Week of October 16, 2017

BOY DID THIS WEEK FLY BY and how nice is this Fall"ish" weather we are getting?  It is hard to believe we have already concluded our first quarter.  KUDOs to ALL of you (and your learners) for the BEST Spirit Rally behavior today!  I am super impressed with their power claps.  It was fun hearing house chants and house songs as we entered.  Thanks Leigh Ann and Ashley for helping with our fun games at the end. Congratulations Amanda and Samira for your recognitions, and thank you to those who nominated learners and staff.  I appreciate your great work in Staff Meeting as we work to better infuse this committee work into our lives at Lee.  There are some incredible ideas!!  Thanks to the folks who attended Stop, Collaborate, and Listen as you learned about Math for the 2nd 9 weeks.  A huge shout out to May who has planned and delivered sessions of SCL this week.  You all have done a FANTASTIC job of telling your Lee Story on Twitter- it doesn't go unnoticed!  Lastly, impressive global connections this week in so many classes for Global Math Week and Global Read Aloud.  ALL OF THIS IN A SHORT WEEK??!!!

DID YOU KNOW:

• that there is a blog post about YOU and your work at Lee?  Thank you Cassie for finding this. These would be some AWESOME folks to connect with in your PLN.  Let me know if I can help with being a connector for you! 
• we earned $108 from our Green House BWW night?  THANKS for attending and earning money for our school! 
• there is this cool infographic about how school librarians are helping to transform learning? Keep up the collaborating with Melinda! 
• there is a Google Folder to upload pictures to for our yearbook?  This is a GREAT WAY to make sure your learners are showcased.

FamiLEE CAMP IN

Please advertise the FamiLEE Camp In to your parents and learners this week. It is a super FUN event and is one way our dads earn funds for projects they help us with at school.  Registration deadline is Monday.  Here is the link to register.  

TOY

Please work on your Teacher of the Year nominations.  If you need admin to cover your class so you can observe your nominee, to help you better answer the questions, please arrange that with us.  We are happy to help.  Nominations are due October 27.

WEEKLY WALKTHROUGH FOCUS:

This week is the last week we will give you feedback on Domain 3.1: Learning Environment.  We will look at your physical and virtual environment.  We will also be looking at what your learners are doing, what transitions look like, that all subject areas are displayed in anchor charts, that learning objectives are posted, that there is current learner work displayed, and that you have CBL evidenced in your space.  

Keep in mind with THREE administrators, there is a chance that you could have walkthroughs three weeks in a row, out of four.  We have a system and you should not have more than one per week. Please take time to view your walkthroughs and provide comments back, if necessary.  These are intended for GROWTH!

TRANSFORMATION IN ACTION VISITS
Tour season is starting and our first tour is a BIGGIE!!!  We need all of our campus to be prepared as we showcase the incredible work we are doing at Lee.

We will have visitors from 9 high performing school districts visiting from 9-11 and 1-3 on Tuesday.   This visit is a BIG DEAL and aligned with the Visioning Document.   21 morning guests and 17 afternoon guests are coming to learn more about Lee's vertical scheduling, vertical collaboration, and Challenge Based Learning.  They are also looking to observe the integration of authentic experiences through technology (for example: coding, robotics, learner creation of products).  They are encouraged to talk and engage with the learners AND YOU.

Your digital signage looks INCREDIBLE.  Please have it turned on (should be each day of school) and ensure house info and learners are looping.  Please take advantage of ALL areas of the building, and make sure that all spaces in your house are presentable.  Learner work should be displayed in your space and CBL should be evident in EVERY space.

BOOK CHARACTER PARADE

Please start talking this event up to your learners, NOW, so they have time to think about and prepare their costume for the 27th.  Wouldn't it be awesome if ALL kids participated?  The 27th is also our PTO fall school dance, so please mark your calendars now, so you can make it.  

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK:

Provide comprehensible input for ELLs.  Language is not "soaked up."  The learner must understand the message that is conveyed.  Comprehensible input is a hypothesis first proposed by Stephen Krashen.  He purports that Ells acquire language by hearing and understanding messages that are slightly above their current English language level.  When newcomers are assigned to a mainstream classroom and spend most of their day in this environment, it is especially critical for them to receive comprehensible input from their teachers and classmates.  If that teacher provides information by lecturing in front of a classroom, the ELL will not be receiving this input.  Teachers need to speak more slowly, use gestures and body language to get across the meaning to ELLs. 

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Accountability- being responsible for one's actions

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

If you are asked a question in conversation, you should ask a question in return.  It is only polite to show others that you are just as interested in them as they are in you.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"I am NOT a product of my circumstances.  I AM a product of my decisions." - Stephen Covey

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Week of October 16-20- National School Bus Safety Week

October 16- RtI Meetings

October 17- Ed Foundation Shirt with Jeans (don't forget to tweet for Sonic)

     Transformation in Action Site Visits (9:00 and 1:00)

     Mentee Meeting (3:35- Room 402)

October 18- Deepa's Birthday

     CISD Education Foundation Grants Due

     School Shirt with Jeans

     New Learner Luncheons (your lunch times)

     Leadership Meeting (3:35- STEAM Lab)

October 20- Report Cards Go Home

     LEEdership Council Meeting (9:30)

     Fall Camp- In (7:00pm-8:00 am)