Staff Bulletin
Week of April 20 - April 24, 2020
A Message from Lisa
WOW! Thank you for all of your hard work through Seesaw this week! It is incredible for me to be able to see the work ALL of our Powell students are doing from home. I have heard from several parents that they like having all of the assignments in one place. Thank you for your willingness to grow and learn!
As you have heard, we will not be returning to school for the remainder of the school year. I know this is a huge letdown for everyone involved. I can't even fathom not seeing you all for that length of time! We will get through this TOGETHER!
T-TESS UPDATE
NEW!!!- Teachers do not have to complete their SLO goal/Student Growth Tracker this year! See below for more information.
DIGITAL PLACEMENT CARDS
Placement Cards (Pink and Blue Cards) are going digital this year! Your grade level will receive an email with written directions and video directions detailing how to fill the cards out and the date for the deadline.
ARDs
The Special Education department has been given the directive to hold all ARDs that would have typically been scheduled in August and September by the end of the year. Because of this, Carol and Micaelan may have to schedule ARDs on days other than Tuesdays. Please be flexible!
LITERACY COHORT 2.0 TRAINING
Language Arts teachers in K-2 (and possibly 3 & 4) will need to plan to attend Cohort 2.0 training on July 20 and 21. This may be a virtual training and not face-to-face. Teachers need to attend both days. If you have a conflict, please contact Sarah Radford immediately. More info will be forthcoming.
SAE
Try to write an SAE for all of your students who are participating in remote learning by Friday, May 1. Be sure to mention the parents who are helping in the SAE.
PROUD TEACHER
On Facebook or Instrgram, if you are going to post a picture or note about your students doing something fun or helpful, add your location or "check in" at Powell! PLease also make your post sharable as the check in doesn't always show on our page. You can also tag Powell by adding @PowellElementary to your post. Be sure to use #proudteacher!
ESSENTIAL OPERATIONS
We are currently still operating under essential staff only. This means that there should be no access to the building without administrative approval. Please make sure you cover your face when you're in the building.
PROGRESS REPORT PARENT COMMUNICATION
We have reconsidered our progress report parent conferences. You will need to conference with any student who you are concerned about (or is "at-risk"). With students who are performing well and you are not concerned about, you can OFFER the parents a conference and let them know they have the option to decline the conference. The non-negotiable is that you input conference notes on every child- even if the parent did not want to conference. There are further guidelines below.
VOLUNTEERING AT THE FOOD BANK
The Montgomery County Food Bank needs volunteers. If you're able to volunteer, please reach out to the food bank. If you go to volunteer, please make sure you wear your Powell shirt. If you're not able to volunteer, but would like to donate, you can do this through the virtual food bank. For every $1 raised, the food bank can donate 5 meals. https://mcfoodbank.org/donate-to-montgomery-county-food-bank-conroe-tx/
Our next Zoom Faculty Meeting will be Wednesday, April 22 at 2:00 PM. You will be invited through the Powell Calendar and a link to the meeting will be included.
Enjoy your weekend!
Lisa
Calendar
Saturday (4/18)
Powell Publisher goes out to parents for week of 4/20-4/24 with Instructional Lessons
3:00 Paper copies in filing cabinet for the week
Monday
10:00-11:00 Specials Team at Powell as needed
Tuesday
9:30-10:30 4th Team at Powell as needed
ARDs and 504s may be scheduled, please do not plan to Zoom with your class
Wednesday
8:00 Principals Meeting
1:00 Zoom Meeting- Team Leaders
2:00 Zoom Meeting- All Powell Faculty
Hump Day Challenge- Virtual Donations to Montgomery County Food Bank
Thursday
9:00-10:00 Kinder Team at Powell as needed
10:00-11:00 3rd Team at Powell as needed
11:00-12:00 2nd Team at Powell as needed
12:00 Grade level Instructional plans for Week of 4/27-5/1 emailed to Becky and Erin
Friday
10:00-11:00 Special Ed Team at Powell as needed
11:00-12:00 1st Team at Powell as needed
Spirit Day - Share Your Smile on Facebook
Freaky Science Friday on Facebook with Bush Elementary
Saturday (4/25)
Weekend Warriors with our Specials Team on Facebook
Powell Publisher goes out to parents for week of 4/27-5/1 with Instructional Lessons
Who to Call
LISA
ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO STAFF AND PARENTS
SCHEDULING MEETINGS
INTRA AND INTER DISTRICT TRANSFERS
SPECIAL ED AND PRE-K TEACHERS
PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR
SARAH
STUDENT PAPER COPIES
BUILDING OPERATIONS, SCHOOL MAIL
CALENDAR
APPRAISALS AND SUMMATIVE CONFERENCES
ESL/GT
K-2 TEACHERS
ERIN
INSTRUCTIONAL INFORMATION FOR PUBLISHER
504/DYSLEXIA
3-4 TEACHERS
TECH FOR STUDENTS
BECKY
TECH SUPPORT FOR TEACHERS
INSTRUCTIONAL INFORMATION FOR PUBLISHER
ELIZABETH
TECH SUPPORT
WEBSITE
SHAWN
PLACEMENT FOR 2020-2021
SUPPORT FOR TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND FAMILIES
LUPITA
ABSENCES
PAYROLL
ORDERING
MICHELLE
REGISTRATION
MAINTAINING STUDENT INFORMATION
TEAM LEADERS
COMMUNICATION WITH TEAMS
COORDINATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL PLANS WITH TEAM
T-TESS and SLO
NEW!!!- Teachers do not have to complete their SLO goal/Student Growth Tracker this year!
T-TESS Calendar
4/24- Complete or continue professional goal
5/1- Summatives sent to Teachers who were observed this year
5/8- Teachers who were observed this year must sign summative form through Eduphoria Strive
T-TESS Professional Goal
Your Professional goal should be completed or continued by April 24. Below is a step-by-step document if you need help completing or continuing your goal.
T-TESS Summative Conferences (only for people who were observed this year)
Lisa, Sarah, and Erin will type up summative conferences and have them available for you to view on Strive on Friday, May 1st. Once you have looked over the summative conference, you can either sign the form or let your appraiser know you would like a virtual conference to discuss. The summative conference form needs to be signed by May 8.
Eduphoria - Strive looks a little different these days. Please view the document below and contact Sarah or Erin if you need further assistance.
Virtual Progress Report Conference Guidelines
Entering Parent Contacts in View It
- Log in to View-It
- Search for the student you want to document parent contact with
- Communication
- Parent Contacts
- Fill in the Parent Contact form at the bottom of the page
- Click "Create Parent Contact Form" to submit
Grading Considerations- Updated 4/9/20
4th Nine Weeks Grading:
Due to COVID-19, both students and staff have been impacted by social distancing and the closing of schools. Because of the loss of instructional time and limited interactions, the Curriculum and Instruction department has worked closely with campuses to modify the scope and sequence of each course and to establish instructional objectives that address the skills necessary for successful performance in the next grade level or next course in a sequence of courses. Assignments and instructional activities are designed so that the student’s grade indicates the level of mastery of the designated district objectives for the course.
During the 4th Nine Weeks grading period:
· Students will not be placed at a disadvantage during the 4th Nine-Week grading cycle because of limited computer access, lack of technology skills, or other unusual circumstances.
· Grades recorded during the 4th nine-weeks will not have a negative impact on a student’s average or grade point average.
· The 4th Nine-week grade will not be lower than third nine-week grade.
· Students will receive academic feedback at least once a week in each core academic content area (reading, writing, math, science and social studies). Feedback could be in the form of a rubric to assess understanding of an identified essential TEK, a numerical grade, participation in an activity or any other method that appropriately assesses the student.
· Teachers, using good judgment, can offer more than one assignment per week but the teacher must identify the assignment that will be graded. Students will receive no more than one grade per week in each of the core content areas (Reading, Writing, Math, Science and Social Studies).
· All grades will be formative in nature and all graded assignments will be equally weighted and will make up the 4th nine-week grade for the course.
· Students will have the opportunity to be retaught and allowed to resubmit assignments for a higher grade.
· Students will not be penalized for late work.
· Whether students are able to return to school or not, one graded assignment per week would extend through the last day of school on May 28, 2020.
· Qualifying students will continue to receive accommodations and modifications.
· The final course grade will be determined by averaging each of the nine weeks grades. The 4th nine-week grade will be determined by the higher of the 3rd or 4th nine-week grade. The 4th nine weeks grade may be higher than the 3rd nine weeks grade but not lower than the 3rd nine weeks grade.
· Students (PK-6th grade) will be assigned the same grade on the 4th nine weeks report card in Fine Arts and PE as earned during the 3rd nine weeks, unless it was less than an S or a failing grade. No student will receive less than an S nor a failing grade for the 4th nine weeks in PE or Fine Arts courses. Parents and students are encouraged to utilize the resources that Fine Arts and PE teachers have provided students to enjoy at home. Intermediate students in band, choir, art and orchestra are encouraged to continue their daily skill development.
· There will be no major grades or exams during the fourth nine weeks.
· Students who are assessed with a standards-based or non-numerical report card will receive at minimum the same assessment given during the third nine weeks for skills that have been previously addressed. If a skill was not addressed in the 3rd marking period, students can be assessed on those skills provided the teacher has sufficient evidence. If a teacher is unable to assess a student in those areas, the report card will have a “NA” to represent the information was “not assessed.” Campuses need to convey to parents that these skills will be addressed next year and students will not be penalized for this information.
· Teachers using a standards based report card will need to conduct a parent-teacher conference in lieu of the progress report to discuss any new celebrations or skills that are still developing. Conference notes for these meetings will need to be recorded in View-It under the communications page. If a teacher is unable to make contact with a parent, this should be recorded in View-It.
· PK teachers will use the 3rd nine weeks report card score to complete the 4th nine week report card. This means that students will receive the same “grade” in the 4th nine weeks as they did in the 3rd nine weeks. A comment will be available for teachers to select noting this adjustment to the report card due to COVID-19.
Grades from Paper Packets
Parents should turn in completed packets each week. Teachers can decide among their team how those packets get picked up from the filing cabinet and graded.
Staff Development Exchange Day - August 4, 2020
All staff who choose to participate in “exchange day” will use the Safe Schools system to complete their online training. Each staff member will need to follow the steps below:
1. Beginning April 6, 2020, you will be able to login to the Safe Schools website to access your training. All teachers, librarians, speech therapists, and nurses will use their assigned Employee Identification Number (EIN) to login to the Safe Schools website at
http://conroe.tx.safeschools.com/login/ or by going to the CISD Single Sign-On Portal selecting “Safe Schools” in the CISD Apps.
a. To login, an employee must know his or her EIN; This number will be the employee’s
username in Safe Schools. No password is required.
b. If you have trouble logging in, please contact Sarah or Erin.
2. The EINs for new employees will be uploaded every Monday. If you are a new teacher, librarian, speech therapist, or nurse and have not been assigned an EIN, please contact Claire Amos at camos@conroeisd.net or 936-709-7782.
3. Once you have logged into Safe Schools, you will see the list of courses that have been assigned to you. To start a training, click on the course title and follow the prompts. You can start and stop a course at any time, but you must view each page of the training, complete each required scenario, and complete the required assessment with 70% accuracy in order to receive credit for the training. The training can be completed on any computer that has access to the Internet.
4. The employee handbook will be added upon its approval. Communication will be sent out to log in to Safe Schools to access and acknowledge you have read and received the employee handbook.
5. Save all certificates of Safe Schools training completed. Be mindful of any position change during, or after, the time of completing required courses. A change in position may change your required courses.
Forgot your EIN? You may look it up using the employee directory located at https://directory.conroeisd.net/default.aspx and clicking on “Get My Info.”
(You must either be on the CISD network or use the Single Sign-On Portal to access the directory page.)
ESL Students
All of our ESL students have been given free access to Imagine Learning! This is a great online resource for our students to use from home to help with language and literacy development. All teachers who have ESL students have been granted access.Teachers are also able to participate in Imagine Learning webinars should they need further assistance. Please reach out to Sarah Radford if you have any questions.
GT Maintenance Hours
It is required that each school year you maintain your GT certification with 6 maintenance hours. Please login to Eduphoria for online GT workshop opportunities.
TAGT Flier with the new registration code is attached. This is an online option to earn up to 6 hours of GT credit.
NEW!!!
We have been granted permission from the State to allow teachers the ability to work on their 2020-2021 GT 6 hour updates with the following criteria:
- Must have completed 2019-2020 requirement first before working on 2020-2021 requirement.
- This permission is only available for the 2020-2021 school year.
- Enroll for any online training in Eduphoria under the courses marked 2020-2021
- When complete email Chris Reichelt's secretary, Holly Urena, and indicate these hours are for the 2020-2021 school year.
- TAGT On-Demand
- Membership ends in August so if a teacher has already completed 6 hours in the system for 2019-2020 it will not allow to exceed until I renew membership in Sept.
Please consider taking advantage of this opportunity.
Adobe Creative Cloud
🎂 Happy Happy Birthday to You!
April 25 Janet Helton
April 26 Carol Gardner
April 30 Amanda Pearce
April 30 Amy Spurlin
CISD Non-Discrimination statement
The Conroe Independent School District (District) as an equal opportunity educational provider and employer does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in educational programs or activities that it operates or in employment matters. The District is required by Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as Board policy not to discriminate in such a manner.
For information about Title IX rights or Section 504/ADA rights, contact the Title IX Coordinator or the Section 504/ADA coordinator at 3205 W. Davis, Conroe, TX 77304; (936) 709-7752.