Every Moment Matters

If there's one thing I've been reminded of recently it's that every moment matters.  Yes, we could think of that as in our daily lives, but it's incredibly true of our work with our students.  Every moment matters for them too.  That's why you may hear me, Marylee, or Jennifer harping on about minutes of instruction or not wasting minutes. You never really realize how quickly those lost minutes can add up, and our students can't get those back.

As we enter the month of May this week, let's remember to take advantage of every second that we can.

Week at a Glance

Monday - Nurse's Day

T-TESS End of Year Meetings Begin

Book Fair Begins

Tuesday - 5th Grade Field Trip

Nesloney in and out at Principal Meeting and 1/2 day ARD

Wednesday - PTO Meeting - 5:30pm

Thursday - Teachers leave for RCA

Nesloney at SuccessED Training at Central (with Jackson)

Friday - Celebrate Lunch Workers Day

4th Grade Field Trip

Nesloney and Teachers at RCA

Nurse's day and Celebrate Lunch Worker's Day

Please make sure you make time with your team (and students) to celebrate these two incredibly important roles in our school and all the work they do, often unrecognized, all year.

T-TESS End of Year Meetings

Your T-TESS evaluator should have already been in touch with you as all meetings must take place before May 17th.  I know I emailed out, but I still haven't heard from a few of my T-TESS teachers and those must get put on the calendar.  If you're having trouble scheduling with your evaluator, I need to know.

Book Fair

This is our final regular book fair of the year.  It is taking place in the front foyer.  Let's really talk this one up for our kids and families as this brings extra funds to help purchase new books.

Nesloney

As we enter further into May I am being brought into many different ARDs, meetings, T-TESS end of year, etc.  Please be patient with me (and the rest of the admin team) as the end of the year wrap-up is always a little crazy.

RCA

We have Argueta and a group of teachers leaving for RCA this week as well!  Keep them in your thoughts for safe travel.  I will be meeting them there after my training over at Central.  We want to keep bringing back innovative ideas to help us continue to grow.

STAAR

We did receive our STAAR scores on Friday! Students will find out their results on Monday.  We are so proud of the work our 5th grade teachers (and all of you who played a part in the students education). I will give more concrete numbers very soon!

Shout Outs

- The Math Fair was INCREDIBLE!  Great job Sipp and Robertson and all who helped organize it! The students were clearly so proud of their work!

- If you missed Annie, you missed something extraordinary.  Haliburton, Williams, Martin, Aguinaga, and anyone else who helped put this on did work that will be hard to surpass!

- Bradford for hosting the house games again and the group of teachers who planned this week's games!

- Nurse Madison for being super amazing and patient as we work through all the continued work from the bus wreck. This is going to be a long process, for all involved, and she has been amazing.

PLC

This week for PLC is your planning time.  Please use it to plan.  We will be doing walk-throughs during this time and should not find you working alone, making copies, standing in the hallway, etc.  We really want you to use this time to plan.

DUTY/PLC DAYS

Monday - Kinder ELAR outside; 1st Grade ELAR inside

Tuesday - Kinder MATH outside; 1st Grade MATH inside

Wednesday - 4th Grade ALL outside; 3rd Grade ELAR inside

Thursday - 2nd grade ALL outside; 3rd Grade MATH inside
Friday - PreK ALL inside ; 5th Grade ALL outside

Head Start

Head Start begins at Webb on Monday. Please be patient as we welcome our new additions.

Video

Recently Adam Welcome and I interviewed the Founder of Donors Choose, Charles Best. You can watch it here:

Blogs/Articles

Books from Around the World

Live Streaming Event with Katherine Applegate

AMAZING Teacher Resources from Montague Workshop (brains behind Kid President)

Dare to Be Different

Classroom Champions Applications are UP!  Apply for next year!!! (Talk to Reynolds if you need more info)

In Closing...

Like I started this post, every moment matters.  Every moment leaves a mark. Let's not waste a second.

Becoming Whole Again

Becoming Whole Again

BY MARY JOYE Tragedy changes our brain and our everyday functioning. Life altering events create a disconnect with everyone and everything. States of hyper-vigilance and numbness can cycle. Triggers can set off reactivity. Your spiritual life can suffer. Trauma can make you feel detached, irritable, anxious and highly reactive in a myriad of ways. It re-wires the brain in an attempt to protect you but it can actually harm you more. Traumas highjack our sense of well-being and true purpose. You may have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or Acute Stress Disorder. The good news is you have neuro-plasticity, which means your brain can recover and be restored. You can live well again or maybe for the first time. Trauma doesn't have to define you. It can refine you. With reframing and proper processing, you can learn to reconnect with yourself and others. You can change the course of your life by focusing on the things that aid your healing. In doing so, the thoughts and reactivity that harm you will extinguish over time. You can find your value and purpose and move toward it.

Week at a Glance

Monday - Picture Money Due

Wednesday - Admin Professionals Day (Walker and Enriquez)

Math Fair

Head Start Begins Moving Over

Meeting with Flooded Rooms - 3:30pm - TP Room

Thursday - Nesloney and Short Off Campus 

Friday - Nesloney Off Campus

House Games

End of Progress Report Grading Period

Annie, 6pm, Brosig Auditorium

Saturday - Annie, 3pm, Brosig Auditorium

Annie, 6pm, Brosig Auditorium

Admin Professionals Day

Wednesday is National Administrative Professionals Day, so let's make sure we really thank and celebrate all that Jeannette and Annie do for our school!

Math Fair

The annual 5th Grade Math Fair is coming! This is an awesome opportunity to support our 5th Graders and celebrate their hard work.  HERE is the flyer if you want to share it out.  I believe Robertson and Sipp have been getting with teams to schedule times!

Head Start

Wednesday, the teachers of Head Start will begin moving over their things.  Their first day with kids is Monday, April 29th!

Meeting with Flooded Rooms

If your room got water on the carpet when it rained really bad recently, you MUST be in attendance at the Wednesday meeting at 3:30pm in the TP room. We will be discussing with our insurance and building people next steps.

Thursday

Short and I will be off campus at a Master Scheduling meeting at Central office.  We will have our phones on us for emergencies.

Friday

I will be out of town, but as always will be available via phone, text, FT, skype, GHO, and voxer if you need me.

House Games

House Games are this Friday! Remind your students, as this is our second to last house games! There will also be some special guests on campus to view the House Games.

Progress Reports

This is also the end of another progress report period and as always gradebook will close Sunday night.

T-TESS End of Year Meetings

We will begin scheduling our end of year T-TESS Meetings.  If you haven't heard from your evaluator by Friday please contact them about scheduling a time. Make sure you're adding in evidence into your account BEFORE the meeting.

Contracts

Please sign and return contracts to Annie by Tuesday.

PLCs this Week

This week in PLCs we will be discussing end of the year and next few weeks (in leu of having an after school staff meeting). You will need your laptop and a list of your students. I will schedule a separate meeting with PreK.

DUTY/PLC DAYS

Monday - Kinder ELAR inside; 1st Grade ELAR outside

Tuesday - Kinder MATH inside; 1st Grade MATH outside

Wednesday - 4th Grade ALL inside; 3rd Grade ELAR outside

Thursday - 2nd grade ALL inside; 3rd Grade MATH outside
Friday - Brewer, Brak, Hafley, Bradford outside ; 5th Grade ALL inside

Scholastic

Wow, I don't even know where to begin with what Friday was like. It was a special experience for sure. The amount of books we were able to purchase is CRAZY. This will definitely be a yearly experience for us.  We broke the all time warehouse record, and we broke it bad! All of the company is talking about the trip on Friday AND how wonderful all of you were to all the staff.

DO NOT give out any books to students yet as we plan out exactly how this is going to roll out.  I know, that's a lot to ask. But we want to do this big and do this right. We'll be discussing more in PLCs this week.

Annie

Please come out and support our kids as they perform Annie this weekend!  Friday at 6pm and Saturday at 3pm and 6pm!

Shout Outs

Haliburton's musical is this weekend! I cannot wait. But what I adore even more is the amount of time he and Ms. Williams have put in after school and even on Saturday!! You will NOT want to miss the many performances.

Annie did a fantastic job helping run and organize all of the Kinder pictures on Thursday!

And of course, everyone involved in the wreck on Wednesday and all those at school who supported and helped. It was a team effort if ever I've seen one. I'm so proud to be part of this school family.

T-Shirts

TODAY is the LAST DAY in April to purchase a Kids Deserve It or Tell Your Story shirt! Get yours HERE.

Tell Your Story

This week, my special guest on #TellYourStory was none other than our own Kevin Haliburton. I hope you tune in and share this like crazy, because it's some awesome stuff.

Articles/Blogs

Pair Up & Learn: Powerful Reading Partnerships

EVENT: 5 Tips for Keeping Kids Engaged at the End of the Year - April 24 (WeAreTeachers)

Independent Reading and Choice

A Chat with John Schumacher

In Closing

I am a huge fan of P!nk and all the work that she does outside of just singing. I loved this short video clip of her and thought it was empowering so I wanted to share. Here's to blazing our own trails!

Brand New Day

Brand-New Day

BY MADISYN TAYLOR We can start fresh in this very moment, not needing to wait for a new day to start anew. When today is not going well, it is tempting to focus on tomorrow as a blank slate with all the possibilities that newness provides. It is true that tomorrow will be a brand-new day, but we do not have to wait until tomorrow to start fresh. We can start fresh at any moment, clearing our energy field of any negativity that has accumulated, and call this very moment the beginning of our brand-new day.  There is something about the sunrise and the first few hours of the morning that make us feel cleansed and rejuvenated, ready to move forward enthusiastically. As the day wears on, we lose some of this dynamic energy and the inspiration it provides. This may be why we look forward to tomorrow as providing the possibility of renewal. Many traditions consider the light of the rising sun to be particularly divine in its origins; this is why so many people in the world face east when performing ritual. We too can cultivate that rising sun energy inside ourselves, carrying it with us to light our way through any time of day or night, drawing on its power to awaken and renew our spirits.  One simple way to do this is to carry an image or a photograph of the rising sun with us in our wallet or purse. We can also post this image on our wall at work or at home, or have it as our screensaver on our computer. When we feel the need to start fresh, we can take a moment to gaze at the image, allowing its light to enter into our hearts. As we do this, we might say out loud or quietly to ourselves, I am ready to let go of the past and start anew. We might visualize anything we want to release leaving us as we exhale, and as we inhale, we can take in the fresh energy of the eastern sun, allowing it to light the way to a brand-new day.

Week at a Glance

Monday - Rattlers Read One

Sarah Wright (Region 6) on campus to meet with 3rd-5th during conference

School Board Meeting - 6:30pm - Board Room

Tuesday - National Librarian Day

Spring Fling - 5:30-7pm

Wednesday - 5th Grade Field Trip

Thursday - 2nd Grade Field Trip

Kindergarten Grad Photos

PreK CIP Meeting - 8:30am - TP room

5th Grade CIP Meeting - 2:30pm - TP room

Friday - Inservice Day

Trip to Scholastic - 8:30-12:30pm

Wilkinson Retirement Party - 3:00pm - Library

Goat Yoga - after school

Rattlers Read One

Don't forget that we celebrate Rattlers Read One this week!  Some of you have already received your books and we'll get the rest of them out to you Monday!  Monday is Chapter 1 and you can access Dr Musick's video HERE.

Sarah Wright

Sarah Wright from Region 6 will be here on Monday to meet with some of the 3rd-5th Grade Teachers during their conference.  Teachers, I will let you know exactly who she will meet with after I meet with her in the morning.

Spring Fling

PTO is hosting it's first ever "Spring Fling" here on campus from 5:30-7:00pm on Tuesday. We hope you can be there as we welcome families in to spend time together!

PLCs this Week

This week in PLCs we will be looking at our Campus Improvement Plan (CIP).  Since PreK and 5th are scheduled for Friday normally, but we don't have school on Friday, we will meet with both of those grades during their conference on Thursday.

DUTY/PLC DAYS

Monday - Kinder ELAR inside; 1st Grade ELAR outside

Tuesday - Kinder MATH inside; 1st Grade MATH outside

Wednesday - 4th Grade ALL inside; 3rd Grade ELAR outside

Thursday - 2nd grade ALL inside; 3rd Grade MATH outside

Trip to Scholastic

Friday morning we will all leave on our trip to Scholastic.  I will get you exact amounts I have budgeted for you before Friday! Don't forget for ALL teachers to be figuring out what books each kid would like. Genres, characters, etc.  We are not just going to "buy books on their level" or get "the entire class the same book".  This is an opportunity unlike any other and we owe it to our children to get books individualized to them.

Wilkinson Retirement Party

Gloria Wilkinson's retirement party is Friday at 3pm in the Library. We hope you can come join us as we thank her for her many years of service to education.

Goat Yoga

Don't forget, Goat Yoga is REALLY coming this time on Friday! We hope you join in this great opportunity for staff (and goat) bonding! See Jennifer Short for details.

Birthdays

Lauren Mulgrew - April 18

Elizabeth Griesbach - April 20

Shout-Outs

HUGE shout outs to...

Marylee Argueta and Cewilla Thomas for all their hard work on STAAR and getting it organized and ready and turned in on time!

Sherri Desern for her AMAZING transformation of her classroom on Friday.

Allison Klinke for organizing our first ever Raising Readers event that went off amazingly!

Nicole McMillian took an idea I shared and ran with it and it turned out AMAZING!  Stop by her 3rd grade classroom and check out her bulletin board. 

Tell Your Story

This week's episode of #TellYourStory featured Jessica Cabeen and her journey of administrator, adoptive parent, and liaison to a very diverse community.

Articles/Blogs

The Book Love Foundation Summer Book Club (for adults!)

Desertification

Stop Telling Your Kids that School will Prepare them for Life

In Closing...

Let's remember at this time of year how antsy our kids can get and let's show them a little more patience. We need to keep our high expectations but watch the tones in our voices.  Especially let's think about what we do to a child when we take away their recess.  Remember that my expectation here at Webb is that no child should miss more than 5 minutes of their recess.

More Feeling

Less Thinking and More Feeling

BY MADISYN TAYLOR When we begin to listen with our hearts rather than our heads, our whole world changes and becomes softer. Most of us were born and raised in cultures that value the head over the heart and, as a result, we place our own hearts below our heads in a sort of inner hierarchy of which we may not be conscious. What this means is that we tend to listen and respond from the neck up, often leaving the rest of our bodies with little or no say in most matters. This is a physical habit, which sometimes feels as ingrained as the way we breathe or walk. However, with effort and awareness, we can shift the energy into our hearts, listening and responding from this much deeper, more resonant place.  The brain has a masterful way of imposing structure and order on the world, creating divisions and categories, devising plans and strategies. In many ways, we have our brains to thank for our survival on this planet. However, as is so clear at this time, we also need the wisdom of our hearts if we wish to continue surviving in a viable way. When we listen from our heart, the logical grid of the brain tends to soften and melt, which enables us to perceive the interconnectedness beneath the divisions and categories we use to organize the world. We begin to understand that just as the heart underlies the brain, this interconnectedness underlies everything.  Many agree that this is the most important work we can do at this time in history, and there are many practices at our disposal. For a simple start, try sitting with a friend and asking him to tell you about his life at this moment. For 10 minutes or more, try to listen without responding verbally, offering suggestions, or brainstorming solutions. Instead, breathe into your heart and your belly, listening and feeling instead of thinking. When you do this, you may find that it's much more difficult to offer advice and much easier to identify with the feelings your friend is sharing. You may also find that your friend opens up more, goes deeper, and feels he has really been heard. If you also feel great warmth and compassion, almost as if you are seeing your friend for the first time, then you will know that you have begun to tap the power of listening with your heart.

Week at a Glance

Monday - Start of National Assistant Principal Week

Susan Ballew Diaper and Wipes Baby Shower - 3:45pm - Library

Tuesday - 4th Grade Writing STAAR

5th Grade Math STAAR

Wednesday - 5th Grade Reading STAAR

Thursday - Raising Readers (PreK-1st Parent Meeting) - 5:30pm

Friday - Nesloney Out

National Assistant Principal Week

As you know, every person on our campus holds a special role in make sure we run smoothly.  It is only Marylee's and Jennifer's first year in their positions, but they have done fantastic. When I think of my first year in anything I've done, I remember how hard it was and how many mistakes I made. Make sure you take some time this week to find ways to thank our two Assistant Principals for their hard work.

Baby Shower

Susan Ballew's baby shower is going to be Monday at 3:45pm. It will be in the library and it is a diaper and wipes baby shower! Any questions about the shower can go to Traci Colbert.

#TellYourStory and #KidsDeserveIt T-Shirts

The TYS and KDI shirts are back up for sale if you'd like one.  100% of the proceeds are donated.  When you buy a TYS t-shirt the proceeds donated to buy books for Title 1 Schools. When you buy a KDI shirt the proceeds are donated to support teacher's Donors Choose projects.  Since starting these shirt sales over $16,000 has been donated! You can get your shirt HERE.

STAAR

The week is here. Round 1 of STAAR testing.  This round will be our 4th and 5th graders. Let's make this week a week extra full of encouragement and celebration. Our team (kids and adults) have worked so hard and now it's time to show what we've learned!  Non-testing grade levels will not have their schedules affected by the testing.

Some have asked why we don't have a STAAR pep-rally, or make t-shirts or banners, or anything like that.  I have never wanted to treat this test more than anything it is, a test. When we throw those big celebrations or go overboard, I often feel what happens is we place this kind of extra pressure on that day for those kids.  Kids are smart, and they know "Man if they're going to put all this effort into planning a pep-rally this must be even more important". I want to remind them they've worked hard, that they're capable of doing their best that day, and that we're proud of them no matter what.

Raising Readers

Allison Klinke is heading up our Raising Readers program this Thursday night. ANY help you can provide in getting the word out about this fantastic program would be great. It really works with parents of PreK-1st graders on the power of reading and how they can help and participate with their children.  I will be there as well providing childcare!

Friday

I will be out on Friday taking care of some things with my mother's estate and taking a non-duty day.  My wife (and family) have lectured me long enough about not taking a day for just me. So I will not be at work on Friday and I will probably not be available during the day via phone/text/voxer/or email.

Birthdays

Darla Davis - April 10

PLCs

This week you will have PLCs to plan again as we prepare for finishing out the year strong. You MUST use this time as collaborative planning time or this time will not be offered.  I am being really specific about what day you have to be present in the morning this week. There are changes. The day you serve morning duty is ALSO the day you have your PLC time to plan.

DUTY/PLC DAYS

Monday - Kinder ELAR outside; 1st Grade ELAR inside

Tuesday - Kinder MATH outside; 1st Grade MATH inside

Wednesday - 4th Grade ALL outside; 3rd Grade ELAR inside

Thursday - 2nd grade ALL outside; 3rd Grade MATH inside

Friday - 5th Grade MATH/SCI and PREK inside; 5th Grade ELAR outside

Tell Your Story

Here is this week's #TellYourStory episode with Josh and Leslie Stamper as they talk about Foster Care and Adoption

Blogs/Articles

Stepping Out

Tattered Pages

Travis Recommends...3 Books to Check Out This Month

180 Days Podcast Part 1 (Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher)

Why School Librarians Matter

In Closing...

On my quest to learn more and more about reading and writing instruction and best practices I host a podcast series called #SparksInTheDark.  This week we continued our conversation with Jennifer LaGarde and you can watch it below. We talk about building and organizing classroom libraries! And give out some great book recommendations at the end!

Body Language

Body Language

BY MADISYN TAYLOR Tuning-in to the language of our bodies can be very enlightening, and increases our intuition. So much can be revealed to us when we listen to the language of our bodies. Our bodies are always speaking, sending us messages through the way we move, the sensations that arise from within, and the gestures and expressions that we make when we are communicating with others. Tuning in to the language of our bodies can be very enlightening, especially as most communication is believed to take place nonverbally. It is also believed that the body never lies, and that if we want to know the truth about ourselves and others, then we should listen to what our bodies have to say. Anyone who has ever flirted with someone they are attracted to has probably, at one point in time or another, brushed their hands through their hair or found themselves leaning forward to get closer to that person. Someone feeling defensive will tend to cross their arms over their chest, while a person who wants to withhold something may look away when speaking. If you want to know how you truly feel about a person or a situation, then it is a good idea to tune in to what you are feeling inside. Excitement, nervousness, anxiety, and fear are just some of the messages that your body wants you to hear. Your body can also be a very reliable compass. Anyone who has ever been somewhere they don't want to be has probably experienced their bodies trying to move them away from that particular circumstance. And while it can be very easy to talk ourselves into and out of choices we may make with our minds, it isn't so easy to change the truth of our hearts that reside within our bodies. To begin tuning in to this subtle form of communication, start taking the time to notice what your body is telling you. Greet each feeling or sensation as a message carrying wisdom from your body. Tune in to what your body is telling you about the situations and people you encounter and listen to what others are communicating to you through their bodies. We already are subconsciously receptive to the language of our bodies, but when we choose to consciously pay attention, we hear and understand so much more about ourselves and the people around us.

Week at a Glance

Monday - STAAR Training - 3:45pm - ALL Staff

Tuesday - Kevin Brady (Congressman) Mtg at HS - 6:30pm

Wednesday - Delic on Campus

National Paraprofessional Day

Special Olympics at HS

Bilingual Vertical Meeting - 3:30pm - Team Planning Room

Thursday - Rattle Session - 7pm - NHS Library

Friday - Last Day for Progress Reports

Delic

Delic will be here on Campus on Wednesday.  3rd-5th needs to come ready to discuss data and plans.  Remember as a campus we are looking at Meets and Masters. We're no longer looking at Approaches. Be ready to talk specifics.  K-2 needs to come ready to talk about how they are getting every student to on-grade level. Let's share what's working and where we need help! Together we can do this!

National Paraprofessional Day

Wednesday is Paraprofessional Day! Let's find ways to celebrate the hard work all our paras put in every day! This school couldn't run without them!

Kevin Brady

We have a congressman coming in to talk a lot about how some of the new legislature will affect you as educators.  I know some of you may already have plans, but if you can be there Tuesday night at the High School that would be really great!

PLCs

This week's PLC time will be planning time for you and your fellow PLC members.  Meaning that during this time you should be with other PLC members planning lessons and activities.  We wanted to try this out and see how it goes.  We will be making rounds, because what we don't want this to be is a just a "sit in my room and organize things" or "hang out and just chat".  We know you're professionals and we want to give you time to plan as professionals and let you know that WE will also be available if you need us.

Morning Car Rider Duty (on YOUR PLC Day)

Monday - First Grade

Tuesday - Third Grade

Wednesday - First Grade

Thursday - Third Grade

Friday - Kinder (all)

Tell Your Story

My new video series #TellYourStory has started! Episode 2 with Ryan Giffen telling his story about his son Eli can be seen below

Blogs/Articles

Do You Have Plans This Summer

Global Read Aloud Choices for 2018

100 Must Read YA Books in Verse

In Closing...

Teacher2Teacher is a great organization and I thought this was a fantastic video with some great advice.