Week of April 6

Once again, when I was engaging with people this week, I heard from more than one person how AWESOME the staff a Lee is.  I couldn't agree more!  We are entering the home stretch, friends.  Remind yourself daily to do more of what makes you happy and enjoy this time with your kiddos.

“Hard days are the best because that’s when champions are made. If you push through the hard days, then you can get through anything.”– Gabby Douglas

“What I like most about change is that it’s a synonym for ‘hope.’ If you are taking a risk, what you are really saying is, ‘I believe in tomorrow and I will be part of it.'” – Linda Ellerbee

DID YOU KNOW?

• the the RJL Walk for Wishes team raised $530 for children with life threatening medical conditions?  THANK YOU, Layne, for spearheading a team, and thank you to Elisa and Megan for participating!
• that we will have an additional diagnostician helping April Dyke with our caseload?  If you attend an ARD and Stephanie O'Dell is the diagnostician, please welcome her to the famiLEE. She will be helping April the remainder of the year.
• that leaving your lights on in your spaces, design studios, and workrooms when you are not in there could keep us from being Net Zero this year?  Please help make a conscious effort to turn these off when you leave or see them on in the building.  Please monitor your flat panels, too!

FAMI"LEE" CARNIVAL
Remember LEEdership Council will be pre selling entrance tickets, at the end of lunch, next week.  Please advertise this in your newsletters!  Also, please make sure to start advertising and talking up your auction dates with your learners.  This will help ensure we raise top dollar for your valuable time!


LEADERSHIP MEETINGS
Please remember to go back and share our meeting notes and information with the members of your house and team that were not in attendance.  There were a great deal of decisions made and we want to keep everyone in the loop!  I was overwhelmed with the attendance at our latest meeting.  Your time, expertise, ideas, and talents are GREATLY APPRECIATED!  I will begin interviews next week and will keep you posted as I find "perfect fits" for Lee.


STAAR 
Thank you, all of you, for keeping our building a secure testing site on Monday and Tuesday.  It takes all of us working together!  Angela, THANK YOU for your organization so that everything ran so smoothly.  4th and 5th grade designers, thank you, for the miles you wore into our carpets!  Thank you to Roxann, Renee, Ayesha, Alicia, Diana, Veronica, Julie, Courtney, and David for helping with our small groups and bathroom monitoring.  We had excellent active monitoring at Lee!


COPPELL EARTH FEST
We are SO EXCITED that our learners in Red House will work our booth on Saturday.  THANK  YOU for designing a CBL unit that will have them share their knowledge with the world in an authentic way.  Way to go Red House!


WASTE FREE LUNCH @ LEE
We will participate in Waste Free Lunch Day in celebration of Earth Day on April 22.  To learn more check out this resource and video.  I have purchased Spirit Sticks to be handed out to each learner that contributes to a waste free lunch that day.  In addition, we will have compostable silverware purchased from the Child Nutrition Department.  Special thanks to Elisa for getting our compost bin started.


SUMMER SCHOOL
Are you interested in teaching summer school in Coppell ISD?  One of our Assistant Principals, Patricia Badillo will be the administrator and she sent this link to apply for those interested.


BOOK CLUBS
Please let me know if you are utilizing Roxann's Digital Book Club with your learners.  I would LOVE to see it in action and hear their feedback.  In case you forget, here is the introduction to digital book clubs, The Princess in Black, and The Templeton Twins Have an Idea.  THANK YOU, Roxann, for your hard work and vision with this innovative project.

 

"LEE" QUOTE OF THE WEEK:  “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” - Oprah Winfrey

"LEE"DERSHIP TIP OF THE WEEK:  After we eat, we will clean up after ourselves. This includes cleaning off the tables and making sure we haven’t left any trash on the floor or around the eating area. It is important to be responsible for your trash no matter where you are and to be sure not to litter.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

April 5- Stacey's Birthday
April 6-April 10- LEEdership Council Pre Sells FamiLEE Carnival Tickets
April 8- Megan's Birthday
              Walk AT School Wednesday
              Jeans and Red and Black Attack Shirt Day
              Curriculum Meetings (3:30)
April 11- Coppell EarthFest
                Dad's Club Golf Tournament
April 13- National Librarian's Appreciation Week
                LEEdership Council Meeting (8:30)
April 14- Suzanne's Birthday
                4/5 Author Visit (8:00-(9:00)
                PTO Meeting (6:30)
April 15- Walk AT School Wednesday
                College Shirt Day
                5th Grade Spinal Screening
                Staff Meeting (3:30)
April 16- Class and Individual Picture Day
April 17- FamiLEE Carnival (5:30-8:00)

Week of March 30

Thank you for another INCREDIBLE WEEK at Lee.  It was busy, but SO MUCH LEARNING is happening here.  I just LOVE walking our visitors through the building and being able to show them the evidence of learning ALL OVER THE PLACE.  My heart was full when two visitors from the Gates Foundation said this, "this school is beautiful, but it is what your teachers are doing with the school and the children that is most impressive."  I couldn't agree more!!!

Here are two quotes that resonated with me this week:

“Continuous effort–not strength or intelligence–is the key to unlocking our potential.” – Winston Churchill

“The team player knows that it doesn’t matter who gets the credit as long as the job gets done. If the job gets done, the credit will come.”
– The Edge

DID YOU KNOW?

• there are snapshots by grade, academic vocabulary, and student learning reports already done for you to use to enhance your PLC work?
• there are stems that can help you plan and deliver instruction on the lead4ward site?
• on June 9, we will have CBL training and on June 10, K-2 will have Tapping Out With Tiles Training?  Mark your calendars!

SPIRIT RALLY
Please have learners seated in the gym at 8:00.  Choir learners will be to the side so that we don't waste time getting them together.  Don't forget to let your learners know if they have perfect attendance.  We will recognize them.  We have a fun morning planned for you!


LEADERSHIP MEETING
Remember, ANY of you are welcome to join us when we have our Monthly Leadership Meetings.  It is a great way to stay informed and also weigh in on campus decisions.  Thank you to this year's members for their contributions so far!


DR. WALDRIP VISIT
Dr. Waldrip will visit us after school on Thursday.  Please plan on attending.  He will be reviewing important legislative information.  If you have any questions or want to learn more, check out the CISD website.


WALK FOR WISHES
Layne, Megan, and Elisa are walking tomorrow.  If you want to join me to cheer them on, email or text me.  I am a great cheerleader and am happy to bring the bullhorns!! :)


STAAR REMINDERS
STAAR tests are on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  Please remind parents that cell phones need to stay home and that they may not come to lunch on these days.  Here are maps to remind you where testing will take place in the building.  Please ensure that your learners help us create a positive testing environment.  THANK YOU to all of you that have preparing our learners and school for these days!  A special shout out to Angela who has worked nights and weekends to get everything organized and communicated.  Thank you, Glitters, for stepping up to test small groups!  4th and 5th grade designers...BREATHE...they are prepared- we all know you have done your best- YOUR LEARNERS WILL MAKE YOU PROUD!


COPPELL EARTH FEST
If you are interested in showcasing your class or sharing sustainable parts of Lee with the community, there is an event on Saturday, April 11.  Please click here to see how you can help or participate.


"LEE" QUOTE OF THE WEEK:  "He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened." -Lau Tzu

"LEE"DERSHIP TIP OF THE WEEK:  Never start eating off of your tray until you are at your seat.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

March 28- Walk for Wishes
March 30- 4th STAAR Writing Test (Alternate Schedule)
March 31- 4th STAAR Writing Test (Alternate Schedule)
                  5th STAAR Reading Test
                  Grades Due in Pentamation
April 1- 4th STAAR Writing Test (Alternate Schedule)
              Walk AT School Wednesday
              Jeans and House Shirt Day
              Leadership Meeting (3:30-5:00)  All are welcome!
April 2- Campus Meeting with Dr. Waldrip (3:30)
April 3- Report Card Day
April 5- Stacey's Birthday
April 6-April 10- LEEdership Council Pre Sells FamiLEE Carnival Tickets
April 8- Megan's Birthday
              Walk AT School Wednesday
              Jeans and Red and Black Attack Shirt Day
              Curriculum Meetings (3:30)
April 11- Coppell EarthFest
                Dad's Club Golf Tournament

Week of March 23

Please take a moment to reflect on this quote from David Armistead.  This is the time of year when educators tend to be a little less patient and understanding with one another.  Let's continue to assume best intentions with one another and remember we are LUCKY to be at LEE! 

“Trust each other again and again. When the trust level gets high enough, people transcend apparent limits, discovering new and awesome abilities for which they were previously unaware.” – David Armistead

DID YOU KNOW?

• that we raised $115 for Special Olympics with your contributions?  THANK YOU for your generosity!
• that videos like THIS help remind us why we all entered the "kid business?" I believe Challenge Based Learning helps build a fire from within like these young men demonstrated.
• that we have received, as a campus, over $6600 in grants so far?  What a resourceful group!  (If your grant is not posted below, please remember to send me your info!)
• Stacey Harris- $2000- Coppell ISD Education Foundation
• Wendy Pray- $856- Coppell ISD Education Foundation
• Kristen Schliewe- $240- Donor's Choose
• Sam Jensen- $621- Donor's Choose
• Ashley Bensen- $579- Donor's Choose
• Lauren Gaspard- $169- Donor's Choose (plus a Donor's Choose in the works)
• Elisa Genco- $547- Tilt (plus a Donor's Choose in the works)
• Roxann Krautkramer- (Donor's Choose in the works)
• Priscilla Shaner- $235- Donor's Choose
• Layne Sommers- $183- Donor's Choose
• Nicole Williams- $1224- Donor's Choose 

OPEN HOUSE
Thank you doesn't begin to even cover our appreciation for all that you did to prepare for our Open House!!  You are the best staff a principal could ask for.


FUN RUN
Weather will determine if we are able to host our Fun Run or need to reschedule.  If we need to cancel due to wet/slick surfaces, a Parent Link communication will go out as soon as possible.  Unfortunately, this will be a last minute decision.  Thanks for your understanding.


MISSING IPAD MINI
Please take a couple of minutes to look around your spaces for an extra iPad mini.  It will be labeled B21.  We are trying to locate this device.  This is a great time to remind you that we should have practices in place where your learners turn in devices at the end of the day and you check to make sure that they are all accounted for.  Also, learners should be using an ASSIGNED device, not just ANY device.  If you are using shared devices, there MUST be a system for signing out MacBooks and iPads.  This helps us monitor for accountability, acceptable use, and damage.  If you do not have a system in place, please start one immediately. 


FamiLEE CARNIVAL
At Tuesday's PTO meeting, a date was confirmed for our school Spring fundraiser.  This event will be called the FamiLEE Carnival and it will be from 5:30 -8:00 p.m. on April 17.  Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.  We need to firm up auction ideas so that PTO can advertise and hype them up.  For the latest list, or to add/change, click here.  Presale tickets will be sold during recess the week of April 6.  Presale tickets will be $5 and we are going to "suggest" learners "earn" their $5 through chores at home.  Those who want to go the carnival and do not purchase a presale ticket will have to pay $7 at the door.  Parents and children under 2 will get in for free.  There will be bounce houses, obstacle courses, a photo booth, a dunk tank, carnival games, pizza, nachos, snacks, auctions, and MORE!!  All money raised will to back to the PTO to help us with technology matching funds and PTO sponsored events.


THE BIG QUESTION
Many of you have been approached by parents about what we are going to do next year.  Will we stay in houses?  Will we switch houses?  After meeting with Penny Tramel and Dr. Denison on March 2, it was explained to me that the district philosophy is that learners will stay in a house throughout their tenure at Lee.  For now...let's keep this information "in house" until I am ready to communicate this out to our community.  We still have to develop a system for "how/if" we need to move a learner to another house. You, of course, will be informed along the way, so thank you for your patience as we work through the details.  In the meantime, if you are approached, please tell parents that Mrs. Kastrounis will be making a decision and communicating that out to parents before the end of the school year.


PURCHASE ORDERS
This is a final call for purchase orders to be turned in for approval.  WE HAVE FUNDS, so if there are needs, get your POs completed and turned in to CK's box by Wednesday, March 25.


ALTERNATE SCHEDULES
Please be sure to inform your parents when your schedules will be changed.  It makes it difficult in the office when parents arrive for lunch and the time has been adjusted, but not communicated.  Thank you!


KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Please put a note in your weekly communication that Kindergarten Registration is underway.  Families with incoming kindergarteners need to schedule an appointment with the front office as soon as possible so that we can use this information to assist us with projected enrollment.


FRIENDLY REMINDER
When you are sick or need to be absent, please follow the directions below from our campus handbook:  

Too often, when a designer must be absent, the result is a lost instructional day for the learners.  Although some absences cannot be avoided, please be very discriminating in use of leave for personal illness or family illness.  NO ONE else can work better with your learners than you can!

Designers should attend to the following items in anticipation of any absence that might occur.  Doing so will insure that there are not too many interruptions in the regular routine of the school day.

• When you must be absent due to illness or emergencies, please use the Coppell ISD Absence Management System and follow the directions on your employee quick reference card.  The system phone number is 469-549-1352 and the website is https://smartfind.coppellisd.com.  Please email or call Chantel as early as possible. Her phone number is 214-725-4619..  

• You will also need to contact a housemate and let him/her know you will be out.

• You are responsible for entering your own absence into Smart Find and for scheduling specific subs if that is your desire.

• Personal leave requests must be made to Chantel a minimum of 5 days prior to absence.  These should come through our Formspace document in Eduphoria.

• Any absence that is 3 or more consecutive days requires approval from Human Resources..

When you are absent, it is imperative that you leave detailed lesson plans that are easily accessible and easy to follow for a substitute.  Having a substitute folder prepared that can be pulled out every time you are out would be preferred.  This should include a copy of your daily schedule, a list of helpful learners, and filler activities in case your learners finish the plans you have left.

Leave out a red folder with health concerns.

"LEE" QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.” ~George S. Patton

"LEE"DERSHIP TIP OF THE WEEK:  Do not save seats in the lunchroom. If someone wants to sit down, let him or her. Do not try to exclude anyone. We must treat one another with respect and kindness.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

March 23- TELPAS Tutorials
March 24- Possible Donuts with Dads (before school)
                 2nd Grade TELPAS
March 25-Jeans and iCreate Shirt Day
                  Social Spurs Luncheon ($8.50)
                  Walk AT School Wednesday
                  3rd Grade TELPAS
                  Stacey's TOY Observation/Interview
                  Fed Ex Day (3:30-4:30)
March 26- 4/5 TELPAS
                  1st Grade Music Dress Rehearsal (8:00-8:30)
                  2nd Grade Music Dress Rehearsal (8:30-9:00)
                  1st Grade Music Performance (6:00 pm)
                  2nd Grade Music Performance (7:00 pm)
March 27- Spirit Rally (8:00-Gym) (Alternate Schedule)
                  Red CBL Planning Day
                  TELPAS Make Up Day
                  Last Day of 3rd 9 Weeks
March 28- Walk for Wishes (8:15 am)
March 30- 4th STAAR Writing Test (Alternate Schedule)
March 31- 4th STAAR Writing Test (Alternate Schedule)
                  5th STAAR Reading Test
                  Grades Due in Pentamation
April 1- 4th STAAR Writing Test (Alternate Schedule)
              Walk AT School Wednesday
              Jeans and House Shirt Day
              Leadership Meeting (3:30-5:00)  All are welcome!
April 2- Campus Meeting with Dr. Waldrip (3:30)
April 3- Report Card Day

No Place I'd Rather Be

How do I convey the magnitude of emotions that erupted in me as I sat in my car after Open House?  Well...I come home and blog about it...

It seems like it was not too long ago that we were greeting families as they came to Meet the Designer Night.  I recall feeling nervous that evening because our school was new to EVERYONE.  It was obvious parents were concerned about the open concept, new teachers, academics, and the new principal....Here we are, 26 weeks later, and it is Open House!  This time, I was not filled with nervousness, but excitement.  Excitement to see our learners proudly share their learning, excitement to showcase the designers who make it happen each day, excitement to get feedback from our parents about how we are doing.

The day was a blur of meetings, but I kept remembering a wise woman's advice from the beginning of the year.  She reminded me to make time to "take it all in."  It is a rare opportunity to open a brand new school, and this year is a year of MANY firsts that I should be mindful to appreciate.  I am so happy I took two hours before parents arrived to "wall walk" the building.  I saw some designers scrambling to tend to last minute preparations, and wondered if they thought I was walking around micromanaging them or overseeing them.  This wasn't the case, at all!!!!  I truly was taking it all in.  Just like a parent, I was attending Open House for my baby.  Opening a school is like birthing a baby, right?  Looking around every turn of the building, I saw evidence of learning on walls and windows; in journals and jars; on strings, timelines, number lines and posters; through art, photographs and QR codes.   I SAW IT EVERYWHERE.  It was even in our garden with the blossoming tulips!   How could I not be overcome with pride??

As we welcomed the families that were lined up outside the front doors, That nervousness I felt earlier in the year was replaced with pride.  I was able to stand with a level of confidence that I hadn't experienced before. To begin with, these families were no longer strangers, they were my FamiLEE.  I could share personal observations, experiences, and comments about many of our learners with their parents.  Secondly, and what I found to be most profound, was the pride and confidence that came from having the entire building exude EXACTLY what we do EVERY DAY at Lee.  Yes, there was more on "display," but it displayed what life in the day of a Lee learner honestly looks like.   How awesome is THAT?

Speaking of awesome...how awesome is it that Mr. Lee could be there for our first Open House?  (Thank you, Todd!)

How awesome do you think it was to have parents GUSH about the school as a whole: the designers... the facility... the rigor... our administration... the technology... the communication... how happy their kids are to come to school.... the challenges... the list goes on!  How awesome is getting hugged on from all sides and photographed from every angle? Am I a movie star?  Should I sign autographs?  These, too, are moments that are burned in my memory from this night.

Then, I get in my car when Open House winds down, check Twitter, and the song that is playing on the radio is, "No Place I'd Rather Be." All I could think is THERE IS NO PLACE I WOULD RATHER BE and NO BETTER PEOPLE I WOULD RATHER BE ON THIS JOURNEY WITH.  We all know I am not a parent.  I probably won't get the chance to send my own child off on their two wheeler without training wheels.  But you know what is cool?  I feel like (in my own way) tonight I got to experience what parenthood might feel like.  I am forever grateful to experience this with YOU!  Thank you for all of your hard work, your effort, your talent, your time, and your commitment, Lee Staff.   Keep pedaling this last nine weeks. The training wheels are off, and we are on the ride of our life!

Week of March 16

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR WELL DESERVED WEEK OFF!  WELCOME BACK, JAMYE!

DID YOU KNOW?

• that you have a shared folder (called A LEE FORMS) in Google with campus budget forms, faculty info, and resources in the broadcast closet?  Take a look!  Please remember to check out what you take from the broadcast closet.  This helps us keep track and also know what to order.
• Dr. Waldrip is going to come visit with our staff on Thursday, April 2, after school?  Please mark your calendar.  He will discuss legislative concerns that you should be aware of.  This site will give you more information from the district, and Diane Ravitch's blog is also very informative. 

JEANS THE WEEK AFTER SPRING BREAK?
Do you want to wear jeans the entire week of March 16- March 20?  It will cost you $5 and all money collected will go toward funding the Coppell ISD Special Olympics.  Please put a post it on your $5 and put it in Chantel's mailbox.  I can't wait to see how much we donate to support the special learners in Coppell ISD.


OPEN HOUSE
We will host Open House Wednesday night from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm.  Please dress professionally this night.  Glitters will be helping administration with greeting guests at the front and back doors, so please do not send learners to the gym, art room, or music room.


GRANT RECIPIENTS
Have you received a grant through our Education Foundation, Donor's Choose, or another avenue this school year?  If you have... could you please email me, by Friday, the title of your grant, the grantor, and your award amount?  Thank you!


LEEdership COUNCIL
Please send your council members down to the PreK classroom at 8:30 on Monday morning.  THANK YOU!


"LEE" QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." -C. S. Lewis

"LEE"DERSHIP TIP OF THE WEEK:  If any child in this school is bothering you, let an adult know. Adults are here to look after you and protect you. We are not going to let anyone in this school bully you or make you feel uncomfortable.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

March 9-13- SPRING BREAK!
March 16-  Leedership Council Meeting (8:30)
                   SBDM Mtg. (3:30)
March 18- Jeans and College Shirt Day
                  Walk AT School Wednesday
                  Staff Mtg. (3:30-5:00) STAAR SECURITY
                  PTO Mtg. (6:30 Cafe)
March 19- Purple House CBL Day #2
                  District Youth Art Month Reception (6:30 CHS)
March 20- FUN RUN
                  Tina's (night custodian) Birthday
March 24- 2nd Grade TELPAS
March 25-Jeans and iCreate Shirt Day
                  Social Spurs Luncheon
                  Walk AT School Wednesday
                  3rd Grade TELPAS
                  Fed Ex Day (3:30-4:30)
March 26- 4/5 TELPAS
                  1st Grade Music Dress Rehearsal (8:00-8:30)
                  2nd Grade Music Dress Rehearsal (8:30-9:00)
                  1st Grade Music Performance (6:00 pm)
                  2nd Grade Music Performance (7:00 pm)
March 27- Spirit Rally
                  TELPAS Make Up Day
                  Last Day of 3rd 9 Weeks
March 28- Walk for Wishes (8:15 am)

Week of March 2

What a week we had!  A great way to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week is by having 2 days off.   Who knows, maybe THREE!  I hope you felt appreciation and love from your learners and their famiLEEs.  They ADORE YOU!!

DID YOU KNOW?

• that Chantel will be gone on Friday?  I am in San Antonio for a wedding this weekend.  Todd will be on campus and Penny will come by, too.
• that we will have members from MP3 Energy here on Monday from 2:30-4:00 showcasing a kiosk they have created to help learners and visitors learn about the energy savings at Lee?  Please feel free to drop by and check it out!
• that we realize how hard you are working to prepare for Open House? WE DO!  THANK YOU for all that you are doing to showcase learning at Lee.
• that our Staff Meeting on Wednesday will not be as long as usual?  We will use this time for STAAR Security Training.  Please plan on ALL being there, on time.  This includes paraprofessionals.  THANK YOU!
• that Social Spurs helps to recognize Custodial (this week) and Cafeteria (next week) Appreciation weeks?  This is documented in the Social Spur minutes.  Gift cards will be purchased and delivered from all of the staff.

I received THREE REALLY GOOD quotes this week for you to think about:

“There is greatness all around you–welcome it! It is easy to be great when you get around great people.”– Bob Richards

“Teamwork has its own arithmetic. Combine two or more people with a common goal and suddenly one-plus-one is more than two.”– Dan Zadra

“Our mistakes from the past are just that: mistakes. And they were necessary to make in order to become the wiser person we became.”– Bill Maher

AUCTION IDEAS
Please fill out what your grade levels/houses will be willing to offer for auction dates on this document at your earliest convenience.  We need to get this information to PTO.  THANK YOU!


CHICK FIL A BREAKFAST
Don't forget that we will be providing breakfast to you on Tuesday morning.  Bring your appetite.  THANK YOU Dr. Herauf for picking up the food!!

HEART HEALTHY WEEK @ LEE

If you paid to wear jeans for the week, please wear jeans on Monday and Tuesday.  It is not too late to pay your $5 if you want to wear jeans next week!  

"LEE" QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
- Thomas Edison

"LEE"DERSHIP TIP OF THE WEEK:  Flush the toilet and wash your hands after using the restroom.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Week of March 2-6 Child Nutrition Appreciation Week

                                Texas Public Schools Week
March 2- Read Across America Day
March 3- Breakfast in the Lounge
March 4- Walk At School Wednesday
                Jeans with Red and iCreate Shirt
                Staff Meeting (3:30)
March 5- Open House (6:00-7:30)
March 5- DBU Classes at Lee (Pre K Room)
March 9-13- SPRING BREAK!

Week of February 23

What an incredible week of growth we have had!  Thank you for accepting the Critical Friends feedback from your peers.  It is not always easy to hear what needs clarified, improved, etc., however, each of you contributed to improving each and every Big Idea.  With more than 90% of you having Learning Design as a professional goal, each of you should be PROUD of how far you are coming in this area.  You also helped our RTI team tweak what they are doing to better serve you and your learners.  THANK YOU!!  

DID YOU KNOW?

• that there are district weather policies that relate to recess for your learners?  Please see me if you have any questions.  If it is above 32 degrees (not feels like), learners should be going out to recess.  Leadership Team will come up with a plan for where your learners go when their parents request they "not go outside" for recess.   Stay tuned!
• that RJL used NetTrekker 12,926 times during them onto of December and January?  You are the top school in the DISTRICT.  THANK YOU for using this safe search avenue and for showing our district just how "on board" you are.  
• Elementary campuses will not host Academic Olympics this year?  You may have parents ask about why?  Please share with them that all elementary schools offer enrichment activities for learners both during and outside of the school day.  Lee's info page helps communicate what we offer to all learners and that we host paid-for enrichment activities such as: Drama, Science Club, and Chess Club.  We have to be VERY CAREFUL just telling parents that Academic Olympics is cancelled this year by the district.  This was a carefully made decision which is why we have the new pages added to each elementary website.
• that new ink for our color printer will cost us almost $1,000 from our budget?  Please help us by only printing color copies through the color printer.  All other printing should go through our copy machines.  Toner for the machines is included in our contract and is much more cost effective. 
• that there was a new blog post written about RJL?
• Alli has a tech tip for you from TCEA.  ENJOY!
• that you had multiple compliments come your way this week:  
• Thank you both for the great tours and the hospitality shown to our guest this afternoon.  They absolutely saw what they wanted and needed to see, and were really amazed by some of the things they observed during their visit.  The level of learning and engagement at both your campuses being two of the many things they mentioned.  (About RJL and New Tech)
• What a school!  I wish all of our college students could come to a school like this!  (from a UNT College of Education Chair)
• Your school is beautiful, but what your teachers are doing in the school is even more beautiful  (from a Plano visitor)

“Limitations live only in our minds.  But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless. ” – Jamie Paolinetti

“If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not taking risks, and that means you’re not going anywhere. The key is to make mistakes faster than the competition, so you have more chances to learn and win.”  – John W. Holt, Jr.

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
Bring your appetites to school this week.  The office will host a ChickFilA breakfast, on Monday morning, in honor or Teacher Appreciation Week.  Breakfast will be served on Tuesday, from Dad's Club, and lunch will be served from our PTO on Thursday.  Thank you for being such FANTASTIC designers!!  Enjoy the pampering from your learners and famiLEEs this week!  


3-5 DISTRICT CLARITY SURVEY

All 3rd-5th grade learners at Lee will need to take the survey during class no later than February 25.  This survey may be taken as a class or during stations.  It should only last 10-15 minutes per user.  Linked below are some slides with links to the survey and QR codes that can be printed or projected and used when giving the learners’ access to the survey.  Learners only need to take the survey once, and may take it on an iPad or computer.  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16TiI62pa-qUqM_AcJ7pexUf5J3M2CVh1-KnroA3eCQo/edit?usp=sharing

CAFETERIA NOTES
Please remind your learners to drop off cafeteria money before school, not during lunch time.  Do you learners know their 5 digit number attached to their log in?  If they do, they could give this to the cafeteria cashier to speed up checking out.  Please remember that you must notify the cafeteria two weeks before field trips so that they can order accordingly.

ARTOME SHOW

Please talk up Thursday's Art show, after school, from 5:00-7:00.  Framed student work will be for sale and all profits will go back towards our RJL Art program.  

FED EX WEDNESDAY

Want to learn more about the Lego sets that PTO purchased for our school?  Join Samira for an overview and time to explore the endless possibilities of Lego learning after school on Wednesday. 


SUB REQUESTS
Just a friendly reminder...please submit your absence through Eduphoria before securing a sub through Sub Finder.  This process is to ensure that administration knows who is out and how we are paying for the substitute.  THANK YOU!


LOVE AND LOGIC

Dr. Fay asked that we share the Love and Logic online training opportunity that was previously only available to campuses involved in the Love and Logic research study.  Dr. Fay mentioned these trainings in his presentation Monday, and as a result, you may get requests from parents who attended his presentation for the links to these online modules.

Here is the link for Parents: http://www.loveandlogic.com/t-Research-theway.aspx

This link also allows parents to download a course workbook. Please feel free to share this link with all of your families. No password required.

There is also a link for educator online training with Love and Logic. Please feel free to share this with any educator you feel might be interested.

Here is the link for Educators: http://www.loveandlogic.com/t-Research-9E.aspx (workbook included)

We will only be allowed access to these modules for a limited time (approx. 8-12 weeks).

HEART HEALTHY WEEK @ LEE

We will be celebrating our FamiLee's Heart Health the week of February 23rd- 27th with some Lee campus activities.

• Monday, Feb 23:  Put your sneakers on for all staff VOLLEYBALL. See you in the gym at 3:20pm
• Tuesday, Feb 24:  Bring your water bottles to fill up with some FLAVORED water.
• Wednesday, Feb 25: WALK to school Wednesday at 730am in the gym.
• Thursday, Feb 26:  Bring your water bottles to fill up with some FLAVORED water. (different flavor)
• Friday, Feb 27:  GO RED, wear red  

In addition to the campus activities this week, you can donate $5.00 to American Heart Association and receive a JEANS PASS to use during this week.  We will take cash only starting Monday, February 16th.

"LEE" QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever.” - Walt Disney

"LEE"DERSHIP TIP OF THE WEEK:  If a designer is speaking to or disciplining a student, do not look at that student.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Week of February 23-27- Teacher Appreciation Week

                                          Heart Healthy Week
February 23- TELPAS Tutorials
                     Balanced Literacy Training (Service Center)
                     Breakfast from the Office (Lounge)
                     Staff Volleyball Game (3:20- Gym)
                     5th Grade Middle School Parent Meeting (6:30-CMSW)
February 24- 2nd Grade TELPAS
February 25- 3rd Grade TELPAS
                      Walk At School Wednesday
                      Jeans with Red and Black Attack Shirt
                      Fed Ex Day (3:30)
February 26- 4/5 Grade TELPAS
                     PTO Luncheon for Teacher Appreciation
                     Art Show (5:00- Cafe)
February 27- SIOP Training Must be Completed
                     Wear Red Day
Week of March 2-6 Child Nutrition Appreciation Week
                                Texas Public Schools Week
March 2- Read Across America Day
March 4- Walk At School Wednesday
                Jeans with Red and iCreate Shirt
                Staff Meeting (3:30)
March 5- Open House (6:00-7:30)
March 9-13- SPRING BREAK!