Week of October 3, 2022

THANK YOU ALL FOR ANOTHER AMAZING WEEK AT LEE!  Thank you to Social Spurs for the gift cards for our custodians. Please make time to thank our custodians when you see them.  WHAT A HARD JOB!  You are doing a wonderful job preparing for your learner led conferences.  Thank YOU!

DID YOU KNOW:

• there is a WONDERFUL resource for parents through the DLC Bulb?  Please share this website with Family Resources to help support parents with their learner's at-home technology.
• you must turn your Vivatek Boards and televisions off each afternoon?  Please remember to do this to save the life of these learning tools.
• you can access who is an approved vendor on the Coppell ISD Website?  Go to Departments -> Purchasing -> Approved Vendors. 
• Parents can start joining their learners for lunch on Fridays in October.  Please share this Friday Lunch sign up form in your weekly newsletter for the remainder of the year.  October 14 is our first lunch date.

WORLD DAY OF BULLYING PREVENTION

October is National Bullying Prevention Month and the first Monday of every October is World Day of Bullying Prevention.  On this day students, schools, and communities all over the world go BLUE together against bullying.  We want you and your learners to join us to stop bullying and cyberbullying by wearing a blue shirt on Monday.

COLLEGE SHIRT DAY

Encourage learners to participate the first Wednesday of each month.

 

SPIRIT RALLY

We will host our Fall Spirit Rally on Wednesday from 2:00-3:00.  Please have learners packed up in your spaces before we call you down over the intercom.  This is a Day 7.

 

STAFF MEETING WEDNESDAY

We have had quite a few newcomers join Lee Elementary this year.  In order to support you with this growing need and number, Alex and Corinne will lead us through some learning Wednesday afternoon.  3rd and 5th Designers will also get your GT Testing Training afterwards.

EARLY RELEASE ON THURSDAY

Thursday is an early release for students.  Please remind parents and follow the schedule below!  Your duty free lunch and remainder of your conference time are whatever time you need after 12:30, so you may need a snack when your children eat lunch (if you are like me and 12:30 is late for lunch).  Thursday afternoon you can prepare for conferences, host conferences, or use as work time for report cards or other work you need to get done.  Remember 1st 9 week grades are due October 11.

Please send learners to pick up their lunches at these times.  On early release days, learners eat in their houses. 

• Blue- 10:00
• Yellow- 10:15
• Green- 10:30
• Red- 10:45
• Purple- 11:00

FALL CONFERENCES

Please make sure you are at work during normal contract hours on Friday (7:15-3:35). Document when you personally reach out to parents and they do not attend their Fall Conference.  Panorama is a great place to document.  If you don't document it, it didn't happen and our goal is to have 100% participation in learner-led conferences.  Remember...your space is a reflection of you and the learning that happens there.  While learning can get messy, Conference Day isn't the best day to showcase that!  Please make sure all spaces are on point.  Here is a slide deck and video provided from CISD if you need help explaining BOY Assessment Data to your parents. 

RESPECT AGREEMENTS

Next week starts the 2nd 9 weeks.  Please build time in your lesson design, for the week of October 10, to include time to revisit and update your respect agreements with your classes.  New copies should be sent to Leigh Ann and Angel for our discipline binder.

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

Speaking of a new 9 weeks, remember to review digital citizenzhip with your class.  Revisiting digital citizenship conversations throughout the year helps to keep a healthy digital classroom environment. Each month, Alli will be providing some ideas to keep the conversations going!

Common Sense Media is my “go to” resource as both a parent and an educator supporting children as they navigate the waters of digital learning.  They just announced a partnership with Book Creator Online and are offering 3 guided digital books - FREE!

Click here to view the books and learn more!

Which one will you implement this month? I’d love to see your digital citizens using #rjlyear9!

PARENT SQUARE

Please share this information letter with parents regarding Parent Square.  In addition, here is a Smore from Alex and Corinne for instructions on changing the language settings in ParentSquare.

  

OCTOBER IS DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH

 

Each week in October, Melissa and Angela will share videos and information to build our awareness of dyslexia.  Follow Melissa on Twitter to see what learners do in their MLI class. You can also follow the hashtag #coppellMLI to learn more about dyslexia across the district. Do you know what MLI stands for? 

 

M- Multisensory 

L- Language 

I- Instruction 

 

To learn more about dyslexia, watch this short video to see how dyslexia affects a learner’s ability to read. 

WALKTHROUGHS IN OCTOBER

For this month, we will be giving you feedback on Domain 2.4: Differentiation.  We will be looking for:

• Individualized Lessons
• Monitoring participation and performance
• Recognizing confusion and disengagement
• Addressing the SEL needs of learners
• Strategies used to meet the needs of special education and EB learners

COACH'S CORNER

Let’s collaborate! Sign up so we can work together.

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK

Give Daily Writing Opportunities. No matter the subject area you teach, have students write. Writing does not need to be a lengthy process nor must it be a ticket out (though it can be). Writing can include predictions, thoughts, reflections, comparisons, justifications, etc. Writing can also include modeling by you, sentence stems, primary language, and drawing as needed by students. 

SAVE THE DATE

DATES TO REMEMBER:

• NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
• NATIONAL DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH
• STOMP OUT BULLYING MONTH
• NATIONAL PRINCIPAL MONTH
• HINDU HERITAGE MONTH

Oct 3- Wear blue for Stomping Out Bullying

Oct 5- Lariettes Greet in the morning

     Kinder Career Day Parade (8:00)

     College Shirt Day 

     World Teacher's Day

     Spirit Rally (2:00 Gym)

     Staff Meeting (3:15-4:45)

Oct 6- Day 0 (No Team Time- Look at Master Schedule)

     Audrey's Birthday

     National Instructional Coach Day

     Early Release (12:30)

     AppleEduLeader Chat (8:00 PM)

Oct 7-  Fall Conference Day

Oct 10- NO SCHOOL

Oct 11- Grades Due 8:00 AM

RED RIBBON WEEK IS THREE WEEKS AWAY!

Week of September 26, 2022

What an amazing turn out for our Special Friends Event today.  The office did a wonderful job of greeting everyone and making them feel right at home!  The recess teachers helped manage learner guests, our custodial and cafeteria staff handled our large number of visitors, our lunch duty teachers did their very best cleaning up and keeping lunch on schedule with guests.  Holly and our volunteers rocked the Book Fair.  It takes us all on days like this.  Did you know we had almost 400 guests pre register to attend?  THANK YOU!   I think of the CISD core values, and having events like this aligns with "valuing collective engagement that positively impacts the lives our our children and our world" and  "we value authentic relationships."  The children were so excited and proud to have their guests at our school.  We recognize it is stressful on you when we have these events, so thank you for your positivity!

DID YOU KNOW:

• October 1st is Custodian Appreciation Day and Social Spurs will be presenting our custodial team 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!
• speaking of Social spurs, 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 Linda.
• that Chantel is investigating Lexia Learning to get your some resources to accompany your small groups?  They have a robust library of prescribed and on-demand lessons and supplements to help enrich instruction and close achievement gaps. 

SUPER TEACHER and GEM NOMINATIONS 

Super Teacher nominations are due, Monday, Sept 26.  GEM nominations are due by October 28. Please nominate a dedicated individual by visiting go.coppellisd.com/Recognitions.   

FLEX LEARING WEDNESDAY

We will offer two sessions on campus after school on Wednesday.  After you attend, please submit for flex credit. 

SESSION 1

Let’s spend some time being creative and DESIGN ROBOTS!  After this experience, you will be able to utilize shapes in keynote to inspire creativity. See you in Yellow 4 at 3:15pm for some Fun Flex Learning.

 

SESSION 2

CONFERENCE DAY

Please make sure that every parent gets a copy of this to accompany their MAP results in your learner led conferences.

I expect to see K-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.  

Helpful Conference Hints:

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.

• 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."

VOTING UPDATE

Just reminding you that this is a legislative year and education is at the forefront of topics. Connect with me if you need help registering.  Here are deadlines for November's election.  Your vote matters!

DLC UPDATE

📺 The technology department has let the DLCs know they are aware of some of the challenges our campus has had with Airplay on the Vivitek boards. One thing to try each day is toggling the Wi-Fi on and off on each device: iPad, Mac and board. They have asked that we continue to place tickets so they can be better aware of the scope of the issue across the district. 

👀 If you are looking for resources about using the Vivitek board in your classroom, the DLC bulb Vivitek Collection is a great place to start!.  It includes both instructional strategies for using your board for lesson design and delivery as well as additional troubleshooting strategies.  🙂

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

COPPELL GIFTED ASSOCIATION

Coppell Gifted Association is up and running!  The GT Specialists will be assisting CGA as they restructure with a new Board of Directors! 

• You can join CGA for FREE as an educator through September 30th!  It's easy, just click here!  Benefits include FREE admission to speaker events, CGA communications, and CGA scholarship opportunities for trainings!  

• Interested in attending GiftEd22 by Texas Association for Gifted & Talented this year in Houston?  Mark your calendar for November 30-December 2!  Apply for a CISD educator scholarship through CGA!  Applications are due September 23rd! Click here for more information. Come and see Ayesha if interested!

• CGA writing competition open to ALL students in grades 4-12, deadline December 2, 2022! Look for more information coming soon to your 4th and 5th grade classroom!  We need 30 judges for this competition!  No prior experience necessary!  You will be able to judge from the convenience of your home as a link will be sent to you to rank a selection of writings.  If interested, please email competition@coppellgifted.org and you will get a reply with more details.  It takes all of us working together to offer this competition to our learners, so thank you in advance!  

COACH'S CORNER

Let’s collaborate! Sign up so we can work together.

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK

Embrace and Love Them. Kids that think their teachers love them and feel they are loved for who they are, achieve more. Even if a child can’t speak English yet, they can still think and feel. A smile goes a long way.

 

SAVE THE DATE

DATES TO REMEMBER:

• NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
• FALL BOOK FAIR WEEK
• DEAF AWARENESS WEEK
• ROSH HASHANAH (SEPT 25-27)

Sept 26- AP Reading Academy

     Super Teacher Nominations Due

Sept 27- 5th Grade Birds of a Feather Lesson

Sept 28- Flex Learning (3:15-4:15)

Sept 29- LAS Meeting (Corinne and Alex off campus)

Sept 30- American Indian Heritage Day

     Spirit Shirt Day

Oct 1- Dyslexia Awareness Month

     Hindu Heritage Month

     Stomp Out Bullying Month

     National Principal Month

Week of September 19, 2022

Thank you for all of the flexibility this week.  I know it was a challenge being short on subs and changing duties.  We could not have done it without the help of so many of your stepping in.  THANK YOU!  Thank you for being the amazing staff that you are and for staying positive through the ongoing changes.  You all continue to make me SO PROUD to be your principal!  CHEERS TO YOU!

DID YOU KNOW:

• football players from CHS will be helping to greet in the morning?
• that if you have parents with concerns or compliments for CISD Transportation that they can send them HERE?
• that we will be getting wired keyboards that will plug into iPads for 2nd-5th classrooms to house in classroom as class set?
• that the Generation Genius site is back up and usable for you as of Tuesday this week? Let me know if you need the log in or password. Since my blog is public we have to keep it private.
• if you use the Bulb app with your learners on their iPad that after the first time you log in, they will continue to be logged in every time they open the app?  That's a game changer!

BOOK FAIR

Designers, don't forget that you can add items to the "wish list" boards at the Book Fair.  

HOMECOMING

Lee Elementary will participate in CISD Homecoming Dress-Up Days this week.  Have FUN!

SPECIAL FRIENDS DAY

Please sign up HERE ahead of time if you are planning to visit during Special Friends Day.  Designers, please put a rolling white board at the top of each staircase that states: Thank you for coming to Special Friends Day.  Only our Library and Cafeteria are open to guests.  

REMINDER FOR PARENTS

Please remind parents to let you know if their learner has food allergies or medical concerns.  We have had a few cases of "finding out" and we don't have the information in our clinic.  If you learn of any learners, please share the information with Annah so we can double check that parents have turned in information to the clinic.  THANK YOU!

REMINDER TO STAFF ON LUNCH DUTY

It is your responsibility to monitor the "Peanut Free" tables and to ensure that learners are not sitting there with any nut products.  This includes Nutella.  Thank you for helping to keep our learners safe.  This truly is a matter of life or death for some of our learners. 

LEANRER-LED CONFERENCE DAY

As you start to plan your fall conferences, keep in mind that October 6 is an early release day.  The half day afternoon can be used to complete your grades and comments for the first nine weeks report cards and for and any extra planning or conferring you need to do for the October 7 Conference Day.  Please send home parent sign ups, NOW, for Fall Conferences.  I would encourage you to have your air purifier next to you during these visits.   Please let our Admin Team, Angela, Jessica, or Samira know if you need us to sit in on any of your conferences.  Remember that these are LEARNER-led conferences, even for our youngest of friends.

UPSTANDER PARTNERSHIP UPDATE

Did you know CISD will continue with our second year of this partnership with the Dallas Holocost and Human Rights Museum?  There is an updated partnership database and here is information on upcoming professional learning opportunities that you can request flex credit for attending.  This company will come out and visit with 3rd and 5th grade classes this year.  Stay tuned for more information.

COPPELL GIFTED ASSOCIATION

Coppell Gifted Association is up and running!  The GT Specialists will be assisting CGA as they restructure with a new Board of Directors! 

• You can join CGA for FREE as an educator through September 30th!  It's easy, just click here!  Benefits include FREE admission to speaker events, CGA communications, and CGA scholarship opportunities for trainings!  

• Interested in attending GiftEd22 by Texas Association for Gifted & Talented this year in Houston?  Mark your calendar for November 30-December 2!  Apply for a CISD educator scholarship through CGA!  Applications are due September 23rd! Click here for more information. Come and see Ayesha if interested!

• CGA writing competition open to ALL students in grades 4-12, deadline December 2, 2022! Look for more information coming soon to your 4th and 5th grade classroom!  We need 30 judges for this competition!  No prior experience necessary!  You will be able to judge from the convenience of your home as a link will be sent to you to rank a selection of writings.  If interested, please email competition@coppellgifted.org and you will get a reply with more details.  It takes all of us working together to offer this competition to our learners, so thank you in advance!  

COACH'S CORNER

Let’s collaborate! Sign up so we can work together.

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK

Provide Access to Grade Level Curriculum. When Emergent Bilinguals have access to grade-level curriculum with linguistic accommodations and scaffolds they are less likely to fall behind academically. It’s important to remember that acquiring a language is not a deficit, but rather that a first language is an asset that can be used as leverage.

SAVE THE DATE

DATES TO REMEMBER:

• BOY GOAL SETTING WINDOW CLOSES THIS WEEK
• BOY MAP AND MCLASS WINDOW
• NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
• FALL BOOK FAIR WEEK
• DEAF AWARENESS WEEK
• CISD HOMECOMING SPIRIT WEEK

Sept 17- Sri's Birthday

Sept 19- AP Reading Academy

Sept 20- Onboarding for new staff members (3:15-4:15 Yellow House)

Sept 21- Staff Meeting (3:15-4:45 Cafeteria)

Sept 22- Special Friends Day (Recess and Lunch time)

Sept 23- Layne's Birthday

     Spirit Shirt Day

     Employee Goals Due in Talent Ed

Week of Sept 12, 2022

What a fabulous week participating in beginning of the year goal setting with some of you.  Angel, Leigh Ann and I are impressed with the thoughtful reflection and goal setting ideas you each have, and we look forward to supporting you on your journey. THANK YOU for having the growth mindsets that you do and for continuing to stretch yourselves as professionals- you deserve it and OUR KIDS DESERVE IT!  

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.   
• there is BIG news from Apple Education this week? Click here for a cup of awesome from your DLC!
• we have Reading Academies next week? Please be aware there will be extra guests in the building.
• only one house has earned SONIC from Social Spurs so far?  There is still time for your house to win, too  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 Linda through Venmo or with cash.  THANKS for your consideration!

CISD EDUCATION FOUNDATION GRANT APPLICATIONS DUE

CISD Ed Foundation grants are open through midnight September 12.  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.   GOOD LUCK!

• Get Login Credentials for LivingTree (Google Form)
• LivingTree Website

PTO MEETING

We have our first VIRTUAL PTO Meeting of the year on Tuesday night at 6:00 pm.  A Zoom link will be emailed to parents, through Parent Square, on Tuesday morning.

FLEX LEARNING

Please remember to submit for flex credit when you participate in either of these learning opportunities. We are working to differentiate learning for our staff and this week's topic is highly encouraged for ALL to learn more about the Apple Classroom app and how it will enhance your physical and digital learning environment.  There is a face to face and virtual option. 

COLLEGE SHIRT DAY- AGAIN???

Join in as ALL of CISD participates in college shirt day on Thursday.

DOT DAY IS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

If you don't want to wear a college shirt, wear some dots and celebrate Dot Day.  Here is a collaborative class book template in Pages to go along with The Dot book for Dot Day. 

PTO SPIRIT NIGHT

Foil your dinner plans and stop by the Chipotle at 8445 N Belt Line Rd Ste 130 in Irving for our fundraiser on Wednesday, September 14 from 4:00pm - 8:00pm. We're raising money to support Richard J. Lee Elementary PTO, so just show the flyer below or mention the fundraiser at checkout and they'll donate 33% of the proceeds to the cause! You can also order online/Chipotle app for pickup by using the code LL2TM4F in the ‘promo’ field before checkout. Thank you for your support!

Click here to donate to the annual house fund (online donations only please)

Click here to sign-up as a room parent volunteer 

  

BOOK FAIR

The Fall Book Fair is coming.  Please share these reminders with parents. 

 

Sign-up to volunteer at the Book Fair! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4aafa92da2f9c16-book

GTI REMINDER

Have a learner testing out of pre-assessments and you are puzzled what to do with them?  I can help…

• Put extensions/enrichments into Schoology and publish it to selected students.
• Collaborate with you to come up with a specific extension, to meet your class needs.
• Help you with small group or individual support.

REMEMBER: Extensions are for ANY learner, not just GT identified learners.

 

WALKTHROUGHS

We will beginning walkthroughs this week.  During these VERY BRIEF visits the next couple of weeks, we will specifically evaluate Domain 3.1 which is Learning Environment (Routines and Procedures).  We will look for things like the current character trait posted, learning objectives visible, learner work displayed, supplies and materials accessible to all, etc.  We can't wait to find ways to brag on you.  Please take time to review your feedback and feel free to use the communication tools in Talent Ed to follow up, if desired.  Our walkthroughs are not a "GOTCHA," they are about GROWTH. 

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. Panorama is the PERFECT PLACE to document parent communication.  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.

HOMECOMING

Lee Elementary will participate in Homecoming Dress-Up Days if your learner would like to participate the week of September 19-23.  Here is some advance notice to get your wardrobe ready.

COACH'S CORNER

Let’s collaborate! Sign up so we can work together.

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK

Engage Students in Structured Talk. Structuring talk among classmates offers emergent bilinguals the chance to discuss with peers in a routine that focuses on academic language. A Structured conversation (like QSSSA) lightens the cognitive load so students need not worry about who their partner will be, who talks first, or how to begin the conversation. Their energy is placed directly on the content.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

• BOY GOAL SETTING WINDOW
• BOY MAP AND MCLASS WINDOW
• CELEBRATE FREEDOM WEEK

Sept 11- Susie's Birthday

     TX First Responders Day

Sept 12- Scout Rally Day

     Reading Academy Cohort A

     Lee Pop Up Learning (3:15- Bethany's Room)

     Ed Foundation Grants Due by Midnight

Sept 13- Reading Academy Cohort A

     PTO Meeting (Virtual- 6:00 PM)

Sept 14- Reading Academy Cohort B

     Flex Learning (3:30-4:30)

     Lee Chipotle Night (4:00-8:00)

     Scout Night (7:00-8:00)

Sept 15- Reading Academy Cohort B

     Fall Book Fair Arrives at Lee

     MTSS Meetings during House Time