Week of February 22

Thank you for a busy week of learning!  Thank you for posting your team SMART goals in the conference room, your house goals in your studios, and your personal goals on Today's Meet or Twitter.  Thank you for being prepared for our visitors today and next week.

OUR GUIDING PURPOSE: We empower learners to positively impact the world by designing learning experiences that promote relationships, risk taking, and collaboration in a flexible environment.

What YOU are doing to do to LIVE out this VISION at Lee?  

DID YOU KNOW?

• that we ordered $16,500 in robotics and coding materials this week with extra Title I Funds we were given?
• that digital probes to measure temperature and pH in the Ecopond and garden are ordered too?
• five triple beam balances are on their way to Lee?  

SHOE DRIVE
Monday is the last day for Red House Shoe and Sock Drive.  Please send a note home in your weekly email about this event.


FED EX

Enjoy your one hour on Wednesday where you learn about a topic of YOUR choice related to YOUR goals, and earn flex credit for it.  This is a time for learning.  Please post to this Today's Meet after 4:30, but before 5:00, on Wednesday.  Please share what you learned during your time to get credit for your hour.  Those who post will automatically be enrolled through Eduphoria.

Gizmo will be hosting a session where participants will leave with knowing how to manage an account, add students, locate resources, and identify Gizmos related to your TEKS.  The simulations are for 3rd through 5th grades.

FUN RUN

Make sure you saw both attachments regarding the Fun Run that was in Monday's email from me.  We are one week out from starting our Fun Run, so we will have a "Teacher Huddle" in the media flex space on Wednesday (right before Fed Ex).  This is a GREAT time to ask questions!

MUSIC DRESS REHEARSAL

Please join us Thursday morning for our Blue House performance of The Day the Crayons Quit.   

SCIENCE LEARNING WALKS

I will be walking the building with Linda Cook on Friday.  We will be looking at Science experiences our learners are getting at Lee.  

CISD LEARNING FRAMEWORK REVIEW: ENVIRONMENT

This week we will spend our final week reviewing environment.  Let's review community learning environment.  According to our CISD Educator Evaluation System: the educator establishes positive relationships with ALL stakeholders through a variety of ways of communication within and beyond the school day while respecting and embracing the cultural differences.

• initiates actions that embrace diversity (think about our multicultural goal in our CIP)
• maintains virtual communication tools to establish positive reciprocal relationships with parents (think about your weekly email communication, timely response to parents, and engagement with parents every time they are in our building)
• the educator provides a variety of ways for families and/or community members to participate in the learning environment (think about the opportunities that you have for parents to be involved in your classroom and our school)

How could you increase parent involvement in your spaces?  This is an area for school-wide improvement.  Could parents help during math/reading stations?  Could they conference with learners on their writing?  Could you send work home (laminating to cut, etc.)  for parents to help with? 

FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH
Please share this link with your parents.  A family can qualify ANY TIME they have fallen on hard times during the school year.  This is how we are identified for Title I Funds and is private and confidential.


SELF ANALYSIS
Please complete this survey for the district by next Friday.


"LEE"DERSHIP QUALITY OF THE WEEK
Risk taking- exposure to possible loss or injury

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"If you shoot for the moon and miss, at least you'll be one of the stars." Les Brown

LESSON IN "LEE"DERSHIP

Live so that you will never have regrets.  If there is something you want to do, DO IT!

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Feb 23:  Red House Field Trip

              Green House Field Trip

Feb 24:  House T-shirt w/ Jeans
              Walk at School Wednesday
              K-2 Literacy Academy
              New Learner Luncheon w/ Angela
              IBM Visits 5th Grade
              Fun Run Teacher Huddle (3:15-3:30 Media Center)
              Fed Ex (3:30-4:30)
Feb 25:  3-5 Literacy Academy
              Blue Music Performance (8:15 and 6:30)
              Learning Walks @ Lee (8:15)
              Dr. Turner Tour (9:00-12:00)
              Garland Tours (9:15 and 2:15)
Feb 26:  Sammy the Shark w/ Kinder
              Science Walkthroughs w/ Linda Cook (10:30-1:00)

Week of February 8

Thank you for incredibly productive design days this week, so far!  You are doing fantastic work and designing amazing experiences for our learners.  We could not be prouder of you!!

OUR GUIDING PURPOSE: We empower learners to positively impact the world by designing learning experiences that promote relationships, risk taking, and collaboration in a flexible environment.

What YOU are doing to do to LIVE out this VISION at Lee?  

DID YOU KNOW?

• you can give feedback on custodial services.  Just click here.
• you got high praise from Penny Tramel: I just wanted to send a brief email to say thank you to you and your educators for the excellent job you all did in gathering and sending in artifacts.  The lead auditor was highly impressed with the quality of work.  She does audits all over the country, so I believe this is high praise for you all. 

YEARBOOKS

Thank you for getting proofs back to Mrs. Giddings.  On Friday, please allow her to take a class photo and to photograph your new learners (since October) so that they may be included in our yearbook.  I recognize this is a class disruption, but we are doing our best to make sure that all learners are included in the yearbook!  She will be here in the morning.

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART

Want to wear jeans all week?  Turn in $20 for the American Heart Association and you can wear jeans with a shirt of your choice.  If you jump with your kiddos in PE you can wear warm ups on that day.  ENJOY!!  Parents are invited to attend during your regularly scheduled PE times on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

KINDNESS MATTERS WEEK

This event is the result of three of our 5^th grade Blue House learners answering the question: How does AFFECT change the world?  We will begin our themed week with a PTO sponsored Anti-Bullying program by James Wand for grades PK-5 on Monday.  Please join us in the cafe.  Themes for the week are:

• Monday (wear yellow) Your attitude is positive and your goal is to spread joy and warmth just like the
• Tuesday (wear super hero shirts) Save the day and so do learners who stand up to bullying to help others
• Wednesday (wear sunglasses) Use your special vision to spot kind behavior and stop bullying
• Thursday (bring a stuffed animal or bear) Give someone a bear hug or high five
• Friday (wear red or pink) Show some LOVE at Lee

WE LOVE OUR STAFF AT LEE

In order to show you how much we LOVE YOU, please join us, in the lounge on Friday, for a lunch sponsored by ChickFila!

VALENTINE PARTIES

We will NOT have a modified schedule for Friday.  Please follow our regular house schedule and plan for parties to take place (as a house) from 2:00-3:00 in your open spaces.  If you are not in specials at 1:30, and you house in an open space, please plan to work elsewhere from 1:30 to 2:00 so that Room Moms can set up.  (Ideas: media center, ecopond, pavillion, atrium, side spaces in open spaces, central collabs)  1:30 -2:00 might be the PERFECT time to exchange Valentines.  Please let me know if any learners need help getting valentines, and I will buy them some this weekend.  

Since we tend to get an overabundance of chocolate on this day, I will have a bag outside my office if you want to donate to one of the assisted living center in Coppell.  Mike and I will be happy to drop donations off.  If you remember correctly, last year, the ladies LOVED Mike being there and could care less that I was with him- ha!

CISD LEARNING FRAMEWORK REVIEW: ENVIRONMENT

Thank you for your work during staff meeting to reflect on what an exemplar learning environment looks like at Lee.  I think hanging these in your design studios is a great reminder of what we should aim for.  This week we will review the physical/virtual learning environment.  According to our CISD Educator Evaluation System: the educator will design a flexible, consistent learning environment where learners are able to collaborate in and beyond the classroom

• the educator utilizes digital tools to extend learning beyond the classroom
• learners and educators clearly take pride in maintaining an attractive and inviting learning space
• work displayed reflect the learning standards and is purposefully displayed
• learning environment design responds to instructional and learner needs

FEBRUARY 15 STAFF DEVELOPMENT

I want to remind you that on February 15th, we have a guest speaker that morning.  The speaker is Michael Wesch, and his topic is:  "Teaching Upside Down:  What Handstands Have Taught Me About Learning."  Once we conclude at the high school, we will head back to Lee for our Expository training from WFTBB.  More details next week.

"LEE"DERSHIP QUALITY OF THE WEEK
Love- unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for others; warm attachment

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love." Mother Teresa

LESSON IN "LEE"DERSHIP

Love your neighbor as yourself.

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Week of Feb 8-12:  Kindness Matters Week @Lee & Book Fair Week
Feb 8:  David's Birthday
            PreK-2 Bullying Program (8:30-9:15 Cafe)
            3-5 Bullying Program (9:30-10:15 Cafe)
            TELPAS Training (Grades 2-5 3:30)

Feb 9:  Kylie's Birthday
            PTO Mtg. (6:30 Cafe)

Feb 10: Rachel's Birthday
             Convocation T-shirt w/ Jeans
             Walk at School Wednesday
             Parents in PE for JRFH
             Leadership Mtg. (3:30)  
Feb 11:  Campus Tours (9:00 and 1:00)
              Parents in PE for JRFH
Feb 12:  Chick Fil A Lunch for Staff
              Parents in PE for JRFH
              JRFH Envelopes Due
              Valentine Parties (2:00-3:00)

Week of February 1

What OUTSTANDING learning experiences you provided our learners this week!  Twitter alone was overflowing with evidence of your talented design!  THANK YOU!  We are so proud of the work that is happening with each house's CBL and are even more excited to see the actionable solutions the children come up with.  Keep it up!!  This next week will be productive as we host our second CBL Planning days.  We are looking forward to supporting you.

OUR GUIDING PURPOSE: We empower learners to positively impact the world by designing learning experiences that promote relationships, risk taking, and collaboration in a flexible environment.

Thank you to the Red House designers for posting this purpose in their spaces!

DID YOU KNOW?

• that you are doing an AWESOME job of taking care of technology issues?  You are so good that some of you are not putting in tickets through Zen Desk.  I met with technology on Friday and they shared that Zen Desk will validate the need for campus help, so it is imperative that you put questions and requests in through the system. They will filter out to our CTA (Layne), Alli, or Jennifer and show that we NEED these personnel units.
• when you signed your CISD Employee handbook that you are agreed to be responsible for the iPad and MacBook if damages occur?  I strongly urge you sign up for insurance to protect you from costly repairs if you drop, spill, or cause other damage to your devices.  Here is the company that provides insurance at a reasonable price to us.
• Friday is the last day to submit Super Teacher Nominations for this semester.  Turn someone in!
• that the 9.2.1 ioS update is ready?  If you haven't already, please have your learners install the update ASAP as well as do this on your teacher devices.
• Lindsay Ayers will be here from 10:00 10:30 each design day to help with community and business outreach and connections?  YAY!

CISD LEARNING FRAMEWORK REVIEW: ENVIRONMENT

This week we will review the academic learning environment.  According to our CISD Educator Evaluation System: the educator creates a nurturing, learner-centered environment in which learners gradually construct their own meaning through rigor, prior knowledge, learner interest, and relevance.  

• an environment that considers learner emotions, interests, previous experiences, and learning styles 
• designs learning experiences that encourage learners to reflect and construct their own meaning
• encourages and respects differences of opinions
• capitalizes on making learning relevant
• collaborates with learners to determine how learning is demonstrated and assessed

Let's think about YOUR academic learning environment this week. Are your learners reflecting THROUGHOUT the day? Do they have voice in HOW they show what they know?  Is EVERY activity that learners participate in relevant to the real world?  Push yourself to reflect about these questions this week as you grow as a Designer.

SPIRIT STICK SALES
Groundhog Spirit Sticks will be on sale on Monday and Tuesday.  Please send learners to recess with their dollar. 1, 3, 5 LEEders will sell on Monday and K, 2, 4 on Tuesday.  Thanks for encouraging the sale of these.  We ordered 400, so we need half of our school to support our sale.  Please remind LEEders to wear their shirts on Thursday. We have a meeting at 1:00.

TELPAS CALIBRATION

There have been several changes to TELPAS Calibration this year. One of the changes that will directly affect all of us is that TEA is now requiring calibration sessions to be monitored. Please save the date for our K-5 Designer Calibration Session on February 16th beginning at 3:30pm.  Please BYOM (Bring Your Own Mac) and HEADPHONES (required) to complete the calibration activities. In addition to the monitored calibration, you will have two chances to pass this year instead of three- Have no fear!! There is good news: In addition to earning 2 professional development hours for the calibration and 5 hours awarded for the K-1 and 2-12 basic training courses (for all of our NEW Designers) you will have SNACKS!


LEE NIGHT AT CHS
Friday is our Lee Spirit Night at the CHS Basketball game.  Designers get in free with a guest with their ID. Learners get in free by wearing a Lee spirit shirt.  We will have 4 of our fifth grade boys serving as "Ball Boys" so, please come out and support the Cowboys! 


SPRING BOOK FAIR
Our Book Fair will be delivered on Thursday and previews will start on Friday.  Please share this website with your parents for online previewing, ordering, and downloading of the Scholastic app. Supporting Book Fair means more books for our school library and YOU!  


CURRICULUM AUDIT REQUIREMENTS
Please get your items turned in to Todd by Tuesday.  The Curriculum Audit team will be here on Wednesday and will walk the building and talk to some of you.  We ask for you to be open and honest with them while they visit Lee.  Thank you for your fast turn around on these requested items!

NOTES FROM THE OFFICE
Please be sure to have learners check the ‘forgotten lunch’ table in the café before purchasing a lunch or going without.  Parents drop off lunches at all times during the day and it is frustrating for them to find out that their child never received it.

When a learner calls home…..please be sure that they leave a message and not just hang up. We get a multitude of calls from parents returning a call from our number and the office has no way to determine who called or why.    

"LEE"DERSHIP QUALITY OF THE WEEK
Loyalty- faithfulness to another

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"I will speak ill of no man and speak all the good I know of everybody." Benjamin Franklin

LESSON IN "LEE"DERSHIP

If you hear something negative about one of your friends, don't repeat it. If necessary, let an Designer know what was said.

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Counselor Appreciation Week
Feb 1:  Groundhog Spirit Stick Sale

Feb 2:  Groundhog Spirit Stick Sale
            Red and Black Attack Shirt & Jeans
            Dad's Club Mtg. (7:00)

Feb 3:  College T-shirt w/ Jeans
             Walk at School Wednesday
             Geo Bee in 4th and 5th Grade Classes
             Curriculum Audit at Lee (8:00-10:30)
             Staff Mtg. (3:30)  
Feb 4:  Spur Savings (7:30-7:50 Cafe)
             Green House Music Performance (8:15 and 6:30)

             Geo Bee Semi-Finals

             Campus Tour (9:15)
             LEEdership Council (1:00)
             Campus Tour (4:00)
Feb 5:   Geo Bee Final
             Book Fair Preview
             Lee Night at CHS Basketball (8:00)

Week of January 25

What a fast and furious four day week it was!  MOY meetings were a WONDERFUL time to meet with each of you to check in on your goals.  Todd and I are constantly impressed with the growth we see in each and every one of you.  

I'm sorry I missed out on Staff Meeting, but our friend who went via ambulance for an allergic reaction needed me more.  I appreciate your understanding!  I am reminded that we have alert staff, an incredible nurse, and a dedicated front office staff.  Because of each of you our little guy is safe and we have accurate information at school regarding his allergies.

I want to brag on your effort with our book study and PLC journey.  Your honest discussion posts show the passion you have for teaching and learning.  I sometimes have to remind myself that we are only in year two.  Our systems and procedures are not set in stone yet because our work does not look like any other campus on the planet.  It will get there as we work together to live out our vision at Lee.  EACH OF YOU are an important and valuable part of our team.

OUR GUIDING PURPOSE: We empower learners to positively impact the world by designing learning experiences that promote relationships, risk taking, and collaboration in a flexible environment.

What YOU are doing to do to LIVE out this VISION at Lee?  

DID YOU KNOW?

• Chantel will be in Austin on Wednesday and Thursday this week?  I will be at my Principal's Institute and attending TASA Midwinter while there.
• that Megan WANTS copied on your weekly communication to parents?  Please include her AND ME on your distribution list.  I know I still only get weekly communication from 5 of you.
• when you call 911 that you need to ask for Dallas Medical or Dallas Fire? If you just dial 911 it connects you to IRVING Medical and IRVING Fire.  This will help with a timely response and we will post it on the phones.
• you have a chance to give input regarding Science training?  Stacey shared this in email, so please take time to share your thoughts: https://docs.google.com/a/g.coppellisd.com/forms/d/1PoASn7Y0DsNOWZOiAG7sNV2YtXrcrLTeUgd8KbY9DiQ/viewform?usp=send_form 

CISD LEARNING FRAMEWORK

Part of our District and Campus Improvement Plans has an action step stating we will provide professional learning options that focus on the different chapters of the Learning Framework.  We had one day of training this summer on the Assessment chapter.  Instead of having more meetings I would like to "chunk" some of this learning through my weekly blog.  We will begin with Chapter 1: Environment.  Please reread chapter one.  While reading, frame your thinking with some of these questions:

1. What am I doing to create a learner-centered academic environment?

      2.  Is my physical and virtual environment enhancing learning?

     3.  Are the relationships with my learners and with each other mutually respectful?

      4.  What are things I can do to engage families in our space?

MATHURDAY

Thank you for your hard work preparing for Saturday.  Please arrive by 8:30 and plan to stay until 11:15.  You will need to drop by my office before leaving to sign documentation to get paid.  This will be on your February paycheck.  If you choose flex hours, please submit through Eduphoria and I will approve. 

CURRICULUM COURIER

Please make sure you take the survey in this week's Curriculum Courier.

FED EX

Enjoy your one hour on Wednesday where you learn about a topic of YOUR choice related to YOUR goals, and earn flex credit for it.  This is a time for learning.  Please post to this Today's Meet after 4:30, but before 5:00, on Wednesday.  Please share what you learned during your time to get credit for your hour.  Those who post will automatically be enrolled through Eduphoria.

Alli will be hosting a session during FedEx and all are welcome!

What’s Cooking, Lee? The iPad Test Kitchen

What's cooking in your classroom kitchen? Spice up your classroom and find your inner digital chef by collaborating with others to explore exciting apps and design learning experiences through the art of app smashing.  Bring your “A” game for a friendly competition in the style of the Food Network’s show, Chopped!

If you are interested in joining us, please sign up here!

BUFFALO WILD WINGS
Thursday is Buffalo Wild Wings Night.  Please make an effort to head over after school or for dinner to support this business that is giving back to our campus.  Please also remind parents to share

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART

Please share this flyer with your parents. 

"LEE"DERSHIP QUALITY OF THE WEEK
Integrity- acting according to a sense of right and wrong.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"The measure of a man's character is what he knew he wouldn't be found out." Thomas Macauley

LESSON IN "LEE"DERSHIP

Do what you know is right even if no one is watching.

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Jan 23:  Angela's Birthday
Jan 24:  Jess' Birthday
Jan 25:  Kick off of Jump Rope For Heart

Jan 27:  House T-shirt w/ Jeans
             Walk at School Wednesday
             New Learner Luncheon (Red, Blue, Green)
             Fed Ex (3:30)  
Jan 28:  Honor Choir (all day)
             Learning Walks @ Lee (8:00-9:00)
             Campus Tours (9:00 and 1:00)
             Buffalo Wild Wings Night 
Jan 29: Super Teacher Nominations Due
            Drama Performance (8:15 and 7:00)
            New Learner Luncheon (Purple, Yellow)
            Social Spurs Happy Hour @ Chilis