Team Alcott Staff Info

We recognize that this year has felt heavy and hard at times. I want us to work together as grade-level teams to help us connect to one another.

School culture is the invisible current that shapes our daily lives. It is not a phrase in a handbook or a poster in the main office; it is the collective feeling that meets us when we walk through the doors at 8 a.m. While large-scale initiatives matter, our actual culture is built from the bottom up. Every micro-interaction between bells is an opportunity to ensure that every student and staff member feels safe, knows they are loved, and shows evidence of learning.

When schedules get packed and demands pile up, it is easy to retreat into our individual classrooms and shut the door. However, culture thrives when we actively choose connection over isolation. We can shape the climate of our entire building through simple, intentional habits (microbehaviors):

• The Threshold Greeting: Welcoming a student by name at the door sets an immediate, positive emotional baseline for the period ahead.
• The Hallway Nod: Acknowledging a colleague in passing reminds us that we are part of a unified team, dropping the isolation that teaching often brings.
• The Culture of Grace: Assuming positive intent—both with students and with each other—diffuses daily friction before it can grow.

Teaching is heavy work. A strong school culture does not mean every day is perfect or stress-free. Instead, it serves as a shock absorber. When a lesson falls flat, a student struggles, or a day feels completely overwhelming, a healthy culture ensures that no one has to weather the storm alone.

By shifting our focus from individual survival to collective community, we trade burnout for shared resilience.

Monday

Advisory

Book Bags Through Homerooms (Thanks, Baylee)

Basketball at HOME vs. Moore West

Tuesday

FLEX/Sci PLC

TK and TD off campus AM

Grand Canyon University Providing Lunch in the Lounge

7th grade Social at 6pm in the south gym

Wednesday

Grade Level Team Meetings Required 7:45 in TL's room

Veteran's Day- Please dress in red, white and blue to honor the veterans in our building and who come to have lunch with their student.

FLEX/SS PLC

Culinary Arts (w/Welborn)

Thursday

FLEX/Math and Drama PLC

COCDA (Simpson off campus)

FCCLA (Wepel off campus)

TK Out

Friday

FLEX/ELA and FACS PLC

8th grade Drama class to NHS

Make sure you are connected to the Internal Calendar (linked below in Resources). We try to put everything in both places, but things get missed.

What does clarity look like in daily instruction, and how does it strengthen student learning?

• Almarode and Vandas (2018) describe teacher clarity as follows: “When teachers are clear on what students are learning, they can better select learning experiences that specifically target the necessary learning. Similarly, when teachers know why students are learning what they are learning, they can better design learning experiences that are authentic and relevant to learners. Finally, when teachers know what success looks like, they can show learners what success looks like, design opportunities for students to make their own thinking and learning visible, give and receive feedback, and gather evidence about where to go next in the teaching and learning” (p. 5).

Staff, please remember that if a student discloses anything to you that warrants a DHS call, you must contact the office immediately. We will find someone to come down to your classes so you can make the report. After the report is made, several things have to be done and waiting until the end of the day places people in tough positions and potentially creates a safety concern for the student going home. When you make the DHS call, you will need to be sure to have a copy of the DHS reporting form with you to fill out. These are located on the staff hub. Please loop in the student's grade level counselor and principal when making a DHS report.

We will leave these Helpful Links and Resources in every newsletter. Please use it as a tool to help you get to the right person or get your questions answered most efficiently.

Please reach out to your site prevention lead if you have any questions about the Second Step pacing guides. Our Prevention Lead is Candice Meyer!

• 26-27 Middle School Second Step Pacing Guide

We have stocked the office work room with basic school and office supplies! Before you purchase items for your classroom or ask for donations, please check there! If you have a "special" request for your class or FLEX, please fill out this Google Form and we will work together to try to get your ask filled.

Looking for extra support with struggling readers or students who need targeted skill intervention? Ms. Taylor is offering intervention support this year and would love to partner with you!

Here's how it can work for your classroom:

• Push-in support during 3rd & 7th hours for students who need 1:1 or small-group help
• Pull-out support during your class time for reteaching or targeted skill intervention
• Help with reading content-area texts and supporting classwork/assignments

Click the link in the flyer to schedule a time, or stop by and chat about how this could fit your classroom!

The Alcott IEP/504 is the calendar to reserve the conference room. If you need to request a meeting in there, please let a secretary, SPED teacher, or an admin team member know and we can add it for you.

NPS offers comprehensive prevention education in regard to self awareness, collaboration, mental wellness, and substance abuse prevention. All programs are evidence-based and parents can view specific prevention curriculum content across all grade levels here. If you have any questions, please email lhollingsw@normanps.org. If after reviewing the course content, you wish to opt your child out of any of this instruction please contact your site’s counseling team.