** ALSO AVAILABLE ON INFINITE CAMPUS **

STAFF NEWS AND NOTES

NUTS & BOLTS

EDITION 24, ISSUE 26 24 St. Patricks Day Edition Fri., June 23 Regents Rating Day

March 16, 2012

KUDOS - To our colleague, Jeff Holmes, on his recently completed excellent season with the Varsity boys basketball team. Jeffs team this year ended up with an overall record of 16-5 and reached the semi-finals of the sectionals. In the Suburban Council Shaker finished 1st with a league record of 13-3. Great job Coach Holmes! Even more noteworthy is the fact that Jeff received Coach of the Year honors from the Suburban Council. While this is certainly a well deserved recognition what is most noteworthy is that the recipient is selected by the other Suburban Council coaches; Jeff was selected by his colleagues! It is always special when the people with whom you work and against whom you compete choose you as the top coach of the year. Congratulations, Jeff, on a great season and a well deserved honor! - To our science department, for the great display currently housed in our multipurpose room. The science department owns over 500 preserved specimens of living things (they are no longer living!) Hopefully you took advantage of the opportunity, which was publicized to you by John Gara via email, and took a look at the great specimens that we possess. Thanks to John Gara and Will Salvi for seating the display up! Thanks science department for sharing this with all of us! - To our colleagues who attended last evenings PTA/PAC meeting. It is always good to have a nice representation to support the PTA in its efforts in supporting us. Our thanks for their time and effort go to Kara Matthews! -To everyone associated with next weeks production of Beauty and the Beast. Annually this is an excellent opportunity for a large number of our students which comes together only due to the extreme and impressive time and effort commitments from many of our colleagues. Special thanks go to directors Dianne Hobden and Mr. V., producer - Alicia Mein, technical director Brian Christiansen, lights/sound Will Salvi and John Gara, and many, many more. One needs to read a program to understand the scope of involvement of the adults. Performances begin next Thursday evening and, as always, you will be impressed with the skill levels demonstrated by our students due in no small part to the training, guidance and advisement they have received from our colleagues. Thanks to everyone associated with this musical extravaganza, an event which is truly a feather in the cap of Shaker Junior High School!!

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Mon. Mar. 19 2:30 pm Literacy Based Faculty Meeting Tues. Mar. 20 1:00 pm Administrators/Supervisors Wed. Mar. 21 2:30 pm PST Thurs. Mar. 22 1:30 pm Administrative Counsel 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 CHARACTER TRAIT ASSIGNMENT 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 Considerate Generous Cheerful Loyal Sympathetic Patriotic Trustworthy Fair Cooperative

MARCH WORKSHOP DAY SCHEDULE Everyone should have received an email from Mr. Corr this week that detailed the March workshop day plans in a nutshell. Here is what they were: 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 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. STAND UP COMMITTEE T-SHIRT DAYS Two t-shirt days sponsored by the Building Stand-Up Committee are on the schedule Tuesday, March 20 Wear White Day Tuesday, May 8 Wear Green Day Please mark your calendars and be ready to wear white on March 20 and green on May 8. In total there will have been 5 t-shirt days during the school year that will be combined to create a total value for each hall. These values will determine point distribution in the inter-hall competition. Remember wear WHITE next Tuesday!

PM BUS SUPERVISION ZONE #1 ZONE #2 ZONE #3 ZONE #4 CAF L. Carroll M. Lancaster A. Peluso K. Sheridan T. Lyng 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 Mon., March 19 Faculty Meeting, Literacy Skills Tues., March 20 Wear White Day 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 Fri., Mar. 30 Gr. 8 3rd Qtr. Math Assess. In Class Mon. Apr. 2 Gr. 7/8 3rd Qtr. ELA Assess. In Class International Potluck Dinner Tues. Apr. 3 Gr. 7 3rd Qtr. ELA Assess. In Class Wed. Apr. 4 Gr. 7 3rd Qtr. Math Assess. In Class 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 Wear Green Day 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

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. FACULTY FEUD SCHEDULE Our Faculty Feud is set for Thursday, April 5th! The proposed schedule is as follows: Period 1 Period 2 Period 3 Period 5 Period 8 Period 9 Calhoun 8 vs. Houston 8 Clay 8 vs. Norris 8 Clay 7 vs. Norris 7 Calhoun 7 vs. Houston 7 7th Grade Championship 8th Grade Championship

Please bring any suggestions to one of the building administrators. April 17 April 18 April 19 April 25 April 26 April 27 ELA - Day 1 ELA - Day 2 ELA - Day 3 Math - Day 1 Math - Day 2 Math - Day 3 Per. 1 Test 5 6 7 8 9 Per. 2 Test 5 6 7 3 4 Per. 1 Test 5 6 7 8 9 Per. 2 Test 5 6 7 3 4 Per. 1 Test 5 6 7 8 9 Per. 2 Test 5 6 7 3 4

* The book is for both ELA and math, given on Day 1 for each, are again secure. We will need to account for the exact number given to each homeroom teacher, as we did last year. Good news!! There is n separate field testing as field test questions are (finally) embedded in the actual assessments! ADOLESCENT PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE GROWTH From What Every Middle School Teacher Should Know, by Brown and Knowles If you choose to teach middle school, you must understand that if you intend for students to genuinely learn something, you must first comprehend the details of your students social, emotional, physical, and cognitive growth. Your success as a teacher will be determined by both your comprehensive knowledge of young adolescents and your ability to respond to their varied needs. Young adolescence can be tough time for children. Their bodies and minds are changing, creating a preoccupation with self-examination as they strive to discover and craft a personality. As the young adolescent begins to foster independence from the family, social interaction with peers becomes very important. Its not always easy to cope with such rapid and dramatic changes. One thirteen-year-old, Evan, described the difficulty he experienced: Its a really tough time. Youre not a teenager but youre not a baby. I think it would be easier if you were an adult or younger. Young adolescents are not children and, alternately, not full-grown adolescents. They are literally in between the more comfortable stages of life in which we can often more clearly define who we are and what we want. Popular culture often used the term tweens to describe young adolescents. And dont think the public doesnt notice them: three separate news magazines, Time, U.S. News & World Report, and Newsweek, devoted almost entire issues to young adolescence from 2003 to 2006. Creating a school environment that is responsive to the changing needs of young adolescents requires an understanding of their developmental changes. More importantly, however, it requires an understanding of how young adolescents perceive those changes. Their perceptions become their reality. ALPHA/NUMERIC AUTOMATIC FEATURE BEGINS QTR. 3 1. The Grade Book rights for all teachers will be turned on. 2. In the Assignments module, teachers set the JH Alpha Curve for the four Quarter Grades, Mid Term and Final Exam for each course they teach. 3. When the grading window opens, teachers use the Grade Book to enter grades. All they do is enter the number grade in the green percent field and the alpha grade automatically appears for them. GOOD LUCK MATH CLUB We want to wish our Math Club good luck as they compete tomorrow at RPI in the state level MathCounts competition. Special thanks to Deb Howard and Mike Moffre who will accompany our team and lead them to victory!!! TEACHER OF RECORD Many of you have already twice this year verified your rosters; this meant being given a roster as it currently appears in Infinite Campus and verifying that those are the students in each of the classes taught. This process has been followed to verify who exactly is the teacher of record for students. This will of course be linked to the teacher and principal scores that will be generated by SED. The first two roster verifications were done via hard copy with teachers physically signing each class roster verifying that it was accurate. The next verification will be completed in a different manner, however. Details are being worked out but teachers will have to register online with Portal accounts and PIN numbers provided for each teacher, and will verify class rosters online the files accessed by teachers will be read only files, if there is an error in a class roster it will need to be brought to the attention of the building principal. Again more specific details will be provided in the near futureStay tuned.

Let Dawn, Mickey or R. Moore know if you see a problem. Sign up will be done as we near the date! BUS DRILLS SCHEDULED During Friday and Monday, March 30 and April 2, bus drill instruction will be provided for two halls of students beginning at 9:15. At 9:15 each morning there will be eight buses (identified #1 - #8) lined up at the curb. At that time, homerooms will be taken to an assigned bus, the students seated, and instructions will be provided. Teachers are asked to remain with their homeroom students on the bus for the duration of the drill. As soon as the instruction is completed for the first group, students will be dismissed to follow their regular schedule and the next group will report. Teachers are asked to remain with their homeroom students on the bus for the duration of the drill.
Friday, March 30 9:15 AM Calhoun 7 & 8 #1 B206 C. Patenaude #2 B202 D. Walllingford #3 B204 D. Howard #4 B209 J. Gara #5 B208 J. Berti #6 B203 A. Favro #7 B205 J. Beach #8 B210 S. Mangan 9:30 AM Norris 7 & 8 C205 M. Goebel C203 C. Myer C202 H. Lindhurst C209 W. Salvi C208 J. Edgar C204 M. Kerr C206 E. Carroll C210 L. Bullis 9:30 AM Clay 7 & 8 B104 B. Bedell B103 K. Rizzo B105 M. Moffre B109 S. Strouse B102 C. Froehlich B106 K. Peterson B108 J. Beach B110 D. Jaffe

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8

Monday, April 2
9:15 AM Houston 7 & 8 #1 C101 T. Lyng #2 C104 S. Harris #3 C106 T. Schanz #4 C109 J. Slyer #5 C102 E. Mailloux #6 C103 P. Coughlin #7 C105 S. Rossi #8 C110 A. Bisnett #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8

STUDENT COUNCIL ACTIVITY-RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE The Ronald McDonald House of Albany prints a monthly wish list of household items that they are out of altogether or that need to be replenished. Student Council is placing boxes outside all four hall offices, where student can on their own drop off items from the "wish list". The boxes all have an attached list of the items in need; in homeroom you will be receiving a copy of the attached wish list. We will be running this event until our April break. Every Tuesday and Friday in homerooms, Student Council members will be coming around to promote this event! *Homeroom Teachers-Please read through the "Wish List" and keep this posted in your classroom for students to view. Thank you for your support! WISH LIST FOOD NEEDS Individual Microwaveable Soups Mac & Cheese & Pastas Individual Packs of Chips & Pretzels Juice Boxes Single Serving Cereals PAPER PRODUCTS Paper Bowls Paper Plates Dinner Napkins Plastic Wrap Aluminum Foil 4 Gallon Trash Bags Tall Kitchen Bags Gallon Sized Ziploc Bags CLEANING SUPPLIES Disinfectant Wipes Laundry Detergent Dishwasher Detergent Dishwashing Liquid Fabric Softener Sheets Antibacterial Spray Cleaner Plug In Air Freshener Refills GIFT CARDS Walmart, Hannaford, Price Chopper, Stewarts Gas Cards ELA/MATH ASSESSMENT TESTING SCHEDULE The following is a proposed testing schedule for the ELA/math assessments, each scheduled for 90 minutes daily on three consecutive days. The schedule that follows reflects missing periods 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and 9 in equal amounts over the six days of testing. A/B days are not taking into account, so we may want to adjust accordingly.

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