Thursday, September 25, 2025

Week of Sept 29, 2025

Cheers to another fabulous week. What fun we have had with our attendance spirit days. Thank you to all of those who participated and for your encouragement for learners to be at school EVERYDAY.  Which house will win the attendance contest this week?  We will have Dr. Shivers on campus on Thursday (today) from 2:30-3:30.  She will get to see how efficient our dismissal processes are!

DID YOU KNOW:
  • the front office should have a copy of your parent conference schedule at least 1 day before your conferences?  Thank you.
  • you must turn your Vivatek Boards and televisions off each afternoon?  Please remember to do this to save the life of these learning tools.
  • parents can start joining their learners for lunch on Fridays after conferences?  Please share this Friday Lunch sign up in your weekly newsletter for the remainder of the year.  October 17 is our first lunch date.
  • you are REQUIRED to call CPS (1-800-252-5400) if a learner shares information that is concerning?  Just a friendly reminder.
  • there is a google form to request headphones when you get new learners? Please use this form to request new headphones instead of email or TEAMS. It is also under MISC in Lee Links.
  • NWEA has a status updates page that constantly monitors the nationwide availability and performance of MAP? This site is linked under MAP in Lee Links.
  • we are excited to have Joy starting her therapy dog reading sessions this Friday?  Please make sure your learners have had their permission slips signed.


COLLEGE SHIRT DAY
Encourage learners to participate by wearing a college shirt on the first Wednesday of each month.
FAIR DAY TICKETS
Learner fair day tickets are ready for pick up in the office.  Please make sure you send these home with each learner before next Friday.  


BRAIN BREAK IDEAS
Looking for some new ways to jazz up your in class brain breaks? Here are some ideas:

OCTOBER IS DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH
We will wear RED on Oct 8 in recognition.


FLU CLINIC AT LEE
Coppell ISD will host fall vaccine clinic @ Lee on Tuesday, Oct. 7 from 10:30-11:15. Participants should bring their insurance card and a completed consent form to the clinic. Links to the vaccine consent forms are available below:

Informed Vaccine Consent English
Informed Vaccine Consent Spanish



ATTENDANCE MATTERS
Parents and guardians, please note: Texas law requires students to attend school each day that instruction is provided. According to Education Code Sec. 25.093, unexcused absences on 10 or more days (or part of days) is considered a Class C misdemeanor. Let's work together to ensure all students attend school regularly and comply with state attendance laws.


CELEBRATE OUR INCREDIBLE TEAM

We have so much great teaching happening at Lee Elementary.  Has someone gone above and beyond and you want to recognize them?  The CISD Great Employees Matter or GEM program recognizes outstanding employees who serve the mission and core values of CISD in a manner that exceeds job expectations. Nominate a GEM in your school or office by Oct. 24. Learn more about the program at www.coppellisd.com/page/great-employees-matter.  

FINAL INVENTORY: 2025-26 HOUSE COLOR SHIRTS
Missed the preorder window? Don’t worry—you’ve got one FINAL chance! The PTO ordered a few extra shirts just in case. Supply is LIMITED, so when they’re gone, they’re gone. Grab yours while you still can and show off your house spirit in style!

Delivery for all orders: Week of October 20.Order now at rjlpto.org/spurstore before it’s too late.



WALKTHROUGHS FOR OCTOBER

We enjoyed giving you feedback on your learning environment in September.  For this month, we will be giving you feedback on Domain 2.5:  Monitor and Adjust.  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 of a variety of assessment/input from learners to gather data.

  • Checks for understanding through purposeful questioning and feedback.

  • The pacing of the lesson.



GT RESOURCE
Want to raise learner thinking in Reading?  Here are some questions you might ask them.



COACHES CORNER
Printing MAP and mClass Reports
It's almost time to print out your MAP and mClass reports! If you need instructions: 
  1. Print out your reports from mCLASS and MAP testing
  2. Attach the cover letters to each report.
  3. Discuss the reports during parent conferences, then send them home with families.

Please let us know if you have any questions!

Thinking Maps are Back!
We’re reintroducing Thinking Maps, a tool from years past, to strengthen visual thinking and solid Tier 1 instruction. Thinking maps are…
  • Beneficial for all learners, including ESL & Special Education
  • Consistent, easy to use across content areas
This will be an 8 week series, starting with Circle Maps! 📂 Click here to learn about Circle Maps.


LESSON IN "LEE"DERSHIP


DATES TO REMEMBER:
  • NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
  • STOMP OUT BULLYING MONTH
  • NATIONAL PRINCIPAL'S MONTH
  • DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH
  • HINDU HERITAGE MONTH
  • PURPLE HOUSE TAKES CARE OF THE LOUNGE THIS MONTH 
Sept 29- Lee 2nd Quarter Curriculum Preview with Samira & Sabrina (Conference Time)
Sept 30- Have CISD Conflict Resolution Course Completed
Oct 1- 1st Grade Conference Day
     College Shirt Day
     Onboarding (3:15 Conference Room)
Oct 2- 2nd Grade Conference Day
     School Custodian Appreciation Day
Oct 3- 3rd Grade Conference Day

Thursday, September 18, 2025

Week of Sept 22, 2025

Special Friends Day is going to be phenomenal! Thank you to everyone who offered their time and help to keep things running smoothly and to all designers for graciously allowing learners to return a little late from lunch if they went to the Book Fair. Holly and our volunteers hosted a fantastic Book Fair, and PTO, Jamie, Hany, Soma, Zoie, Officer Thames, and our Office Team were truly on their A-game.  Please submit your class LEEder, here, before you leave on Friday. 


DID YOU KNOW:
  • that there should not be a designated “snack time” built into your classroom schedule. Instructional time should not be paused solely for snacks. If learners are eating, this time should be paired with an interactive read-aloud or another meaningful learning task so that instruction continues seamlessly.
  • staff meeting is CANCELLED for Wednesday?  There is no content we need to cover.  It's a BUSY season so please enjoy the gift of time!
  • that on Wednesday we will have guests from St. Augustine University touring our building from 1:00-2:00?   
  • There are some great Handwriting Without Tears webinars coming up this month?  They send the recordings a day or two after, so they can be watched at another time if the timing doesn't work for you.

SHOW UP FOR GREAT ATTENDANCE- SPIRIT WEEK IS HERE
September is Attendance Awareness Month.  Let's all work for great attendance!  Join in this week for our spirit days and SHOW UP and SHOW OUT at school all week!



FROM OUR NURSE


REMINDERS FROM OUR AP
Reminder! Fourth and Fifth grades need to have their HB 4545 (Accelerated Instruction) letters sent home by Friday, September 26.  Kinder through 5th grades need to have the 25-26 MTSS Quick Glance updated by Wednesday, September 24. Please chat with Buchanan if you have any questions or need assistance.



PARENT LEARNING WALKS
As part of our campus Parent Engagement goal and a strategy in our Campus Improvement Plan, the last Thursday of every month, Mrs. Kastrounis will host a community learning walk at Lee.  This month the walk will be from 8:00-9:00 on Thursday, September 25 and parents planning to attend should arrive with their ID to check in at 7:50.  


I know this should go unsaid, but please make sure that during this time your learners are engaged in meaningful learning experiences.  What do I mean by "meaningful learning experiences?" This means small group instruction, hands on experiences, your class engaged in varied activities (not all doing the same exact thing and all on an iPad).  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.


ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NIGHT WITH COPPELL COWGIRLS VOLLEYBALL
CHS Volleyball is excited to invite Lee students to Elementary School Night at the Coppell High School vs Flower Mound Volleyball game! This is a great opportunity for students to experience the excitement of high school volleyball, cheer on the Cowgirls, and feel inspired by the next level of play. All elementary school students will receive free admission. There will be a T-shirt giveaway and prizes! This will be a fun evening celebrating volleyball in our community.

Date: Friday, September 26th
Time: Varsity/9B: 5:30pm / JV/9A: 6:30pm
Location: Coppell High School Arena


COMPLIANCE COURSE:
All campus staff is required to complete required compliance modules throughout the year in place of previous Counselor Conversations.  The first module was emailed to you last week from Amanda Mask on 9/4.  THANK YOU for getting this done by the deadline.  

✅ What You Need to Know:
  • Register for “Conflict Resolution: CISD Compliance 25–26” in PowerSchool PL.
  • Complete the module in Schoology at your own pace.
  • Credit will appear in PowerSchool PL after an overnight sync.
  • This course must be completed by September 30, 2025.
  • Use the interactive tutorial for quick, step-by-step instructions.

LAST CHANCE! HOUSE COLOR SHIRTS
Time is running out! Don’t miss your LAST chance to grab our brand-new house color shirts! With bold designs and exciting new colors, these shirts are perfect for Spirit Day Fridays, field trips, and showing off your house spirit all year long.

Order deadline: September 21 – after this date, we can’t guarantee availability.
Delivery: Week of October 20.
Adult sizes are also available—parents, join the fun and rep your house too! 
Order now at rjlpto.org/spurstore before it’s too late!



CELEBRATE OUR INCREDIBLE TEAM

We have so much great teaching happening at Lee Elementary.  Please take time to nominate a peer for Super Teacher recognition by Sept. 26. Learn more about what makes a teacher a Super Teacher by browsing the "Looks Fors" at visiting www.coppellisd.com/page/super-teachers

Has someone gone above and beyond and you want to recognize them?  The CISD Great Employees Matter or GEM program recognizes outstanding employees who serve the mission and core values of CISD in a manner that exceeds job expectations. Nominate a GEM in your school or office by Oct. 24. Learn more about the program at www.coppellisd.com/page/great-employees-matter.  

FLU CLINIC AT LEE


COACHING CORNER
🕹️ Level Up Your Classroom Management! 🕹️
Missed the Minute-to-Win-It: Classroom Management session? No problem! You can check out the presentation here. I’ve also put together a Quick Check Cheat Sheet- a one-page resource with four simple checklists for:
  • ✅ Clarity of Instructions
  • 👟 Proximity & Reminders
  • 👀 Accountability
  • 🔔 Attention Signals
👉 Quick Check Cheat Sheet  (Use it as a fast reference to keep management smooth and learning on track.)


WALKTHROUGHS THROUGH SEPT

This is the last week Angel and Chantel will be in your spaces to give you feedback regarding Domain 3.1 Learning Environment (Classroom Routines and Procedures) We will be looking for:

    • Current character trait posted

    • Daily Schedule 

    • What is on your magnet wall 

    • “I Can” statements posted

    • Anchor Charts in all subject areas

    • Math and Science manipulatives and supplies accessible to learners

    • Each learner has a designated place for their supplies

    • Respect Agreement visible

    • Digital Citizenship Contract signed and displayed

    • Learner Work displayed

    • Guiding Purpose hung

    • Effective Routines, transitions, and procedures in place

    • How you manage learner groups and supplies



LESSON IN "LEE"DERSHIP

 


DATES TO REMEMBER:
  • NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
  • ATTENDANCE SPIRIT WEEK
Sept 19- Therapy Dog in MLI
     LEEders Due
Sept 23- Layne's Birthday
     ESL Technology Breakfast (Cafe 8:30)
Sept 24- St. Augustine Learning Walk (1:00-2:00)
Sept 25- MTSS Meetings (Conference Time)
     Parent Learning Walk (8:00-9:00)
Sept 26- ISIP Evidence Due in Power School
     House Bill notification to parents DUE
     CISD ESL Bus Tour
Sept 30- CISD Conflict Resolution Compliance Course DUE