Week of May 21, 2018

Happy Field Day!  It is going to be a beautiful day tomorrow for fun in the sun and water.  Thank you, ahead of time, for your flexibility and positivity during this day.  Please take care of yourselves by staying hydrated and ENJOY playing around with the children.  We are excited to be done with state testing.  You all did a fantastic job of keeping the building quiet.  KUDOS to you all!  Please make sure you have taken down all test coverings and removed all staples by the end of the day, Friday.  Ashley, Leigh Ann, Jacque, and I have started screening applicants for our 3 vacancies (Britt, Amanda, Megan O.)  We will continue interviewing this next week and hope to have recommendations ready by next Friday.  My goal is to have the master campus staff list prepared by the last day of school so that everyone knows what grade and house they are in for 2018-2019.  I thank you for your patience as we want the right people to be invited to join our FamiLEE.

DID YOU KNOW:

• Jacque would like some feedback?  Please complete this short survey to help her grow and reflect. 
• there is a free Learning A-Z Symposium, on June 18, if you are interested in attending?  It is FREE and shows ways to utilize Raz-Plus (which we ordered) and Science A-Z.  RSVP is required, and I will give flex credit to those that attend.
• CISD will recognize Samira, Angela, and Britt for being GEMS, on Monday night, at the Board Room?  We would love to show them some Lee love, so come support your friends!
• Stephanie put together an album of pictures from our CMSW tour on Wednesday?  Take a look at what our kids will get to move into next year!
• we donated $450 to CowbysRun4Allison?  THANK YOU for your contributions!!!

LEEDERSHIP COUNCIL FEEDBACK
Don't forget to have your class submit their idea for our 5th grade graduation gift before the end of the day, Friday.  The Google Form is here.  Remember our price point is about $500.  THANK YOU to those that already submitted your idea.

FIELD DAY

Feel free to wear shorts (no workout shorts), tshirts (avoid tank tops), and hats tomorrow.  Shorts should be fingertip length or longer- don't ruin it for others!  Please use the following schedule:

• 7:40- Label belongings with sharpie and watch Morning Broadcast
• 7:55- Come down to the gym (bring items with you)
• 8:00- Rowdy kicks off Field Day in the Gym (Spirit Rally seating)
• 8:30- Start in zone that corresponds with house color on map below.  We will be notified when to rotate (approx every 40 minutes)
• 11:50-1:00-  Lunchtime in houses.  (Staff and volunteer lunch in cafe.  You have permission to watch movies today- YAY!)
• 1:00-2:30- Popsicles, 5th Grade Tug of War, House Competitions/Teacher Games (please encourage learners to cheer on their housemates)

Involve the CISD student athletes and parents as much as possible.  We have football, tennis, RST, and other athletes here to make the day tons of fun for ALL.  

Here are some creative ways to have your learners wear their tubular bandannas that PTO delivered in your house colors:

(Did you know you can also put them in water & put them back on to cool off?)

DAY CHANGES
We changed Monday to a Day 6 and Tuesday to a Day 5 to accommodate our Kindergarten Biome Zoo.  Thank you to everyone for their flexibility.  It is going to be a GREAT event! Here is the schedule and zoo bingo card.


MARVELOUS MONDAYS IN MAY
Monday is time for some more FUN this last month of school.  Please join in!

MEMORIAL DAY CARDS
Don't forget to have your class work on creating cards for Memorial Day by Friday, May 25.  We will take them to the DFW National Cemetery on Saturday, May 26 at 9:00 a.m.  This is a rewarding experience, so feel free to join in.  Please put each card in a gallon sized ziploc bag.  Don't worry, we will add the rocks for you, at the cemetery.  Designers, PLEASE send this invitation and map home, to your LEEder in class, so that their parents have information about the event.  If any of you want to join us, you are more than welcome to attend.  It is a HEART-WARMING experience!

PONYTAIL CLUB
Please share in your weekly communication that we are looking for participants for this year's Ponytail Club.  More information can be found here. We want some participants on the last day of school and also need to plan accordingly.

END OF YEAR TECHNOLOGY CHECK-IN

Please read the Lee End of Year Technology Checklist that explains how and when we will check in/out devices and presentation station carts. See Melinda if you have any questions. Dates and info are also on the staff calendar.  In addition, 4th and 5th grade, please make sure to read and follow Alli's email and Team Time notes with 1 to 1 devices. 

REPORTS IN TEACHER ACCESS CENTER

Please help Kathy Creek by cleaning out your reports in Teacher Access Center as outlined in her email on Monday.

STORAGE ROOMS

Thank you for getting started on your inventory of your storage spaces.  End of Year Checklists will come out in next week's blog.  Remember my feelings on this task- it should be done before/after school or during conference time.  Learning should be happening until the last day at Lee.  I appreciate your help with this.

CISD FOCUSED WALKTHROUGH

We will give feedback on Domain 3 Dimension 3: Classroom Culture...or just drive by and give verbal feedback.  

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK:

Organize in Sequence
Think about your topic. If your piece moves chronologically, it helps to first make a list of the steps or events in the order you plan to describe or explain them. Once you have the order right, then you can draft.  (Taken from The Writing Strategies Book by Serravallo)

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Humor- comical or amusing quality; ability to see or show the funny or amusing side of things.

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

Your ability to make people laugh can help others feel comfortable and relieve tense situations.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." - Victor Borge


DATES TO REMEMBER:

May 19- Stephanie Richter gets married!
May 21- Day 6
     RtI Meetings
     Kinder Zoo (Cafe)
     GEM Awards (5:30 Admin)
     Spring Choir Concert (7:00 pm Cafe)
May 22- Day 5
     CJM Foster Animal Pickup (8:00am)
     NRH2O
May 23- New Learner Lunches
     Staff Meeting/Courtney's Shower (3:30-5:00 Purple House)
May 24- 3rd Grade Field Trip (Zoo)
May 25- Dyslexia Screener Due to Brock
     Grades Due (8:00am)
     Talent Show (8:00-10:00 Cafe)
     Last Day to turn in Fun Run Receipts
     CISD Night at the Ballpark
May 26- Deliver Memorial Letters to DFW National Cemetery (9:00am)

Week of May 14, 2018

Have an incredible weekend, sweet ladies.  I hope you have felt kindness and appreciation from our PTO and FamiLEEs.  You are such a talented and dedicated bunch and are loved very much!  Please leave as soon as ALL learners are safely dismissed!

DID YOU KNOW:

• if you want some tips to spice up engagement in your weekly newsletter that you might enjoy this article from Edutopia?
• that PTO will be giving classroom designers $50 at the start of 2018-2019 school year? They also approved $5000 towards STEAM Lab materials, the renewal of Reflex Math, a Nacho Machine (my personal fave!), and money for a leadership retreat.  YAY PTO!
• the district added a Composting Class, on June 7, to the CISD Summer Professional Learning courses?  You can register through Eduphoria.
• our iPad minis will be replaced with a new(er) iPad during the summer?  
• we will participate in a Ponytail Club at our last spirit rally?  Please talk to your learners and parents to see if anyone want to donate at least 10 inches of their hair to charity.
• that we have THREE Designers who will be recognized as GEMS at the Board Meeting, at 5:30, on May 21?  CONGRATULATIONS Stephanie, Samira, and Britt!  We are so proud of you!

STAAR TESTING

Please view the master schedule for scheduling on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Let parents know about adjusted times for our grade level schedules on these days. 

Please put this information in your weekly newsletter.  

All 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students across the state of Texas will be participating in the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.   Please see the testing schedule below:

• Monday, May 14th:  3rd Grade Math; 4th Grade Math
• Tuesday, May 15th:  3rd Grade Reading; 4th Grade Reading
• Wednesday, May 16:  5th Grade Science

 Please make note of these important dates!  Due to the need for a secure test environment, visitors may not go beyond the office on these days.  There will be no volunteers for recess duty, helping teachers, helping in the library, helping in the office or tutoring students.  In addition, there will be no visitors allowed during lunch.  It is important that we maintain an environment that is free of interruptions so we ask that all cell phones, smart watches, and fit-bits remain at home on testing days. Please keep in mind that there are alternate lunch times on testing days.

Thank you for your cooperation!  

Angela Garvin

MARVELOUS MONDAYS IN MAY
We hope you enjoyed the game of Human Scrabble last week.  This week we will feed you some delicious lunch.  I wonder what is in store next week?

LEADERSHIP MEETING
I have a request for our team for Wednesday's meeting.  Please wear closed toe shoes.  We will be going on a field trip as we take our meeting to our neighbor, Coppell Middle School West.  If you have a hard hat from year one, please bring it.


DONUTS WITH DADS
Please invite your dads to come to the Media Center Flex Space to have donuts with their learners before Field Day on Friday.  Donuts will be served from 7:20-7:40 and learners must have an adult with them to attend.


FIELD DAY
Field Day will be Day 0 on the calendar.  As soon as we get information from PTO regarding start time etc. we will pass it along.  Please find out if your learners need a sack lunch from the cafeteria and have parents enter information on this google form.  THANK YOU!

RTI & END OF YEAR DATA

Designers, as the end of the year approaches, we want to make sure that all of your data for any RtI learners is up-to-date and in AWARE.  If you have any learners currently on RtI, please schedule an RtI meeting on Monday, May 21st to visit with Ashley and Angela about learner progress, end-of-year assessment data, and the required documentation.  They are happy to walk you through what is expected to be in AWARE. 

CISD FOCUSED WALKTHROUGH

We will give feedback on Domain 3 Dimension 3: Classroom Culture.  

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK:

Zoom In on a Moment of Importance
Think about a memory and all the events that are part of that memory. Think about what's important about that memory, or the big idea the memory leaves with you. Identify the one part of the memory that feels the most important. Write some ideas about what's important about it, and hwy it's important. Try to write just that one smaller part of the larger moment. Tell it bit by bit. (Taken from the Writing Strategies Book by Serravallo)

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Responsibility- making the right choice to be reliable and dependable.

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

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.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anyone else expects of you.  Never excuse yourself." -Henry Ward Beecher

DATES TO REMEMBER:
May 13- Mother's Day
May 14- Kindergarten Field Trip (Dallas Zoo)
     3, 4, 5 STAAR Math test
May 15- Education Foundation Shirt with Jeans
     2nd Grade Field Trip (Biodiversity Center)
     Kindergarten Field Trip (Andy Brown Park)
     3, 4, 5 STAAR Reading Test
May 16- 5 STAAR Science Test
     Leadership Meeting (3:30-5:00)
May 17- Spurs Savings (7:20-7:40)
     Officer Freeman Visits 5th Grade (8:00) Cafe
     All Library Books Due to Media Center
May 18- K-1 Dyslexia Screener Due
     Donuts with Dads (7:15-7:40 Media Flex Space)
     Field Day
May 19- Stephanie gets married!

Week of May 7, 2018

What another terrific week at Lee.  We had a super Green House music performance and shower for Kristina.  We also got a chance to celebrate our wonderful cafeteria super heroes!  Last, but not least, we got to meet our incoming Kindergarteners.  WHAT A WEEK and it is only Wednesday!!  You are getting this blog early because Chantel and Ashley are heading out to Chicago Wednesday afternoon.  Leigh Ann and Angela will hold down the fort while we are away.  We will be telling Lee's story at the Apple Distinguished Schools Global Summit, in Chicago.  We are proud to share the work YOU are doing in our building with our learners and technology.  We will post to Twitter so you can follow along.

DID YOU KNOW:

• we are working on the adjusted schedules for upcoming STAAR Testing days?  Stay tuned.
• we have iPad tripods for each house?  Leigh Ann will help deliver these and share some ideas for integration.
• we have something "fun" planned for each "Marvelous Monday" in May?  We want to have fun this last month of school so be ready each Monday.  
• Angie Applegate, our new Asst. Supt. for Curriculum and Instruction, will be walking the building with me on Wednesday afternoon.  This will be her first time being on campus in her new role.  I can't wait for her to see what you are doing with our children.

APEX FUNDS

Thank you to those of you that have been spending your Fun Run dollars.  You need to spend this money this year, so save your receipts and turn them in to PTO for reimbursement before May 25.


TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
PTO will be pampering our staff this week.  Their theme is KINDNESS.

• Monday- Bring a Kind not or card 
• Tuesday- Bring a flower
• Wednesday-Be kind and sweet.  Bring a treat.
• Thursday- Be kind and cool.  Enjoy a slush after school in the front car loop
• Friday-Throw Kindness like Confetti.  Lunch will be provided by PTO

HAPPY CALLS

I know you are in full swing of end of year conferences, but it is the perfect time to end the year on a good note.  Take some time and make a happy call to each of your learners.  It will pay off for you as much as it will them, trust me!

SUMMER PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Laurie O'Neill sent an email last week about summer Professional Learning in CISD.  Please sign up, now, so that you can start earning hours for the next school year.  

CISD FOCUSED WALKTHROUGH

We will give feedback on Domain 3 Dimension 3: Classroom Culture.  

CISD CURRICULUM COURIER

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK:

Write About a Pebble
Don't write about a general topic or idea, write about a specific, observable experience, person, place, time and so on. Use the language frame, "Don't write about [a mountain], write about [a pebble]" to help you explore ways to narrow the focus of your piece.  (Taken from The Writing Strategies Book by Serravallo)

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Humility- being humble, not proud or haughty, not arrogant or assertive

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

If you win or excel at something, do not brag.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"The reward of a thing well done is to have done it." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

DATES TO REMEMBER:
May 6- Guru Vandana (3:00-4:30) Flex credit will be given for attending and learning more about the culture of our learners.
May 7-11- Teacher and Nurse Appreciation Week
May 7- Red and Green Talent Show Try Outs (3:15pm -5:15pm)
May 8- Purple and blue Talent Show Try Outs (3:15pm -5:15pm)
     PTO Meeting (7:00pm Cafeteria)
May 9- Convocation T-shirt and Jeans
     Tour (10:00-12:00) 3 Principals from Garland ISD
     Angie Applegate visits Lee (1:45-3:15)
     Staff Meeting (3:30-5:00)
May 10- Spurs Savings (7:20-7:40 Cafeteria)
May 11- LEEdership Council Meeting (8:15-9:30 Cafeteria)
     Last Spirit Stick Sale
     First Grade Muffins with Mom (2:15-3:00)
May 13- Mother's Day

Week of April 30, 2018

WOW!  It is hard to believe we are in our last month of the school year.  We have enjoyed our Summative meetings this week and having the chance to have dedicated time with each and every staff member.  We  enjoy the opportunity to brag on you and celebrate the growth we have seen in ALL.  Tours went very well this week!  We noticed the intentional lesson design that showcases the learning that happens inside and outside our building.  THANK YOU for that and please know WE SEE IT and so do our guests!  We hope to see everyone at Movie on the Lawn, for a little while, Friday night.  It is a way to show our parents, learners, and PTO that we are all in this together.  Please communicate to parents know that concessions open at 7:30 and the movie starts at 8:00.

DID YOU KNOW:

• PTO will be doing some kind of headband/tubular bandana for Field Day?  We will not have shirts this year.
• the IBM/Watson app partnership is over for now.  CISD may revisit it in the future when the kinks are worked out.
• we will have support from Dallas Sherrif's Department starting next school year?  Two SROs will be housed at CMSW and will support us when needed.  
• that Region 10 is changing their workshop credit system?  Please make sure that you complete the evaluation after the course, or you will be kicked out and credit will not be granted. 
• if you haven't updated your MacBook by Friday, it will automatically update on Monday?  Back up your documents!
• on Tuesday, CISD Summer Professional Learning courses open up at 8:00am?  Registration will close on June 4 at 5:00pm.  Don't miss the window!
• teacher contracts are ready to sign in Talent Ed? 

MUSIC PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Please note a change of schedule on Tuesday by 15 minutes.  It is also reflected in the master schedule file in Google. 

ALLERGY TABLE AT LUNCH

Please remember that one of the cafeteria booths is to remain open for learners with allergies.  Learners who eat peanut butter or have nut products should NEVER sit at these tables. Thanks for helping to monitor this when  you are on lunch duty.

KINDERGARTEN ROUND UP

We are looking forward to having our new learners and famiLEEs on campus on Wednesday from 9:00-10:30.  Please help us with a smooth and quiet transition into music and PE during our presentation with parents.  Thank you to our office staff for managing our crowd.  Thank you to our Kindergarten team for taking on 125 extra bodies.   Thank you to our support staff for helping in the kinder rooms.

FED EX

Our last Fed Ex session for the year will be this Wednesday, May 2nd.  Jacque will be offering a session to spend time exploring topics of your choice on her blog, and Alli will host a session about Student Organized Learning Environments.  Flex hours for the year are supposed to be due Monday, April 30, but we are extending for those of you that need this hour.  We have to submit your hours to the district, so please remember to post to Today's Meet by 5:00 to get credit. 

SCHOOL LUNCH HERO DAY
Please wear (and encourage your learners to wear) a super hero shirt on Friday.  We will be celebrating School Lunch Hero Day in the cafeteria.  I think we can all agree, Charlene and her team are super heroes!  Social Spurs will get each cafeteria worker a $25 gift card, but please creatively show them how much we care!

RJL LOVE AND CBL SOLUTION AT CMSW

Want to wear jeans for the rest of the school year?  You are welcome to donate $10, or more, for CMSW Choir Teacher, Mrs. Hartzell, We have an envelope in the front office to collect your donations or you can donate on her Go Fund Me page and send a screenshot.  On May 2, we will submit a donation from our FamiLEE.  

STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES

We will be reviewing your SLOs together in the team times between May 9 (Day 1) and May 17 (Day 7).  At that time, we will discuss the growth of your learners, self-asses your own growth and participation in the process this  year, and upload your final Student Growth Tracker.  It will be stress-free, and we will walk through it together!  Let Ashley know if you have any questions.  

RtI MEETINGS

All Designers with learners in the RtI process need to schedule a meeting for either May 7 or May 21.  We will review your latest data and make sure all necessary documentation is in AWARE before the end of the year. 

APEX FUNDS

Thank you to those of you that have been spending your Fun Run dollars.  You need to spend this money this year, so save your receipts and turn them in to PTO for reimbursement before May 25

CISD FOCUSED WALKTHROUGH

Now that we have concluded summatives, we will give feedback on Domain 3 Dimension 3: Classroom Culture.  

CISD CURRICULUM COURIER

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK:

Write a Title
Brainstorm a list of title for your piece. Aim for dozens. Look back over the list of titles and ask yourself, "Which of these feels truest to what I want to say in my piece?"  (Taken from The Writing Strategies Book by Serravallo)

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Resiliency- recovering from or adjusting easily to misfortune or change

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

Accept that you are going to make mistakes. Learn from them and move on.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit." -Napoleon

DATES TO REMEMBER:
April 29- Amanda's Birthday
April 30-May 4- Child Nutrition Appreciation Week
April 30- RtI Meetings
     Parent Meeting for Talent Show (3:15-3:45)
May 1- Designer MacBooks Reimaged
     Education Foundation Shirt and Jeans
     Hannah's Birthday
     Green House Music Performance (8:15 and 6:30)
     Kristina's Bridal Shower (3:15)
     Dad's Club Meeting (7:00 pm)
May 2- Buffalo Wild Wings Night (Blue and Office)
     College Shirt and Jeans
     Kindergarten Round Up (9:00-10:30)
     Fed Ex (3:30-4:30)
May 3- Spurs Savings (7:20-7:40)
May 4- Red and Black Superstar Nominations Due
     Yellow House Field Trip
     Spirit Stick Sales
May 5- Leigh Ann's Birthday
     Drama Club Performance

Week of April 23, 2018

Thank you, ALL, for a lovely volunteer breakfast for our volunteers. The tours this week were wonderful and we really could see that you put a focus on the areas they were looking to investigate while they were here.  THANK YOU for that!  Some additional guests from a STEM school in GA joined in on the Frisco tour, today, and complimented how our learners can talk about their learning and how they use accountable talk!  What great evidence of our campus goal.  We can't wait to see how you use the building when we walk with tomorrow's guests.  We wish Priscilla well as she is recognized at the Teacher of the Year banquet on Tuesday Night.

DID YOU KNOW:

• that Front Row Math is now Freckle Math?  To learn more, check out this blog post.
• that Wendy and one of our learners are in a training video accessible on YouTube?  Wendy will sign autographs at our next staff meeting. :)
• that you need to electronically sign your TTESS Formal Evaluation and your Summative Evaluation?  Once you have your summative, please go in and sign both.
• Megan had baby Paxton on Wednesday?  Both mommy and baby are doing well.  We are excited about our newest FamiLEE member!

CITIZENS OF THE YEAR

Please make sure your Citizen of the Year is on this document to turn in to the district. We need to know who is attending, so please update the document by Wednesday, April 25. This will ensure we meet our district deadline and give us the opportunity to draw 24 learner names. 

SCHOOLWORKS LUNCHEON

We are #luckyatlee to be growing partnerships with our community.  Thanks to Angela's outreach we have multiple learners who are being mentored through IBC's Schoolworks Program.  Their group will be bringing a grill to the cafeteria patio and grilling out burgers for the entire staff on Thursday.  3-5 learners may need to adjust how they exit/enter the building to make sure they are safe.  ENJOY!

RJL LOVE AND CBL SOLUTION AT CMSW

For those interested in helping the CMSW Choir Teacher, Mrs. Hartzell, you are welcome to contribute $10, or more, to wear jeans the entire month of May.  We will have an envelope in the front office to collect your donations.  On May 1, we will send a donation from our FamiLEE.  Thanks for your consideration!  


SPRING MOVIE NIGHT
Join us on Friday night for Movie on the Lawn Night.  Bring a blanket or chair and cuddle up for CoCo.  PTO will be serving refreshments and snacks at 7:30 and the movie begins at 8:00.  We hope you can be there. 

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?

CISD FOCUSED WALKTHROUGH

This week we will continue to give feedback on Domain 2 Dimension 5:  Monitor and Adjust.  We will be looking for evidence of input from learners, how you adjust instruction and activities to maintain learner engagement, pacing of your lesson, how you check for understanding along the way, and how you adjust to meet the varying needs of your learners throughout the lesson.

CISD CURRICULUM COURIER

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK:

Find the Heart
Reread your story. Think to yourself, "What is the most important, exciting, and/or interesting part? Box out the part of your story that best shows what's most important. Make sure that part is the longest part.  (Taken from The Writing Strategies Book by Serravallo)

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Friendship- caring for; trusting one another

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

Do not save seats in the lunchroom.  If someone wants to sit down, let him or her.  Do not try to exclude anyone.  We are a family , and we must treat one another with respect and kindness.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"The reason dogs have so many friends is because they wag their tails and not their tongues" -Anonymous

DATES TO REMEMBER:
April 21- Dads Club Golf Tournament
April 22- Earth Day
April 23- EOY Assessment Window Opens
April 24- Progress Report Grades Due
     Varsity Baseball Players Greet Learners
     Mentor Meeting
April 25- House Shirt and Jeans Day
     Administrative Assistant's Day
     Staff Meeting (3:30-5:00)
April 26- 4th and 5th Leadership Kiddos go to Southwest Airlines
     Spur Savings (7:20-7:40)
     Tour (9:00)
     New Learner Lunches
     Tour (1:00)
     Bluebonnet Party (3:05-4:00)
April 27- Send Progress Reports Home
     LEEdership Council Meeting (8:15 Cafe)
     Spirit Stick Sales (Recess Time)
     PTO Spring Movie Night

Week of April 16, 2018

We have had another awesome week at Lee!  We tackled Spring pictures and testing all in one week!  I was tickled pink to see all of the awesome tweets on#LoveMySchoolDay.  Thank you for sharing your classroom with others and loving our school so much! We truly are lucky at Lee!!! Thank you for all of the efforts during testing this week.  We know that it is a challenge to keep everyone quiet- you all amaze us!  Great job test administrators, we had no issues this round!  We are looking forward to starting summatives.  This is our time to visit with each of you and brag on you, too!

DID YOU KNOW:

• that we only have 7 famiLEEs signed up for the Coppell Ed Foundation Run to Fund?  Please share this link with your parents: www.coppellisdef.com/run-to-fund  We get $2 per registration back to our PE Department.
• that at PTO Meeting on Tuesday night that they announced our Spring Movie Night Date?  Please mark your calendars for Friday, April 27.  We would LOVE to see you there!
• 22/44 adults and 273/395 learners have filled out the Clarity Survey.  97 of our parents have gotten involved, too!  Please make sure you complete this survey by Friday, April 20.  
• our garden and composting volunteers have been documenting their work with the kids?  Check out these photo albums!  https://photos.app.goo.gl/QmSn48jNeLJmexRR2
  https://photos.app.goo.gl/2xRqNJEpZMR0JfZk1
• we have two new FamiLEE members on campus? Please welcome to Lidia Loarca (Megan Sonnamaker's long term sub) and Colleen Baranowski (Amanda's long term sub).
• baby Ezra Grace arrived at 3:12 pm today.  She is 7 pounds 9 ounces and 19 inches long?  Congratulations Amanda!

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DAY
See you tomorrow for a day of learning.  Jacque and Ashley will be leading the day.  Please be on time and sit with one person from each house at a table.  Lunch is from 11:00-12:30 and we will wrap up at 3:30.  We have built in time to work on your Summative Documentation in the afternoon.

JOIN US MONDAY AFTERNOON

NELSON HERE THIS WEEK

Nelson will be here from Tuesday to Thursday this week.  He will be spending time with Specials Designers and some Purple and Blue House designers this time.  He will also be at Wednesday's Leadership meeting.  We are excited that CISD lets us partner with Apple Professional Learning and that we get to learn from him.  Thanks to ALL of you that volunteered your time.  

VOLUNTEER BREAKFAST

THANK YOU for helping to celebrate our volunteers.  Please send all parents the invitation below.  Don't forget to review the sign up for what you are bringing for the Volunteer Breakfast on Tuesday. Your breakfast needs to be plated and ready to serve before 7:10am.  Please bring serving utensils if your item requires it.  We will send an email out when the celebration is over and leftovers are in the teacher's lounge.    

TOURS THIS WEEK

Be ready!  We have MANY visitors coming through our building this week.  We can all agree that great learning happens at Lee, so please make sure that your first impression with our guests showcases your talent.  Since we just finished testing,  your spaces should be clean and organized, as well. Please make sure all paper is used or recycled and that you have current learner work displayed.

Our Apple tour, on Tuesday, will have 40 guests.  11 are from Apple and 30 are from Canada.  They will be looking at how you are using technology.  Are your learners using technology to create?  Are you using any coding resources?  Get with Alli for ideas if you need some.  

Thursday tours will be from Frisco ISD elementary schools.  They will be looking at learning design.  They are trying to implement vertical house systems and less worksheets. 

Friday's tour will be a group of doctoral students who are looking at how the design of our building is used and considered when teachers design for learners.  That means they will be interested in seeing HOW you use our building.  This is the perfect time of the year to remind you about using the Garden, EcoPond, Atrium, and Pavillion to enhance/support your lessons.   The weather is beautiful this time of year!


GUEST AUTHOR
We look forward to Friday's visiting author in the flex space.  Please make sure you have turned in all book orders to Melinda.

PLEASE EMAIL THIS OUT TO ALL PARENTS (LAST TIME)

Hello Parents and Guardians,


I sent an email last week about filling out two surveys to help gather input from district families.

One survey is the Parent Survey, which will gather your input to help each campus improve their interactions with families. The survey It has seven questions, and will take you approximately two minutes to complete. Your responses are valuable, so we appreciate the time taken to complete the brief survey.

Please follow this link to the Parent Survey: http://tinyurl.com/2018parsur


Coppell ISD also is asking for your input through a Technology & Learning Questionnaire to learn more about our students’ school and home technology use for learning. Your participation is essential in helping us form a more complete picture of technology use for learning in our students’ lives. Please know that all of your responses will remain anonymous to protect your privacy. This is a national survey that allows us to compare data sets at the regional, state and national levels. Surveys are conducted each year in the fall and spring. Please follow this link to our specific Clarity campus survey: www.BByt.es/GM4WP. This survey will take you approximately 7 to 9 minutes to complete.

The surveys will close Friday, April 20.

(Note: If you also have children at other campuses, that means you will need to complete multiple surveys. You will receive an email from those principals with their campus specific questionnaire link.)


Thank you those who already have completed the surveys.


Sincerely,

Chantel Kastrounis
Principal

CISD FOCUSED WALKTHROUGH

This week we will continue to give feedback on Domain 2 Dimension 5:  Monitor and Adjust.  We will be looking for evidence of input from learners, how you adjust instruction and activities to maintain learner engagement, pacing of your lesson, how you check for understanding along the way, and how you adjust to meet the varying needs of your learners throughout the lesson.

CISD CURRICULUM COURIER

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK:

Get Sparked By Setting
Sit still, quietly, in a place (or imagine a place in your mind or look at an illustration or photograph of a place, imagining yourself there). Jot down what it's like there, using all of your senses. Think about the emotions it brings up for you, and what might be important about the place you're in. When you feel inspired, start writing! (Taken from The Writing Strategies Book by Serravallo)

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Optimism- to anticipate the best possible outcome

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

Be positive and enjoy life.  Keep everything in perspective and focus on the good.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"Everyday may not be good but there is something good in every day." -Anonymous

DATES TO REMEMBER:
April 14- Suzanne's Birthday
     Coppell's Earthfest (8:00-12:00 Old Coppell Square)
April 16- Librarian Appreciation Day
     RtI Meetings
     Stephanie's Bridal Shower (3:30 Media Center)
April 17- Ed Foundation Shirt with Jeans
     Volunteer Breakfast (7:15-8:15)
     Apple Tour (12:30-3:00)
April 18- Akta's Birthday
     School Shirt with Jeans
     Leadership Meeting (3:30 -5:00 STEAM Lab)
April 19- Melinda's Birthday
     Spurs Savings (7:20-7:40)
     Campus Tour (9:00-10:00)
     Red House Field Trip (Ft Worth Museum of Nature and Science)
     Campus Tour (1:00-2:00)
April 20- Clarity Survey due by staff and learners
     Blue House Service Field Trips
     Campus Tour (9:00-11:00)
     Spirit Sticks (Recess Time)
     3-5 Author Visit
     Speed Stacking Competition (4:00-7:00 CCE)
April 21- Dads Club Golf Tournament

Week of April 9, 2018

What a fantastic week of learning at Lee.  It was a pleasure being in so many classrooms this week!  I'm reminded what talent we have in our building.

DID YOU KNOW:

• sweet Willa Rose Tadgerson was born on March 20, at 2:09 pm?  She was 7lbs, 10oz and here is a picture of her and her new momma and then going home from the hospital.  Congratulations, Jessie and welcome to our newest FamiLEE member!!

• that we only have TWO BOXES of paper left in the building?  PLEASE ONLY COPY WHAT YOU NEED.  We do not have an order coming this week.  
• that it is time to start signing up for your EOY Summatives?  Stay tuned for an email from your Admin Team.
• that next year we have a full time opening for a STEAM Designer?  If you are interested in learning more about this position, please see Chantel.  
• you will get flex credit for our campus book study?  Please read and complete this form.

SPRING PICTURE DAY

Please remind parents, in this week's email, about Monday being Picture Day.  If they want a class picture, they need to bring the envelope, that was sent home with them, on Monday.  The cost is $13.  They also need to fill out the Picture Day Selection Form.  Proofs will be sent home for individual portrait orders.  Also, remind parents that the class picture is from head to toe, so learners need to be in their best outfits, including shoes.  They can change clothes before going to recess or PE.  Our schedule will be:  Purple ->Blue -> Yellow -> Red -> Green.  Purple, we will get started promptly at 8:00 and start with 5th grade, working our way down.  After the group picture, your class will head to the flex space for individual pictures.   Our staff picture is at 7:15, in the cafeteria, and we will make an announcement when they are ready for the group so that you do not waste your morning time.  

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning broadcast will be pre-recorded for you.  Please watch these in your individual spaces at your convenience each day.  Thanks Sam, Taylor, and the Broadcast Crew for doing this for us!

STAAR

We don't want you to sweat STAAR so, please feel free to wear your sweats and sneakers on Tuesday.  Good luck learners and designers!

#LOVEMYSCHOOL

Have you heard of this movement?  It is an effort to encourage teachers, principals, and staff to use the power of social media to share the positive and wonderful things that exist in their school with the world.  There is SO MUCH to be grateful for at Lee, so please take time to contribute why you love our school.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DAY

We will be covering the CISD Behavior Management Framework on Friday. We will start at 8:00 am, have lunch from 11:00-12:30 and finish at 3:30.

VOLUNTEER BREAKFAST

Our Volunteer Breakfast is coming up on April 17.  Please sign up to assist in any way you can, here.  THANK YOU, Ayesha, for heading up our planning and for making our invitation.  Please start sharing it with your parents, now.  

PARENT SURVEY INPUT

Please put this information in your newsletter this week:

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Coppell ISD is asking for you to complete two, brief surveys that will assist the district in its annual assessments of technology use, as well as provide an opportunity for parents to share their satisfaction with CISD. Your input is a crucial and valuable component of our planning for the next academic year. Please note that these surveys are for annual planning purposes and are separate from the recent CISD Strategic Design Survey sent earlier this year.

One survey is the Parent Survey, which will gather your input to help each campus improve their interactions with families. The survey will take approximately two minutes to complete. Your students will be taking a similar survey at school, so it is important to have the parent perspective to coincide with the students.
Please follow this link to the Parent Survey: http://tinyurl.com/2018parsur.

Also, CISD is continuing its partnership with BrightBytes, an educational research organization, in order to learn more about our students’ school and home technology use for learning. We are reaching out to ask you to take part in the Technology & Learning Questionnaire. Your participation is essential in helping us form a more complete picture of technology use for learning in our students’ lives. Please know that all of your responses will remain anonymous to protect your privacy. This is a national survey that allows us to compare data sets at the regional, state and national levels. Surveys will be conducted each year in the fall and spring. Students also will be taking this survey, and we would be interested in your input and insight. The Technology Survey will take you approximately 7 to 9 minutes to complete in total.
Please follow this link to our specific Clarity campus survey: www.BByt.es/GM4WP.

Note: if you have students at other campuses, that means you will need to complete multiple surveys. You will receive an email from the principals of these specific campuses that your other children attend with their campus specific questionnaire link.

Thank you for your time,

Chantel Kastrounis

Principal

CISD FOCUSED WALKTHROUGH

This week we will continue to give feedback on Domain 3 Dimension 3:  Classroom Culture.  We will be looking for high levels of learner engagement based on interest and abilities and encouragement with collaborating with peers.

CISD CURRICULUM COURIER

ESL STRATEGY OF THE WEEK:

Reread and Look for Patterns
Reread your notebook, drafts, and/or published work. Think about what patterns you see in your work. Think about whether you have any other ideas for sorties, poems, or essays that have the same topic that you tend to write a lot about..  (Taken from The Writing Strategies Book by Serravallo)

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Curiosity- the eager desire to learn, to explore, to investigate

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

Learn and inquire about things that interest you.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"The future belongs to the curious.  The ones who are not afraid to try it, explore it, poke at it, question it, and turn it inside out." - Anonymous

DATES TO REMEMBER:
April 8- Megan Schlossstein's Birthday
April 9- Spring Picture Day
     Staff Picture (7:15 cafe)
April 10- Day 0
     K-3 on Morning Duty
     STAAR 5 Math
     STAAR 4 Writing
     Mentee Meeting (3:30)
     PTO Mtg (7:00 Cafe)
April 11- Day 0
     STAAR 5 Reading
     Convocation shirt with jeans
     #lovemyschool Day
     Staff Mtg (3:30-5:00) CANCELLED!
April 12- 4th Grade Goes to Austin- SAFE TRAVELS!
     Spurs Savings (7:20-7:40)
     Progress Report Grades Due (8:00am)
April 13- NO SCHOOL for learners/ Professional Learning for Staff
April 14- Suzanne's Birthday