Week of August 29

What an INCREDIBLE first week with children.  THANK YOU for making it memorable, FUN, engaging, and LEARNER CENTERED.  I appreciate you making "happy calls" to learners.  Since you have worked SO VERY HARD this week, please leave as soon as all learners are safely dismissed on Friday.  You deserve it!

DID YOU KNOW:

• that Apple is launching a new coding app in the fall called Swift?  Check it out here.
• that the district has passed down 88 iPads for us to use?  These come with cases, but no chargers, so we will have to be creative with charging.  I have divided these out evenly based on number of learners per house in grades K-3.  We will deliver at the end of the week.  (24-Blue, 13-Purple, 13-Yellow, 24 Green, and 14-Red) Please know if these "die" they go to the graveyard and won't be repaired, so let's help them last as long as possible.
• that you can sign up for email notifications when you have not taken attendance?  Check out these directions.
• there is a new CBL Learning Guide in iBooks? If you choose to read it, please submit for 1 hour of flex time in Euphoria.
• Jacque's IC blog is now on our Faculty website?  It has been updated, so check it out here. 
• that you can print to the color printer? Please email the item to dblack@coppellisd.com if you have a need.  All other printing should go to the copiers.

RED AND BLACK T-SHIRTS
If you would like to buy an Ed Foundation t-shirt and get an extra jeans day the first Tuesday of each month, stop by the front office for an order form or go online to www.coppellisdef.com  Orders will be taken from Aug 29- Sept 21 and delivered the first week of October.


NOTES FROM NURSE AMY
As mentioned in last Friday's time with Amy, here is information to help keep kids healthy and safe, in class and ready to learn.  Are you certified in CPR?  If so, please share your certification with Amy.  Also, the Student Accident Report is here.

FACULTY FAVORITES
Here is the link to this year's Faculty Favorites Responses in case you want to surprise a staff member.

NEWSLETTER REQUEST
Please request parents pick learners up by 2:45 pm for after school appointments.  After 2:45, we need to ask them to stay in the car loop.  Deepa is going to assist us with afternoon dismissal.

CURRICULUM NIGHT
Curriculum Night times have been changed to 6:00-7:00, now!  Please start communicating to parents, now, that this is a PARENT event and that learners should stay home.  Also, please post your presentations as a PDF on your Lee Website.  THANK YOU!

TEAM TIME
Our first 2 sessions of Team Time are for Curriculum Talk.  We will come up with Agenda items in our first Leadership Team Meeting.  Until then, please work through norms, Curriculum Night presentations, and sharing stored electronic resources.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
We will practice emergency drills next week.  Be READY.  If you do not know where to go ASK a housemate, or Admin, so we can give you directions.  All spaces should have a map posted at your door and a red/green card clipped inside.  If you do not have a red/green card,  please see the office.

DIGITAL SIGNAGE
Please work to get images up on your digital signage by September 1.

CISD CURRICULUM COURIER
This week's courier is here.
     - 4th/5th will get Argument Inquiry Science training this year
     -In ESL Section they talk about posting content AND language objectives               in EVERY class.

            RtI and Universal Screener Informational Video for Mathematics

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Respect- showing consideration for others

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

We will often have visitors in our school.  When a visitor arrives, look them in the eyes, shake hands, tell them who you are, and welcome the person to our school.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

Consideration for others is the basis of a good life, a good society" -Confucius

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Aug 28- Stephanie S's Birthday

Aug 29- PE Student Teacher starts observing (Mr. Straka)

Aug 30- Unity Team meeting (flex space-3:15)

Aug 31- House Shirt with jeans

Sept 1- Amanda B's Birthday

            Ashley's Birthday

            Green House in charge of Lounge Cleanup

Updated Learning Framework and MORE

It has been LOVELY spending this week on campus, enjoying time with our new hires, and catching up with those of you who have stopped by to visit.  I hope you are each enjoying the last week of your summer vacation as you prepare for #rjlyear3.  It is going to be a REMARKABLE year together.  Please take a moment to put some faces with the names of our new hires. (Thanks, Ashley for making this!)

Ashley and I will be interviewing candidates for our added Kindergarten and Instructional Aide positions this week.  As soon as we find the perfect fits, we will add our new hires to the faculty list shared with you earlier this summer.  THANK YOU, Blue House for taking on the additional Kindergarten section in your space.

KEYS, KEYS, KEYS
We would like to get a clear picture of who does/does not or needs keys in the building.  If ALL of you would please take time to fill out this form, we will make sure that you have everything you need to start the year.  THANK YOU!

FINAL CALL FOR FACULTY FAVORITES
We are missing quite a few of you on our faculty favorites list.  Please take time to tell us more about yourself.

CISD LEARNING FRAMEWORK
New folks reviewed the latest version of the CISD Learning Framework last week.  For those of you returning, there is information that is updated that I emailed to you earlier today.  PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU REVEIW IT.  We will continue to revisit this document throughout the year.

LITERATURE RESOURCES
Cassie Knight (P4) will be serving as our ELAR Content Specialist this year.  We are so lucky- Cassie is a resident bookworm!!  While at Lit Camp this summer, Cassie created a Google doc with picture books and lesson ideas.   If you have a picture book and lesson ideas you would like to add to the list, please fill out this form.  THANKS CASSIE!!

LEADERSHIP MEETING
Looking forward to seeing our Leadership Team and Instructional Coach at our meeting tomorrow.  We will start in room 120 at 8:00 and will conclude at 4:00.  We can't wait to continue on our "unity" journey as we grow together.  We will have bagels for you in the morning.  Please plan on going out to lunch, on your own, followed by and an off-campus activity in the middle of the day.  Dress is casual, and expect pictures!


CAMPUS WEBSITES
Please take time to update your teacher website on our Lee homepage.  This is the first impression our parents have of you before Meet the Designer Night.  Please check out other webpages in the district or on campus to see how you can use your site as a communication tool this year.  Please include a photograph of yourself, information about your certification, our guiding purpose, and some fun personal information.  This needs to be completed by Wednesday, August 17.  Please use your house/grade team or the faculty website to help you complete this task.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Aug. 9:  Leadership Meeting (8:00-4:00)

Aug. 10: Broadcast Camp (THANKS Sam and Melinda!)

Aug. 10-11:  Kindergarten Assessment Days

Aug. 15-19:  Back to School Professional Learning

Aug. 22:  First Day of School

Instructional Coaching and MORE

It has been a remarkable week of learning for some of our staff.  We were lead by a great gentleman, from Canada, named Ainsley in the area of Instructional Coaching.  This role was introduced last Spring and will be one that will seamlessly be embedded in the "way we do business" here at Lee.

WHY INSTRUCTIONAL COACHING?  IC gives us a "full-time professional developer, on site, to help incorporate research-based instructional practices." (Knight, 2007)  We will be able to work alongside our coaches in order to work individually to improve our craft as Designers.  Jacque Johnson will serve as our Lead Instructional Coach, but here are additional coaching supports on campus.  We will learn more, together, at our Back to School training and throughout the year, but for those of you that want to learn more, you can check out the CISD Instructional Coach Manual.

New Hire Technology and Badges
New hires will need to take their district technology with you on Tuesday, August 2.  We will be on campus from 7:00-4:00 on Monday, August 1, for you to check out your devices.  Please plan to come by because Ashley also has your design studio and storage room keys and badges ready for you.  THANK YOU, Ashley!!!

New hires also need to go through the following Schoology Course before Tuesday.

Work Hours Update from the District

Please note that there are new work hours for the school year.  We want you to know NOW so that those of you that need to arrange child care, have as much notice as possible.  7:20-3:35 are the Elementary contracted hours.  Please remember that we request that you leave your Wednesday's open until 5:00pm for professional development.  

FACULTY FAVORITES

Please take a chance to fill out this Google Form that includes information about you and your favorites.  This is a tool the office, PTO, and staff uses to treat you and get to know you better.

DON'T FORGET TO JOIN IN #LEESUMMERSELFIECHALLENGE

DATES TO REMEMBER:

July 31:  Wendy's Birthday

Aug. 2-5:  New Hire Induction

Aug. 9:  Leadership Meeting

Aug. 10-11:  Kindergarten Assessment Days

Aug. 11:  Residency Verification Day

Aug. 15-19:  Back to School Professional Learning

Aug. 22:  First Day of School

Welcome Back for #RJLYEAR3

Welcome back for another incredible year at Lee.  It has been a BUSY summer in the office as we have been hiring the best and most amazing additions to our school.  A special thank you to our Leadership Team for screening applications in the Spring, and to Courtney, Samira, Nick, Layne, and Ashley for their MANY hours as we find candidates that match our RJL educator profile.  To date we have hired 11 new famiLEE members and still need to find the perfect fourth grade teacher for Yellow House.  We have our eyes set on a gal from Arkansas and are waiting for her to pass the ESL test so we can move forward with a complete famiLEE.  We will keep you posted!  Here is our latest staff roster.  Lastly, please welcome Gabriella McCord when you meet her.  She will be Taylor's long term sub as she stays home with baby Kasen.

NEW HIRE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Our new hires are required to attend Induction Week.  Here is the schedule of events.  I look forward to seeing you at the Chamber Breakfast.  This is a FUN event, to kick of the week, where you get to win prizes from Coppell community business partners.  Professional dress on this day.

CAMPUS BOOK STUDY

During this year's Convocation, CISD will host George Couros as our guest speaker.  We will study his book Innovator's Mindset this year.  For those of you that want a jump start on reading the book, we have copies in the front office.  The book is yours to write in and make notes.  It is a quick and enjoyable read! 

APPLE/IBM APP UPDATE

Samira, Sam, Priscilla, and I had the privilege to be on the IBM campus, in Austin, last week.  We not only got a preview of the app (A-MAZ-ING) but also gave input on future components of the app.  It is going to be EXCITING being the only elementary campus putting this app into practice this school year.  I truly believe it is going to make the day in the life of a teacher more streamlined and benefit the learners.  Unfortunately, I got an email today that our August 8 and 9 training will be postponed.  The district will, instead, offer a series of trainings during the school year.  I apologize for the inconvenience this causes, and will keep you posted as information comes my way.  This means the gift of time on August 8 and 9 now.  ENJOY!!   Leadership Team...we will see you on the 9th.

MASTER SCHEDULE

Thank you to Courtney for working on next year's master schedule as part of her Summer internship hours.  She shared the schedule out for feedback at the beginning of summer and, for now, we will move forward with it.  Please know that the goal of our master schedule is to always keep in mind:

1. Large teachable blocks of time
2. Avoiding Red and Green houses in their space during lunch periods (as much as possible)
3. Keeping recess before lunch

FACULTY WEBSITE

Our faculty website is updated (thank you Sam for helping me with this task!) and ready as a resource for ALL.  It is meant to be a "one stop shop" for you, so if there is something we need to add, please email me and I will add it on there.  For those of you that want to get ahead and start reading the Lee Campus Handbook, it is posted, and updated.  It is required this is read and signed of by September 16.  Updates after 7/19/16 are highlighted in yellow.  The district is going to send me the LATEST Learning Framework.  Once I have that, I will update the link.

FACULTY FAVORITES

Please take a chance to fill out this Google Form that includes information about you and your favorites.  This is a tool the office, PTO, and staff uses to treat you and get to know you better.

OPPORTUNITY

If you are interested in partnering with Jodi Dienhammer to create a book similar to the ones her middle schooler's made, she is looking for interested individuals.  You can email her or tweet her.

YOU ASK AND THE DISTRICT DELIVERS

We have asked for compliance videos early so that they do not need to be completed during the school year.  You can get these done, NOW, in the comfort of your home.  Here is how:

• Log into Schoology
• Select "Compliance Trainings 2016-17" for Lee and enter the access code: W2TRS-2B7FM
• Once you complete the course, take the quiz.  It will record in Schoology and we can monitor your participation
• All 3 must be completed by September 30, 2016

DON'T FORGET TO JOIN IN #LEESUMMERSELFIECHALLENGE

DATES TO REMEMBER:

July 31:  Wendy's Birthday

Aug. 2-5:  New Hire Induction

Aug. 9:  Leadership Meeting

Aug. 10-11:  Kindergarten Assessment Days

Aug. 11:  Residency Verification Day

Aug. 15-19:  Back to School Professional Learning

Aug. 22:  First Day of School