Welcome to Westport!

Westport Middle SchoolNew Teacher Handbook

2018-2019

8100 Westport RoadLouisville, KY 40222

(502) 485-8346

New Teacher Support Alice GnauRoom 201A (2nd floor, next to elevator)Alice.gnau@jefferson.kyschools.usCell- (502) 419-7078

Welcome to Westport! We have a New Teacher Cadre that will meet regularly to support your needs as a new teacher. I will also be in your classrooms as much as a can. You can also request extra support by emailing me or our goal clarity coaches, Dr. Leitner, and Ms. Schanz.

Goal Clarity Coaches:Colleen.leitner@jefferson.kyschools.usLisa.schanz@jefferson.kyschools.us

Mission● Westport Middle School will work collaboratively to coach students and each other to build a

consistent learning community.● The four C’s are collaboration, coaching, consistency, and community.

S.O.A.R.● S.O.A.R. stands for

○ Stay on task○ Offer your best○ Act responsibly○ Respect does the rest

● To promote positive behavior, we give out S.O.A.R. awards to students exhibiting the S.O.A.R. character traits. The students then put their awards in a box (there are boxes on each floor). There are monthly drawings with prizes for students. You can access the template on the Google Classroom under the PBIS tab.

Classroom Needs● If there is something you need for your classroom that you think the building already has,

contact Ms. Vernon, our Plant Operator and Cc your assistant principal.● If there is something you need that will need to be ordered, contact Ms. Kelli, our Bookkeeper,

and Cc Mr. Zeller.

Basic Schedule

6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade Related Arts

7:40 - 8:381st PeriodOn Team

7:40 - 8:38AdvisoryOn Team

7:40 - 8:38Students → Related ArtsTeachers → PLC

7:40 - 8:388th Grade

8:40 - 9:302nd PeriodOn Team

8:40 - 9:30Students → Related ArtsTeachers → PLC

8:40 - 9:302nd PeriodOn Team

8:40 - 9:307th Grade

9:32 - 10:22Students → Related ArtsTeachers → PLC

9:32 - 10:223rd PeriodOn Team

9:32 - 10:223rd PeriodOn Team

9:32 - 10:226th Grade

10:24 - 11:364th PeriodLunchOn Team

10:24 - 11:364th PeriodLunchOn Team

10:24 - 11:16Students → Related ArtsTeachers → Planning

10:24 - 11:168th Grade11:16 - 11:38Lunch

11:38 - 12:265th PeriodOn Team

11:38 - 12:26Students → Related ArtsTeachers → Planning

11:18 - 12:26AdvisoryLunchOn Team

11:38 - 12:267th Grade

12:28 - 1:20Students → Related ArtsTeachers → Planning

12:28 - 1:206th PeriodOn Team

12:28 - 1:206th PeriodOn Team

12:28 - 1:206th Grade

1:22 - 2:20AdvisoryOn Team

1:22 - 2:207th PeriodOn Team

1:22 - 2:207th PeriodOn Team

1:22 - 2:20Planning

Block Schedule● Five-Day Week

○ Warhawk, Blue, White, Blue, White● Mr. Zeller will update staff if it is a shorter week. ● Warhawk Day

○ Teams see all their classes.○ Periods are approximately 50 minutes.

● Blue and White Days○ Team teachers see two of their classes.○ Two periods are combined.○ Blocks are approximately 100 minutes.

MisbehaviorWe use a green-yellow-red system for coding our misbehaviors.

Green Yellow Red

● Inappropriate Language

● Not Staying On Task

● Non-Compliance

● Calling Out or Making Noises

● Put-Downs

● Throwing Objects

● Refusing to Work

● Minor Dishonesty

● Tardy to Class

● Sleeping in Class

● Dress Code Violation

● Profanity Towards Adults

● Yelling/Screaming

● Over-Turning Furniture

● Running Around Room

● Destroying Property

● Harassment

● Inappropriate Touching

● Bullying

● Leaving Class Without

Permission

● Weapons

● Drugs

● Assault

● Fighting/Striking –Student or

Staff

● Throwing Items with Intent to

Harm Others

Infraction System

● The infraction system is used primarily for green misbehaviors.

● Call home and document call for third infraction of the week (PLP).

● Five infractions = One referral to grade-level AP.

o Referral needs to list five infractions.o AP will determine course of action and will communicate that to you by putting

triplicate form with consequence in your mailbox.

Parent Communication● Make time to communicate with parents daily (positive and negative reasons).● Document all parent communication on Infinite Campus (PLP).● Your team should have a system where each teacher is responsible for contacting parents about

academic or behavior issues on a regular basis.

Chain of Consequences for Green Behaviors1. Verbal Warning

a. Private redirection-- have a system to keep track (clipboard, whiteboard, etc.)2. Student/Teacher Conference

a. Private conversation where your restate expectation and conference with student to make sure he/she understands and you reiterate your goal for student to be successful.

3. Infraction (with Possible Call Home)a. Tell student that he/she has earned an infraction and put in WINS (at the time or later).b. If it is third infraction of the week, make sure you call home to discuss with

parent/guardian AND communicate with student’s Team Lead.4. BRT

a. When you call, use code “green” to signal that it is a repeated green misbehavior.b. BRT will conference with your student and determine if student can return to class or

needs to go to the ISAP room.c. If student returns, welcome the student back to class. The goal is to keep students in

class as much as possible. Call BRT again if student continues to misbehave. Yellow and Red Misbehaviors

● Call BRT and use appropriate code.

● Call home and contact student’s Team Lead to discuss future strategies to support student.

● With Team Lead, determine if a referral needs to be written.

Dress Code● What should you do if a student is out of dress code?

1. Inform the student that s/he has earned an infraction for a dress code violation.2. Call BRT and inform them of the dress code violation.3. BRT will take student to the Youth Service Center.4. When students return, they will either be in dress code or will have a wristband/note

signaling that the issue has been addressed.5. Call home to inform parent that child was out of dress code if warranted.

Examples of Dress Code Violations:

● Underwear showing

● Midriff showing

● Tank tops/spaghetti straps/strapless tops

● Excessively ripped garments

● See-through garments

● Not wearing shoes

● Flip-flops, slides, non-closed-toe shoes

● Hats, head scarves, sweatbands, bandanas (other than traditional religious apparel)

● Sunglasses, earbuds, headphones

● Clothing, headwear, or accessories containing objectionable language or references to violence, sex, drugs, alcohol, or gangs

● Outerwear (e.g. heavy coats, rain coats, scarves, gloves), blankets

● Hooded sweatshirts

● Bags, backpacks, large purses, and other book bags (Small purses are allowed)—This does not require a BRT call unless student refuses to put it away.

Cell Phones● What should you do if you see a student with a cell phone?

1. Ask the student to put the phone away and inform the student that s/he has earned an infraction for having cell phone visible. State the school-wide rule: Cell phones are to be put away (out of sight) during the school day.

2. If you see the same student with the phone again, ask the student to hand over the phone. Put the phone in an envelope with the student’s name, type of phone, and condition of the phone and give to grade-level AP.

3. If the student refuses to hand over the phone, call BRT to come handle the situation.

Remember…

❖ Addressing dress code and cell phone violations consistently is helpful to your colleagues and

the atmosphere of the school.

❖ By ignoring dress code and cell phone issues, you are undermining your colleagues and hurting

the culture of the school.Quick Reference Phone List

If you need B.R.T.…

First, call Ms. Ashton Cole, AP Clerk.

Tell her if it is a GREEN, YELLOW, or RED behavior.2616

If there is no answer,

call Ms. Peggi Yeager, School Secretary.2600

If there is no answer,

call Ms. Stephanie Wills, Attendance Clerk.2606

If you need the nurse…

First, call Ms. Melissa Shina, ECE Clerk. 2617

If there is no answer, 2618

call Ms. Jill, Records Clerk.

FAB Days and Warhawk Wrap-Ups

● At the end of each six-week grading period.

● Reward for students with one or fewer referrals and no D’s or U’s.

● Students choose from various activities.

● One or two teachers from each team stay back with students who did not earn reward.

● At Wrap-Ups, teachers give awards for students with improved behavior, academic success, etc.

Setting Up Your Classroom

❑ Walk around the building and look for how other teachers have set up their classrooms. Pay attention to organizational systems, desk layouts, etc.

❑ Have a veteran teacher assist you in your classroom setup.

❑ Check for students with IEPs that may need specific seating arrangements.

❑ Create a seating chart and hold students accountable to sitting in their assigned seats.

❑ Think about the “flow” of the room. Will students be able to easily access materials?

Things to Have in Your Classroom

❑ Learning Targetso Post in an area that is easy to reference. o Update daily.

❑ Expectations for different activitieso Post in an area that is easy to reference.o Create these with your team so that there is consistency.

❑ Area to get/turn in assignments

❑ Area to post exemplary student work

❑ Calendar

❑ Word Wall

❑ Area to get assignments missed while absent

❑ Area to keep student folders, notebooks, etc.—color code if possible

❑ Materials for group work

❑ Take-a-Break Area

Planning for the First Week

❑ Create a PowerPoint that introduces yourself to students.

❑ Plan for time to practice procedures and routines.

❑ Activities that everyone can do in order to build confidence and provide positive reinforcement.

❑ Introduce and review the behavior policy daily.

Grading Process

● Ask for help from a veteran teacher on your PLC to set up Infinite Campus.

● Print out blank spreadsheets from Infinite Campus to grade on-the-go.

● Keep it simple by assigning a small number of points to each assignment and using the

“multiplier” to increase the value.

● Try to avoid zeros.

● Enter grades into Infinite Campus weekly.

Routines in Your Classroom*Make sure you are as consistent as possible with the other teachers on your team. The more consistent, the fewer problems you will have.

Student

Action/Task

Possible Procedures/Routines

*These are options. You can implement one, more than one, or something entirely different.

Entering the Classroom

A. Teacher stands at door greeting students and students enter classroom at a low voice level (1 or 2) and follow a daily routine such as the one below.

1. Get warm-up from designated location.2. Get folder and notebook from designated location.3. Go to assigned seat.

B. Students line up in hallway outside of your classroom door so that you can greet them individually as they walk into your room. This also allows you to remind students to enter calmly and silently.

Getting the

Warm-Up

(a.k.a. Bellringer)

A. Teacher has a designated location for students to get the warm-up before going to their seats.

B. Students keep the warm-up in their folders after the first day of week. This works well if the students have a generic graphic organizer with the days of the week and you project the warm-up on the board.

Going to A. Count down from five to zero while holding up hand.

Voice Level 0B. Use a bell, whistle, or other noise as a signal.*There are MANY routines that teachers use. Find the one that works best for you!

Sharpen Pencil

A. Student holds dull pencil in the air and waits for teacher to verbally give permission to sharpen.

B. Teacher has sharpened pencils in a cup ready to trade with dull pencils. Extra work for teacher, but some teachers prefer this method.

Ask for a Pencil

A. Students raise hands and ask to borrow one.B. Students go to the designated spot to borrow or take a pencil at the

beginning of class.

● Westport provides golf pencils that teachers can give to students.

Getting Notebooks and/or Folders

A. Teacher allows all students to get notebooks and folders upon entering classroom.

B. Teacher has students go to seats first, then calls tables or groups to get their notebooks and folders.

C. Teacher assigns certain student(s) the role of getting the notebooks and folders and passing them out to the other students.

D. Teacher requires students to be responsible for bringing their folders and notebooks to class.

Restroom Emergency

A. Have students use a hand signal to ask permission to use the restroom. Students must wait for verbal permission from the teacher.

B. Have students sign out/sign in when leaving and returning to classroom.

▪ Make sure your team has scheduled restroom breaks to cut down on

individual trips to the restroom. Westport requires ALL students to be accompanied by an adult.

Getting and Returning Notebooks

and/or Folders

A. Teacher allows students to get/return notebooks and folders upon entering/leaving classroom.

B. Teacher has students go to seats first, then calls tables or groups to get/return their notebooks and folders.

C. Teacher assigns certain student(s) the role/job of getting/returning the notebooks.

Throwing Away Trash

A. Students hold trash in the air and wait for teacher to give permission to throw away.

B. Students keep trash on desks and throw it away at the end of class.

Getting a Drink of Water or Getting a

Tissue

A. This is another example of a routine where hand signals can be helpful. *Keep in mind that you may need to set limits in order to prevent a “free-for-all.”

Using Technology (iPads,

Chromebooks, etc.)

● Westport has iPad and Chromebook carts that you can check-out. It is

important for students to treat the technology with respect.

● Be sure to present expectations up front and to reinforce them regularly.

● Things to think about:

o Assigning numbers to iPads/Chromebooks and students to increase accountability

o Students like to change the screensaverso Internet use—students will be tempted to get on youtube, violent

“shooting” games, and inappropriate websites

Turning in Assignments

A. Teacher asks a student helper to collect papers.B. Students have a designated location to turn in assignments.

Quiz/Test Procedures

● Voice Level 0 (Specify consequences for talking and FOLLOW THROUGH.)

● Name on paper

● No cell phones

● Expectations for students who finish early

● Showing work—is it mandatory? (It should be!)

Dismissal

● Students must wait until everyone is quiet and teacher gives final

permission to dismiss.

● Students turn in any assignments or a student helper collects any

assignments.

● Students clean up areas and pick up/throw away trash.

● Students stack chairs at the end of the day.

Cell Phones ● Phones should be put away at all times.

● Students get one reminder to put phones away.

● The second time a teacher sees a student’s phone, the teacher confiscates

the phone and turns it in to security.

● If a student refuses to give the phone to the teacher, security is called and

it is an automatic suspension.

● It is VERY important to be consistent and follow through with holding

students accountable. When you are not, it makes it harder on the other

teachers because of the lack of consistency.

Getting Make-Up Work

● Have a location where students get work they have missed.

● Hang a calendar that you refer to frequently.

Medical Issues and Emergencies

● Be careful about sending students to the nurse. If the student is not

bleeding or vomiting, try to get him or her to “tough it out.” Be sympathetic while using your judgment.

● Students are not to call home from classrooms. Send students to front

office/counselor’s office if they need to call home.

● Plan to have band-aids, etc. students might need.

● When a student has a medical emergency, you will need to know the

school procedures for various situations (vomiting, blood, etc.).