Week of October 11, 2021

Thank you for hosting parent/learner conferences tomorrow and Friday.  What a great time to build connections with your familLEEs.  I want you to know I appreciate all of your hard work to communicate the strengths and areas for growth on each child.  If a parent did not attend the conference on the designated days, please do your best to set up an alternative time/method to review data with them.  As we have data to document potential learning loss, we must keep parents informed.  

Tuesday is another first day of school for all of us.  Parents do have permission to walk their learners to your classrooms on Tuesday.  We are still not permitting guests at lunch.  I request that you please email all parents on your 2nd 9 weeks roster, on the 8th, to make sure they know who their classroom designer is and so that you know how their learner will be going home on Tuesday.  

High praise to all of you.  You make such an impact with our learners and families.  ENJOY these words from a departing famiLEE member:  

The journey that our family had with Lee was an affectionate one, an exciting one, and will be one full with sweet memories!  We honestly can't thank you and everyone enough for taking such amazing care of our two little men.  All they talk about is their teachers, friends and the school routines and facilities when they get home daily. They always discuss how kind their teachers are and how teachers share their knowledge and experiences, how polite and sweet the school staff is, and how charming and smart their Sheriff is!  Everyone is so so so awesome at Richard J Lee Elementary.  Thank you a million times over for loving both our little men and embracing them for their short journey with all of you!!!

DID YOU KNOW

• we have finalized our new arrival and dismissal plan?  Here is the link.  Thank you Hannah for taking this on and for houses working out responsibilities.
• the 2nd 9 weeks Specials schedule is attached to the RJL Master Schedule (2nd tab) now?  Please do your best to drop learners off and pick them up on time.  Our Specials ladies have to have time to sanitize between each class.  If you get to Specials early, please wait until your scheduled time.  If a class is still there when you go to leave, will you please deliver them to their next destination?
• a second lunch line will be opening up on Tuesday?  Can we get an OH YEAH!  Please help by having learners in line by classes.  Charlene has requested a line of K, 2, 4 and a line of 1, 3, 5.  If learners have a temporary badge (until the official ones arrive) this will help with learner IDs and a speedier checkout.
• for lunch for the 2nd 9 weeks, learners should sit at tables of 7, by grade, in the cafeteria?  Please make a seating chart to assist with contact tracing.  Once we no longer have to contact trace, we will go back to learner choice of seating.
• Priscilla submitted a Coppell Education Foundation Grant for Strawbees?  Please share this link with your FamiLEEs in case they would like to support her.  

SECOND FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

With it being the second first day of this year, we will give permission for parents to walk their learners to your spaces on Tuesday, only.  We will request they leave the building by the time morning broadcast begins.

Please revisit procedures and practice, practice, practice this week.  There are some learners who have not been in school in two years.  Let's keep in mind these learners have been through trauma, so you may see some behaviors that are not typical of your age of student.  Please reach out to Angela or Chantel or Leigh Ann for any help.  

REVISITING RESPECT AGREEMENTS

Please create new respect agreements with your classes for the 2nd 9 weeks.  Remember there should be FOUR quadrants: Learner to Learner, Learner to Designer, Designer to Learner, and Learner to School.  All four quadrants should have 3 to 4 bullets with short phrases (ex: be honest, hands to self, feet off furniture, etc.).  

CAMPUS GOAL

Part of our campus goal is digital citizenship.  Please review the CISD Learner Digital Orientation Lesson in Schoology.  It is imperative we review responsible use for technology and digital footprint.  Learners should NEVER erase their history.  REMIND THEM OF THIS- Admin and Designers should be checking this periodically to help learners with accountability. After teaching the lesson, have learners sign a new Digital Citizenship agreement/poster and post it by your respect agreement.

MORNING MEETINGS

Morning circles are going to help learners (and you) as we transition.  THEY ARE A REQUIREMENT IN CISD.  They provide social/emotional support in your space.  You should have a structure within the class meeting to foster authentic relationships, provide safety for everyone's voice to be heard and allow vulnerability to occur.  Class meetings build secure relationships in a safe and structured setting.  If you need "talking pieces" please see Angela or ask your learners what they want to use.  We are happy to purchase for you.  (We have plenty of rubber chickens left over from the first Spirit Rally 😊)  Don't forget you have the CISD SEL Morning Meeting curriculum document as a resource.  We reviewed at Back to School an it should be used in your lesson design.  Thank you to Nikki Hunt and her famous learners for sharing their morning meeting with me this morning.  Check it out here! (it is safe to download to watch- I also emailed it out)

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL PRACTICES

With 350 families returning to Lee for the first time, please review the arrival and dismissal practices at Lee.   Resend this document and these images in your weekly newsletters.

VIRTUAL PTO MEETING

We have our second VIRTUAL PTO Meeting on Tuesday night at 6:00 pm.  A Zoom link will be emailed to staff to share with parents, at 8:00 AM on Tuesday.

WRITE A CHECK
Write a Check starts this week.  This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, so it is imperative that you talk up this three week event with our learners so their parents will participate.  

CMSW FEEDER NIGHT

All of us are invited to attend this event at CMSW.  

DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH

Dyslexia is a reading disability characterized by the inability to read at a level that is consistent with the child's grade. Learner might know letter sounds but have a difficult time putting the sounds together to read words.  Click here to hear dyslexia experts explain and share their experiences with dyslexia, being dyslexic, and working with people with dyslexia.

RED RIBBON WEEK APPROACHING

Speaking of RED...we will participate in these Spirit Days the last week in October.   Please let our FamiLEEs know now so that they may prepare.

DLC UPDATES

As we welcome back all learners face-to-face in CISD, now is a great time to ensure that all student iPads are ready for instructional use. Here are a few steps  you can do with your learners, or have families complete at home, to clean-up learner devices.

COACHES CORNER

Happy Second Quarter!!

As we begin our journey into the second nine weeks, find time to reflect on your craft. Ask yourself probing questions and jot down your thoughts. It is also important that we give our learners time to be in solitude and reflect on their learning. Use that sacred time for yourself too. Consider reflecting on your goal or on your teaching practices. Jot down your thoughts on a journal or on your bulb. 

I bet you just said, “When do I find time to do that?” 

The answer: How about when the learners are reflecting? 

Model uninterrupted time for complete solitude and reflection. 

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


ESL UPDATES

Provide opportunities for collaborative work

Learning is social. ELs especially benefit from collaborating with other students and not just other ELs. They need to discuss, communicate, listen to, read with, negotiate, problem solve with students of all types. Groups should be fluid and flexible. Sometimes partners and other times groups. This type of setting also lowers the affective filter for ELs while allowing everyone an opportunity to participate.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Oct 11- NO SCHOOL

     Kristina's Birthday

Oct 12- Welcome back to all learners

     Education Foundation shirt and jeans

     Shanna's Birthday

     Grades Due (8:00 AM)

     CMSW Feeder Night (5:00 PM)

     Virtual PTO Meeting (6:00 PM)

     Write a Check Fundraising Begins

Oct 13- Pink RJL Cares Cancer t-shirt and jeans (Here is the link if you want to order one to participate)

     Leadership Team Meeting (3:15 Laura's Space)

Oct 15- Wear a RED shirt with your jeans to Light it Up for Dyslexia

     1st 9 Weeks Grades go home (electronically)

Oct 16- Alex's Birthday

RED RIBBON WEEK IS A FEW WEEKS AWAY