Creating the Future November 23, 2004

1. Metz Middle School Creating the Future November 23, 2004

2. Planning Team • Kathy White • Kaycee Emilienburg • Evelyn Astwood • David Peacher • Bev Ellis • Ronda Brown • Melissa Saunders • Leslie Kohn • Jeff Horton • Michelle Whitt • Jeff Carroll • Michelle Edwards • Terre Carson-Jones • Kathy Perrow • James Gregory • Monica Harris • Linda Jenkins

3. Site-based Strategic Planning Timeline July 31 & August 1, 2003 Two day planning session August 26, 2003 Presentation of draft mission and tactic areas to staff November 6, 2003 Action Team Leaders Training November 7, 2003 Action Team Training and Planning January 13, 2004 School Board Update Presentation November 2003-June 2004 Data Collection and Development of Action Plans August 2, 2004 Second Planning Session August 30, 2004Presentation of draft site plan October 26-27, 2004 SACS Peer Review/ School Improvement Process November 23, 2004Presentation to School Board

4. School Plan Statement of Beliefs Mission StrategicParameters Objective Objective T T T Tactics AP AP AP AP AP AP AP AP AP ActionPlans

5. Mission Statement The Mission of Grace E. Metz Middle School is to inspire, challenge, and educate our students to become responsible, confident, lifelong learners.

6. Vision Statement The Vision of Grace E. Metz Middle School is to continue to be a progressive and dynamic middle school of excellence, innovation, and hope. Through school, parent, and community commitment, we will provide a safe and nurturing environment with student-centered learning activities promoting academic success.

7. Beliefs Our Staff Believes • Each student is a valued individual with unique physical, social, emotional and intellectual needs. • All students deserve an equal opportunity for the best education available. • All students must develop skills, knowledge and attitudes that will be relevant to the 21st century. • Students, parents, teachers and the community share responsibility for educational success. • Education flourishes in a safe and secure environment that fosters a positive attitude of mutual respect.

8. Strategic Objectives • Each student will reach his or her potential for academic achievement. • Each student will be accountable for conducting himself or herself as a responsible and productive member of our diverse school family. • Each student will exhibit the confidence to realize his or her unique, unlimited potential.

9. Tactics • We will ensure effective communication throughout the school and community. • We will promote equitable student opportunities in all school activities. • We will implement consistent effective behavior management that promotes a safe and secure environment.

10. Action Team #1We will ensure effective communication throughout the school and community Action Team Leader-Maxine Griggs Jeff Carroll-Administrator Mary Jane Boynton Celinda Mitchell Rheetha Boning Angela Pritchett Ruth Hollander Sherry Waldron Debby Story

11. Establish a Metz Communication Committee Action Steps 1. Solicit and maintain ongoing Metz staff, parents and business community volunteers, including ESL representation. 2. Solicit and maintain ongoing student volunteers at all grade levels to represent student body, including ESL students. 3. Train committee members on effective communication strategies and techniques. 4. Inform staff about role, responsibility, accountability and availability of committee. 5. Develop a communications organization chart to gather, disseminate, monitor and address communication concerns. 6. Complete weekly report for administration and staff, and include a positive communication report in Metz monthly newsletter. 7. Establish Public Relations connections for public communication. 8. Solicit regular feedback – address concerns. 9. Prepare committee and records for continued operation each year.

12. Establish Communication Coordinator to address specific communications issues 1. Submit proposal to Human Resources 2. Solicit approval of position by Human Resources and School Board 3. Develop qualification characteristics desired in this employee and develop job description 4. Advertise position, interview and hire Communication Coordinator 5. Communication Coordinator will work directly with Metz Communication Committee

13. Establish effective electronic communication E-mail 1. Create a daily time line for timely information (such as upcoming meetings, announcements, etc.) 2. Establish an etiquette manual 3. Make a more convenient web-page access to e-mail addresses 4. Put e-mail of parents on SASI 5. Update Schoolnotes or ParentLink if possible for assignments 6. Have a training session for new employees or others interested on Groupwise, how to set up e-mail groups, etc. Webpage 1. Create a more convenient web-page access (drop down menus, search menu, sitemap, etc.) 2. Allow for LISTSERV or similar tool to notify community of webpage updates. 3. Purchase a translator program to convert any pages to Spanish 4. Encourage teams to post a page per quarter, or grade levels.

14. Place telephones in all classrooms 1. Identify classrooms with phone connection capabilities 2. Determine how much the phones cost 3. Determine the additional cost of phone lines 4. Determine person who will install the phone lines, as well as time (summer optimal) 5. Contact Osbourn for information regarding strategies, pros and cons 6. Establish phone guidelines and etiquette

15. Enhance public relations between the school and community Between parents and teachers 1. Utilize the agenda books with written contact between parties 2. Utilize the conference forms on the intranet and document 3. Create quarterly newsletters for parents of teams (paper or website) 4. Document at least 1 positive feedback for each student to parents per year 5. Set up a suggestion box, or semester survey in utility bill for recommendations Between community and school 1. Print newsletters both in English and in Spanish 2. Have two months of activities in the newsletter and on the web Between schools 1. Create a “point person” position, between a 5th grade representative and a 6th grade representative to establish a transitional policy (Elementary communication, ESL and Special Ed policies, etc.) and 8th grade and high school 2. Send a newsletter to each elementary school

16. Establish effective in-person parent/community contacts 1. Train staff and teachers in effective communication skills and techniques. 2. Train staff and teachers in effective parent/teacher meetings. 3. Create three-part form to be used in all parent/teacher meetings that list meeting agenda, outcomes and next-steps. Copy for student file, parent and team/teacher records. 4. Establish specific guidelines for conducting parent/teacher meetings 5. Conduct 2 day Parent/Teacher Conferences. 6. Increase parent and community involvement with daily activities and events. 7. Increase diversity communications. 8. Add positive signage that help enhance positive reinforcement 9. Identify and implement positive in-person communication for parents, staff and students. 10. Solicit on-going feed back from in-person contact. 11. Solicit Spanish speaking volunteers.

17. Increase communication with ESL population 1. Solicit community organizations and business leaders’ assistance to identify and utilize network contacts to better connect with the Hispanic community. 2. Establish a Spanish-speaking community/school liaison. 3. Invite Hispanic organizations and leadership to school meeting, functions and events. 4. Create positive multi-cultural signage around school building. 5. Build Hispanic parent involvement through PTA and volunteerism. 6. Create ESL based student organization. 7. Create all written communications in Spanish.

18. Action Team #2We will promote equitable student opportunities in all school activities Action Team Leader-Sandra Bushrod Evelyn Astwood-Administrator Tammy Warner Ronda Brown Joanne Speaks Lori Perez Tina Cox

19. Develop subject related clubs to promote student interest in academic and elective courses 1. Establish ecology, biology, home economics, art club, technology/computer club, music appreciation/talk, writing club, international club, multicultural club. 2. Actively seeks sources of funding for extra curricular activities. 3. Develop student/teacher, student/student activities – Poetry Slam, Music Slam

20. Foster school pride, accountability, and ownership in students 1. Develop “Adopt a Hall” program to give students ownership of school cleanliness and appearance. 2. Establish “Bulletin Board Ownership” program to display student created murals. 3. Create a student run newspaper. 4. Provide student opportunities to participate in administrative aspects of the school, including library assistance.

21. Provide support at all grade levels to improve academic skills 1. Establish a summer school remediation program. 2. Establish before and after school classes to enable students to develop grade level skills. 3. Develop a more interactive homework help program. 4. Create elective classes to enable students to develop ‘core class’ skills (i.e. skill building electives for math, English, etc.) 5. Utilize Saturday school time for course work, remediation, and conflict mediation. 6. Provide study skills classes for all students. 7. Incorporate test taking strategies in study skills classes.

22. Involve students and parents to ensure they recognize the essential role that education plays in students’ future aspirations 1. Institute an orientation program for new students. 2. Institute a program for continued communications with parents, teachers, administrators, and PTA: “school hall” meetings. 3. Institute student career days to obtain student input and allow students to review career opportunities and equate the education process to job/career opportunities. 4. Provide a focal point for parent suggestions and input. 5. Provide a focal point for student suggestions and input. 6. Institute a parent “back to school” day. 7. Encourage parents to “shadow” their children for a day.

23. Involve parents, students and staff to help ensure parents and students feel connected and that school policies are equitably enforced 1. Create a visible student/parent council which reflects a cross section of school population to review and discuss school rules and policies. 2. Develop SGA procedures in which representatives communicate with and represent the views of the student body 3. Establish REQUIREMENTS for faculty training for multicultural education experience that goes “beyond heroes and holidays” 4. Establish "Mirror" program that promotes faculty introspection of interactions with students. This would promote self-recognition of unrecognized bias and expectations. 5. Develop programs to give students experiences that would enlighten students and faculty about the multicultural country and world in which we live. 6. Utilize Saturday school time for conflict mediation and communication

24. Provide opportunities for students to grow academically and advance 1. Develop or reinstitute an accelerated program for students to develop grade level skills. 2. Incorporate block schedules where appropriate. 3. Establish schedule for students to receive extra academic instruction beyond normal school hours. 4. Establish criteria to provide alternative educational setting for students.

25. Provide a variety of non-academic extra-curricular activities for students based upon student and parent input 1. Develop lunch time “open air” opportunities to allow the students to unwind. Utilize areas outside the school building. 2. Develop short- term intramural programs or tournaments to permit increased student participation without significantly long-term commitment.

26. Action Team #3Implement consistent effective behavior management that promotes a safe and secure environment. Action Team Leader-Kenneth McCreary James Gregory-Administrator Amy Crompton April Zimmer Belva Neissen Daria Pierorazio Deneen Williams Tanya Odell Sue Carlson

27. Establish a parent-based behavior management/resolution council 1. Solicit Metz PTA to recruit parent volunteers for the council. 2. Establish preliminary guidelines and responsibilities in cooperation with administrators. 3. Inform staff about the role and availability of the council. 4. Integrate council’s role within the revised student disciplinary policy. 5. Establish a volunteer group of parent hallway and lunch monitors to monitor safety and resolve minor conflicts. 6. Train volunteer group of parent hallway and lunch monitors. 7. Convene an actual meeting of the parent council.

28. Expand the school’s surveillance network and refine building safety measures 1. Re-program and point existing cameras for optimal use. 2. Select the best locations for additional cameras. 3. Obtain price estimates for cost of expanding the camera network. 4. Reposition security mirrors on hallways and stairways. 5. Select the best locations for additional security mirrors. 6. Obtain price estimates for cost of expanding the mirror network. 7. Increase the number of TV monitors for viewing security cameras. 8. Create a concrete proposal to install phones in all classrooms to present to school board for funding. 9. Install cipher lock for main entrance. 10. Institute annual safety training for new hires and updates for current personnel.

29. Adopt, implement and enforce a revised version of a school-wide discipline policy 1. Administration and staff will officially adopt the revised discipline policy as developed by Administrative Team. 2. Inform and explain the revised discipline policy to staff. 3. Print a revised discipline policy booklet. 4. Distribute revised discipline policy booklet to students, parents and staff. 5. Hold an assembly at the beginning of the school year to explain the new discipline policy to students.

30. Prepare for Peer Review and the School Improvement Process through Strategic Planning Grace E. Metz A G.E.M. of a School