Spartan Staff Weekly

Sonora Middle School

Chelsea Jennings, Principal

Rhett Barrett, Assistant Principal

Aaron Tinnin, Assistant Principal

Email: cjennings@sdale.org
Website: sms.sdale.org
Location: 17051 E Hwy 412, Springdale, AR, USA
Phone: (479)750-8821
Facebook: Link

I spent the end of last week finishing Phase II (of III) of the Master Principal program. I've tried to include my session reflections each time to bring you along in my learning, so here are some from takeaways from last week.

Grows:

I know we need more SPED training and support, especially for students with behavior and executive functioning needs. The program has encouraged us to examine Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which is a Tier I method for developing curricula to support all students, including students with disabilities. We have an expert in UDL coming to give an overview to our RTI team this Thursday to see if we want to emphasize it for schoolwide PD next year.
When it comes to the graphic above, I know some teams struggle with #2 and having data ready in time for scheduled CFA protocols. We will continue to work on improving processes and dependability in CTMs, as I know our highest-functioning teams are consistently analyzing and responding to point-in-time data.
I learn new information about ATLAS scores and state changes each session. This time, I learned about the ATLAS Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) and the implications. I need to deepen my own understanding to better lead it. More to come on this.

Glows:

There was emphasis on distributed leadership, and our staff leadership teams are strong in the above graphic's criteria for effective teams (Google, 2014). We had to supply school evidence for each level, and while I think there is always room for improvement for systems and CTMs, it felt easy to point to the many things we are doing right.
A major focus was on community partnerships and investing stakeholders in achieving our school mission and supporting underrepresented populations. Many principals struggled with this, sharing that they didn't have any community connections outside of local churches or banks donating food/items. This felt like a strength for us. Between the Marshallese Youth Initiative with the Chamber of Commerce, Arts Integration Initiative with Crystal Bridges Museum, and the Talent Search with University of Arkansas, to name a few, we are engaged in reaching common goals for ALL our students with strong community partners.

Looking forward to being back in the building this week. Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates!

*National Assistant Principals Week*

Monday, April 6:

WIN: Intervention & Enrichment (Science Priority)

Tuesday, April 7:

WIN: Intervention & Enrichment (ELA Priority)
Master Schedule Input Sessions w/ Leadership Team Members

Wednesday, April 8:

CTM Time @ 2:10 & Huddle @ 3:30

Thursday, April 9:

WIN: Interventions & Enrichment (Math Priority)
Leadership Team Meetings: RTI Team, Team Leaders, & SOS Team

Friday, April 10:

WIN: Clubs!

Important 4th Quarter Dates

April 22: ATLAS Training @ Extended Huddle
April 30: ATLAS Writing Test
May 1: ATLAS Reading Test
May 4-8: Teacher Appreciation Week
May 7: ATLAS Science Test
May 8: ATLAS Math Test
May 14: Modified Schedule for Gathering Grounds Celebration & Chromebook Turn In
May 20: 4th Quarter RISE Assembly (Talent Show TBD)
May 21: Last Day of School / Spartan Olympics
May 22: Last Teacher Day / Work Day

Could be a fun activity for ATLAS review!

Shout Outs

Shout out to our Assistant Principals, Spinnin' Tinnin & Ballin' Barrett, for being our steady co-pilots who help keep SMS both soaring and grounded. We will celebrate them at Huddle this week!