Week of February 24, 2025

What a week!  Monday off, sub zero weather, school-wide presentations!  It was a busy "short" week!  We hope you enjoy your new Lee mugs to thank you for all of your hard work with attendance.  Angel did such a great job designing them!  Enjoy the extra time tomorrow as the second part of your attendance incentive award.  

DID YOU KNOW:

• Super Teacher nominations are due March 5, and GEM nominations are due March 14?  Please nominate some dedicated peers.  
• that Curtis will be recognized at Monday night's Board Meeting?  If you plan on supporting Curtis, please join us in the lobby of the Admin Bldg. at 5:30 PM.  
• we have a new paraprofessional working with one of our learners in Rikki's and Aparna's classes?  Her name is Zoie.  Please welcome her to our famiLEE!
• we have the 1st Grade Fairy Tale Ball happening on Wednesday?  If you want to see the cutest little fairy tale characters, please line the circle for the Fairy Tale Parade to start at 2:45.
• Dr. DeLaIsla will be back for our staff meeting on Wednesday?  Thanks, in advance, for being such great learners!
• we have not had reminders for positive home communication lately?  I would encourage an email or picture or phone call home praising your learners.  Don't forget to document it in Panorama.  Apply for flex if you spend time after school on this task!  I cannot stress enough how grateful our parents were that got 100 Day of School calls.

FABULOUS FRIDAYS IN FEBRUARY

We think you are the "BALM!" There will be a special treat in your mailboxes Friday morning.  We appreciate you so much!  

The fridge will also be stocked with drinks, this Friday, thanks to Linda and Social Spurs funds.  

You will be getting a "room service" card in your mailbox for next Friday's special delivery.  Please fill it out and leave it in your mailbox so we can pull them to make your special delivery.  If it is not filled out by Wednesday, we will not be able to make it a customized delivery.

TELPAS TESTING

Thank you to everyone for your flexibility on Monday and Tuesday.  I know that Angel and Kara have worked diligently to make this as smooth as possible these two days.  We will give you opportunities for feedback at our next Leadership Meeting. Once again, THANK YOU!

SAVE THE DATE!  LEE COLOR RUN COMING SOON

Fundraising is LIVE for our annual Color Run, with all proceeds going to the PE Department, and, of course, one of our learners' favorite events of the year, FIELD DAY!!  Visit bit.ly/RJLColorRun for more details, to donate, and to register to run or throw color at your learner's race.  Ask your learner about the awesome prize incentives their classes are working towards. 

Also, PTO will gift the top designer in each house $50 in classroom supplies (of their choice) from Amazon (PTO will order on your behalf). And PTO will provide Sonic drinks for the entire staff on March 14.

YEARBOOK
It's that time of the year!  Order your 2024-25 yearbook from Lifetouch today! Type in Richard J Lee Elementary. Yearbook ID: 13015825.

COACH'S CORNER

🔦District Resource Spotlight

SLO Student Body of Evidence #4 is due February 28th.  Please reach out to a Learning Coach to schedule a time to partner on getting your body of evidence pictures uploaded to the learner’s BULB.

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK

Please share this reminder with your parents.

TELPAS Logistics for Teachers:  

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14fzqT4w5btOxIuHOt_gOU7dTmyqN_B5_3NU86eXLT20/edit?usp=sharing

 

LEEDERSHIP FOR THE WEEK

DATES TO REMEMBER:

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

NATIONAL DENTAL HEALTH MONTH

CTE APPRECIATION MONTH

TELPAS TESTING WINDOW

COLOR RUN FUNDRAISING OPEN

February 24-  TELPAS Testing (L/S)

     TOY Reception (5:30 Admin Bldg.)

February 25- TELPAS Testing (R/W)

     Stormi's Birthday

     2nd Grade Star Watching Party (6:00)

February 26- 5th Grade TWA Scavenger Hunt

     Fairy Tale Ball (2:00)
     Fairy Tale Parade (2:45)

     Staff Meeting (3:15-4:45)

February 27- Green and Red Houses to Kidzania

Week of February 17, 2025

Happy Valentine's Day (a little early).  There is NOTHING like Valentine's Day in an elementary school.  All the boxes, valentines, candy, chocolate, and flowers.  SO MUCH FUN and SO MUCH LOVE TO SPREAD AROUND!  Have fun with your kiddos.  Friday is going to be an awesome day of learning, work, and FUN- I can't wait.  ENJOY your three day weekend! I hope you and your loved ones enjoy some special time together.

DID YOU KNOW:

• some of you are missing out on some extra money on your paycheck?  If you are tutoring, please remember to turn in Extra Duty Pay sheets before the end of each month. You earn $25 for every hour your tutor.
• the Book Fair will be open during and after the party?  Look out- Chantel is manning a register!!
• this is the schedule for Thursday?  Thank you, again, for eating lunch in your houses.  Trash cans are delivered, and we will call you down to the cafeteria over the intercom, by grades, for the performance. 

BREAKFAST ON FRIDAY

Please join us in the lounge on Friday morning at 8:00.  We sure love you a waffle lot and can't wait to treat you.

FRIDAY PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DAY

• Overview: The day will begin with a waffle bar in the lounge starting at 8:00 am. We will end our day at 3:30 pm.
• Lunch on Your Own: Enjoy the flexibility to choose where and what you'd like to eat. Don't want to spend $, our lounge is always an option.
• Attire: Dress comfortably for a day of active learning.  Sneakers are a MUST! 
• What to Have Ready: Fully charged Mac.  If you have pickleball paddles, please bring them.

NO SCHOOL

Although we have professional learning on Friday, please communicate to learners and parents that they do not have school on Friday and Monday.  Enjoy your Monday off!

LEEDERSHIP COUNCIL SALE ON WEDNESDAY

LEEdership Council will sell bubble wands for one dollar on Wednesday.  Please share with your famiLEEs. 

FLEX LEARNING WEDNESDAY

ONCOR PROGRAM ON THURSDAY

Please follow this schedule for Thursday's presentations.  Thank you, Kristi, for working on the schedule as part of your internship.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

2nd Grade is throwing a Star Party for 2nd graders and their families on the evening of Thursday, February 20th.  We are looking for 7-10 volunteers to help us man the stations at the event from 6:00-7:30PM.  We will have an inflatable planetarium, craft stations, space-themed math connections, and an out-of-this-world scientific photography gallery.  All activities will be pre-planned and materials provided, we just need help with facilitating.  2-3 flex hours will be given to those who sign up.  Please reach out to a 2nd grade designer if you are interested in helping out!

RECOGNIZE A PEER

Super Teachers Know a star educator who demonstrates the qualities above? Nominate them for Super Teacher recognition by March 5. Learn more about what makes a teacher a Super Teacher by browsing the "Looks Fors" at visiting www.coppellisd.com/page/super-teachers.  Nomination form here.  Great Employees Matter (GEMs) The GEMs program seeks to recognize outstanding employees who serve the mission and core values of the Coppell Independent School District in a manner that exceeds job and salary expectations. Nominate a GEM in your school by March 14. Learn more about the program at www.coppellisd.com/page/great-employees-matter.  Nomination form here.

FABULOUS FRIDAYS IN FEBRUARY

COACH'S CORNER

🚨Timely Reminders:

• All K-5 educators: 

• We are still in the MAP/mClass assessment window until February 28th.  New learners that enroll should be assessed as soon as possible.

• Later this month the district will let us know when to send home MAP & mClass parent reports.  

💎Classroom Tech Treasures 

Are you having trouble with student BULB submissions?  

Here is an infographic that may help!

If you have questions, I would love to pop by your space and go through it with you.

* If you have already assigned your page to the group and students have worked on their page and submitted, you can skip to step 3 - "Now…Where Is It?"  

LESSSON IN LEEDERSHIP (pick one)

DATES TO REMEMBER:
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
NATIONAL DENTAL HEALTH MONTH
CTE APPRECIATION MONTH

MAP & MCLASS WINDOW

February 17- National Random Acts of Kindness Day

     Bad Weather Day- NO SCHOOL

February 19- LEEdership Council Sale (before school)

     Flex Learning (3:15)

     TELPAS Calibration (3:15)

February 20- ONCOR Electric Safety Presentation

     2nd Grade Star Party (6:00 PM)
February 21- Cathy's Birthday

     School Supply Lists Due to CK
February 22- Mayra's Birthday

     Kat's Birthday

     Joy's Birthday

Week of February 10, 2025

How is it that Open House is a little over a month away?  That means- Spring Break, too!  You all have hung in there this week with all of the sickness in North Texas.  Thank you for helping each other out in your houses and grades.  Stay well!  I'm off tomorrow.  If you need anything Kat and Angel have you covered. 

DID YOU KNOW:

• Dr. Hunt says we can wear jeans from February 10-14?  You know what that means!!!
• Jacky and Audrey need all the pictures you can share for yearbook?  Please add them to the folders here: 

• we were recognized as a 2025 Certified School of Kindness?  Thank you, all of you, for your work to bring the Great Kindness Challenge to life each year.

• one of our former Lee Spurs, Ishitha Mallidi, is competing in this weekend's wrestling tournament at CHS arena?  Ishitha is a junior who has been wrestling since middle school. She previously qualified for state her sophomore year, on top of maintaining solid grades in advanced classes. She recently became district champion last week and helped her team win the district title. She has even competed nationally, becoming an All-American at last year’s Folkstyle National Championships.  How cool is this?

FOOTBALL FIESTA FRIDAY

Thank you, Social Spurs, for helping to organize our Nacho Bar.  Thank you to all of the houses for all the other "fixin's" to help feed the whole "team."  

BOOK FAIR

Our Spring Book Fair is here.  Please give permission for learners to come down when Holly communicates with you.  The Book Fair will be open on Valentine's Day during the Valentine Party. Create your e-wallet here.

PTO MEETING ON TUESDAY

Save the date! Our next Virtual PTO Meeting is coming up on Tuesday, February 11th, at 6pm. Tune in for key updates from the Lee administration and your PTO team. A link to join will be emailed prior to the meeting. We can’t wait to see you there!

VALENTINES DAY

Thursday is going to be a fun-filled day with a school wide program (Patrol Stories) in the cafe/gym at 2:00 and Valentine Parties at the end of the day.  Do you have any learners who need valentines?  Please get with Angela.  The day's schedule is below and is also on our Master Schedule document.  We KINDLY ask that all houses eat lunch in their houses, on Thursday, so that we can get the cafe prepped and our program can get set up. 

FABULOUS FRIDAYS IN FEBRUARY

FRIDAY PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DAY

• Overview:  The day will begin with a waffle bar in the lounge starting at 8:00 am. We will end our day at 3:30 pm.
• Lunch on Your Own: Enjoy the flexibility to choose where and what you'd like to eat.  Don't want to spend $, our lounge is always an option.
• Attire: Dress comfortably for a day of active learning.
• What to Have Ready: Fully charged Mac, iPad, and Apple Pencil

NO SCHOOL

Although we have professional learning on Friday, please communicate to learners and parents that they do not have school on Friday and Monday.  Enjoy your Monday off!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

2nd Grade is throwing a Star Party for 2nd graders and their families on the evening of Thursday, February 20th.  We are looking for 7-10 volunteers to help us man the stations at the event from 6:00-7:30PM.  We will have an inflatable planetarium, craft stations, space-themed math connections, and an out-of-this-world scientific photography gallery.  All activities will be pre-planned and materials provided, we just need help with facilitating.  2-3 flex hours will be given to those who sign up.  Please reach out to a 2nd grade designer if you are interested in helping out!

COACH'S CORNER

Here is the Explore Learning Google folder for more resources. You can find lesson planning support and more! Laura Maisel (who did our training) really recommends using the Facebook pages for Reflex and Gizmos supplemental information. *K-2 designers: We will reschedule your Science4Us training soon.

‘RAZ News You Can Use’

 eTool Tips

Retell Practice

Use the microphone to practice retelling.  Have students listen or read the story and record themselves giving a retell of the story.  Go to the In Basket to listen to their retell.

 

Finding Textual Evidence

Have students use a highlighter to go back to the story to highlight textual evidence to support a response to a quiz question.

 

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Grades K-2

Phonics Lessons

Teach effective phonics using explicit, systematic instruction and practice.  Manipulatives in each lesson provide small group and learning center manipulatives for intentional practice.

 

Grades 2-6

Close Read Packs

Help students think critically to uncover layers of meaning within a text and deepen comprehension as students collaborate to answer Key Questions. 

(active engagement, differentiated resources, and intentional practice)

ESL UPDATES

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP

DATES TO REMEMBER:

BLACK HISTORY MONTH
NATIONAL DENTAL HEALTH MONTH

CTE APPRECIATION MONTH

SPRING BOOK FAIR WEEK

February10-  Upstander Presentations for 3rd and 5th Grades

     Kinder Dentist Visit (Cafe 2:00)

February 11- Amirtha's Birthday

     Progress Report Grades Due (8:00 AM)

     Virtual PTO Mtg. (6:00)

February 12- 5th Grade Visit from CMSW (8:30 Cafe)

     Leadership Mtg. (3:15)

February 13- Day 0- Alternate schedule

     Patrol Stories Program (1:00)

     Valentine Parties (2:00-3:00)

February 14- Valentine's Day

     Campus Professional Development (8:00-3:30)

February 15- Bethany's Birthday

February 17- Bad Weather Day- NO SCHOOL