Week of August 24, 2020

WOW!  You made it through the first FULL week of VIRTUAL school.  It has brought our Admin Team much pride to check out your Schoology Courses, see the work you have designed for the children, and to read the specific feedback you are providing to your children.  Excellent work on starting those class respect agreements and firming up your virtual classroom routines. We have such INCREDIBLE learners and designers!!  We hope you are feeling strength in the togetherness, I know I am!  ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!

DID YOU KNOW:

• we want you to wear this year's Better Together shirts on Friday?  Take a picture, tweet out how you have experienced being better together, so far, this year to #rjlyear7 #BetterTogether. 
• we have outside digital access to famiLEEs that need WiFi?  If you have households that need a stronger signal, they can come up and work in our ecoPond area and access the free hot-spot WiFi for the community.
• we should not include full learner names in subject lines or emails? Please use initials due to open records.  
• Natalie has her library sign up ready to support you?  Please schedule a time.  Also our curbside service from the media center will start at Lee on September 23.
• Elementary Curriculum Night is scheduled for September 3, from 5:00-6:00?  We will work through what this will look like with Leadership on Wednesday.

SCHOOLOGY

Now that you have your Schoology Courses set up, labeled, and linked, please add Samira, Chantel, Leigh Ann as Admin to your courses. 

SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND YEARBOOKS

Any school supplies that were not picked up were delivered to your space.  Please hold on to these for your learners.  Yearbooks that were not picked up were placed in your mailboxes.  Please email your parents that you are safely holding on to these for them.  We are not scheduling another school-wide pick up time for these items at this time.

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP EMAIL

Please make sure that you include the overview of digital literacy in your Schoology lessons, next week.  Also included in the email sent out on Tuesday from CISD were links to "HOW TO" videos and other resources.  Use these instead of having to create your own, when possible.

CLEANING SURFACES IN YOUR SPACE

You will be getting a spray bottle and 1 blue microfiber cloth to help sanitize your space.  So that the disinfectant can sit on the desk surface for at least one minute before being wiped dry, it is recommended that you first spray every surface in the room (without wiping dry between) and then go back and wipe each surface dry. So, instead of spray-wipe, spray-wipe, spray-wipe, etc., the recommended pattern is spray-spray-spray, then wipe-wipe-wipe.  To ensure you have clean cloths, each day, bring your soiled cloth to the office.  It will, then, be swapped for a clean one.  Every morning, between 8am and 9am, our cafeteria staff will launder them for us.  THANK YOU, Charlene and team!

COMMITMENT FORMS

Here is a link to what our famiLEEs have committed for during the first nine weeks (now in email as copy only) as of 8/18/20.  We will start opening the conversation with Leadership about what this will look like for our campus.  If a parent wants to change their child's modality of learning, please direct them to Chantel.  We really want them to honor their commitment, but each case is unique.  If a learner is not on this list, you are to assume they are coming to school for face to face instruction.  Please use the COMMAND F function to search the list for each child on your roster.  Leadership, please bring your grade level numbers to Wednesday's Leadership Meeting.

COMPLIANCE COURSE EMAIL FROM DR. HUNT AND BROOKE SIMS

Please complete the Return To School Compliance tasks by September 18.

PARENT CONTACT
Please, by August 28, pick up the phone and call EVERY family. Tell them/leave a message sharing something special about their child from these first two weeks.  A great way to end the conversation is by inviting them to Curriculum Night.  It will pay huge dividends to take the time to do this!  It is also a TTESS Domain 4 descriptor.  Specials and specialists, please reach out to 20 learners, as well.   

INFO FOR PARENTS

Please send information about Curbside Pick-Up, the letter about room parents, and our upcoming  Spirit Night to your families in this week's newsletter.

ADMIN  VISITS

Leigh Ann, Angela, and I like to visit with each and every learner/class in the first weeks of school. Please sign up for us to be the ZOOM guests during Weeks 2 and 3.

COACH'S CORNER

Educators often try to prepare children for what to expect, but during these uncertain times, we often don’t know what to expect.  It’s important to acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers, and that things may change.  Especially during times of uncertainty, flexibility is an important aspect of resilience.  As educators, we can nurture flexibility in our children by sharing examples of times we (or they) dealt with unexpected changes in the past.  We can also focus on aspects of the situation that we can control such as establishing academic routines, engaging in self-care, and learning more about our options.  Helping our kids focus on what they can control, whether it’s setting up a place to study, finishing a Lego project, mastering homemade pancakes, or learning to write their name, can also cultivate flexibility, as well as reduce stress and boost mood.

[EMPATHIZE]

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK

The GREATEST ESL teachers are able to put themselves in their students’ shoes. They believe in their students and the students know it. They model a growth mindset so students understand that learning takes time and patience. These teachers love their students.

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Respect- showing consideration for others

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

We will often have visitors in our school. When a visitor arrives, look them in the eyes, shake hands, tell them who you are, and welcome the person to our school.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“Consideration for others is the basis of a good life, a good society” -Confucius

DATES TO REMEMBER:

August 24- Day 1 starts on our calendar

     Team Time from 2:00-2:55 for First Grade

August 25- Team Time from 2:00-2:55 for Second Grade

August 26- House Shirt with Jeans

     Team Time from 2:00-2:55 for Third Grade

     Leadership Meeting (instead of Flex Learning 3:00)

August 27- Sam's Birthday

     Team Time from 2:00-2:55 for Fourth Grade

August 28- Stephanie's Birthday

     Team Time from 2:00-2:55 for Fifth Grade