Iceberg Moments

We've all seen or heard the iceberg analogy.  That idea that you only see about 10% of what is actually happening in someone's life, while the other 90% happens beneath the surface.  I think we could all agree with how completely true that is.

When you think about that analogy from a personal perspective, it helps remind us that we don't always know what is going on in deep within the lives of our students and our co-workers.  We don't always see the entire picture.  And sometimes that's our own fault.  We don't work to put on the scuba gear and dive beneath the surface. But other times it may be because the water at the top has already frozen over because the person doesn't want us seeing any deeper.  It may be too painful to share.  To difficult to allow others to see.  Or they may have always been told to handle their own problems and not put weight on others.

But that's when we, as divers, get out our ice picks, and chip away.  We have some children and co-workers, who are struggling with some pretty deep issues.  Who are allowing you to only see 10% of who they are.

Let's take time this week to sit with others on our team and just share. Ask about life, listen to other's stories without bringing it back to your own experiences.  When we truly make the effort to see beneath the surface there's so much more we can learn from each other.

Week at a Glance

Monday - Nesloney Coaching Day

McGraw-Hill ELAR Textbook Adoption Meeting - 3:30pm - Central Office

Tuesday - Fall Pictures

UIL Practice - 3:30pm

Wednesday - EDUHERO DUE

PreK Field Trip

Storybook Character Day

Nesloney Coaching Day

Life Skills 1 & 2 Field Trip

Treats on the Street - 7pm-8pm

Thursday - Argueta Coaching Day

Kindergarten Field Trip

Staff Prayer Time - 7am

Friday - Short Coaching Day

Faculty Meeting & Walker Goodbye Party 3:45pm

EduHero

PLEASE make sure you have your EduHero and extra hours completed by Wednesday. I will be VERY unhappy if I have to come to work that week of Thanksgiving because in the 3 months or more you had to do this, you didn't get it done.

Coaching Days

You'll notice in the week at a glance, above, that there are identified coaching days.  This will be true of every week moving forward.  A "Coaching Day" is an untouchable day for that administrator.  On that day the administrator will be spending the entire day in as many classrooms as possible and providing you with feedback and celebrations.  If you are doing something spectacular, please still invite us in no matter what day it is!

These days are just marked off on mine, Short's, and Argueta's calendar so we don't plan any meetings those days and can be 100% present and active in classrooms.

Treats on the Street

We are participating in Treats on the Street with the city of Navasota again!  Set up starts at 5pm and we just need someone to set up a small table with candy.  Please get with Kheli LaBlue (in 1st Grade) for more information.

Birthdays

Jeanette Enriquez - Oct 30

Kevin Bradford - Oct 31
Tyra Johnson - Nov 2

Greyson Holt - Nov 3

Faculty Meeting

Yes, we have a Faculty Meeting on Friday at 3:45pm.  It won't last too long.  It'll be a celebration of something we're doing this week and also a goodbye send-off for Ms. Walker.  It has been on the calendar for a little over a month, so please plan to be in attendance.

Dayana Martinez

This is Dayana Martinez's last week with us! She is going to stay home and take care of some family.  We have loved having her as a Math Interventionist Aide with Ms. Brewer.  If you see her this week, please let her know how much we have appreciated having her!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

This is the final week of Family Conferences.  Please make sure when you've met with all your families that you turn in the sign in sheet to Ms. Puentes.

Morning Duty

On your PLC day....PLEASE keep in mind that you are on duty until 7:40am. We need you to stay at your duty station until then. Your PLC starts at 7:45am.  Be on time to both your duty and PLC time. You should come prepared on your day.

Please also remember that 2nd-5th should be placing sticks in their cones either the morning of on the WAY to duty, or the afternoon before during Bus Duty.

Kinder - Gym

1st - Car

2nd - Cafeteria (need someone by cafeteria door)

3rd - Gym

4th - Car

5th - Cafeteria (need someone by cafeteria door)

House Points

We have put up the brand new House Score Board in the gym! Huge thank you to Courtney Moore and her father for building that for us!

Remember, this year we want to also give out House Points for academic reasons too!!  So, before any exam, meet with your students and have them set goals for themselves. The goals should be lofty, but not out of reach.

If a child reaches their goal, let's give their house some points!

Hopefully this will be another opportunity for students to take their exams seriously and provide a little competitiveness.  Please also find ways to celebrate kids who far exceed their goals, on the announcements!

T-TESS CUBE

Make sure you're continuing to find videos to grow your thinking on T-TESS Cube. There is an excellent one over "60 Tech Tools in 60 Minutes".

Articles/Blog Posts

The Hardest Part About Being a Teacher

Responding to the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting

A Strength Based Approach to Teaching English Learners

But it Has a 5-Star Rating

In Closing...

I saw this video online this week and found it to be such a brilliant easy idea.  Instead of having one particular way we greet our students each morning, let's give THEM the choice!

Remember, our campus expectation is that every morning you are at your door greeting students and welcoming them into your classroom.

Change Is Hard

You've heard me say it before and you'll hear me continue to say it, change is hard.  I know for a fact that when we are comfortable in the way we're doing something, then we're not challenging ourselves.  We're not pushing ourselves.

I talk all the time about the ways we're pushing you and growing you, but the truth of the matter is that I have to be growing myself too because I can always be better.

This past week, on Monday and Tuesday, I attend the Breakthrough Coach training.  I had heard about this training for years but never really thought to attend.  After some prodding from a few more people, and a need and want to better myself but not finding just the right training, I signed up.

This training blew my mind.  But it also made me incredibly uncomfortable, challenged some of my pre-conceived notions, and made me look at things in a whole new light. I also attended with Amy Bay (and Dr Brewer went two weeks before), so we're all going to be keeping each other accountable!

The training is designed to make principals (and other school/district leaders) the best leader they can be.  Whether it's through the design of your office space, correctly utilizing your secretary, or how to make sure you make time for "coaching" and "office" days on campus.  All I know is, after attending the training, I was sold and knew there were some major changes I needed to make, for me.

Over the next few weeks you will really begin to see these changes take place. Some things you'll see....

- You'll notice my office will look incredibly different.

- You'll see that the TP (Team Planning) room has been moved to the room behind the library. The old ARD room.  This is to make room for a workable office for Cindy Puentes.

- You'll hear me tell you often, "Check with Cindy", "Cindy can schedule that time in for you", "have you talked with Cindy".  Why? Because Cindy is my boss.  She will be running my entire schedule and calendar and telling me where to be and when so I can maximize my productivity time.

- You will see me in your classes a lot more and providing much more feedback.  Each week will be filled with "Coaching" and "Office" days,  The "coaching" days are days that I am 100% in classrooms, with no other meetings planned, to be present and help provide feedback.  "Office" days are days when I'll be planning meetings, returning phone calls, finishing paperwork, and also choosing to do some of my work while sitting in your classrooms, so again I can be more present.

- You'll see "Request Forms" mentioned often.  Anytime you need anything done by anyone in the office, you'll get a Request Form from Cindy, fill it out, and we'll get it done!

This is just a start, and it'll make more sense as we go along.  Cindy and I are also going to be working with a couple other schools who have done the Breakthrough Coach training to make sure we're really learning. This will be different for some of you. I know I already made someone really upset last week by asking them to schedule a time to meet with me, by talking to Cindy! But just as your time is important, so is mine, and I have to be wary of that more.  If I am going to be the best Principal I can be, for you and these kids, I need to make some changes to be better.

This is our year! I am uncomfortable in making some of these changes, but I know they're necessary. I know they're going to make me better and I know they're going to make this school better.

So here's to change! It definitely isn't easy, but nothing easy was ever worth working for!

Week at a Glance

Sunday - Grades Due by 11:59pm

Monday - Staff Development Day

Tuesday - Beginning of Parent/Teacher Conference 2 Weeks

UIL Practice - 3:30-4:30pm

Education Foundation Dinner - 6:30-8:30pm

Thursday - Staff Prayer Time - 7am - New TP Room

4th Grade Field Trip

TEPSA Principals on Campus for Tour/Meeting

Friday - Mr. Lee & Ms Wright on Campus

House Games - 2:15pm

Football Game - 7:00pm

Saturday - Trunk or Treat

Dress Code

It's that time of the year again, when I'd like to remind you of our dress code expectations...

- Tights are never acceptable as pants without a dress over the top of them.

- Jeans with holes in them are never acceptable.

- If your clothes are too tight, or too revealing, Ms. Short or Ms. Argueta will ask you to change.

- T-shirts with random words or logos are never acceptable.

- Your ONLY jeans days are Mondays and Fridays.  On Mondays you MUST be wearing a Webb shirt to be able to wear jeans.  On Fridays you MUST be wearing a Rattler, Team, or Education shirt to wear jeans.

- Wednesdays is House colors day.  That does not mean jeans day.

Please be aware, that if you are out of dress code I will send you home to change.  I already sent two home last week to change clothes.

We are professionals and need to dress and act that way in front of your students.

Off Campus

A few admin and teachers will be off campus on Tuesday and Wednesday for mandatory trainings from Region 6 (Tuesday) and Region 4 (Wednesday).  They will be bringing back their learning to share with our entire team.

Monday, October 22

I have already emailed SPED, PreK, and SPED/PreK IAs about where they need to be.

K-5 ELAR teachers will meet with Jessica Rogers in the Library starting at 8am

K-5 Math teachers will meet with Greg Coleman in the Gym starting at 8am

If you're a K-1 teacher, make sure you make double of the materials to share with your teammates who are in the opposite training.

When at these trainings, please stay actively engaged.  You will need your laptops and something to write with at these trainings.

Camp Teachers will work as a team to be ready for the next 9 weeks.

Intervention teachers will continue to complete their paperwork and prepare their lessons.

At 1:30pm, if you work with students during the school day in an educational setting, you will need to be at Brosig Auditorium for the SPED training.

If you are not sure where you're supposed to go, please check with Walker up front.

Mrs. Walker

And speaking of Mrs. Walker, it is with a heavy heart that I tell you she has accepted a new position at Central Office working for the SPED department.  Friday, November 2nd will be her final day!  We will throw her a goodbye party in the coming weeks, but please make sure you take time to let her know how much we've appreciated all she's done! At least she isn't going far!

Phone Calls

There seems to be some confusion. So just to be clear, it is my expectation that you make at least 2 positive parent phone calls home per week. This was never a suggestion. This is best practice as a teacher.  Please document these. It should take you no more than 5-10 minutes per week. If you need to put it on your calendar, set an alarm, have a friend hold you accountable, do whatever it takes.

This is NOT the same as the Hats Off cards.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

October 23 - November 2 will be our 4th annual Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences.  This year you will have a two week period to meet with parents.

This is a part of our Targeted Improvement Plan, so here are the expectations this year.

1. You must meet with every parent.
2. The excuse of "I couldn't get ahold of them" will not be accepted.  If we need to make home visits, make home visits.
3. Admin can sit in on any meeting you need them to sit in on (as well as make home visits with you)
3. We understand this may seem like a big task (it is!) but this is one of the most important pieces to getting families involved in the process.
4. There must be a sign in sheet that needs to be turned into Cindy Puentes.
5. Our 3rd-5th graders especially need to begin to lead parts of the meetings because the SPRING Parent/Teacher Conferences will be led by students 1st-5th Grade.
6. Students need to be present at their family meeting.
7. Find something positive to celebrate about EVERY child with their families. Talk GROWTH.

Morning Duty

On your PLC day....PLEASE keep in mind that you are on duty until 7:40am. We need you to stay at your duty station until then. Your PLC starts at 7:45am.  Be on time to both your duty and PLC time. You should come prepared on your day.

Please also remember that 2nd-5th should be placing sticks in their cones either the morning of on the WAY to duty, or the afternoon before during Bus Duty.

Kinder - Car

1st - Cafeteria (need someone by cafeteria door)

2nd - Gym

3rd - Car

4th - Cafeteria (need someone by cafeteria door)

5th - Gym

House Points

This week we will be putting up some "House Points" signs around school so kids can continually keep up with house points.

Also, this year we want to give out House Points for academic reasons too!!  So, before any exam, meet with your students and have them set goals for themselves. The goals should be lofty, but not out of reach.

If a child reaches their goal, let's give their house some points!

Hopefully this will be another opportunity for students to take their exams seriously and provide a little competitiveness.

TEPSA Principals on Campus

On Thursday we will have about 40 Principals and Assistant Principals from around the state of Texas visiting our campus.  TEPSA (Texas Elementary Principal and Supervisor Association) selected our school as their fall meeting spot so they could see some of the great things Webb Elementary is doing.

They will tour the school (as led by some of our 5th grade tour guides) and meet and plan.

Lee and Wright

Mr. Lee (our SIP) and Ms. Wright (our Region 6 Rep) will be on campus on Friday! They may be stopping through your rooms to say hey!

House Games

Our 1st House Games of the year are on FRIDAY! We can't wait!

This year there will be a "sensory" room (the Library) for those students who can't handle being in a large space with that kind of noise.

Darla Davis will be the teacher in charge of that space.  The House Games will be live broadcast by some of our 5th Graders so that the students in the sensory room can still feel a part.

If you have a student who needs to be in that room, please fill out THIS FORM, so Darla can make sure they're there.  If they're not on that form, they will not be allowed in the room.

This is NOT a behavior room.  Students will miss House Games for no reason except for DAEP Placement.

Birthdays

Lauren Neutzler - October 24

Tell Your Story

Here is this week's interview with 5th grade teacher, Jon White.

Articles/Blog Posts

The Best Children's Books About Kindness

Passport to Tolerance

Growing Up With Alexa

What to do When A Student Refuses to Work

12 Authors Write About the Libraries They Love

In Closing...

John Maxwell works with people from around the world on ways to help make them better leaders, educators, people, and more.  He has "Minute with Maxwell" videos all over YouTube. I found this one to be especially timely.  So many times we can lose our composure because we're focusing on the minuscule things instead of the big picture.

Let's work together this week to help each of us keep our eyes set on the big picture! Let's bring our best every day, because our kids deserve nothing less.

Be Happy, Every Single Day

Be Happy Every Single Day

BY MADISYN TAYLOR Discover something daily that makes you happy and become witness to your life transforming. Our lives are rich with potential sources of happiness, but sometimes we become victims of negative thinking because we believe that focusing on all that has gone wrong will provide us with the motivation we need to face the challenges of survival. When we choose to focus on what makes us happy, however, a shift occurs in the fabric of our existence. Finding something to be happy about every single day can help this shift take place. The vantage points from which we view the world are brought into balance, and we can see that being alive truly is a gift to be savored. There is always something we can be happy about--it is simply up to us to identify it.  On one day, we may find happiness in a momentous, life-changing event such as a marriage or the birth of a child. On another day, the happiness we experience may be a product of our appreciation of a particularly well-brewed cup of a tea or the way the sun shines on a leaf. If we discover that we literally cannot call to mind a single joyful element of existence, we should examine the cause of the blockage standing between us and experiencing happiness. Keeping a happiness journal is a wonderful way to catalog the happiness unfolding all around us so that joy has myriad opportunities to manifest itself in our lives. Writing about the emotions we experience while contemplating joy may give us insight into the factors compelling us to resist it.  Happiness may not always come easily into your life. You have likely been conditioned to believe that the proper response to unmet expectations is one of sadness, anger, guilt, or fear. To make joy a fixture in your existence, you must first accept that it is within your power to choose happiness over unhappiness every single day. Then, each time you discover some new source of happiness, the notion that the world is a happy place will find its way more deeply into your heart. On this day, find one thing to be happy about and let it fill your heart.

Week at a Glance

Monday - Nesloney, Short, Argueta off campus at Training

Start of National School Lunch Week

Staff Meeting - 3:45pm - Gym

School Board Meeting - 6:30pm - Central Office

Tuesday - Nesloney, Short, Argueta off campus at Training

Textbook Adoption Meeting #1 - HMCHO - 3:30pm - Central Office

UIL Practice - 3:30pm

Thursday - Prayer Time - 7am - TP Room

Fire Drill

Friday - House Meetings at 7:45am

Saturday - TCCA

Admin off Campus

On Monday and Tuesday myself, Short, and Argueta will be at a training.  Geralyn and Cewilla will be your go-tos.  Just call the front office if you need assistance.

Kevin Bradford will also be available to help as needed.

Staff Meeting

There will still be a Staff Meeting on Monday at 3:45pm.  Please be on time.

There will be a brief TRTA Membership Info presentation and then Jeannie Robertson will present a tool at this week's staff meeting.

House Meetings

We will have a House Meeting on Friday at 7:45am to practice cheers.  5th Graders will be designing cheers this week and will come prepared to the House Games on Friday to present the cheers to your house to practice.

There will be a 5th grader in each house who will record the cheer for me to share out in case you need to practice in class.

Birthdays

Courtney Moore - Oct 16

TCCA 

TCCA is this Saturday. It is a fantastic conference that is FREE and comes with a free lunch.  If you're attending please let me know!  If you want to carpool let me know as well because I have a parking pass to park close!

PLC

During PLC time this week you will plan with your grade level cluster in the TP room. Please bring supplies to discuss your upcoming lessons and how they align with your standards so that other grade levels can see the continuity. We are tasking YOU with leading the PLC this week.

T-Shirts

Monday is our final day for Creating the Magic additional orders. If you want to order, you can HERE.

COMING SOON: Parent/Teacher Conferences

October 23 - November 2 will be our 4th annual Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences.  This year you will have a two week period to meet with parents.

This is a part of our Targeted Improvement Plan, so here are the expectations this year.

1. You must meet with every parent.
2. The excuse of "I couldn't get ahold of them" will not be accepted.  If we need to make home visits, make home visits.
3. Admin can sit in on any meeting you need them to sit in on (as well as make home visits with you)
3. We understand this may seem like a big task (it is!) but this is one of the most important pieces to getting families involved in the process.
4. There must be a sign in sheet that needs to be turned into Cindy Puentes.
5. Our 3rd-5th graders especially need to begin to lead parts of the meetings because the SPRING Parent/Teacher Conferences will be led by students 1st-5th Grade.
6. Students need to be present at their family meeting.
7. Find something positive to celebrate about EVERY child with their families. Talk GROWTH.

Book Study

Please make sure that you are making time to read something 20 minutes every night. Schedule it if you have to. We want to be asking our kids to read, we must also. 

As far as our Book Study book, please make sure you have Chapters 4 and 5 read, with questions/discussion topics written down, to discuss.  Please be prepared.  You have several weeks advance notice, so the expectation is that you come with your written down questions/discussion points, and the chapters read.

Instead of discussing at this week's Faculty Meeting, you will have until FRIDAY to submit your reflection and answer the following two questions on FlipGrid

Submit your answers HERE.

1.  What is something you learned that you didn't think about before?
2. What is something that is pushing/challenging/frustrating your thinking about these two chapters?

Morning Duty

On your PLC day....PLEASE keep in mind that you are on duty until 7:40am. We need you to stay at your duty station until then. Your PLC starts at 7:45am.  Be on time to both your duty and PLC time. You should come prepared on your day.

Please also remember that 2nd-5th should be placing sticks in their cones either the morning of on the WAY to duty, or the afternoon before during Bus Duty.

Kinder - Cafeteria (need someone by cafeteria door)

1st - Gym

2nd - Car

3rd - Cafeteria (need someone by cafeteria door)

4th - Gym

5th - Car

House Points

This week we will be putting up some "House Points" signs around school so kids can continually keep up with house points.

Also, this year we want to give out House Points for academic reasons too!!  So, before any exam, meet with your students and have them set goals for themselves. The goals should be lofty, but not out of reach.

If a child reaches their goal, let's give their house some points!

Hopefully this will be another opportunity for students to take their exams seriously and provide a little competitiveness.

Tell Your Story

Here is this week's interview with Chris Ruden as he discusses his disability, diabetes, bullying, and overcoming obstacles.



Blogs/Articles

What Does Childhood Anxiety Look Like?

Gifted, But Still Learning English, Many Bright Students Get Overlooked

Why Graphic Novels Belong in All Of Our Libraries

What Are We Teaching Boys When We Discourage Them From Reading Books About Girls

In Closing....

As a campus we either rise together, or we fall.  We know that in the end, what matters is our kids.  Their lives are at stake here.  When we get upset about adult things, and then those things bleed into our school day, we affect our kids.

When I say WE rise together, I mean it takes ALL of us,  When we're short handed we all step in.  Yes even Jennifer Short (in 5th) and I (in 4th) had to sub in a classroom all day in the last two weeks because we were short handed. 

When we need extra help in the office, we pull IAs and they help.  When our students are having a rough day yes us in the office give up hours of our workload to help those kids and provide consequences. When we need supplies from Wal-Mart someone is always ready to jump up and go! When teams have that have to combine classes and they do it. 

When we bring a joyful spirit to work and know that "Today I'm going to help these kids however I'm asked. Even if my cheese is moved.  Even if what I'm being asked to do isn't what I thought I'd be doing today" then things become a little easier.

Why? Because our kids need us to take our own emotions out of the equation and show up, for THEM!

This is a campus filled with people who step up at a moments notice. Even on Friday when I sent out the Remind text for help in the morning, we had over 20 teachers show up to help. THANK YOU!

None of you get paid what you're worth, or for the work you're putting in, but TOGETHER we're going to make it work for these kids. Because in the end, they are the reason why we're here.

I love this video because I think it exemplifies team work.  It shows how even the opposite team sometimes sacrifices to do what's best, to do what's right.

The Greatness in Others

The Greatness in Others

BY MADISYN TAYLOR We are all moved by greatness when we see it - we know the feeling of it and have it within ourselves. A person who is said to possess greatness stands apart from others in some way, usually by the size or originality of their vision and their ability to manifest that vision. And yet those who recognize that greatness, whether they display it themselves or not, also have greatness within them; otherwise, they could not see it in another. In many ways, the achievements of one person always belong to many people for we accomplish nothing alone in this world. People who display greatness rely upon others who are able to see as they do, to listen, encourage, and support. Without those people who recognize greatness and move in to support it, even the greatest ideas, works of art, and political movements would remain unborn. We are all moved by greatness when we see it, and although the experience is to some degree subjective, we know the feeling of it. When we encounter it, it is as if something in us stirs, awakens, and comes forth to meet what was inside us all along. When we respond to someone else's greatness, we feed our own. We may feel called to dedicate ourselves to their vision, or we may be inspired to follow a path we forge ourselves. Either way, we cannot lose when we recognize that the greatness we see in others belongs also to us. Our recognition of this is a call to action that, if heeded, will inspire others to see in us the greatness they also possess. This creates a chain reaction of greatness unfolding itself endlessly into the future. Ultimately, greatness is simply the best of what humanity has to offer. Greatness does what has not been done before and inspires the same courage that it requires. When we see it in others, we know it, and when we trust its presence in ourselves, we embody it.

Week at a Glance

Monday - Beginning of Homecoming Week

Nesloney Off Campus

Tuesday - Nesloney Off Campus

PTO Fundraiser Ends

ELAR Teacher Meeting - 3:30pm - Library

Wednesday - 4th Grade Work with Admin (8:00-11:30)

5th Grade Work with Admin (12:30-4:00)

PTO Meeting - 5:30pm - Library

Thursday - Staff Prayer Time - 7am - TP Room

2nd Grade Work with Admin (8:00-11:30)

3rd Grade Work with Admin (12:30-4:00)

SPED Teacher Meeting (Life, PPCD, and SPED) 2:00-4:00

UIL Try-Outs 3:30-4:30pm

Friday - Nesloney Off Campus

Homecoming

Kinder work with Admin (8:00-11:30)

1st Grade Work with Admin (12:30-4:00)

Football Game - 7:00pm

Saturday - EdCamp College Station

Birthdays

Sherri Desern - October 8

Anna Wilkerson - October 10

UIL

If you haven't signed up yet, TODAY is the day to fill out this UIL Form if you're interested in being a UIL coach.  We got final word from Dr Musick and THIS YEAR, you will get paid for every event you coach.

Meaning, if you coach 4th grade spelling AND 3rd grade spelling, that is TWO events you'll get paid for.  So there is much better clarification.

EdCamp College Station, TCCA, and EduHero

We're coming up on our deadline for EduHero and getting hours.

Remember to finish your assigned EduHero videos (ALL STAFF) by Oct 31 and either do more EduHero videos or attend a PD that hasn't been paid for by the district.

EdCamp College Station is coming up this Saturday (register HERE) and TCCA is coming up next Saturday!  Hope to see you at one of those!

COMING SOON: Parent/Teacher Conferences

October 23 - November 2 will be our 4th annual Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences.  This year you will have a two week period to meet with parents.

This is a part of our Targeted Improvement Plan, so here are the expectations this year.

1. You must meet with every parent.
2. The excuse of "I couldn't get ahold of them" will not be accepted.  If we need to make home visits, make home visits.
3. Admin can sit in on any meeting you need them to sit in on (as well as make home visits with you)
3. We understand this may seem like a big task (it is!) but this is one of the most important pieces to getting families involved in the process.
4. There must be a sign in sheet that needs to be turned into Cindy Puentes.
5. Our 3rd-5th graders especially need to begin to lead parts of the meetings because the SPRING Parent/Teacher Conferences will be led by students 1st-5th Grade.
6. Students need to be present at their family meeting.
7. Find something positive to celebrate about EVERY child with their families. Talk GROWTH.

Book Study

Please make sure that you are making time to read something 20 minutes every night. Schedule it if you have to. We want to be asking our kids to read, we must also. 

As far as our Book Study book, please make sure you have Chapters 4 and 5 read, with questions/discussion topics written down, to discuss at the next Faculty Meeting.  Please come to this meeting prepared.  You have several weeks advance notice, so the expectation is that you come with your written down questions/discussion points, and the chapters read.

Morning Duty

On your PLC day....PLEASE keep in mind that you are on duty until 7:40am. We need you to stay at your duty station until then. Your PLC starts at 7:45am.  Be on time to both your duty and PLC time. You should come prepared on your day.

Please also remember that 2nd-5th should be placing sticks in their cones either the morning of on the WAY to duty, or the afternoon before during Bus Duty.

Kinder - Gym

1st - Car

2nd - Cafeteria

3rd - Gym

4th - Car

5th - Cafeteria

House Points

This week we will be putting up some "House Points" signs around school so kids can continually keep up with house points.

Also, this year we want to give out House Points for academic reasons too!!  So, before any exam, meet with your students and have them set goals for themselves. The goals should be lofty, but not out of reach.

If a child reaches their goal, let's give their house some points!

Hopefully this will be another opportunity for students to take their exams seriously and provide a little competitiveness.

We'll also begin tying some house things into announcements as well.

Tell Your Story

This week's interview is with elementary principal Maria Flores Guerra.



Blogs/Articles

Kindergarteners with These 2 Skills Are Twice as Likely to Obtain a College Degree

What's Behind the Curtain Besides a Dog?

Scheduling Guided Math Block

In Closing....

Stories bind us together and connect us.  How are you using stories in your own classroom to pull students deeper into what you're teaching?