Thursday, September 9, 2021

Week of Sept. 13. 2020

It has been such a fantastic week.  What a blessing it is to have 30 minutes to dedicate to each of you for personalized time!  We are so proud of the way you have handled MAP testing with our virtual learners and for the way each of you continue to be your best self at Lee Elementary.  Our Team Times have been super productive and we thank you for the way you put kids FIRST!

We have 2nd, 3rd, Admin and Sped Reading Academies all next week, so please be aware there will be extra guests in the building.  If you are a virtual designer, remind parents that you will not have live Zooms and work will still be posted in Schoology to complete.



DID YOU KNOW:
  • safety audits will begin around the district?  Please always wear your badge/ID and close doors and turn off lights when you leave spaces.  We will have two drills tomorrow, so be prepared for some "practice."  
  • only half of our staff have participated in Social Spurs so far?  Some group is going to win SONIC drinks for themselves.  Will it be yours?  Social Spurs would love your participation as this group takes care of spreading sunshine in times of need.  You can share funds with Shanna through Venmo or with cash.  THANKS for your consideration!
  • we recognize the "little" rockers are TOO LITTLE.  We will be getting those traded out for "large" rockers.  YAY!  We will keep you posted. 
WELCOME TO THE FAMILEE


Mrs. Porter has completed 31 years in education, 11 in Coppell ISD and 8 at Victory Place @ Coppell. She has 17 years of experience in administration and earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Computer Information Systems as well as a Master’s of Education degree in Educational Administration - both from the University of North Texas. She has served as both a classroom facilitator and administrator for Victory Place. She has also served Coppell ISD as a District 504 Specialist.

 

She has been married for 24 years to her husband Clay who works in the IT industry. She has a daughter Payton who is studying nursing at TWU, a 2yr old grandaughter named Zola and a rescue dog named Annie. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, watching crime shows such as Law & Order and watching funny TikTok videos.



CISD EDUCATION FOUNDATION GRANT APPLICATIONS DUE
CISD Ed Foundation grants are open through midnight September 13.  If you submitted an application last year, log-in credentials are still valid.  This is a SUPER avenue to get items for your classroom that cannot be purchased through approved vendors.  Thank you, Priscilla, for already submitting for approval. 


DOT DAY IS SEPTEMBER 15
Natalie put together a choice board for you to use in celebration of Dot Day.  Feel free to use it however you'd like!  This resource is available to students via the library Schoology course, but you may wish to share it directly with them as well.

Here is a collaborative class book template in Pages to go along with the Dot book for Dot Day.  Use or lose.


PTO MEETING
We have our first VIRTUAL PTO Meeting on Tuesday night at 6:00 pm.  A Zoom link will be emailed to staff to share with parents, on Tuesday.



FLEX LEARNING ON WEDNESDAY
Options for Wednesday flex learning will include Math with May or increasing parent engagement through your weekly newsletters with Samira and Hannah.  Please plan to attend one of these and request your flex time at the conclusion of the training.  Thank you, in advance, to our presenters!



  
BOOK FAIR
The Fall Book Fair is coming.  Please share this reminder with parents for the next two weeks. 


GTI REMINDER

Do you have a learner who is pre assessing out of content?  If you do please reach out to me for an extension activity, or small group support! I am happy to pop extensions into Schoology for all teachers. These extensions can be used with ANY learner. 

 


PARENT COMMUNICATION
Do you keep a parent communication log?  This is a good idea for both positive and not so positive conversations.  In education: if it is not documented, it didn't happen. Also, think about picking up the phone (instead of emailing) when you have an issue that could potentially escalate.  We have a caring staff, and typically if there are issues, it is due to miscommunication.  When a parent has your listening ear and hears your voice on the other end showing concern, most problems will be solved.  Please always inform Admin if you have a "tricky" conversation.


LEEDERSHIP COUNCIL
Please remind your famiLEEs about elections this week.



RED AND BLACK SUPERSTAR NOMINATIONS

Nominations are being accepted until September 27 for the first round of the school year.  As a reminder, at the elementary level, 1 learner per grade and 2 staff members will be recognized. Each winner will receive a Super Star T-shirt, a certificate, and an eraser or stylus.  If a nominee is not chosen, they will receive a certificate with their nomination verbiage included.  Nominations will occur every nine weeks.  The Super Star program is designed to give parents and CISD staff an opportunity to recognize the dedicated and hardworking students, teachers, administrators and support staff within the district.  To submit a nomination please click on this link: Super Star Nomination Form (google.com)


COACH'S CORNER

Instructional Strategy | Movement | Four Corners

Instructions:

  1. Assign each corner of the room a preference (4 soft drinks, 4 candy bars, etc.).

  2. Students move to their favorite corner.

  3. Students then huddle in duos or trios, making sure no student is left out.

  4. Teacher poses a question, assessment item, or brief task.

  5. Students collaborate with their duo/trio members to answer the question or rehearse the skill, justifying their responses.

  6. Teacher sees and hears the students’ thinking and clarifies/verifies as appropriate.

 

Helpful Hints:

  • Instruct students to move into their corners, one group at a time, and ensure every student has a partner.

  • Allow students to preview the question/task, think through response with a supportive adult, and use thinking stems to frame responses.

 

Materials:

  • four corner choices determined

  • question, assessment item, or brief task prepared


Let me know how it goes.

Please use this link to book a time with me so we can collaborate.



ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK

Provide visual supports

Visual supports can be sketches that you create yourself on the fly or they can be google images that you pull up on a device when you realize that a student needs to see what you are discussing. Visuals also include real objects (realia) that you or students bring in to support vocabulary and concept development. Not enough can be said about visuals.


DLC UPDATE

Did you know you can embed a Pear Deck lesson into Schoology?  Students will be automatically logged in to the Pear Deck, via Schoology (no more needing to share the code) and it has the same functionality as just using Pear Deck! Click the video here to check out how! Also, September is "Peartember" in the Pear Deck world! They are giving away prizes, have great templates to share, and special edition webinars to attend and learn more about how to increase engagement in your Google Slides lessons! Ready to get started? Check out this Grammar Talk Template: Pear Deck Version.





DATES TO REMEMBER:
September 13- Ed Foundation Grant Submissions Due
September 14- Reading Academy
     Ed Foundation t-shirt and jeans
     Virtual PTO Meeting (6:00)
September 15- Reading Academy
     Grade level t-shirt and jeans
     Flex Learning (3:15-4:15)
September 15- Reading Academy
September 16- Reading Academy
September 17- Reading Academy
     4/5 Progress Reports Sent Home
     Fall Book Fair Opens

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