March 31, 2025

Thank you for a wonderful first week back from break.  It has been FUN being in so many classrooms completing your final walkthroughs.  What fun the March Madness cereal challenge has been, too.  THANK YOU, Linda for your hard work and communication.  I'm off tomorrow, so please reach out to Kat or Angel if you need anything. 

DID YOU KNOW:

• Kindergarten enrollment began last week?  If you have FamiLEEs with siblings that will be kindergarteners next year, please share this information.
• we need all classroom designers to check learner bus tags on backpacks?  If you cannot see/read their bus number anymore, please re-write it with sharpie.  If it has fallen off, please add another one.  
• (as mentioned in staff meeting and email from Angela) if you get emails of a concerning nature from a previous learner, please make sure to cc the middle school counselor and request the learner contact his school counselor?  Thank you for your cooperation.
• that it is time to review your Respect Agreements and technology expectations with our classes for the 4th 9 weeks?  This final nine weeks is not the time to loosen the reigns.  

PARAPROFESSIONAL APPRECIATION DAY

Wednesday is a day to celebrate the staff the supports all of us and all of our learners.  Please take time to thank these ladies on their special day.  We could NOT do what we do without each of you and your hearts of gold!

COLLEGE SHIRT DAY

All learners are encouraged to participate in wearing a college shirt on the first Wednesday of each month.  

SUMMATIVES
Summative Season is here!  Here is a link to sign up for this year's EOY summative times.  Please sign up for a time that works for you and matches when your appraiser is on campus.  On your day, meet us in the large conference room with your MacBook ready to AirPlay to the tv.  We have 30 minutes with each of you and can't wait for individual time to discuss all you have accomplished this year and moving forward into 2025-2026.  Calendar invites will be sent for the time you signed up for.

• Agenda we will follow for hourly employees
• Agenda we will follow for non-hourly employees

PLEASE DO NOT stress out about having the PERFECT BULB for this meeting.  I just request you have some sort of evidence that you have worked toward your goal.  We will NOT need to go through every SLO reflection question that was in the educator checklist if you can talk about your SLO with us-so BREATHE!  This is your time to get praise from us and brag about all you have accomplished this year.

FAMILEE FUN SPIRIT NIGHT TONIGHT

Tonight is the night to join us at Ground Control Las Colinas trampoline park for glow night from 6-10pm!  When purchasing your ticket onsite or online, you will choose an entry time:  6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, or 8:00pm. Your entry fee includes 2 hours of jump time from your selected start time plus a slice of pizza and a drink.  When you arrive, make sure to mention our fundraiser and have them print out your receipt!

YEARBOOK

Order your 2024-25 yearbook from Lifetouch today! Type in Richard J Lee Elementary. Yearbook ID: 13015825.

FROM THE LIBRARY- AUTHOUR VISIT COMING IN MAY

PTO BOARD APPLICATIONS FOR 2025-2026 OPEN

Join the fun and serve your community on the PTO Board for the upcoming 2025-26 school year! We have roles that will be a great fit for you, no matter how much or how little time you have to give. Click here for all the details on what to expect, the open positions, and the application form.  We’d love you to join us!

COACH'S CORNER

🔦District Resource Spotlight

RAZ-Plus Resources you should check out!

Phonics Packs

Each phonics pack provides multi-day instruction on a specific phonetic element for students who have not yet mastered word-attack skills. Instruction focuses on sound-symbol relationships in a predetermined sequence that allows students to build on previous knowledge to develop critical decoding skills through word blending, segmenting, and manipulation. Each pack includes a lesson plan, picture cards, letter cards, sound/letter mats, and practice sheets.

Comprehension Skill Packs (Interactive) 

Give students direct and explicit instruction on key comprehension skills with Comprehension Skill Packs. Each lesson plan follows the teach, practice, and apply instructional approach to support students as they build meaning from texts.

Paired Books

Promote higher-order thinking, such as making comparisons among texts, with Paired Books, which features three types of pairings: fiction-nonfiction, fiction-fiction, and nonfiction-nonfiction. Students first answer text-dependent questions about each text separately, and then about both texts combined. Answers to these questions guide student response to an overall key question. Each lesson has a graphic organizer used to record information related to each question set. Students cite evidence in support of an answer.

💎Classroom Tech Treasures 

This Canva presentation is a ready-to-go activity for you, and you can modify the template to suit your needs. Each slide has four options, and the participant decides which doesn’t belong. There isn’t just one correct answer for most, and it’s interesting to hear what object students pick and why. Have your students give their reason and participate in the lively discussions!

Which One Does Not Belong?

Presentation link                 Template link

ESL UPDATES

As a follow up from Dr. De La Isla’s presentation on TRTW Talk Read Talk Write routine from our last staff meeting, here are some ready-made templates you can add to lessons.  

Click here for a Canva template for the Talk Read Talk Write strategy.

Click here for a Google Slides template for the Talk Read Talk Write Strategy.

LEEDERSHIP TIPS OF THE WEEK

DATES TO REMEMBER:

SCHOOL LIBRARY MONTH

NATIONAL AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH

CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH

NATIONAL ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL WEEK

EOY SUMMATIVE WINDOW

YELLOW AND RED LOUNGE DUTY

March 31- Renee's Birthday

April 2- College Shirt Day

     Paraprofessional Appreciation Day- We 💗 our paras!

April 4-  National School Librarian Appreciation Day- We 💗 you, Holly!

Week of March 24. 2025

Your spaces and our school look AMAZING and I am so proud to show off our school tonight.  Our parents will be bragging about all of you!!!  HOORAY!  You made it to Spring Break.  Please enjoy taking time for yourself over the week.  Travel.  Sleep in.  Read a book.  Binge watch some TV.  Do what makes YOU happy!  You have EARNED IT! 

DID YOU KNOW:

• we will clean out the lounge fridges at 1:00 on Friday?  Please make sure you get your items so they are not discarded. We don't want any Science projects growing!! 
• you will want to set your auto replies for Spring Break?  Don't forget!
• what this means?  ENJOY the remainder of the year.

OPEN HOUSE

We are excited to host Open House tonight.  Front and rear doors will be unlocked for entrance at 5:30 PM.  This is a "come and go" event, so parents can stay as long as they need to during this hour.  Don't forget to invite parents to stop by the cafeteria to see the beautiful artwork our learners have created.  Please plan to dress professionally for the Open House event.  Thank you, Kara, for stepping into Green 1 for this evening.

COLOR RUN

Please feel free to wear warm ups or shorts for the Color Run.  Sonic drinks will be delivered from PTO (thank you Angel and PTO).  We will make an announcement when they are ready for you to pick up in the teacher's lounge.  Thank you ALL for your support and participation!!

PLEASE SHARE WITH PARENTS:  Our learners may have crossed the finish line on Friday, but there’s still time to donate!  The House Class competitions are open through Spring Break, closing on Sunday, March 17th!  Visit bit.ly/RJLColorRun to donate.  Proceeds directly fund Field Day, with all remaining funds going to our PE department!

NO SCHOOL

There will be no school March 17-21.  See you back safely on March 24.

STAFF MEETING

During Wednesday's staff meeting, we have built in time to work on your SLO artifacts and updating your Bulb to be prepared for EOY Summative meetings.  Thank you to the learning coaches for being there to assist where needed.

YEARBOOK

Order your 2024-25 yearbook from Lifetouch today! Type in Richard J Lee Elementary. Yearbook ID: 13015825.

PTO MINUTES

Thank you as well to those who joined our virtual PTO meeting this past Tuesday. If you were unable to join us, you can catch up on all the information discussed by reviewing the meeting minutes here: https://rjleepto.membershiptoolkit.com/pto_meetings

FROM THE LIBRARY- AUTHOUR VISIT COMING IN MAY

SAVE THE DATE FOR A FUN FAMILEE EVENT

This may sound far away, but mark your calendars now since this is the Friday after we come back from spring break! Please save the date to join us at Ground Control Las Colinas trampoline park on the evening of March 28th for glow night! We hope this will be a great time for the kids to hang, but also for the adults to get to know each other!

 
You can buy tickets for entry from 6-8pm on the hour or half hour onsite or online! If you purchase online, when you arrive, make sure to mention our fundraiser and have them print out your receipt!

LEEDERSHIP TIP OF THE WEEK

DATES TO REMEMBER:

GREEN AND PURPLE HOUSE LOUNGE DUTY (March)

TEXAS HISTORY MONTH

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

March 24- Spirit Rally 2:00

March 25- Report Card Grades Due (8:00 AM)

     4th Grade Field trip to Stockyards

March 26- Reagan's Birthday

     Staff Meeting (3:15 Cafe and Library)

March 27- Blue House Field trip to Kidzania

     Youth Art Month Ceremony

March 28- Report Cards in HAC

     Chantel off

Week of March 10, 2025

One more week and Spring Break is HERE!!!  Thank you for all you are doing to get your learning spaces set up for Open House.  It is a HUGE deal to have parents in the building and there is so much learning to showcase.  Please make sure all extra furniture is moved out of your spaces and that collabs are as organized as your learning spaces.  We've GOT THIS- there really is NO PLACE LIKE LEE!  I am off on Friday, so please get with Angel and Kat for your needs.

DID YOU KNOW:

• our tour was blown away today with how engaged your learners were and how you use your spaces?  We saw and heard great teaching everywhere we visited.
• as we approach the testing season, it is crucial to ensure that all iPads are updated to the latest operating system? Students with iPads that are not up-to-date will receive a notification via a red wallpaper and lock screen with instructions on how to update their iPad. If staff or students need help updating iPads, please reach out to your campus tech.
• gum has been found in two spots of our carpet? Please only permit gum if it is an accommodation approved by Admin.  THANKS!
• if you need to call 911 it is best to use your cell phone? Teams and school phones will delay response time.

PTO MEETING REMINDER

Please join us for our next PTO meeting on March 11th at 6pm. Link will be shared via ParentSquare next week.*Note that we are transitioning to Google Meet starting with this meeting as it is a free benefit with our Google Workspace for Nonprofits

OPEN HOUSE

We are excited to host Open House next week.  Front and rear doors will be unlocked for entrance at 5:30 PM.  This is a "come and go" event, so parents can stay as long as they need to during this hour.  Don't forget to invite parents to stop by the cafeteria to see the beautiful artwork our learners have created.  FamiLEEs can purchase artwork and take it home or purchase it early here.  All proceeds from the Art Show go back to our Art program.  Please plan to dress professionally for the Open House event.

COLOR RUN FOR PARENTS

Only one week left before the RJL Color Run!  Visit bit.ly/RJLColorRun for more details, to donate, and to register to run or throw color at your learner's race.  The donation deadline for the fundraising prizes that will be awarded on race day is 10pm on Thursday, March 13th.  Proceeds directly fund Field Day, with all remaining funds going to our PE department!

COLOR RUN FOR STAFF

Please feel free to wear warm ups or shorts for the Color Run.  Sonic drinks will be delivered from PTO (thank you Angel and PTO).  We will make an announcement when they are ready for you to pick up in the teacher's lounge.  

NO SCHOOL

There will be no school March 17-21.  See you back safely on March 24.

REMINDER ABOUT SAFETY PROTOCOLS

A friendly reminder that you are required as a mandated reporter to call CPS within 48 hours.  In addition, if you see or hear of any threats to self or others that you bring it to campus administration attention immediately.  

YEARBOOK

Order your 2024-25 yearbook from Lifetouch today! Type in Richard J Lee Elementary. Yearbook ID: 13015825.

MARCH MADNESS AT LEE ELEMENTARY

Join in the March Madness!  Stop by the lounge each day, starting Monday, and sample the daily cereal flavor to vote on.  We will see who is the winner at Lee Elementary in 13 days.  Thank you, Social Spurs, for sponsoring the taste test and to Linda for designing the bracket and event!

COACHES CORNER

Have you tried the Lead4ward app? It is waiting for you in manager to give you some quick formative assessments with little to no prep. It comes with:

• 26 Quick check ideas (all with instructions, and thinking goals. 

• 14 thinking protocols, each with sentence stems and thinking stems

• A whole collection of resources from TEKS snapshots to Virtual dice. 

Check it out, and let your learning coach know which resource you are most excited about.

ESL UPDATES

LEEDERSHIP TIP OF THE WEEK

DATES TO REMEMBER:

GREEN AND PURPLE HOUSE LOUNGE DUTY (March)

TEXAS HISTORY MONTH

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

COLOR RUN FUNDRAISING WINDOW

March 9- Daylight Savings Time

March 11- Curtis TOY Observation and Interview (11:00-12:00)

     Virtual PTO Mtg. (6:00)

March 12- Leadership Meeting (3:15)

March 13- Andrea's Birthday

     Ellison's Birthday

     Open House (5:30-6:30)

     Art Show (5:30-6:30)

March 14- Color Run

     Brian's Birthday

     Maria's Birthday

     Pi Day

     GEMS due

     Last Day of 3rd 9 Weeks

March 15- Linda's Birthday

March 17- St. Patrick's Day

March 17-21- SPRING BREAK

March 18- Tara's Birthday

Week of March 3, 2025

You are almost there!  Two more weeks until Spring Break!!!  Thank you for all you are doing to get your learning spaces set up for Open House.  Don't forget to start tidying up the design studios too.  It is a HUGE deal to have parents in the building and there is so much learning to showcase.  Enjoy the beautiful weather!

DID YOU KNOW:

• Ramadan is here starting Friday night? Please make sure to be sensitive to learners who may be fasting or need a place to pray.  Campus Admin can help you if you need guidance.
• we have guests in the building, on Monday, to see the great teaching in Reagan and Rikki’s spaces?  I'm letting you know in case guests "bleed" out into the building.  There is an AM group and a PM group.
• Super Teacher nominations are due March 6, and GEM nominations are due March 22?  Please nominate some dedicated peers. 
• we have a community event in our lounge this week?  Special needs learners from CHS will be hosting a parent meeting with coffee in our lounge.  They will be wrapping up for our first staff lunch time.
• that a chef's hat, called a toque, traditionally has 100 folds, with each pleat. The number of pleats in a chef's hat used to indicate the chef's skill and knowledge. For example, a chef with 100 pleats might know 100 ways to cook an egg. You're welcome!

NATIONAL SCHOOL BREAKFAST WEEK

It’s no secret that eating a nutritious breakfast helps our learners start the school day off right!  Next week, March 3-7th, is National School Breakfast Week!  All week long our cafeterias will be featuring new and exciting menu items.

MARCH MADNESS AT LEE ELEMENTARY

Join in the March Madness!  Stop by the lounge each day, starting Monday, and sample the daily cereal flavor to vote on.  We will see who is the winner at Lee Elementary in 13 days.  Thank you, Social Spurs, for sponsoring the taste test and to Linda for designing the bracket and event!

SCHOOL PICTURE DAY

Tuesday is staff and class picture day.  Please plan to be here by 7:05 for our staff photograph in the cafeteria at 7:10.  Immediately after arrival, we will start calling your classes down for pictures according to our lunch schedule (feedback from Leadership Team). Blue...that means hold off on watching morning broadcast until after your pictures, because your groups will start right at 7:45.  It is imperative you drop what you are doing and hustle down to the cafe, so we can try to get learners through before their recess time. Please line your learners up from shortest to tallest before coming down and have their name badges clipped on their back to assist photographers.  Don't forget to include your PA and AL learners in your class pictures.  Lastly, remember that lunch is in your spaces, this day, as the photographers may need the entire cafeteria.  We will make sure custodial brings you trash cans.

COLLEGE SHIRT DAY

Wednesday is College Shirt Day.  Encourage learners to participate by wearing a college shirt on the first Wednesday of each month.  

LEE COLOR RUN

FamiLEE!  Only two weeks left before our Color Run, with all proceeds going to the PE Department, and 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 prizes their classes are working towards! 

SAVE THE DATE

We are excited to host Open House next Thursday, March 13.  During this event you can also shop our annual student art show in the cafeteria.  All proceeds from the Art Show go back to our Art program.  

YEARBOOK

Order your 2024-25 yearbook from Lifetouch today! Type in Richard J Lee Elementary. Yearbook ID: 13015825.

ESL UPDATES

Here is the February ESL/Bilingual Newsletter

COACH'S CORNER

💡Instructional Idea to Try!
Ever wonder how to decrease your grading load? TCEA shared this resource on how to harness the power of Peer review effectively. Check out this resource. 

 
Science Academy participants learned about discovery trunks. Click here to explore more and reserve a trunk for your grade level.  Discovery Trunks - Texas Wildlife Association

LESSON IN LEEDERSHIP

DATES TO REMEMBER:

GREEN AND PURPLE HOUSE LOUNGE DUTY (March)

COLOR RUN FUNDRAISING WINDOW

NATIONAL SCHOOL BREAKFAST WEEK

EDUCATIONAL DIAGNOSTICIAN WEEK

March 4- Staff Picture (7:05 AM)

     Spring Picture Day (cafeteria)

     Eat in Houses for lunch so we can conclude pictures

March 5- Laura's Birthday

     College Shirt Day

     LEEdership Council Meeting (9:00)

     Community Event in our Lounge

     Super Teacher Nominations Due

March 6- MTSS Meetings (Conference Time)

     Yellow House Music Performance (2:00 and 6:30)

March 7- Keiko's Birthday

     Economics Fair (Third Grade)

March 8- Good luck at the Spelling Bee Ishaan