Happy Fall, Y'all

It's October 2015 already.  We are ending the first six-weeks of school.  It's fast and furious already.  I was just thinking about how quickly this year has gone by, and how soon the holidays will be here.

We have many fun things going on at Irma Marsh Middle School.  The first thing coming up will be fun for students...  

October 12th is a student holiday.  Teachers will be developing professionally this day. 

October 15-17  Irma Marsh Volleyball team is hosting a tournament.  Locations are at IMMS gym and CHS north gym.

October 16 is our first dance of the year.  Student Council will host this in the cafeteria.

October 23 is our first annual Trunk or Treat. Join us for this fun community get-together.

Visit me monthly as I will be updating you on IMMS monthly activities.

  

 

Happy New Year!

Welcome back to the new school year, 2015-2016!

Can you believe it's August 2015?  Time flies when you are having fun.

School begins August 24th bright and early.  We had the privilege of meeting many new students at the Meet the Teacher event Saturday, the 22nd. 

We have many fun things planned for this school year.  Stay informed by visiting our Irma Marsh website in Castleberry ISD.  You can also find the latest events listed on the Irma Marsh Middle School Facebook page.

See you Monday!

Ahh, technology...

Getting Better

We have a very diverse skill-level of technology on our campus. Every year that goes by seems to be easier in implementing technology strategies. People resist using technology because of fear or disinterest, but I think our teachers are embracing it more everyday.  

As leaders on campus, we are responsible for promoting and practicing the use of technology.  This means we must stay abreast of recent technology trends in education.  Not only do we need to provide new ideas for teachers, but we need to ensure proper use with teachers and students.

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has established a set of standards for administrators.  These look at the school as a system including ethics, culture, and practice. This link provides an explanation of ISTE standards.   http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_iste_standards-a_pdf.pdf

As a campus administrator, my vision is to get better.  This sounds vague but I can apply this to any goal I make for myself and my campus. This year, I am committed to developing my technology proficiencies and DEficiencies. I want to be a resource to my teachers and students.  

Irma Marsh has great momentum in culture and spirit. With the right approach, we will all get better.

Guess what day it is....  Guess. What. Day. It. IS!!

The STAAR test is HERE!  Three days away...I cannot believe it.  I love seeing the kids and teachers so serious about learning.  I don't know why, but I'm still pleasantly surprised when the kids ask when we will get our STAAR scores back.  "Are they here yet?!"  That tells me we are doing something right.

This is the busiest time of the year.  I have probably said that in every blog since ALL YEAR is busy!  We have family engagement activities, Coffee with Counselors, Great Character breakfast, and grade-level award ceremonies!  Whew!

Since we are ending the school year, we are beginning to look at the next school year already.  I recently attended a job fair representing Castleberry.  I am thoroughly impressed with the number of people who know us and say, "I know so and so.  She went to Castleberry."  We found a bunch of wonderful candidates for next year.  Let's see what the new year brings....

Stay tuned for details on all of these events coming up.  We are going to end this year with a BANG!

Our World

I love this cartoon.  Isn't this our world!?  Hey, face it.  Technology is here to stay.  My dad is a college professor.  He is retired from his profession in Marketing and Management, and now teaches these courses face-to-face and online.  He has recently asked me to show him "how to work social media."  He says it's everywhere and he needs to learn it because he feels stupid!  Okay, okay, that's a little dramatic.  Social media is not that difficult, right? 

He says he needs to learn Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  He said he got on Facebook the other day and looked around.  I chuckled, "you have a Facebook page?"  He said, "yes, everyone wants to be my friend!"

I'm far from being a pro, but I asked him what he needs this for.  He's needing to integrate this into his classes, because after all, he does teach Marketing.  I explained to him the endless resources I find from educators on all of these sites. I also told him about the live chats we have every Wednesday afternoon on certain topics. He was interested in all of this!

My cousin works for Fox Sports as the Marketing Manager in Social Media.  This is her actual job!  What I find surprising is that there is enough material to market over social media that a company can make this a full time position!  My dad brought her into his class over Skype one day for her to tell his class what she does all day.  He said his students loved it.  Okay, so he's not that far behind if he knows how to use Skype! 

I learn something new everyday.  One site leads me to another.  Next thing I know, an hour has passed.  Much of social media is intuitive.  Kids are super interested in technology.  So it's easy for them to learn.  Dads in their sixties... maybe not so interested, so it's much more challenging.  But he's a good student, I'm up for it. 

 

 

Change is Good

We are 1/12 into 2015.  As much as I like "the way things are," I realize change is good.  2015 has been rough for my family.  We lost a matriarch, a lovely lady with the kindest heart, within nine days of a diagnosis of acute leukemia.  Then, last week, we lost my great uncle, a very funny man who influenced many people with his sense of humor. I realize we aren't going to live forever. But 2015 hasn't been much fun.  My dad says he should have eaten his black-eyed peas.

When meaningful people leave your life, reflection is inevitable.  Everyone is different, but I always find myself thinking about what the person accomplished and whether or not he/she was a 'good' person. How were lives influenced, positively or negatively... Of course, that leads me to look at myself, and ask how I am influencing people.  The people I have most contact with are in the most impressionable stages of their lives. This will keep you in check, for sure!

We've enjoyed a good start to the new year at IMMS. CISD Board Appreciation was celebrated this month. We welcomed Tracy Gallman last week. I hope she enjoyed our visit as much as we enjoyed her seeing all the fun things we do at our school. 

Coming up this month, we are hosting our Boy's Basketball Tournament February 6 and 7.  Then, the third week of February, we will have district benchmark testing.  This will simulate the STAAR test each day which is four hours. Continue to watch Twitter, Facebook, district website, and our marquee for specific details.

It's already February 2015. Time will not slow. Our momentum is increasing. This is my favorite time of year.


 

We're Back!

The lions are back in their dens!

School is back in session full swing.  Today we began the new spring semester!  Can you believe this is spring 2015?  The new six-weeks began today.  I was in a classroom today and the teacher said, "you guys are so quiet today. What's the deal?"  The kids said it was like the first day of school. I guess, technically, it is!  The first day of the new semester.

We completed semester exams last week. Today, our 8th graders began new classes for the new semester.  Our basketball teams will finish regular season this week. Coffee with Counselors is Thursday morning at 8:10. And...the boy's basketball has a tournament February 6th and 7th.  Throw in a couple of band concerts and UIL competitions, and February is almost over!  Wow, I'm tired already!

Before I go, I want to mention that we need to remember our staff members who are going through hardships with health and family. As you know, I lost a very special family member last week. One of our staff members lost her dad this week. And she was not able to be with him before time.  Give your favorite IMMS family member a hug next time you see them.

Cheers to Spring 2015!