Week of September 28, 2020

Boy, did I think about you all day today while Samira and I attended the CISD Strategic Design Advocates. This group will be meeting (and advocating) as we continue to focus on CISD's Core Values.  We revisited all 4 values and had rich conversation with passionate people around the district.  What a "feel good" meeting.  WHY?  Because as we participated in our breakout sessions and activities, I could so easily brag about the work each of you are doing to live out these values each and every day.  You all have done so much to collectively engage your learners and their families, to demonstrate how you value authentic relationships, and each of your individual contributions is seen through great teaching.  Please know how super proud I am to be part of our incredible famiLEE and that your efforts do not go unseen!  We truly are better together!!

DID YOU KNOW:

• Coppell ISD is now on Amazon Alexa?  You can hear the audio version of Catch Up With Hunt or a daily social emotional tip from Dr. Hunt in your flash briefings.  Cool, right?!
• starting on October 1, all learners (both virtual and F2F will be provided free breakfast and lunch as part of the Seamless Summer Option program sponsored by the USDA and TDA?  Look for more information to come our way.
• you can join the Coppell Gifted Association for FREE through September 30? To join as an educator, visit the web store. If you want to know more about CGA, check out this site.
• next Friday is National Custodian Appreciation Day?  I wonder what creative ways our FamiLEE can show Israel and our night crew how much we appreciate them?
• CISD will be repainting our fire lanes on Saturday?

BOOK FAIR

Our Fall Book Fair is here, through Wednesday, and will operate virtually.  Please visit the RJL Shopping Homepage and books will be shipped right to your door.  Did you know that when you shop at the Book Fair that 25% is shared back with our RJL Library?  These funds help us buy more books and items for our library.  Please retweet our library tweets about the Book Fair to help support her program and our school library.

MAP

Educators, thank you so much for your patience and flexibility with MAP testing. Please check the calendar Fall 20-21 Lee Testing Schedule for next week’s schedule. Feel free to have your learners practice the Math session if you think it will be beneficial. Claudia and Samira will run a report to find the learners who have not completed the test. We will reach out to them and make sure that they finish it. We will schedule a time for them to work with us. Make up will be for learners who have not completed the test or were no shows. Please reach out to Samira if you have any MAP questions.

 

COMMITMENT FORMS FOR 2ND 9 WEEKS

Parents should have received a text and email from CISD regarding the new round of commitment forms for the second nine weeks of the 2020-2021 school year.  Parents only need to fill out the pre-populated form if the mode of learning is changing from their current situation.  The deadline to complete the form is September 30.  So far, we have 8 new learners who will be joining us in the 2nd 9 weeks.  I will keep you posted as the number changes. (1-1st, 5-2nd, 2-4th)

SCAVENGER "HUNT"

Have you seen the huge sign of Dr. Hunt on the front counter?  Well, we got TWO of them, so we are going to have some FUN with the other one.  Please be on the HUNT for HUNT.  If you find him, tweet where he was and find a clever spot for another to find.  Let's have some FUN! 

SOCIAL SPURS

THANK YOU to Linda for stepping in as our Social Spurs leader.  With payday tomorrow, it is a good time to contribute to your Social Spurs dues.  Social Spurs has a staff maintained fund.  This is a voluntary financial commitment by staff members, controlled by staff members.  Dues are $30 for salaried employees and $20 for hourly employees.  You may pay cash to the front office.  

CONNECT WITH COACH KHAN

Friends, please know that I have added a tab for October in the Connect with Coach spreadsheet. Please feel free to schedule a time for anything. Here are some options:

1. Small group: F2F or Virtual
2. Lesson Planning
3. MAP support
4. Find me resources
5. Schoology
6. Tech Support
7. Zoom sessions with learners
8. Lesson with my F2F kids
9. Communication with Parents (Email/Phone support)
10. I need a minute! Or 30 😉

 

Here for you!

  

COACH'S CORNER

Scaffolding a lesson and differentiating instruction are two different things. Scaffolding is breaking up the learning into chunks and providing a tool, or structure, with each chunk. When scaffolding reading, for example, you might preview the text and discuss key vocabulary, or chunk the text and then read and discuss as you go. With differentiation, you might give a child an entirely different piece of text to read, or shorten the text or alter it, or modify the writing assignment that follows. Here are some strategies that you can use even when teaching online:

1. Show and Tell: Fishbowl activity and think alouds are examples

2. Tap into prior knowledge

3. Give time to talk

4. Pre-teach Vocabulary

5. Use visual aids

6. Pause, ask questions, pause, review

[EXCELLENT SCAFFOLDER]

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK

“BRILLIANT ESL teachers scaffold instruction for their students. They know when a student needs language support to access the curriculum. They offer visuals and sentence stems. They provide students with graphic organizers and word banks. But they understand that the scaffold is not meant to be used for ever or by everyone.”

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Book Fair Week

MAP Testing Window for Lee

Sept 30-  Curbside Pick Up (11:00-1:00)

     Flex Learning 3:15-4:15

Bullying Prevention Month

Dyslexia Awareness Month

Persons With Disabilities Awareness Month

Oct 2- National Custodial Appreciation Day

     World Smile Day