ADVISOR TRAINING SESSION

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Harlem Middle School
School Year 2008-2009
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Harlem Middle SchoolAdministration
Mrs. Carla Shelton, Principal Mr. Greg Miller,
Assistant Principal
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Our Student Motto
As I Enter These Doors I Am Prepared To
Learn.
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Our Vision
Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day
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Bulldog Work Ethic

• Each student demonstrates the Bulldog Work
  Ethic by.
• completing assigned work.
• turning in work on time.
• taking pride in neatness and quality
• of completed work.
• Accepting responsibility for his or
• her successes and failures.
• Always saying, I can.

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Mission Statement
The mission of Harlem Middle School is to
prepare our students to become successful,
productive members of society by instilling
self-discipline, a sense of responsibility, and
the skills necessary for life-long learning.
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Our School
Harlem Middle School continues to
qualify as a Title I school. The Title I program
is a federal program that provides financial
assistance to schools with high numbers or high
percentages of poor children to help ensure that
all children meet challenging state academic
standards.
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Our Students
Total Enrollment 426 6th Grade-123 7th
Grade- 155 8th Grade- 148
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Our Students
Ethnicity and Gender Black 16
Am. Ind .5 White 79 Asian
.5 Hispanic 1 Multi 3 Female
42 Male 58
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Our Students
Demographic Strengths

• School ethnic population closely reflects the
  ethnic population of the community.
• School experienced a 9 increase in enrollment
  from previous year.
• Local churches and Columbia County Family
  Connections provide outside support for students
  and their families.

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Our Students
Demographic Challenges

• 11 come from single-parent families.
• Median family income (36,307) is well below
  state average (46,282).
• 46 qualify for free and reduced lunch (as of
  8/20/08).

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Our Faculty and Staff
Total 57 Certified Employees
38 Auxiliary Employees 19
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Our Faculty and Staff
Ethnicity and Gender Black 16
Female 84 White 84
Male 16
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Our Faculty
Average Years of Experience 14 Years
Certification Levels Level 7 2 Level 6
21 Level 5 32 Level 4 45
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Our Results
6TH Grade CRCT SUMMARY
Level 1 Level 2 and
3 Reading 6 94 English/Lang
Arts 5 95 Math 22 78 Does Not
Meet Standards Meets/Exceeds Standards
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Our Results
7TH Grade CRCT SUMMARY
Level 1 Level 2 and
3 Reading 13 87 English/Lang Arts
11 89 Math 18 82 Does Not Meet
Standards Meets/Exceeds Standards
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Our Results
8TH Grade CRCT SUMMARY
Level 1 Level 2 and
3 Reading 2 98 English/Lang Arts
5 95 Math 37 63 Does Not Meet
Standards Meets/Exceeds Standards
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Our Results
ATTENDANCE SUMMARY 96.9 Average Daily
Attendance
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Charting the Course Toward an Effective School
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Vision for the School Principal

• As the principal of Harlem Middle School, I
• believe that I must have a working knowledge of
• effective practices that promote student learning
  
• and positively impact the school community. I
• must build solid leadership teams that are
• representative of our schools stakeholders and I
• must continuously seek to meet the ever-changing
• needs of the schools diverse student population.
  
• In order to be an effective principal, I feel
  that it is
• critical that our schools action plan be
  data-driven
• and include realistic benchmarks.

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Vision for the School Principal Continued-

• In addition, I know that it is crucial that I
  have
• a clear vision for the school and that I have
• communicated that vision to the school community
• through both my actions and words.

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Vision for the School

• Harlem Middle School is a safe place where
  the
• faculty and staff have created a nurturing
• environment for all children. Teachers and
  support
• staff are passionate about helping students
  succeed
• and they are committed to their students and
• parents. Teachers create classrooms that foster
• learning and they utilize a multitude of
  instructional
• strategies to promote student engagement. Each
• Team has established an effective communication
• system in order to encourage parent involvement
  and
• to build solid partnerships with the school
• community.

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Vision for the School Continued-

• The school has a culture of learning that
• emphasizes that all students can meet high
  academic
• Expectations. The school has strong transition
• programs that assist, facilitate, and promote the
  
• smooth transition of students to the next level
  of
• education. Finally, all HMS faculty and staff use
  data
• to evaluate current academic programs and they
• understand that there must be a system of
• continuous improvement in order to be an
  effective
• school.

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Vision for Professional Learning

• Professional learning is essential in order
  for all
• school personnel to keep pace with the
  advancements
• in the profession, to maintain professional
• competence, and to learn about current trends in
  the
• field of education. Professional and personal
  growth
• must be an ongoing process. Stephen Coveys
  Habit
• 7 Sharpen the Saw accurately depicts the need
  for
• school administrators to devise a strategic
• professional learning program for the school.

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Vision for Professional Learning Continued-

• Covey (1992) states, If you dont improve and
• renew yourself constantly, you will fall into
  entropy,
• closed systems and styles. At one end of the
• continuum is entropy (everything breaks down),
  and
• at the other end is continuous improvement,
• innovation, and refinement (p. 47). As the HMS
• principal, I am committed to keeping all faculty
  and
• staff abreast of new instruction techniques,
• strategies, and programs that are proven to
  positively
• impact student learning and achievement.

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BEGINNING THE JOURNEY

• FACULTY and SCHOOL STAFF

PARENTS and STUDENTS
COMMUNITY
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Faculty

• Participate in a Faculty Retreat at the end of
  the school year to
• a. Reflect on the positive and negative
  aspects of the previous
• school year (What Worked/What Did Not
  Work).
• b. Review data from the previous school year
  in order to
• identify and summarize areas of need.
• c. Develop strategies for the identified areas
  of need.
• d. Revise the school improvement plan based on
  current data.
• e. Meet by grade levels to identify and
  reflect on current
• programs.
• f. Develop a school-wide professional
  learning plan to support
• school improvement plan and needs of
  faculty and staff.

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Faculty

• Teachers will attend education conferences. The
  focus this year will be on differentiation and
  special education students.
• All faculty and staff members will participate in
  school-wide professional learning initiatives
• a. Book Study-Successful Teaching in the
• Differentiated Classroom.
• b. Book Study-Standards-Based Activities and
  
• Assessments for the Differentiated
  Classroom.
• C. Focus Study-Teaching and Learning in a
  Standards-based
• Classroom
• d. All teachers will participate in
  instructional
• technology training a minimum of once a
  month.

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Faculty

• Teachers collaborate by core subject areas during
  a protected planning period a minimum of twice a
  week. The teachers complete the following
  components of a unit plan
• a. Georgia Performance Standards
• b. Enduring Understandings
• c. Essential Questions
• d. Identify Knowledge
• e. Identify Skills
• f. Assessment
• g. Differentiation Strategies
• Grade level teams meet each week and follow the
  
• following session format
• a. Student Issues
• b. Team Issues
• C. Curriculum Issues

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Faculty

• Designated teachers participate on county
  curriculum committees.

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Students

• Instructional Extension for Students
• Celebration of School Assembly
• 8th Grade Completion Ceremony
• The Principals Student Advisory Group
• Do Your P.A.R.T Program
• Character Connections Count
• Honor Roll Celebrations and Recognitions
• Student of the Month Recognitions
• Clubs and Sports Organizations

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Parents

• The principal meets with parents at the beginning
  of each school year and discuss school data and
  performance information.
• The principal distributes a school newsletter to
  provide parents with important information.
• The parents voted to establish a PTO at HMS
  during the 2007-2008 school year.
• Parent workshops will be conducted during each
  PTO meeting.

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Community

• The principal invited church leaders to the
  faculty and staff breakfast at the beginning of
  the school in order to begin building community
  support for the school.
• The principal holds a breakfast each month with
  various business and community leaders in order
  to discuss common issues and school updates.
• The principal has offered the school facility to
  support community programs.

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School Initiatives2008-2009 School Year

• Provide Instructional Extension classes in
  reading and math for Level 1 students.
• Continue single gender class model
• Provide 100 minute block for math and Language
  Arts
• Implement Standards-Based Classroom
• Utilize Differentiation Instruction and
  Assessment Strategies

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School Initiatives2008-2009 School Year

• Use graduation coach to intervene with at-risk
  students
• Use PTO to promote parent involvement
• Implementing school-wide activities that promote
  school pride

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School Initiatives2008-2009 School Year

• ? Continue Protective Unit and Team Planning
• ? Continue Vertical Teaming
• Continue to use Interwrite School Pad as an
• instructional tool

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Behind effective schools are supportive
parents, students, and teachers.