Worth Celebrating

Today is a day we celebrate the mom's in each of our lives. I wanted to take the time to thank each one of you. Whether you have your own children or now, every day you serve the children of Navasota, Texas.  You fulfill that motherly role and share hugs, smiles, I love yous, and so much more.  Today, YOU are worth celebrating. Thank you for being a place our children can call home.

Week at a Glance

Monday - 3rd/4th/5th Grade STAAR

Retainment Meetings during Conferene

Tuesday - 3rd/4th/5th Grade STAAR

Wednesday - 5th Grade STAAR

Thursday - Dinner w/a Gentleman

Friday - 4th Grade Field Trip

Final House Games

Last day for Pull-Out Interventions

STAAR

As you're all well aware, STAAR is taking place this week! None of your schedules should change.

If you're STAAR testing, remember when you're students are finished you take them to their normal lunch time. If they tested past their normal lunch time, then you take them as soon as they're all done testing. EACH TESTING PERSON will need to pick up their students from lunch until that student's homeroom teacher is also done testing.

Retainment Meetings

I will have meetings on Monday with those of you who are considering retaining students.  You must bring with you to the meeting...work samples, grades, and logs that show when you had retainment conversations with parents. If you don't have those items, we will not meet.

Dinner w/a Gentleman

We are still seeking help for Dinner w/a Gentleman.  Out of 81 staff members only 4 have offered to help and only 6 (3 of which are the organizers) have filled out the dessert form.  Many of you always ask me to let you know when I need help, I am asking now.  We really need help to have this event go off as well as these kids deserve.

Dessert form is here: https://goo.gl/forms/OkInv3OkLwwB96Fi2

House Games

Our final House Games are Friday! We will then announce this year's winner and get field trip information out to everyone!

Pull Out Interventions

Friday is the final day for Martin, Puentes, Brak, and Brewer to pull out students.

Birthdays

May 20 - Diddy Flores

PLCs

Take this PLC time this week to plan end of year parties (times were already decided by most grades), create those letters to go home, and to prepare end of year awards for your classes.  These are awards that recognize the greatness in each child. As in years past, you know my expectation is that each teacher take the time to really give individual awards that fit that child. Yes, you will be doing awards in your rooms, but it's so important we send them off knowing that we truly saw them for who they were and what they brought our school. If you need help thinking of things, let me know!

Yes, some grade levels will have two days of morning duty this week (and the other grade levels will have two days next week).  Please only have PLC time on the FIRST day of duty your assigned (except 5th grade, you'll have PLC both days due to no conference time for you on Friday).   The other day please go down to class when we release your students.  With the end of the year approaching we need more hands and eyes and ears on duty.

I will need to approve party letters (and they will need to be translated) by Friday afternoon.

Morning Duty Time

Monday - Kinder Outside, First Grade Inside

Tuesday - 2nd Grade outside, PreK inside

Wednesday - 3rd Grade inside, 4th Grade outside

Thursday - 5th Grade inside, First Grade Outside

Friday - Kinder Inside, 5th Grade Outside

Recess

It is imperative that teachers spread out at recess.  Like morning time, several fights broke out at recess.  Teachers need to be standing up, walking around, and actively monitoring students.  Not seated at tables or clustered in groups.  Thank you so much for helping us! We can make it through spring and into summer!

Kids Deserve It

The Kids Deserve It podcast is going on an indefinite hiatus.  Here is our final episode (and episode 100) with Dave Burgess.

Blogs/Articles

Study Finds Access to Books and Support from Adults Enhances Children’s Learning

Tips for Introverted Teachers

Students Learn Less When They Sense Teacher Hostility

Stories of Teachers Who Deserve an A+

In Closing...

As we enter these last couple of weeks lets again keep in mind our tone of voice when working with students. I included the blog post above about students learning less when they sense hostility.  We have to be careful of what we say and how we say it these last few weeks. We're exhausted and on edge, but we can't forget that we're dealing with little people who don't know how to control their emotions. We should know how to control ours. We'll mess up and make mistakes, but let's keep trying to shower them with high expectations and lots of gentle reminders.