1. Student Planners: Setting up Tool to Help You Build Your Success!!! It is the expectation that ALL students at EWMS use their Student Planner to keep organized! 1.Please take out your planner and a pen (or pencil, map pencil, colored pens, markers!) 2.Arrange your desk in groups of 4 so that all students can see the board. 3. Adjust your attitude to “Positive and on F.I.R.E.”!!! ( Yes, you HAVE to do this! No, you don’t HAVE to like it…but you will be much happier if you choose to have a positive attitude about getting and staying organized! )

2. Please open up your student planner that was given to you the first week of school! Are your first and last names written next to “Student Name”? If not, please write it in now! Your ID # does not need to be visible to anyone who opens your planner so if you prefer to leave this blank, that is ok. Is your grade level written next to the word “Grade:”? If not, please write it in now! Is your advisory teacher’s name written next to “Advisory:”? If not, please write it in now!

3. Contact Information - turn to “Week of Aug 24” Is your planner blank? If you have not been using your planner, you need to begin today! Turn to “Week of Aug 24 th ” in your planner. If you HAVE been using it to write down assignments and information, GOOD FOR YOU! Keep up the great job! You will probably have blank space for the following information where it says “Parent Communication”. If not, turn to any page before Oct 5 th that has space available. Do you have your teacher’s email addresses listed anywhere? If not, you should! In the blank space next to “Monday”,list each of your teachers’ email address. It is the first letter of their first name, last name, and @ems-isd.net (ex: kmunk@ems-isd.net)

4. Contact Information: Peer Support Do you have the name and number of at least one student in each of your classes that you can call/message from home if you ever have a question on an assignment? If not, you should! In the blank space next to “Tuesday”, write the name of a classmate in each class and exchange contact information with him/her at a later time.

5. Contact Information: Passwords Do you have your Office 365 login and password written in your planner? If you don’t, you should! In the blank space next to “Wednesday” write down your login and password. This year each student will have a “Career Cruising” login and password. You should put that information here when you get it. If you have other electronic accounts that require a password, please list that information here as well.

6. Bookmark At this time, your teacher will give each student a paperclip. Please paperclip the first 7 pages of your planner together so that you can easily open up to the week of Oct 5 th. (This also keeps your important information from everyone’s eyes when you open your planner, yet you know where to find what you need! ) Each week on Monday morning when the previous week is over, you will add a page to the section that have been clipped together.

7. Important Dates ~ 2 nd Six Weeks Please write the following important information in your planner in the blank space under the 2 nd “Elective” line for that day. Mon-Oct 5 th : 2 nd Six Weeks Begins Mon-Oct 12 th : Columbus Day & Staff Development– Student Holiday Tues-Oct 13 th : Staff Development – Student Holiday Mon- Oct 19th: 7 th grade only Recovery Resource Presentation in all 7 th grade Science classes Fri-Oct 23 rd : 8 th grade only Recovery Resource Presentation in all 8 h grade Health/Media classes Fri-Nov 6 th : 7 th grade only “J.A. for a Day”-7 th grade field trip to TCC Wed-Nov 11 th : Parent Teacher Conferences-Early Release Fri-Nov 13 th : End of 2 nd Six Weeks

8. Important Dates ~ 3rd Six Weeks Mon-Nov 16 th : 3rd Six Weeks Begins Wed-Dec 9 th : 8 th grade only All 8 th graders Tour HCTC Fri-Dec 18 th : Early Release Mon-Jan 4 th : Return from Holiday Break Fri-Jan 15 th : End of 3rd Six Weeks/ End of 1 st Semester

9. Important Dates ~ 4th Six Weeks Mon-Jan 18 th : MLK Day - Staff and Student Holiday Tues- Jan 19 th : 4th Six Weeks Begins Fri-Feb. 26 th : End of 4th Six Weeks & Early Release

10. Important Dates ~ 5th Six Weeks Mon-Feb 29 th : 5 th Six Weeks Begins Fri-March 25 th : Bad Weather Make-Up Day Tues- March 29 th : 7 th grade STAAR Writing Test Day 1 8 th grade STAAR Math Test Wed- March 30 th : 7 th grade STAAR Writing Test Day 2 8 th grade STAAR Reading Test Fri-April 15th: End of 5th Six Weeks & Bad Weather Make-Up Day

11. Important Dates ~ 6th Six Weeks Mon- April 18 th : 6 th Six Weeks Begins Tues- May 3 rd : AP Spanish Exam Wed- May 4 th : Algebra EOC STAAR Test Mon- May 9 th :6 th & 7 th grade STAAR Math Test 8 th grade STAAR Math Re-Test Tues- May 10 th : 6 th & 7 th grade STAAR Reading Test 8 th grade STAAR Reading Re-Test Wed- May 11 th : 8 th grade STAAR Science Test Thurs-May 12 th : 8 th grade STAAR Social Studies Test Mon-May 30 th : Memorial Day- Staff and Student Holiday Fri-June 2 nd : End of 6th Six Weeks

12. Implementing your Student Planner Now that you have filled in important dates for this school year, look back at the week of Oct 5. You must get in the habit of writing down your homework in every class, every day! If your homework is to review for a test, then write “review for test” next to that subject. Reviewing for a test does NOT mean “no homework”! Review means to reread your notes, quiz yourself on your study guide, make flashcards, etc. If you REALLY don’t have any homework, then write “none” in your planner! Begin to use a system that visually reminds you of when you finish an assignment AND when you turn the assignment in to the teacher. Ex: place a √ next to an assignment when you finish it, and draw a line through the assignment in your planner when you have turned it in.

13. Implementing Your Planner If you know you always have math homework due on Wednesdays and Fridays, then each Tuesday and Thursday next to math you should write in “Homework- “ When you sit down in class each period, you should open your planner, check what the teacher has written on the board for homework, and transfer that information in to your planner. If you have the space to write the learning target, it will trigger your memory as you review your day when you get home each night! When you get home each day, take your planner out and make a plan of which assignments you are going to work on in what order.

14. Questions? If you (or your parent) has questions for your teachers throughout the week, write those questions in the “Parent Communication” section and show your planner to your teacher the next day. If you need to have special materials that you don’t normally have with you for an assignment, write a note to your parent in the “Parent Communication” section to help you/remind you to get that needed item.

15. If time permits… If you still have time before your Advisory Teacher moves on to the next activity today, please start at Oct 5 th and start writing the number of the date next to the day of the week for each week in your planner. Ex: Above the word “Monday” you would write the number 5, above the word “Tuesday” you would write the number 6, above the word “Wednesday” you would write the number 7, above the word “Thursday” you would write the number 8, above the word “Friday” you would write 9. If you run out of time today, please write in the numbers when you have an opportunity. Write in your birthday, friends birthdays, Spirit Days, game days, ect. Make this planner YOUR planner, customized to you!!!!

16. Walks of Life Lions Quest Activity (5-10 minutes) Set the stage for this activity by talking about the ways people and animals move. For example a cat walks slowly and gracefully, a soldier marches with shoulders back and arms straight, and tightrope walked walks carefully one foot in front of the other with arms extended for balance. Ask students to form two parallel lines facing each other. Whisper a kind of walk in a student’s ear. Have the student demonstrate the walk while the other students guess the walker’s identity.

17. Let’s Review Positive Values With a partner see how many of the 9 positive values you can remember from your Lions Quest lesson.

18. Positive Values Respect for yourself and others Be thoughtful about the needs, beliefs, and feelings of yourself and others. Kindness Show care and concern for others. Healthy Lifestyle Take care of your body and avoid anything harmful to your mental or physical well-being. Responsibility Use good judgement, make positive decisions, keep promises, and be dependable. Honesty Be truthful, fair, and trustworthy. Courage Be brave, stand up for your beliefs and ideals, and show determination in the face of hardship. Self-discipline Control yourself, develop your skills and talents, and achieve what you set out to accomplish. Service Help and serve others. Commitment Help to build a strong and supportive family life.

19. The Golden Rule We want to take the time to acknowledge people in our lives who have made an impact on our lives. Beginning today students and staff will have the opportunity to begin showing gratitude to others who have positively impacted their life. Sometimes the people we have known for a short amount of time have the biggest impact on our lives, even more than those we have known forever. Author Unknown

20. How we are going to show gratitude… Group students in groups of four. Students will need one sheet of yellow paper with 3 rulers. Students will write a ruler for each of their group members. After completing their rulers students will cut them apart and give them to the other group members. Teachers: Have students select one ruler that they would like displayed in your room.

21. Gratitude Throughout the Year… Students will be able to pick up a ruler from their teacher’s throughout the year. When students and staff have completed a ruler(s) they can turn them in to a box in the front office. Throughout the week we will check the box and place the rulers in the sixth period teachers box of the recipient for delivery. How many ways will you find to show gratitude towards another classmate or teacher?

22. You Rule... _________________________ RULES (First & Last Name) You’ve been caught using the Golden Rule! Thank you for using the Golden Rule when you ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Sincerely, __________________