Thursday, November 5, 2026

Week of November 9, 2026

What a great week at Lee! I want to give a HUGE shoutout to our Team for the incredible job you did with learner-led conferences! Watching our learners take ownership of their learning and proudly sharing their growth with their FamiLEEs is exactly what makes Lee so special. Thank you for the time, preparation, and heart you poured into making these experiences meaningful! 

A few quick reminders: I will be at Sky Ranch Wednesday through Friday next week. Also, here's a little incentive… complete your staff Panorama Survey, and you can enjoy a JEANS DAY on Monday! Your feedback matters, and I hope this little treat adds some sweetness to your week!

Finally, wishing a very Happy Diwali to all who celebrate!  May this season bring light, joy, and happiness to you and your families.

DID YOU KNOW:

  • when a SECURE drill is initiated, you bring your kids inside, business continues as usual, and you take attendance in Raptor? You do not need to pull your shades. (This is only for a lock down.)  Reminder: You can always look at the back of your badge to remember what to do. Well done, Megan, for safety first when there is an animal on the playground. Thank you, Julie, for taking the dog to the animal shelter. (You are nuts if you think I am putting a stray dog in my car!) Thank you, Thames and Buchanan for keeping the dog calm while waiting. Thanks, Angela, for keeping everything calm and communicated. As you saw your computers and Newline boards will post alerts.
  • we have four Coppell ISD Ed Foundation grants live?  Best wishes to May, Julie and Priscilla!  Here are links to their grants: 

LEEDERSHIP COUNCIL AND SQUISHY SALE
Our LEEdership Council will be selling $2.00 highland cow squishys on pencils TOMORROW. Please allow them to come down to the front entrance when they arrive at school. 



THANK YOU
The PTO officially closed our annual WAC fundraising campaign this past Sunday. Together we raised $29,819.32 with 65% of families participating. Your generosity helps bring enrichment programs, classroom support, and special opportunities to life for our learners. We are SO thankful for your continued partnership and can’t wait to see the impact unfold throughout the school year!

VETERANS DAY
As Veteran’s Day approaches, we would like to honor and recognize the brave men and women who have served our country. We invite anyone who has served in the military—or has/had a family member who has served—to share a photo and information about them so we can include them in our Veteran’s Day recognition wall. If you would like to participate, please send the following information with your picture:
  • Name of Veteran
  • Branch of Service, Rank, and Dates of Service (if known)
  • Name/House/Grade of learner
  • Relationship to learner
Please send your submissions to rkazebee@coppellisd.com by 11/10. We are excited to celebrate and honor our heroes and share their stories with our community. Thank you for helping us recognize the sacrifices and service of our veterans.



VIRTUAL PTO MEETING ON TUESDAY
Mark your calendar! Our next virtual PTO Meeting is this Tuesday November 10th, at 6:00 PM. Join us for exciting updates from your PTO and RJL Admin Team

Link to post Questions : Have a question for the PTO or RJL Admin Team? Submit it anonymously before the meeting by visiting rjlpto.org/rjlspeaks.

Meeting Link : Will be emailed Tuesday morning through Parent Square.



WORLD KINDNESS DAY
Friday, November 13, is World Kindness Day.  We can't wait to see how our learners spread kindness.  If you have a KIND shirt, join in on wearing it on Friday.  We will also celebrate kindness in January with the Great Kindness Challenge.




HELP WITH CARLINE DUTY ON 11/17
As part of our giving to our wonderful staff during the holiday season, please sign up to help with drop off on November 17th from 7-7:40am to allow our designers to enjoy their Thankful Breakfast hosted by RJL PTO. You'll help open car doors, manage the sidewalk traffic, and get kids in the door with a great start to their day!



FAMILEE FEAST IS NEXT WEEK
FamiLEEs are invited to have a Thanksgiving Feast Lunch on November 19.  This lunch will be in place of FamiLEE Friday lunch this week. Parents can Sign up here.  



SPUR SPIRIT WEAR AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME
Winter is coming, and it’s time to bundle up in Spur style! Our all-new winter wear is here — including the brand-new RJ hoodie in two classic school colors. With cool days and fun field trips ahead, now’s the perfect time to stock up on school spirit.

🧥 Early Bird Special: Pre-order your hoodie by November 10th for an exclusive discount!
All pre-orders will be ready for pickup by December 10th.
⚠️ Inventory and size availability can’t be guaranteed after November 10th, so don’t wait!
This is the final opportunity to order spirit wear for this school year. Order today: rjlpto.org/spurstore



COACHES CORNER
Cooperative Learning Strategy of the Week: Class Line Ups (Kagan 9.9)

Looking for a quick way to build classroom community or reinforcing content? Line Ups get students moving, talking, and thinking as they arrange themselves in a specific order.(Page 9.9 in your Kagan Cooperative Learning Book)

Class Building
For class building, students can line up by birthday month, shoe size, number of pets, number of buttons, or based on opinions (for example, from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree"). 

Content Learning
For content learning, students might order numbers, fractions, or decimals; sequence historical events; alphabetize vocabulary words; or arrange story elements and procedures in the correct order.

Bonus tip: Once students are lined up, have them "fold" or "slide" the line to create instant partnerships for discussion, reflection, or peer coaching.

Line up with The Leaf Thief! Try this classroom-ready Line Up activity using The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming.


Give pairs of students a story event card. Students work together to place themselves in the correct sequence of events, then explain how they know their card belongs in that spot. Once the class agrees on the correct order, fold the line so students are paired with someone across from them. Partners then discuss a comprehension question such as:


WALKTHROUGHS IN NOVEMBER
This month we will give you feedback in Domain 3.2 Managing Student Behavior.  We will be looking for:
  • Routines that are clearly communicated and reinforced
    • educator responds to off-task behavior respectfully
    • proximity control and awareness of classroom
  • Smooth and timely transitions
    • use of attention signals
    • respect from learners toward teacher, peers, and materials
  • Students managing supplies/equipment
    • learners are responsible for behavior with minimal teacher prompting
    • materials and routines support independence and responsibility
  • Organization of space
    • classroom layout promotes safety
    • tone of classroom is positive, calm, and conducive to learning

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP



DATES TO REMEMBER:
  • NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
  • NATIONAL SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY WEEK
  • YELLOW HOUSE LOUNGE DUTY
Nov 8- Annah's Birthday
     Diwali
Nov 9- 1st Grade End of Unit Celebration (2:15 Cafe)
Nov 10- Fall Picture Retakes
     Virtual PTO Meeting (6:00)
Nov 11- 5th Grade at Sky Ranch
     Veteran's Day
     TX Wildlife Visits for Kinder (all morning)
     Flex Learning (3:15-4:15)
Nov 12- 5th Grade at Sky Ranch
     SS Content Academy
Nov 13- 5th Grade at Sky Ranch
     SLO Student Progress #2 Due
     Wear Blue in recognition of Diabetes

Thursday, October 29, 2026

Week of November 2, 2026

Thank you for ALL of your help with this year's Write-A-Check campaign! 💙💚 I KNOW how hard you have been working to encourage participation, celebrate progress, and make the incentives fun and exciting for your learners. Your enthusiasm and efforts have made such a difference, and I truly appreciate everything you've done to support this important fundraiser! Thank you for continuing to rally your FamiLEEs and help us work toward our schoolwide goal. It truly takes a TEAM, and I am so grateful for YOU!  Thank you for bringing the energy tonight for Trunk or Treat.  YOU ARE THE BEST!

DID YOU KNOW:

  • your THREE candy buckets are labeled and ready to go for Trunk or Treat tomorrow?! A BIG thank you to Linda and Amber for sharing their buckets with us! A few quick reminders:
    • Your three labeled buckets are ready for pickup.
    • After the event, please combine any leftover candy into ONE bucket.
    • Stack your empty buckets and return all buckets to the same location where you picked them up.
    • Please be sure to follow the Trunk or Treat directions PTO sent through Amy yesterday.
  • Educators have until November 1 to apply for the H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards, with multiple award categories available, including Teacher, School Counselor, Principal, School Board, and School District.
  • Hour of Code is coming up next month?  If you are interested, please sign up if you plan to participate and start reaching out to Julie and Priscilla for coding assistance for the week of December 7-13. 
  • the Panorama window is open through November 6?  Staff, please make time to take this survey. Your log in access code is your staff ID. Your Admin Team will be taking learners to the cafeteria on November 5 to complete their surveys.  We hope this helps you take one thing off of your over-full plates.  
    • 3rd -8:00
    • 4th -8:30
    • 5th -9:00
    • Access Method: Parents and guardians do not need an access code. They can simply follow the link and select their student's school from the dropdown list.
  • Lee has a new shout out board? We have the greatest people on Earth, working at the greatest school on Earth, and it is time to recognize them. Please take a football from our very own RJ and add a Shout Out to the greatest team @ Lee!! (Thank you, Ayesha, for starting this celebration board, the blurb for the blog, and executing your idea). 


L
EEDERSHIP COUNCIL MEETING
We will have a LEEdership Council meeting on Monday morning at 9:35.  Please send them with their iPad when the announcement is made.  We will send them an email to remind them to wear their shirts.


NO SCHOOL FOR LEARNERS ON TUESDAY
We will see learners for their learner-led conferences, and that will be all.  Enjoy the day off.



NOVEMBER 3 CONFERENCE DAY
Thank you for being intentional about including our learners in these visits! We appreciate the opportunity for them to be involved in these meaningful experiences. We will have someone stationed at the front entrance to welcome our guests and assist them with entering the building.


NATIONAL SANDWICH DAY
Tuesday is National Sandwich Day. Admin is happy to be providing your lunch on this day.  We hope this eases your busy schedule during conferences. ENJOY!



COLLEGE SHIRT DAY
Wednesday is College Shirt Day. We encourage learners to participate by wearing a college or university shirt on the first Wednesday of each month.

LEEDERSHIP COUNCIL SELLING HIGHLAND COWS
LEEdership Council will have squishy mascot cows for sale on Friday morning during arrival.  Get here on time before they run out.



CIP
The 2025-2026 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 next Thursday and add evidence under strategies.  Please add bullets for new or additional evidence, don't repeat.  Add any evidence by Friday, November 6, please and thank you.


VETERANS DAY
As Veteran’s Day approaches, we would like to honor and recognize the brave men and women who have served our country. We invite anyone who has served in the military—or has/had a family member who has served—to share a photo and information about them so we can include them in our Veteran’s Day recognition wall. If you would like to participate, please send the following information with your picture:
  • Name of Veteran
  • Branch of Service, Rank, and Dates of Service (if known)
  • Name/House/Grade of learner
  • Relationship to learner
Please send your submissions to rkazebee@coppellisd.com. We are excited to celebrate and honor our heroes and share their stories with our community. Thank you for helping us recognize the sacrifices and service of our veterans.


SAVE THE DATE FOR FAMILEE FEAST
Please let your famiLEEs know if they want to attend our annual Thanksgiving Lunch that they need to sign up ahead of time. This lunch will be in place of FamiLEE Friday lunch this week. Parents can Sign up here.  



WRITE-A-CHECK DEADLINE EXTENDED: 3 DAYS LEFT TO DONATE!
We’ve extended our annual fundraising campaign through November 3rd in an effort to help us reach our goal! This is the final opportunity to contribute for this year. Thank you to everyone who has already donated - your generosity makes a huge difference for our FamiLEE PTO and allows us to avoid sending learners door to door selling items each year.
As of mid-week, we’ve reached 66% of our goal with 48% participation — we know we can pull together and get to our goal of $35,000 with everyone’s support! Thank you; if you haven’t yet had the chance to give, please consider making your donation today rjlpto.org/WAC
We suggest a donation of $100 per student, but any amount you’re comfortable giving truly makes an impact. Wondering what your donations support? Visit rjlpto.org/whypto for a closer look.

TIA REMINDERS FROM CISD
This was a reminder shared in my Admin Meeting this week.  I'm happy to answer any questions.  If you are interested in serving as our TIA Campus Rep, please let CK know.



COACHES CORNER
Cooperative Learning Structure of the Week 

There are many Cooperative Learning Structures that we did not learn during our district PL. This series aims to highlight new structures for you to try out in your classrooms!

Simultaneous Round Table gets all your learners writing and thinking at the same time while giving you evidence of what they are thinking.

How to:
    • Consider having each student write in a different color so you can see their thinking.

Grade band
What students add
Suggested time
Helpful supports
K–1
A drawing, label, copied word, or dictated idea
1–2 minutes
Picture cues, oral rehearsal, sentence starters, adult or peer scribing
2–3
A word, short phrase, labeled sketch, or simple sentence
2–3 minutes
Word banks, examples, partner rehearsal, bilingual resources
4–5
A complete idea, sentence, or claim with evidence when appropriate
3–4 minutes
Response frames, vocabulary banks, evidence prompts, think time

Want to implement but don't know where to start? 👉 Click here for some class building question sets👈, perfect for introducing and teaching the structure before using it with content. Make sure you click on your grade band tab!


WALKTHROUGHS IN NOVEMBER
This month we will give you feedback in Domain 3.2 Managing Student Behavior.  We will be looking for:
  • Routines that are clearly communicated and reinforced
    • educator responds to off-task behavior respectfully
    • proximity control and awareness of classroom
  • Smooth and timely transitions
    • use of attention signals
    • respect from learners toward teacher, peers, and materials
  • Students managing supplies/equipment
    • learners are responsible for behavior with minimal teacher prompting
    • materials and routines support independence and responsibility
  • Organization of space
    • classroom layout promotes safety
    • tone of classroom is positive, calm, and conducive to learning

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP



DATES TO REMEMBER:
  • NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
  • NATIONAL SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY WEEK
  • YELLOW HOUSE LOUNGE DUTY
  • PANORAMA WINDOW
Nov 1- Daylight Savings Time
Nov 2- LEEdership Council Mtg. (9:35-10:30)
     Sky Ranch Chaperone Mtg. (5:30 Yellow House)
Nov 3- NO SCHOOL for learners
     Elementary Conference Day
     Father of Texas Day
     National Sandwich Day
Nov 4- Julie S's Birthday
      College Shirt Day  
      Leadership Mtg. (3:15 Yellow House)
Nov 5- Purple House Music Performance (2:00 and 6:30)
      Purple House Art Show (6:00)
Nov 6- 5th Grade Sky Ranch Student Mtg. (8:00 Cafe)
      Menaka's Birthday
     International Food Luncheon (Social Spurs)
     CIP Documentation Due

Thursday, October 22, 2026

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: 


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.  


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