Week of August 3, 2020

A few more days of resting and preparing ourselves to get ready for the school year. If you have been in education for a while, you know this has been the most bizarre period in our most recent history. If you are new to education this year, I’m sure there were no college courses that prepared you for what you are seeing now. As an educator entering her 25th year of working with kiddos, I can tell you with 100% certainty that I have never faced anything with this level of gravity.  However, I can tell you with absolute confidence, that in all my years of teaching, I have been amazed by the resilience and tenacity of teachers. While I respect all professions, educators are a different breed of people all together.  We may not always be thrilled with the conditions we are given to educate children, but we do it anyway. WHY?  Because we are educators.  We are CALLED.  We know our PURPOSE.  We know our impact is far greater than a challenge that is thrown in our paths.  We see our students and their potential future… and so we WORK!!! We work to change lives, not just impart knowledge, but to form relationships that tell students “YOUR ARE SOMETHING!!! AND YOUR FUTURE IS SOMETHING WORTH FIGHTING FOR!”  We give money out of our pockets, we spend countless hours out of the workday caring for others and giving feedback, creating engaging lessons, and pouring our heart and souls into the profession that we know has an ETERNAL IMPACT.  

Right now, we are presented with new challenges in education.  So, the future is in our hands.  The question to ask now is…”What can we do to make this year, better than ever?”  If I were a betting person, I would put my money on Lee Elementary's staff!  You are the masters of impossible and I believe you will ensure #rjlyear7 is the best one possible.  Together as a team, we will tackle this year and make the most of it… WHY?  BECAUSE WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER AND OUR KIDS DESERVE IT!

#CISDLEARNS
Inside Dr. Applegate's email was an interactive link to what August 3-14 look like.  Please review to see daily expectations.  If you need any clarification, please ask.

You will want to watch Dr. Applegates video and familiarize yourself with the Structures For Face to Face and Remote Instruction document.  Please know, you do not have to fully conceptualize this YET.  You will have questions and wonders.  We will spend time answering your questions and building collective understanding together during next week. 

LEADERSHIP MEETING
We look forward to seeing this year's Leadership Team on Monday.  We will work on decision making for the 2020 school year.  Stay tuned for more information to come your way later this week during a House Meeting.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY

Make sure your CISD website is updated.  Directions on how to do this are on our Faculty Website here.  You are required to follow the district template and must include:

• Name
• Grade/House
• Headshot (professional, not family photos)
• Phone number
• Email address
• Schedule
• Tutoring Schedule 

If you have created your Bulb portfolio, you can link it on your website.  New hires- DON'T WORRY ABOUT THIS!  Please also make sure your Twitter profile picture and name are current so that we can communicate that to parents on our CISD Lee website.  

STAFFING:
We have recommended a hire for our ESL paraprofessional and Special Education paraprofessionals.  As our new staff members are approved through HR, we will share their contact information with you so you can welcome them.  Their names can be found on our staff list.

REQUIRED COMPLIANCE TRAINING

Your 2020-21 CISD Compliance Course is loaded in Schoology.  The content in this course is important as compliance training covers local, state, and federal requirements that must be completed annually.  Dr. Hunt has approved 3 hours of Flex credit and Texas SBEC credit for employees.  Use the code 9J7N-38VS-7WF2S to join the new course and complete required compliance content for the 2020-2021 school year.  You should pay close attention to the due dates located on each folder.  Most of the content folders require you to view a presentation and then complete a task.  UPDATE: COVID TRAINING HAS BEEN ADDED TO THIS COURSE.  You got an email on Tuesday with information for updated information.  Please follow the directions in that email.

COPPELL EDUCATION FOUNDATION GRANTS
CISD grants are open July 1 through September 11.  Educators can fill out this Google form to receive their log-in credentials.  If you submitted an application last year, log-in credentials are still valid.  Attached are the 2020 Grant Submission Guidelines that explain the process and timeline for the CEF Grant Program.  GOOD LUCK!

   

#RJLSUMMERSELFIE

This is your last week to get a BINGO or BLACKOUT.  Keep those summer selfies coming!

MENTORS AND ONBOARDING
All 1st and 2nd year Designers in CISD are assigned a mentor.  At Lee, we give an added layer of support (called Onboarding) to ensure that our new folks are supported in intentional ways.  Our goal is to KEEP all of you in Coppell ISD and at Lee Elementary for a long time!  We appreciate the ladies serving as mentors this year and Layne Dennis for serving as our Lead Mentor on campus.  We look forward to growing together and are here for our new and returning FamiLEE members!

FURNITURE AT LEE
We do our best to ensure that there is equitable distribution of furniture in houses. Please do not "borrow" furniture from the media center, A120, A118, or other places in the building.  Let Leigh Ann know if you have extra, or are short, and she can help you problem solve.   Here is the furniture inventory.  Please cross check it with what is in your house in case it got moved while cleaning this summer.  If you are a special program designer and need additional/different furniture, please fill out a furniture request form in Eduphoria Formspace.


LEE STAFF CALENDAR
All important events are uploaded to a shared Lee Staff Calendar.  New hires will want to add the staff calendar to your phones and MacBooks.  It will help you if you go to this link to bookmark your email on your device.  (NOT THE OUTLOOK ICON ON YOUR MAC BOOK!)  Go to "Add Calendar" above the date range and insert the link.  Here are links to help you:
HTML Link                                         
ICS Link  

TO DO FOR ALL:

• Update your Twitter and Lee Staff Website
• Sign up for your health care with our benefits department
• Complete the Schoology Form for Nancy Garvey
• Read the RJL Campus Handbook
• Complete your CISD Compliance Courses in Schoology.  

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Aug 3- New Hire Training
     Leadership Meeting (10:00-12:00 and 1:00-3:00)
Aug 4- New Hire Training
Aug 5- Professional Learning (8:00-4:00)
Aug 6- Professional Learning (8:00-4:00)
Aug 7- Professional Learning (8:00-4:00)