Week of October 26, 2026

Cheers to wrapping up another week. National Apple Day was a HIT, so thank you to Social Spurs and Linda for this mid-week treat.  Thank you, in advance, for all of your participation in our upcoming Red Ribbon Week activities and our Trunk or Treat event.  (Let's hope the wind is staying away this year!) You all are amazing! 

DID YOU KNOW:

• you can submit for flex time for attending Trunk or Treat?
• there is a possibility that our Apple Showcase will be cancelled or rescheduled?  I will learn tomorrow afternoon and will communicate as soon as I learn more.
• there is a link on Lee Links for you to get to the folder to add pictures for yearbook?  There are folders created for Red Ribbon Week, Trunk or Treat, Spirit Rally, etc.  Thank you to each of your house contributors. Let's make sure as many kids are represented as possible.
• that I learned CISD will be replacing the "necessary flooring" at Lee in upcoming projects with the 2023 Bond funds? Stay tuned for more information.
• the Fall staff Panorama survey window is open and on the staff calendar? Our Admin Team will pull learners to take their surveys to help with teacher workload.  Stay tuned for dates.  For the staff survey, you will use your staff ID as your access code.  go.coppellisd.com/Fall26StaffSurvey. The staff survey is due by November 6.
• our leaders accepted a trophy for our LEEdership Council for their service to the community last year?  Our new fifth grade leaders are pictured below and represented us well at their training at Wilson Elementary.  Thanks for joining them, Laura!  And...how about those Germ Busters on Monday?

IT TAKES ALL OF US TO MEET OUR WRITE-A-CHECK GOAL!!I

We’re past the halfway point in our Write-A-Check (WAC) campaign, but we are about one-third of the way to our fundraising goal! WAC is the PTO’s main source of funding and directly benefits every student at Lee.

Every donation makes a difference! Give today at rjlpto.org/wac to help fund the programs, resources, and experiences that make Lee special for all our learners. Wondering what your donations support? Visit rjlpto.org/whypto for a closer look.

Let’s get there together, FamiLEE!

Don't forget that by donating at rjlpto.org/wac, you are investing in all our learners.  Here are prizes available.

RED RIBBON WEEK

Red Ribbon Week is HERE! Get ready to have fun and take lots of pictures.  If you participate, you may wear jeans.  

Remember these reminders from Angela's email: 

1. We have a motivational speaker coming from Youth Equipped to Succeed on Tuesday, October 27th.  We will be in the gym for the program from 8:30-9:30. Please DO NOT record any of the presentation with your phones as this is strictly prohibited (just relaying this information).  I'll have follow up videos from the presenter that I'll share with teachers after the presentation that you can use in your morning meetings. 
2. Our kids AND teachers will have their outfits provided for Thursday! Our PTO has agreed to purchase capes and masks (they are super cute!) for our Superhero Day.  I'll send a reminder out in Parent Square so that our parents don't unnecessarily purchase these items for their kids.  
3. PTO has also purchased NEON sunglasses for Wednesday.
4. It will be important for our kids to have these items distributed on Wednesday morning (glasses) and Thursday morning (capes and masks).   If for some reason you will be out on either of those days, please ensure to add those instructions to your sub plans.  

THIS THURSDAY IS RJL TRUNK OR TREAT AND PANERA SPIRIT NIGHT

We can’t wait to see our famiLEE at Trunk or Treat this Thursday, October 29th, at 5:30 pm in the front parking lot. Learners, don’t forget to bring a candy bag or bucket!

And remember to also visit Panera Coppell before or after our event for an easy dinner that gives 25% back to the PTO! You can order online ALL DAY using the code FUND4U or purchase in person from 4-8pm and mention the fundraiser!

COMMUNITY LEARNING WALK

Mrs. Kastrounis will host a community learning walk at Lee on Thursday.  Parents planning to attend should arrive with their ID to check in at 7:45.  

Make sure that during this time your learners are engaged in small group instruction, hands-on experiences, and your class engaged in varied activities (not all doing the same exact thing).  These learning walks are a fabulous way to showcase the incredible learning in our building and also to erase misconceptions about Lee and public education.

TOY

REMINDER!!!  NOMINATIONS DUE OCTOBER 30!!!  Please take time to nominate someone in our building for this incredible honor.   If you need admin to cover your class so you can observe your nominee, to help you better answer the questions, please arrange that with us.  We are happy to help.  

• TOY Website: https://coppellisdtx.sites.thrillshare.com/o/cisd/page/teacher-of-the-year

• Nomination Criteria Website: https://coppellisdtx.sites.thrillshare.com/o/cisd/page/nomination-criteria-and-form

CIP
The 2026-2027 Lee Campus Improvement Plan goals and strategies can be found here (trying to make it easier for you all).  Each quarter the CIP must be reviewed by our stakeholders.  Leadership, please review this document in your House Meeting on Thursday and add evidence to the bullets under strategies.  Please add bullets for new or additional evidence, don't repeat.  Add your evidence in red by Friday, November 6, please and thank you.

WALKTHROUGHS IN OCTOBER

Kudos to those of you that have already had your formal TTESS observation and for others who are planning for their observations.  What awesome visits we have had so far!  For this month, we will be giving you feedback on Domain 2.5:  Monitor and Adjust during walkthroughs.  We will be looking for:

• How you adjust instruction and activities to maintain student engagement (movement, music, manipulatives, small groups and individual work, conferences with learners).

• How you address learner engagement/disengagement.

• Questioning and feedback used to check for understanding.

• How you use a variety of assessment/input from learners to gather data.

• Checks for understanding through purposeful questioning and feedback.

• The pacing of the lesson.

COACHES CORNER

No Tricks, Just Teamwork! 👻🪿

Is student behavior causing you a fright? 😱 Try this Halloween-themed brain break! Students will defend their answer by using Single Round Robin, a Kagan cooperative learning structure. Try this out in your classroom... If you dare! 👻

Give your tables a seasonal refresh with these Halloween goose Kagan mats, designed by CRE’s Abbie Ciccarelli! Grab a copy and bring a little spooky silliness to your cooperative learning routines next week!

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP

DATES TO REMEMBER:

• WRITE A CHECK WINDOW
• NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
• RED RIBBON WEEK
• PANORAMA WINDOW

Oct 26- GT Testing 

Oct 27- 50th Day of School

     Honor Choir (all day and 5:30 PM)

Oct 28- GT Testing

Oct 29- Community Learning Walk (8:00-9:00)

     GT Testing 

     Panera Spriit Day/Night 

     Trunk or Treat (5:30-7:00)

Oct 30- Little Library (10:00-10:30)

Oct 31- Happy Halloween

SAVE THE DATE!!! Nov 19- FamiLEE Feast Luncheon @ Lee

Week of October 19, 2026

Thank you for all of your thoughtful design work last Friday. I have already seen Kagan strategies in walkthroughs, drive bys and observations!!  I hope you enjoyed the long weekend and found some time to relax and recharge. We truly appreciate your efforts in completing report cards and the meaningful feedback you provided for families. As we begin the new nine weeks, thank you for taking time to revisit your respect agreements, reinforce digital citizenship, and review our school-wide expectations with learners. Your consistency and care make such a difference in setting the tone for a positive start to the quarter.  I am off on Friday, the 16th, so please see Angel with any questions or needs.  

DID YOU KNOW: 

• we talked about ADA last Friday? I shared I would add ADA descriptions for images in the blog. Hold tight on that for now. Please ONLY worry about color and fonts in displays and presentations for now- which you were already doing a wonderful job of.

• that I WANT our learners to experience and learn about the many traditions and cultures represented within our Lee community? Thank you to the classrooms, houses, and grade levels that are celebrating the various fall holidays. Your efforts help our learners appreciate diversity in meaningful ways. As you plan these experiences, please ensure that discussions remain focused on cultural traditions rather than religious practices or beliefs. (I know you know this!) Additionally, consider offering an alternative activity for any learners who may prefer to opt out of a particular celebration.

• library will start with this schedule starting on Monday? Some additional information about library expectations will be coming from me in an email before Monday.

• the window is open to nominate this year's Teacher of the Year?  We have such talent here at Lee, so please take time to acknowledge someone.  Nominations are due October 30.  Please turn them in to CK so we have time to score them with the rubric.

• TOY Website: https://coppellisdtx.sites.thrillshare.com/o/cisd/page/teacher-of-the-year

• Nomination Criteria Website: https://coppellisdtx.sites.thrillshare.com/o/cisd/page/nomination-criteria-and-form

WAC

The success of our Write-A-Check campaign depends on the energy and enthusiasm we build together! Please help us spread the word, encourage participation, and motivate learners by celebrating progress toward your class goals. DON'T FORGET TO SHARE YOUR INCENTIVE CHARTS WITH PARENTS.  Thanks to those that have already done so!

WRITE -A- CHECK FUNDRAISING IS LIVE!!
The Write-A-Check (WAC) campaign is the BIGGEST annual fundraiser for RJL PTO, and it directly benefits every single student at Lee! 100% of your donations stay right here at Lee to fund essential programs and resources throughout the year. Your contribution helps pay for things like:

• Field trip transportation and 5th Grade Graduation
• Author visits and enrichment programs
• Red Ribbon Week and FamiLEE events
• Infrastructure improvements and the School Pond & Garden

By donating at rjlpto.org/wac, you are investing in all our learners and helping the PTO make this a fantastic year for the FamiLEE!. This is our main source of funding for the FamiLEE PTO; this year’s goal is $35,000.

SOCIAL SPURS TREAT ON WEDNESDAY 

Social Spurs will be treating you to an apple nacho bar snack this week. Stop by the lounge and enjoy the fall treat on National Apple Day. 

STAFF MEETING

Julie will host a session on fun Pumpkin tech lessons in place of staff meeting for those that need 1 hour of GT flex time.

Preregister here so Julie can plan for our group. Julie will award you credit - there will be no need to submit for external flex!  Take an hour to flex your own creative muscles! We’ll play with pumpkin pop art, Halloween sticker scenes, and digital pumpkin carving using simple iPad tools. Whether you are a beginner with these skills or well versed—just come ready to experiment and have some fun together. You’ll leave with ideas you can adapt for your learners the very next week.

RED RIBBON WEEK APPROACHING IN ONE WEEK

We will participate in these Spirit Days, the last full week in October, in celebration of Red Ribbon Week. Get ready to have fun and take lots of pictures.

FROM OUR LIBRARY

SWEETEN UP RJL TRUNK OR TREAT
Mark your calendars - RJL’s Annual Trunk or Treat is back on October 29th at 5:30pm, one of our most anticipated community events of the year! We’re collecting bags of 150+ pieces of candy or small prizes to help our creative designer teams fill their trunks. Please sign up to send in a bag of 150+ pieces of candy/prizes with your learner by Friday, October 23rd. rjlpto.org/candy

FINAL CALL, TEAM LEE SPURS
Missed the original House Shirt or Winter Wear sale? Now's your chance! We have a limited amount of House Shirts & Winter Wear available in our final inventory — but once they're gone, they're gone!

Our fresh Team Lee jersey-style House Shirts are perfect for Spirit Day Fridays, field trips, House events, and showing off your Spur pride all year long. And with cooler weather on the way, now is the perfect time to snag some Winter Wear too! Grab yours before they’re gone

This is our final inventory, so sizes and quantities are limited! Shop today at rjlpto.org/spurstore. House Shirt delivery: Week of October 19, 2026

NATIONAL SANDWICH DAY AND CONFERENCE DAY

Your Admin TEAM knows just how busy you are, especially on Conference Day! We appreciate all the time, energy, and heart you pour into our learners and FamiLEEs, and we are so grateful to have you on our TEAM!  Since November 3 is also National Sandwich Day, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to treat you to lunch! Lunch is on Team Admin. Please be sure to submit your lunch order so we can have a delicious meal ready for you on Conference Day. Thank you for everything you do! We hope this helps make your busy day a little easier and a whole lot tastier! 

WALKTHROUGHS AND OBSERVATIONS IN OCTOBER

Kudos to those of you that have already had your formal TTESS observation and for others who are planning for their observations.  What awesome visits we have had so far!  For this month, we will be giving you feedback on Domain 2.5:  Monitor and Adjust during walkthroughs.  We will be looking for:

• How you adjust instruction and activities to maintain student engagement (movement, music, manipulatives, small groups and individual work, conferences with learners).

• How you address learner engagement/disengagement.

• Questioning and feedback used to check for understanding.

• How you use a variety of assessment/input from learners to gather data.

• Checks for understanding through purposeful questioning and feedback.

• The pacing of the lesson.

COACHES CORNER

October 8^th Learning District Follow-Up 

I wanted to highlight some of the big takeaways, so you have the resources all in one place. If you want to dive deeper into anything with a partner, remember your coach is here for you!

Engagement by Design: October 8th Presentation

Cooperative Learning

• How can we get 100% of the class engaged and held accountable to share their learning while speaking or working with partners, teams, and the whole group?
• Toolkit: canva.link/cooperativelearningtools

MagicSchool AI

• Use these tools to boost engagement! Apply the 80/20 rule, leaning on your professional expertise, accommodate learning experiences for intervention or enrichment

Media Tool Quick Wins

• Camera Markup: Utilize the markup feature to foster creativity and annotate images
• Video: Film Slow-Motion or Timelapse to document and analyze processes. Record video of sharing learning creatively, such as a news report, influencer reel, or documentary
• Voice Memos: Learners can share, explain, and justify their learning orally. Use the transcription icon to convert the sound into text for quick assessment and translation

LESSON IN LEEDERSHIP

DATES TO REMEMBER:

• RJL WRITE A CHECK CAMPAIGN (REMAINDER OF THE MONTH)
• NATIONAL DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH
• STOMP OUT BULLYING MONTH
• BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
• HINDU HERITAGE MONTH
• DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP WEEK
• TEXAS SAFE SCHOOLS WEEK

Oct 19- Germ Busting with LEEdership Council (9:30-10:00)

Oct 20- TEPSA Leadership Training for 5th Graders @ Wilson

Oct 21- Social Spurs Apple Bar for National Apple Day

     OPTIONAL Staff Meeting (3:15-4:45)

Oct 22- Blue House Field Trip to Arboretum

Oct 23- Jacky's Birthday

     GEMS due 

RED RIBBON WEEK IS ONE WEEK AWAY! 

Week of October 12, 2026

What a FUN time at Spirit Rally!  Thank you to all of you that joined in on the fun and games.  SO PROUD of our 325 perfect attendance kiddos.  How about those Dancing Spurs??!!  WAY TO GO!  

Thank you for being great learners at your district training on Thursday. 

I hope you have time on the three day weekend to disconnect from school and enjoy time for rest and relaxation.  Maybe go to the state fair?  LOVE TO YOU ALL!

DID YOU KNOW: 

• a new 9 weeks means reviewing your respect agreements, reviewing digital citizenship, and changing out classroom displays that have been up since the beginning of the year?
• we have a tutor (Mr. Adrian- Laura's son) coming to work 10 hours per week with fifth grade?  These hours are due to their high numbers in their classes and paid for by CISD.

UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING INFO

October 8 District PL Day Schedule
Please be sure to review the schedule again the morning of Oct. 8 to confirm your location before heading out.

If you don’t see your role listed or are unsure where you should be after reviewing the schedule, please check with your direct supervisor.

• District PL Day Hours: 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM (Lunch 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM)
• All non-exempt staff will still need 40 hours for the week.
• Campus Access: Staff will be able to enter the front door of each PL location using their district badge.
• Dress Code: Jeans and a nice top or campus shirt.
• Supplies: You will need your MacBook AND iPad. Please make sure both devices are updated and charged!

October 9 Campus PL Day Schedule (casual dress):

• Review Leadership Notes as a House (don't forget the spreadsheet for car numbers)
• Attend required ADA compliance training from CISD
• Plan for your learner led conferences and send out a schedule
• Complete report cards
• Lesson design time with implementation of 10/8 learning

NO SCHOOL FOR LEARNERS

WAC KICK OFF

You got an email from Amy on Wednesday about Write a Check kicking off.  Remember that the designers with the highest collection and participation rates get a gift card.  IF cash does come in with a learner (not preferred) please send them to the office and the office will write down the amount and class.  PTO will collect it once a week and add to your class totals.  Once your class has created your incentive chart (thanks for sending two options, Kristi), please send a copy of your chart home through Parent Square.  This was a request from our PTO meeting.  Also, please avoid "stacking" prizes.  Redeem quickly to keep motivation high.  We can do this!!

NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH WEEK

The CISD Child Nutrition Department is excited to announce that National School Lunch Week (NSLW) is next week, October 12-16th. This year’s NSLW theme is “Cafeteria Circus: Where Nutrition Takes Center Stage!”  So, step right up and join the fun as the Cafeteria Circus comes to town, featuring exciting flavors, tasty attractions, and all the important parts of a healthy school lunch!

PINK FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

Wear pink with your jeans and stop by the lounge for some pink treats on Wednesday.

FLEX LEARNING

Join us for some exceptional professional learning from our LAS team after school.  

RED RIBBON WEEK APPROACHING IN TWO WEEKS

We will participate in these Spirit Days, the last full week in October, in celebration of Red Ribbon Week.  Here are the theme days, now, so you and your families can prepare.

WRITE-A-CHECK FUNDRAISING IS LIVE

Our RJL PTO annual Write-A-Check fundraising campaign is officially underway! This is our main source of funding for the FamiLEE PTO, and this year’s goal is $35,000.

Every dollar raised goes right back into our school—supporting programs like Red Ribbon Week, Author Visits, enrichment programs, field trip transportation, and much more.

Please consider making your donation today at rjlpto.org/wac

SWEETEN UP RJL TRUNK OR TREAT! 
The Annual RJL Trunk or Treat on October 29th at 5:30pm is one of our favorite community events of the year, but we can't do it without our FamiLEE! To help support the work our designer teams put into their fabulous trunks, we are gathering candy donations for them to hand out on the big night! Please sign up to send in a bag of 150+ pieces of candy/prizes with your learner by Friday, October 23rd. rjlpto.org/candy

FINAL CALL, TEAM LEE SPURS! 
Missed the original House Shirt or Winter Wear sale? Now's your chance! We have a limited amount of House Shirts & Winter Wear available in our final inventory — but once they're gone, they're gone!

Our fresh Team Lee jersey-style House Shirts are perfect for Spirit Day Fridays, field trips, House events, and showing off your Spur pride all year long. And with cooler weather on the way, now is the perfect time to snag some Winter Wear too! Grab yours before they’re gone

This is our final inventory, so sizes and quantities are limited!

Shop today at rjlpto.org/spurstore

House Shirt delivery: Week of October 19, 2026

FROM OUR LIBRARY

LIBRARY HELPERS NEEDED
Mrs. Stout would love library helpers to help shelve books and with other small projects. Please sign up and consider becoming a regular volunteer for the library! rjlpto.org/library  For anyone shelving books, we’ve worked with Mrs. Stout to create a quick training video you can watch before your volunteer slot!

WALKTHROUGHS AND OBSERVATIONS IN OCTOBER

Kudos to those of you that have already had your formal TTESS observation and for others who are planning for their observations.  What awesome visits we have had so far!  For this month, we will be giving you feedback on Domain 2.5:  Monitor and Adjust during walkthroughs.  We will be looking for:

• How you adjust instruction and activities to maintain student engagement (movement, music, manipulatives, small groups and individual work, conferences with learners).

• How you address learner engagement/disengagement.

• Questioning and feedback used to check for understanding.

• How you use a variety of assessment/input from learners to gather data.

• Checks for understanding through purposeful questioning and feedback.

• The pacing of the lesson.

SEPTEMBER ATTENDANCE SHOUT OUT
Our campus finished September with an overall attendance rate of 97.48%! Congratulations to Blue House, our September attendance champion with 98.35%, and to 3rd grade, our top grade level at 98.05%! We also celebrated many classes that reached 13 days of 100% attendance, with Purple House becoming the first house to have every class earn their Mr. Potato Head chips! Thank you, families, for helping us make every school day count! 

LEARNER-LED CONFERENCE DAY
Please start sending home parent sign ups for Fall Conferences. (This can be worked on, on Friday)  Did you know Parent Square works for scheduling?  Julie would be happy to show you how.  Let our Admin Team, Angela, SPED, or MLI know if you want any of us to support you during your conferences.  Remember that these are learner-led conferences, even for our youngest of friends.  Thank you for supporting our campus goal and CISD's core value of collective engagement.  Here are my expectations for Lee Learner Led Conferences along with links to MAP parent letters, MAP videos, and MAP and mClass teacher resources from CISD.  Thank you, Cassie, for sharing this resource with the campus as well!

COACHES CORNER

Intentional Technology: October Imaginariums! Whether Imaginariums are already a classroom favorite or new to you, October’s collection is an opportunity to spark creative thinking! Created by Susan Maynor, Imaginariums are flexible learning activities that invite learners to imagine, explore possibilities, and build creative confidence.

Choose any page (or all of them!), use it in Pages, and adapt it to your learners and learning goals. Learners can sketch, write, and explain their ideas, then revisit their work to try a different approach.
Keep the technology purposeful: Give learners opportunities to develop, revise, and communicate their thinking. Try asking, “What else could you try?” or “How did your idea change?”

Want to get it started in your classroom but not sure where to start? Reach out, I’d love to partner with you!

LESSON IN LEEDERSHIP

DATES TO REMEMBER:

• RJL WRITE A CHECK CAMPAIGN
• NATIONAL DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH
• STOMP OUT BULLYING MONTH
• BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
• NATIONAL PRINCIPAL MONTH
• HINDU HERITAGE MONTH
• NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH WEEK

Oct 12- NO SCHOOL

Oct 13-  Grading Period 2 Begins

Oct 14-  Wear PINK with Jeans

     5th Grade TX Wildlife Visit

     Flex Learning (3:30-4:30)

Oct 15- Math Content Academy

Oct 16- Report Card Day / Grades Posted in HAC

RED RIBBON WEEK IS TWO WEEKS AWAY!