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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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