Week of September 27, 2021

What great news this week as we learned that we will only have face to face options for the second nine weeks!  I know this decision has some learners returning before the end of the nine weeks and this puts a strain on you.  THANK YOU for staying positive and seeing that relief is near!  Attitude is EVERYTHING and you continue to show us what great attitudes you have.  WE'VE GOT THIS!  Thank you for your help as we work through revisiting class lists in your Team Times, this round.  Your input is valued and appreciated.

DID YOU KNOW:

• October 1st is Custodian Appreciation Day and Social Spurs will be presenting Israel, Beatriz and Jose with gift cards and notes of gratitude? Thank you for your Social Spurs donations.  These help us be able to recognize our hard-working custodians!
• October 1 is also #NationalHomemadeCookieDay?  Keep your eyes open for an invite to participate in an optional cookie exchange.
• Pay Day is around the corner and you still have a chance to donate to Socials Spurs and get your name into the upcoming prize drawings?  Venmo or donate your cash to Shanna.
• our October 6 Staff Meeting will be replaced with Report Card work time?  I hope you find this dedicated time helpful and you can plan ahead to use this time accordingly.  Remember to add a closing with your name on K-3 report card comments for those learners who are changing houses.  Also, back up your grades JUST IN CASE!
• 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
• we got a 10/10 for staff members wearing their badges during the safety audit this month?  THANK YOU!
• Keiko needs empty water bottles for a garden project?  Please share.

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST SPUR

Welcome to our newest Spur, Davis Ray Hardy.  He arrived on Wednesday.  He and mom are doing well.  Look how beautiful he is! 

RED AND BLACK SUPERSTAR NOMINATIONS DUE MONDAY

Each designer (including Specials) should have nominated at least one learner for the first round.  You can also nominate Lee staff members.  The deadline is Monday, September 27.  Here is the Super Star Nomination Form.

PTO SPIRIT DAY/ NIGHT

Lee PTO is hosting their first Spirit Day/Night on Tuesday, September 28, at Torchy's Tacos!  Enjoy Taco Tuesday, your way all day, dine-in or takeout (online orders do not count)!  You must show this flyer for Lee PTO to get credit.  Thank you for your support!  Special Treat:  Staff, you have permission to leave campus to pick up lunch during lunch OR your conference time (if you need the extra time) if you participate in this fundraiser. 

SEL DAY

There will be no meetings after school this Wednesday.  Please use this time to address your individual social emotional needs.  You can leave when an announcement is shared over the intercom.  

CISD DEVICE PROTECTION PLAN

Don't forget the upcoming deadline for the CISD Device Protection Plan for the 2021-2022 school year.  The enrollment deadline is September 30.  This plan will replace an accidentally damaged device or accessory at no additional cost.  Read more, here. 

SUPER TEACHER NOMINATIONS 

Super Teacher nominations are due, Friday, Oct. 1.  Please nominate a dedicated individual by visiting go.coppellisd.com/Recognitions. 

CONFERENCE DAY

Thank you for sending home parent sign ups for Fall Conferences and for allowing time in your schedules for both face to face and virtual options.  I would like to see 3rd-5th graders present in their conferences.  They need to own their data, share goals, and be part of the information you share with parents.  Remember to let our Admin Team know if you need/want us to sit in on any of your conferences.  If a parent asks if they are going to another house or who their learner's teacher will be for the second nine weeks, you can let them know and also inform them they will get communication before the first day of the 2nd 9 weeks. 

Helpful Conference Hints:

Begin the conversation on a personal note instead of starting with the formal progress report.

Create a sense of common purpose.  Avoid the use of "I" or "You."  Try words like "we" and "us."

If we approach families with this mindset, we can begin seeing conferences as opportunities for collaborative inquiry about how we can best support children’s learning.

GTI UPDATE

Fall GT Assessment Window

Dates: November 1st - November 12th

Grades: 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th

 

All learners in these grade levels will be universally screened during the window. Kindergarten will be screened next semester. Assessments will take place in homeroom classes.  More information will be coming soon-Please do not publish dates to parents yet!

ANNUAL HOUSE FUND FOR PTO

FINAL PUSH!!!!  Please consider donating directly here.  If you are interested in volunteering as a Room Parent, please contact Sweetha Sammeta at swethasammeta11@gmail.com

COACH'S CORNER

Instructional Strategy | Movement |Pair - SQUARE - Share

Instructions:

1. Organize students into pairs.

2. Student PAIRS work collaboratively to answer a question, analyze an assessment item, or summarize a vocabulary word.

3. Two pairs then form a SQUARE.

4. Student pairs SHARE their response to the question or task.

5. Students may revise their original responses based on their discussions.

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

 

Helpful Hints:

• Hand sanitize before and after participating.

• Pairs work at their desks, but squares form around the perimeter of the room.

• Pair with a supportive peer and allow them to use thinking stems.

 

Materials:

• Questions or tasks 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

Offer sentence frames or sentence stems

Some students will need adapted texts. These are texts that differ slightly from the text the native English speakers may be reading. The text is less strenuous on students who are learning English yet provide them with the same content. You can find great, FREE adapted text from websites like NEWSELA.com. What I love about adapted texts is that they look very similar to the regular text so students can’t see that anyone is getting a different form of the text. ELs don’t feel singled out and no one notices that ELs are receiving text that is different.

DLC UPDATE

"Apple Classroom turns iPads into a powerful teaching assistant, helping you guide learners through experiences, see their progress, and keep them on track." Our Technology Engineers were able to batch enroll our learners using data from eSchool Plus/Pentamation. This means that when you open the Classroom app on your CISD educator iPad, you should have classes ready for you from which to select. (Note: Learners do not need to download an app! The app is only for you as an educator to use.) Click here to learn more about the amazing ways Apple Classroom can streamline your classroom management.  Reach out to your DLCs for strategies, ideas and design! 

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Sept 28- Ed Foundation t-shirt and jeans

Sept 29- Jeans and ANY shirt of your choice

     SEL DAY- NO MEETINGS AFTER SCHOOL!

Sept 30- Last day for Device Protection Plan

Oct 1- National Principal's Month

     School Custodian Appreciation Day

Oct 2- ALL CISD Compliance Courses must be completed