Week of March 30

Thank you for another INCREDIBLE WEEK at Lee.  It was busy, but SO MUCH LEARNING is happening here.  I just LOVE walking our visitors through the building and being able to show them the evidence of learning ALL OVER THE PLACE.  My heart was full when two visitors from the Gates Foundation said this, "this school is beautiful, but it is what your teachers are doing with the school and the children that is most impressive."  I couldn't agree more!!!

Here are two quotes that resonated with me this week:

“Continuous effort–not strength or intelligence–is the key to unlocking our potential.” – Winston Churchill

“The team player knows that it doesn’t matter who gets the credit as long as the job gets done. If the job gets done, the credit will come.”
– The Edge

DID YOU KNOW?

• there are snapshots by grade, academic vocabulary, and student learning reports already done for you to use to enhance your PLC work?
• there are stems that can help you plan and deliver instruction on the lead4ward site?
• on June 9, we will have CBL training and on June 10, K-2 will have Tapping Out With Tiles Training?  Mark your calendars!

SPIRIT RALLY
Please have learners seated in the gym at 8:00.  Choir learners will be to the side so that we don't waste time getting them together.  Don't forget to let your learners know if they have perfect attendance.  We will recognize them.  We have a fun morning planned for you!


LEADERSHIP MEETING
Remember, ANY of you are welcome to join us when we have our Monthly Leadership Meetings.  It is a great way to stay informed and also weigh in on campus decisions.  Thank you to this year's members for their contributions so far!


DR. WALDRIP VISIT
Dr. Waldrip will visit us after school on Thursday.  Please plan on attending.  He will be reviewing important legislative information.  If you have any questions or want to learn more, check out the CISD website.


WALK FOR WISHES
Layne, Megan, and Elisa are walking tomorrow.  If you want to join me to cheer them on, email or text me.  I am a great cheerleader and am happy to bring the bullhorns!! :)


STAAR REMINDERS
STAAR tests are on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  Please remind parents that cell phones need to stay home and that they may not come to lunch on these days.  Here are maps to remind you where testing will take place in the building.  Please ensure that your learners help us create a positive testing environment.  THANK YOU to all of you that have preparing our learners and school for these days!  A special shout out to Angela who has worked nights and weekends to get everything organized and communicated.  Thank you, Glitters, for stepping up to test small groups!  4th and 5th grade designers...BREATHE...they are prepared- we all know you have done your best- YOUR LEARNERS WILL MAKE YOU PROUD!


COPPELL EARTH FEST
If you are interested in showcasing your class or sharing sustainable parts of Lee with the community, there is an event on Saturday, April 11.  Please click here to see how you can help or participate.


"LEE" QUOTE OF THE WEEK:  "He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened." -Lau Tzu

"LEE"DERSHIP TIP OF THE WEEK:  Never start eating off of your tray until you are at your seat.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

March 28- Walk for Wishes
March 30- 4th STAAR Writing Test (Alternate Schedule)
March 31- 4th STAAR Writing Test (Alternate Schedule)
                  5th STAAR Reading Test
                  Grades Due in Pentamation
April 1- 4th STAAR Writing Test (Alternate Schedule)
              Walk AT School Wednesday
              Jeans and House Shirt Day
              Leadership Meeting (3:30-5:00)  All are welcome!
April 2- Campus Meeting with Dr. Waldrip (3:30)
April 3- Report Card Day
April 5- Stacey's Birthday
April 6-April 10- LEEdership Council Pre Sells FamiLEE Carnival Tickets
April 8- Megan's Birthday
              Walk AT School Wednesday
              Jeans and Red and Black Attack Shirt Day
              Curriculum Meetings (3:30)
April 11- Coppell EarthFest
                Dad's Club Golf Tournament

Week of March 23

Please take a moment to reflect on this quote from David Armistead.  This is the time of year when educators tend to be a little less patient and understanding with one another.  Let's continue to assume best intentions with one another and remember we are LUCKY to be at LEE! 

“Trust each other again and again. When the trust level gets high enough, people transcend apparent limits, discovering new and awesome abilities for which they were previously unaware.” – David Armistead

DID YOU KNOW?

• that we raised $115 for Special Olympics with your contributions?  THANK YOU for your generosity!
• that videos like THIS help remind us why we all entered the "kid business?" I believe Challenge Based Learning helps build a fire from within like these young men demonstrated.
• that we have received, as a campus, over $6600 in grants so far?  What a resourceful group!  (If your grant is not posted below, please remember to send me your info!)
• Stacey Harris- $2000- Coppell ISD Education Foundation
• Wendy Pray- $856- Coppell ISD Education Foundation
• Kristen Schliewe- $240- Donor's Choose
• Sam Jensen- $621- Donor's Choose
• Ashley Bensen- $579- Donor's Choose
• Lauren Gaspard- $169- Donor's Choose (plus a Donor's Choose in the works)
• Elisa Genco- $547- Tilt (plus a Donor's Choose in the works)
• Roxann Krautkramer- (Donor's Choose in the works)
• Priscilla Shaner- $235- Donor's Choose
• Layne Sommers- $183- Donor's Choose
• Nicole Williams- $1224- Donor's Choose 

OPEN HOUSE
Thank you doesn't begin to even cover our appreciation for all that you did to prepare for our Open House!!  You are the best staff a principal could ask for.


FUN RUN
Weather will determine if we are able to host our Fun Run or need to reschedule.  If we need to cancel due to wet/slick surfaces, a Parent Link communication will go out as soon as possible.  Unfortunately, this will be a last minute decision.  Thanks for your understanding.


MISSING IPAD MINI
Please take a couple of minutes to look around your spaces for an extra iPad mini.  It will be labeled B21.  We are trying to locate this device.  This is a great time to remind you that we should have practices in place where your learners turn in devices at the end of the day and you check to make sure that they are all accounted for.  Also, learners should be using an ASSIGNED device, not just ANY device.  If you are using shared devices, there MUST be a system for signing out MacBooks and iPads.  This helps us monitor for accountability, acceptable use, and damage.  If you do not have a system in place, please start one immediately. 


FamiLEE CARNIVAL
At Tuesday's PTO meeting, a date was confirmed for our school Spring fundraiser.  This event will be called the FamiLEE Carnival and it will be from 5:30 -8:00 p.m. on April 17.  Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.  We need to firm up auction ideas so that PTO can advertise and hype them up.  For the latest list, or to add/change, click here.  Presale tickets will be sold during recess the week of April 6.  Presale tickets will be $5 and we are going to "suggest" learners "earn" their $5 through chores at home.  Those who want to go the carnival and do not purchase a presale ticket will have to pay $7 at the door.  Parents and children under 2 will get in for free.  There will be bounce houses, obstacle courses, a photo booth, a dunk tank, carnival games, pizza, nachos, snacks, auctions, and MORE!!  All money raised will to back to the PTO to help us with technology matching funds and PTO sponsored events.


THE BIG QUESTION
Many of you have been approached by parents about what we are going to do next year.  Will we stay in houses?  Will we switch houses?  After meeting with Penny Tramel and Dr. Denison on March 2, it was explained to me that the district philosophy is that learners will stay in a house throughout their tenure at Lee.  For now...let's keep this information "in house" until I am ready to communicate this out to our community.  We still have to develop a system for "how/if" we need to move a learner to another house. You, of course, will be informed along the way, so thank you for your patience as we work through the details.  In the meantime, if you are approached, please tell parents that Mrs. Kastrounis will be making a decision and communicating that out to parents before the end of the school year.


PURCHASE ORDERS
This is a final call for purchase orders to be turned in for approval.  WE HAVE FUNDS, so if there are needs, get your POs completed and turned in to CK's box by Wednesday, March 25.


ALTERNATE SCHEDULES
Please be sure to inform your parents when your schedules will be changed.  It makes it difficult in the office when parents arrive for lunch and the time has been adjusted, but not communicated.  Thank you!


KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Please put a note in your weekly communication that Kindergarten Registration is underway.  Families with incoming kindergarteners need to schedule an appointment with the front office as soon as possible so that we can use this information to assist us with projected enrollment.


FRIENDLY REMINDER
When you are sick or need to be absent, please follow the directions below from our campus handbook:  

Too often, when a designer must be absent, the result is a lost instructional day for the learners.  Although some absences cannot be avoided, please be very discriminating in use of leave for personal illness or family illness.  NO ONE else can work better with your learners than you can!

Designers should attend to the following items in anticipation of any absence that might occur.  Doing so will insure that there are not too many interruptions in the regular routine of the school day.

• When you must be absent due to illness or emergencies, please use the Coppell ISD Absence Management System and follow the directions on your employee quick reference card.  The system phone number is 469-549-1352 and the website is https://smartfind.coppellisd.com.  Please email or call Chantel as early as possible. Her phone number is 214-725-4619..  

• You will also need to contact a housemate and let him/her know you will be out.

• You are responsible for entering your own absence into Smart Find and for scheduling specific subs if that is your desire.

• Personal leave requests must be made to Chantel a minimum of 5 days prior to absence.  These should come through our Formspace document in Eduphoria.

• Any absence that is 3 or more consecutive days requires approval from Human Resources..

When you are absent, it is imperative that you leave detailed lesson plans that are easily accessible and easy to follow for a substitute.  Having a substitute folder prepared that can be pulled out every time you are out would be preferred.  This should include a copy of your daily schedule, a list of helpful learners, and filler activities in case your learners finish the plans you have left.

Leave out a red folder with health concerns.

"LEE" QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.” ~George S. Patton

"LEE"DERSHIP TIP OF THE WEEK:  Do not save seats in the lunchroom. If someone wants to sit down, let him or her. Do not try to exclude anyone. We must treat one another with respect and kindness.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

March 23- TELPAS Tutorials
March 24- Possible Donuts with Dads (before school)
                 2nd Grade TELPAS
March 25-Jeans and iCreate Shirt Day
                  Social Spurs Luncheon ($8.50)
                  Walk AT School Wednesday
                  3rd Grade TELPAS
                  Stacey's TOY Observation/Interview
                  Fed Ex Day (3:30-4:30)
March 26- 4/5 TELPAS
                  1st Grade Music Dress Rehearsal (8:00-8:30)
                  2nd Grade Music Dress Rehearsal (8:30-9:00)
                  1st Grade Music Performance (6:00 pm)
                  2nd Grade Music Performance (7:00 pm)
March 27- Spirit Rally (8:00-Gym) (Alternate Schedule)
                  Red CBL Planning Day
                  TELPAS Make Up Day
                  Last Day of 3rd 9 Weeks
March 28- Walk for Wishes (8:15 am)
March 30- 4th STAAR Writing Test (Alternate Schedule)
March 31- 4th STAAR Writing Test (Alternate Schedule)
                  5th STAAR Reading Test
                  Grades Due in Pentamation
April 1- 4th STAAR Writing Test (Alternate Schedule)
              Walk AT School Wednesday
              Jeans and House Shirt Day
              Leadership Meeting (3:30-5:00)  All are welcome!
April 2- Campus Meeting with Dr. Waldrip (3:30)
April 3- Report Card Day

No Place I'd Rather Be

How do I convey the magnitude of emotions that erupted in me as I sat in my car after Open House?  Well...I come home and blog about it...

It seems like it was not too long ago that we were greeting families as they came to Meet the Designer Night.  I recall feeling nervous that evening because our school was new to EVERYONE.  It was obvious parents were concerned about the open concept, new teachers, academics, and the new principal....Here we are, 26 weeks later, and it is Open House!  This time, I was not filled with nervousness, but excitement.  Excitement to see our learners proudly share their learning, excitement to showcase the designers who make it happen each day, excitement to get feedback from our parents about how we are doing.

The day was a blur of meetings, but I kept remembering a wise woman's advice from the beginning of the year.  She reminded me to make time to "take it all in."  It is a rare opportunity to open a brand new school, and this year is a year of MANY firsts that I should be mindful to appreciate.  I am so happy I took two hours before parents arrived to "wall walk" the building.  I saw some designers scrambling to tend to last minute preparations, and wondered if they thought I was walking around micromanaging them or overseeing them.  This wasn't the case, at all!!!!  I truly was taking it all in.  Just like a parent, I was attending Open House for my baby.  Opening a school is like birthing a baby, right?  Looking around every turn of the building, I saw evidence of learning on walls and windows; in journals and jars; on strings, timelines, number lines and posters; through art, photographs and QR codes.   I SAW IT EVERYWHERE.  It was even in our garden with the blossoming tulips!   How could I not be overcome with pride??

As we welcomed the families that were lined up outside the front doors, That nervousness I felt earlier in the year was replaced with pride.  I was able to stand with a level of confidence that I hadn't experienced before. To begin with, these families were no longer strangers, they were my FamiLEE.  I could share personal observations, experiences, and comments about many of our learners with their parents.  Secondly, and what I found to be most profound, was the pride and confidence that came from having the entire building exude EXACTLY what we do EVERY DAY at Lee.  Yes, there was more on "display," but it displayed what life in the day of a Lee learner honestly looks like.   How awesome is THAT?

Speaking of awesome...how awesome is it that Mr. Lee could be there for our first Open House?  (Thank you, Todd!)

How awesome do you think it was to have parents GUSH about the school as a whole: the designers... the facility... the rigor... our administration... the technology... the communication... how happy their kids are to come to school.... the challenges... the list goes on!  How awesome is getting hugged on from all sides and photographed from every angle? Am I a movie star?  Should I sign autographs?  These, too, are moments that are burned in my memory from this night.

Then, I get in my car when Open House winds down, check Twitter, and the song that is playing on the radio is, "No Place I'd Rather Be." All I could think is THERE IS NO PLACE I WOULD RATHER BE and NO BETTER PEOPLE I WOULD RATHER BE ON THIS JOURNEY WITH.  We all know I am not a parent.  I probably won't get the chance to send my own child off on their two wheeler without training wheels.  But you know what is cool?  I feel like (in my own way) tonight I got to experience what parenthood might feel like.  I am forever grateful to experience this with YOU!  Thank you for all of your hard work, your effort, your talent, your time, and your commitment, Lee Staff.   Keep pedaling this last nine weeks. The training wheels are off, and we are on the ride of our life!

Week of March 16

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR WELL DESERVED WEEK OFF!  WELCOME BACK, JAMYE!

DID YOU KNOW?

• that you have a shared folder (called A LEE FORMS) in Google with campus budget forms, faculty info, and resources in the broadcast closet?  Take a look!  Please remember to check out what you take from the broadcast closet.  This helps us keep track and also know what to order.
• Dr. Waldrip is going to come visit with our staff on Thursday, April 2, after school?  Please mark your calendar.  He will discuss legislative concerns that you should be aware of.  This site will give you more information from the district, and Diane Ravitch's blog is also very informative. 

JEANS THE WEEK AFTER SPRING BREAK?
Do you want to wear jeans the entire week of March 16- March 20?  It will cost you $5 and all money collected will go toward funding the Coppell ISD Special Olympics.  Please put a post it on your $5 and put it in Chantel's mailbox.  I can't wait to see how much we donate to support the special learners in Coppell ISD.


OPEN HOUSE
We will host Open House Wednesday night from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm.  Please dress professionally this night.  Glitters will be helping administration with greeting guests at the front and back doors, so please do not send learners to the gym, art room, or music room.


GRANT RECIPIENTS
Have you received a grant through our Education Foundation, Donor's Choose, or another avenue this school year?  If you have... could you please email me, by Friday, the title of your grant, the grantor, and your award amount?  Thank you!


LEEdership COUNCIL
Please send your council members down to the PreK classroom at 8:30 on Monday morning.  THANK YOU!


"LEE" QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." -C. S. Lewis

"LEE"DERSHIP TIP OF THE WEEK:  If any child in this school is bothering you, let an adult know. Adults are here to look after you and protect you. We are not going to let anyone in this school bully you or make you feel uncomfortable.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

March 9-13- SPRING BREAK!
March 16-  Leedership Council Meeting (8:30)
                   SBDM Mtg. (3:30)
March 18- Jeans and College Shirt Day
                  Walk AT School Wednesday
                  Staff Mtg. (3:30-5:00) STAAR SECURITY
                  PTO Mtg. (6:30 Cafe)
March 19- Purple House CBL Day #2
                  District Youth Art Month Reception (6:30 CHS)
March 20- FUN RUN
                  Tina's (night custodian) Birthday
March 24- 2nd Grade TELPAS
March 25-Jeans and iCreate Shirt Day
                  Social Spurs Luncheon
                  Walk AT School Wednesday
                  3rd Grade TELPAS
                  Fed Ex Day (3:30-4:30)
March 26- 4/5 TELPAS
                  1st Grade Music Dress Rehearsal (8:00-8:30)
                  2nd Grade Music Dress Rehearsal (8:30-9:00)
                  1st Grade Music Performance (6:00 pm)
                  2nd Grade Music Performance (7:00 pm)
March 27- Spirit Rally
                  TELPAS Make Up Day
                  Last Day of 3rd 9 Weeks
March 28- Walk for Wishes (8:15 am)