Week of January 29, 2018

What a beautiful week of KINDNESS here at Lee.  I thank each and every one of you for embracing the Great Kindness Challenge with the gusto you have.  It would not have been a success without YOU!  Our tours were HIGHLY IMPRESSED with you today- THANK YOU for shining the way you did!  I hope all of you rest and stay healthy this weekend.  You have done a super job trying to combat the illnesses going around our community!

DID YOU KNOW:

• that PTO is going to provide breakfast for you TOMORROW?  It will be chicken minis and biscuits from Chick-fil-a-. YAY for the KINDNESS of PTO!!
• that Leigh Ann made this video of the Kindness Kickoff Parade?  Thanks, Leigh Ann!

DADS CLUB

Please share this event and flyer with your FamiLEEs.  I plan to show off my poor bowling skills, how about you?

                      

FED EX

Enjoy your one hour on Wednesday where you learn about a topic of YOUR choice related to YOUR goals, and earn Flex credit for it.  This is a time for learning.   Please post to Today's Meet after 4:30, but before 5:00, on Wednesday, and share what you learned during your time in order to get credit for your hour.  We will host:

• Accountable Talk with Ashley
• Webinar: Questioning for Classroom Discussion
• Design Elements and Book Creator with Alli and Jessica
• Guided Math with Jacque

BUFFALO WILD WINGS NIGHT

NATIONAL GO RED DAY

Wear something RED with your jeans on Friday.  Please tweet out pictures of you, your learners, and teammates to #lifeiswhy and #coppellgored

WEEKLY WALKTHROUGH FOCUS

For our focused walkthroughs this last week will be focusing on Domain 2 Dimension 2 Content Knowledge and Expertise.  We will be looking for things like cross curricular connections, strategies to avoid learning pitfalls, learners analyzing, creating and evaluating, and learner-directed learning.

CISD CURRICULUM COURIER

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK:

Point Around the Pictures

When you read back your writing to someone else, try to point around the picture.  When your finger lands on a part, say all you can about that part.  (Taken from The Writing Strategies Book by Serravallo)

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Loyalty- faithfulness to another

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

If you hear something negative about one of your friends, don't repeat it.  If necessary, let a Designer know what was said.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"I will speak ill of no man and speak all the good I know of everybody." -Benjamin Franklin

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Jump Rope For Heart
Jan 28- Dad's Club Bowling Event (12:00 pm)
Jan 30- Jacque's Bridal Shower (3:30)
Jan 31- School Shirt with Warm Ups
     Buffalo Wild Wings Night (Red House)
     PTO Grants Due to CK
     Fed Ex (3:30-4:30)
Feb 1-  American Heart Assos Shirt with Jeans
     Blue House takes care of Lounge
     Spurs Savings (7:20-7:40)
Feb 2- National Go Red Day
     Spirit Stick Sales (Recess Time)
     Wear Red with Jeans

Week of January 22, 2018

Thank you, ALL, for showing me such grace and kindness today.  Your supportive words, texts, emails, calls, and hugs have truly lifted me and gave me strength today.  It is a beautiful reminder of the incredible FamiLEE we are a part of.  Please know each of your gestures has greatly impacted me.  I appreciate the beautiful card from Social Spurs and the plant.  Now...if I can keep it alive...

DID YOU KNOW:

• that we currently have THREE student teachers in the building?  We have Madelene Williams in Speech, Derek Stull in Music, and Chandra (pronounced Sondra) Sapaugh in PE.  We are excited to have them on board and know they are going to learn so very much from their cooperating designers!  Thanks ladies for hosting!
• the district is looking for folks to participate in two different areas: Unconscious Bias training and Local Accountability System.  If you are interested in learning more or participating, let Ashley and Leigh Ann know.

KINDNESS QUOTES
We will review these each day on morning broadcast:

• Mon:  "No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted." (Aesop)
• Tues:  "Treat everyone with kindness and respect, even those who are rude to you...not because they are nice, but because YOU are."  (Unknown)
• Wed:  "Choose to be kind over being right and you'll be right every time."  (Richard Carlson)
• Thurs:  "Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."  (Mother Teresa)
• Fri:  "Go into the world and do well.  But more importantly, go into the world and do good."  (Minor Myers, Jr.)

KINDNESS KICKOFF PARADE

We will start the parade at 8:15 at the cafeteria by lost and found.  We will begin by having guests line up in the cafe in parallel lines and along the walls by Enrichment and STEAM ending toward the front office doors (not passing into yellow house).  They will cheer our kids on as they parade one lap and return to your houses.  The order will be the same as afternoon dismissal:  Green House -> Red House -> Blue House -> Yellow House -> Purple House.  Start from Red House or stairs by Red House and make your lap.  For Green, Blue, and Purple, go up the Yellow House stairs so all guests can see your Kindness Banners.  

Don't forget to pass out your checklists and encourage your famiLEEs to sign up for The Great Kindness Challenge App to be able to participate at home.

We will also collect toothbrushes and toothpaste all week.  Please encourage FamiLEEs to participate!

The office has your beads and bracelet strings.  They should be delivered to you first thing Friday morning.  

If you are a 4/5 Designer, please turn in your Kindness kiddo so I can send home a permission slip.

Lastly, Alli created this awesome video to help with Kindness reflections this week.  We can't wait to see what you come up with!  HAVE FUN!

SAVE THE DATE FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS:

GREAT EDUCATORS MATTER
CISD has an internal recognition system called GEMS.  These folks are recognized in front of the CISD Board for going above and beyond the call of duty.  SO MANY OF YOU DO THIS!  Please take time to recognize GEMS at Lee.  Remember to be specific in your description so that it paints a picture of why this person stands out in our district.  Here are the directions:

CAMPUS TOURS
We know AWESOME learning experiences happen at Lee all the time, but be aware we have three sets of tours on Thursday this week.  We have learning walks in the morning, a 9:00 tour, and a 1:00 tour.


WEEKLY WALKTHROUGH FOCUS
For our focused walkthroughs the next four weeks we will be focusing on Domain 2 Dimension 2 Content Knowledge and Expertise.  We will be looking for things like cross curricular connections, strategies to avoid learning pitfalls, learners analyzing, creating and evaluating, and learner-directed learning.

CISD CURRICULUM COURIER
(check out the info about your Feb 19 Professional Learning)

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK:

Talk (as You Draw)

When you write, you don’t need to be quiet! You can say what you’re writing about (or drawing) out loud to yourself.  As you say a new part aloud, you can add that new part to your picture. (Taken from The Writing Strategies Book by Serravallo)

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Problem Solving- creating solutions; finding answers

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

You should never complain if the line is too long, the food isn't good, or there is a wait.  You don't want to be negative to the point where you spoil the enjoyment of the event for others.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations" -Charles Swindoll

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Jan 22-26- Great Kindness Challenge
Jan 22-26- Jump Rope for Heart
Jan 22- RtI Mtgs.
     CISD Board Mtg. (7:30)
Jan 23- Angela's Birthday
Jan 24- House Shirt with Warm Ups/Jeans (ENJOY!)
     Staff Mtg. (3:30 Purple House)
Jan 25- Meredith's Birthday
     Spurs Savings (7:20-7:40)
     Campus Tours (am & pm)
     5th grade Honor Choir concert (7:00)
Jan 26- Progress Reports Go Home
     Spirit Stick Sales (recess time)
Jan 27- Dads Club Bowling Event (Main Event Lewisville)

Week of January 15, 2018

Brrrrr what a chilly and windy night!  Please be careful driving into school in the morning.  It has been a fantastic week with you and our learners.  ENJOY the three day weekend and STAY WARM!  

Today was Megan's last day, so please welcome Karli Larson to our FamiLEE! 

DID YOU KNOW:

• that the School Board is coming to all campuses to do learning walks?  Our visit will be on February 6, so I am not approving any more personal days for this date.  Please be working NOW on your displays of learner work!
• that there is a follow up for our PLC training on last Monday?  Please reflect on one of these two forums (padlet or flipgrid) before leaving on Friday.  If you choose flipgrid the code is: plcreflect
• that you have permission to wear sweats, on January 17, if you register and earn 1,000 points for creating an account on the Community Challenge website.  There will be weekly motivators for sweats in the future. Stay tuned!

FOSS KITS
We should not see Physical Science Kits out in spaces.  Please make sure you are using the latest resource kits for Earth Science.  These kits can be found in the gym storage closet and an administrator can help you get access to them.  


SIX FLAGS READ TO SUCCEED
Melinda sent you all an email about reminding learners about this.  Please mark your calendars and remind your learners and parents about this opportunity. 



RED OUT
Don't forget to order American Heart Association Shirts for a $20 donation by Friday.  Your shirt will be delivered to you at school and you can wear jeans and your shirt every Thursday the month of February.

YEARBOOKS
Please remind your parents that yearbooks are still on sale. The price is $25 until Feb 15 and $30 from February 16 - March 25.  


LEE HEALTH UPDATE (please add to your newsletters)
A very high number of Influenza (Flu) cases have been reported in our area. Dallas County has reported over 20 deaths related to the influenza virus this year.

If your child has any Flu Like Symptoms please keep them home. A child that is sick cannot learn effectively and is unable to participate in a meaningful way. Keeping a sick child home prevents the spread of illness in the school community and allows the child opportunity to rest and recover.

Students with a temperature 100º F or greater should stay home until fever-free for 24 hours without the aid of a fever suppressing medication (e.g. Tylenol, Motrin, Acetaminophen, ibuprofen)

*It’s important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever, so please keep your child home if they don’t feel well.

Please notify us of any flu like symptoms as well as any diagnosis of anything contagious. We want to keep ALL LEE LEARNERS HEALTHY!


GREAT KINDNESS CHALLENGE
Please start working on your class Kindness banner that will be used for our Kindness Kickoff.

WEEKLY WALKTHROUGH FOCUS
It is time for our walkthroughs to start back up now that most of our formal observations are completed.  For our focused walkthroughs the next four weeks we will be focusing on Domain 2 Dimension 2 Content Knowledge and Expertise.  We will be looking for things like cross curricular connections, strategies to avoid learning pitfalls, learners analyzing, creating and evaluating, and learner-directed learning.

CISD CURRICULUM COURIER

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK:

Make sure ELLs have sufficient exposure to the content and academic language to participate in an oral language activity.

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Commitment- keeping a promise or a pledge

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

Be committed to your family, friends, and your values.  Follow through with your responsibilities at school and at home.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"Go put your creed into deed." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Jan 15- MLK Day (NO SCHOOL)
Jan 16- Design Day
     Education Foundation tshirt and jeans
     LEEdership Council Mtg. (2:00)
     Mentor/Mentee Mtg. (3:35 Room 402)
Jan 17- Design Day
     School Shirt with Jeans
     Leadership Mtg. (3:30 Lounge)
Jan 18- Design Day
     Spurs Savings (7:20-7:40 Cafe)
Jan 19- 4/5 Class Geo Bee Competition

Week of January 8, 2018

WOW, did this short week go by FAST!!! We are so excited to have everyone back.  This has been the best first week of the year at Lee, yet!  I hope you can see and feel how PUMPED I am to be your leader.  What an honor it is to be a part of the journey you are on.  THANK YOU for the experiences you designed for our children this week.  It has been awesome seeing learners set goals, review resolutions, and vision for the new year.  THANK YOU for being inspiration to them!  We also THANK YOU for the flexibility you have demonstrated with our new learners enrolling.  YOU ARE APPRECIATED!  

DID YOU KNOW

• that we will be participating in the Great Kindness Challenge?  We will talk more about this at our Staff Meeting on Wednesday.  You can download the toolkit here.  Be thinking about how you can incorporate this into your lesson plans the last week of January.
• the purpose of flex hours is for employees to meet the expectation for professional learning by attending workshops, conferences, seminars, and courses?  Compliance trainings are not considered professional learning and therefore, are not eligible for flex credit.  Designers, make sure you are on your way to earning your 18 hours of flex time and submitting requests for approval of hours for outside learning opportunities.  You can check your flex time in Eduphoria.
• PTO is offering Grants?  If there is something you would like to apply for, please fill out this form.  I must approve the form, first, before it is shared with PTO.  After their grant committee reviews, you will find out if you are a recipient.  
• Design Days are coming up in two weeks (Jan 16-18)?  The days will be as follows:
• Jan 16: Green (am) & Red (pm)
• Jan 17: Blue (am) & Purple (pm)
• Jan 18: Yellow (pm) 

MOY SCREENER and RtI:
As you begin your MOY assessments, please remember that this information is a data point to use for RtI.  As you finish scoring, please schedule a time to touch base with us at an RtI meeting about your learners.  We want to see the progress of all learners, but particularly the learners we put on the "watch" list at the beginning of the year, as well as discuss any learners who may be struggling now and need extra support.  Our upcoming RtI meetings are on the faculty calendar.  As always, let Ashley or Leigh Ann know if you have any questions or need to meet sooner.   

ONE WORD
It has become a tradition at Lee that we come to our first Staff Meeting of the new year with our "one word" for the year.  Please reflect before that meeting and come with your #oneword18.  We will have some time to create a reminder of it. If you have liquid chalk pens, please bring them to our meeting.  You may want to use them instead of traditional chalk.  You can see my one word on Twitter. 


MOY GOAL SETTING
If you are a paraprofessional, instructional aide, or office support staff,  I will be setting middle of the year goal setting appointments with you.  This is a time for us to check in with you to see how we can support you and your professional goals.  For all others that are evaluated under TTESS, Ashley, Leigh Ann, and I hosted your formal TTESS Observation Post Conferences.  This conference serves as your middle of the year check-in.  If you would like an additional meeting, please email your evaluator.  


WEEKLY WALKTHROUGH FOCUS
It is time for our walkthroughs to start back up now that most of our formal observations are completed.  For our focused walkthroughs the next four weeks we will be focusing on Domain 2 Dimension 2 Content Knowledge and Expertise.  We will be looking for things like cross curricular connections, strategies to avoid learning pitfalls, learners analyzing, creating and evaluating, and learner-directed learning.

CISD CURRICULUM COURIER

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK:

When developing an oral language activity, make sure it allows students authentic opportunities to speak, provide them time to strengthen and deepen their responses, and include engaging discussion prompts. 

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Honesty- truthfulness in words and actions.

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

No matter what the circumstances, always be honest.  Even if you have done something wrong, it is best to be honest.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom." -Thomas Jefferson

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Jan 7- May's Birthday
Week of Jan 8- Educational Diagnostician's Week
Jan 8- RTI Meetings
Jan 9- Karli's Birthday
     Priscilla's Birthday
     Rikki's Birthday
     K-2 Stop, Explore, and Listen @ Austin Elem
     PTO Mtg. (7:00 Cafe)
     Dad's Club Mtg. (7:00 BWW)
Jan 10- Convocation Shirt with Warm Ups
     K-2 Math Educator Academy
     District Spelling Bee (CMSW)
     Staff Meeting (3:30-5:00 Cindy/Stephanie's Spaces)
Jan 11- 3-5 Math Educator Academy
     Spurs Savings (7:20-7:40)
     3-5 Stop, Explore, and Listen @ Austin Elem
January 12- Spirit Stick Sales