2017.