Monday Memo
January 16th-20th
You fail all the time, but you aren't a failure until you start blaming someone else. -Bum Phillips
I chose the quote this week not only because it is a good message, but because of who said it. The first person to email me who he is and why I might have made a connection with him today gets a jeans pass.
On Wednesday, we will have our next round of Content PLCs. If you haven't already shared your feedback for items to discuss, please do so by the EOD on Monday. As we continue to vertically align our practice, your ongoing input is extremely important and appreciated.
Valentines Day is just around the corner. Please make sure that Donna has the time of your grade level party before you leave on Friday. All parties will be held on Tuesday, February 14th, and call me a softy, but you may wear jeans with a Valentines Day shirt. Please let me know if you have any questions.
We have a few evening events coming up on our calendar. Please make sure that you work with your teams to ensure that you have coverage at each of these events. If you have a student participating in the Talent Show, I strongly encourage you to attend. While I know that certain circumstances can prevent that, if that is the case, please notify your student and the parents so that they understand your absence.
Make today count,
JL
---------------------------------------
Teacher of the Year 2016-2017
It is that time of year again. This is our opportunity to recognize one of our own who embodies all that we strive to achieve. Please review the timeline and criteria below, then use this link to submit your nomination.
Nominations will be due by EOD on Friday, January 20th.
Nominated teachers will be announced in next week's Monday Memo.
Voting will close at EOD Thursday, January, 26th.
Teacher of the Year will be announced at Mav Fan Jam on Friday, January 27th.
Criteria:
1) Peer nominations are encouraged.
2) One nominee from each campus will be accepted.
3) Nominees should have taught in McKinney ISD for at least one year.
4) Nominees should not have won the “Campus Teacher of the Year” award within the past three years (they can have been nominated within that time frame).
5) Nominees can include your campus LMS, Counselor or a Specialist, however they are not eligible for the regional competition.
6) Just keep in mind, that your Nominee must spend at least 4 hours a day with students to be eligible to advance to the next level.
---------------------------------------
Employee Student Transfer Petition for 17-18
Student transfer petition requests for McKinney ISD employees for the 2017-18 school year will only be accepted from January 9 to January 31, 2017. Petitions submitted outside the acceptance dates will not be processed or retained. The student transferring must be the child of an MISD employee. This benefit does not extend beyond the parent-child relationship. Substitutes and contracted services employees are not eligible. The Employee Student Transfer Petition for the 2017-2018 school year can be found online (http://www.mckinneyisd.net/staff/).
---------------------------------------
Calendar Change for Two Wednesday Meetings
---------------------------------------
---------------------------------------
---------------------------------------
---------------------------------------
Shoparoo
Did you know that each week I give out jeans passes to the three highest scoring staff members on Shoparoo? I know that many of you have already joined, but if you haven't, it is not too late. Simply go to www.shoparoo.com to create your account. If you use veft4467 as a referral code, McGowen will earn money for you just signing up. Please feel free to push this information out to your parents as well. Once you sign up, Shoparoo will give you a referral code for your parents to use when they sign up. Schools with just 40 supporters are earning an average of $1,000 every year.
Congratulations to Krista Daniel, Barbara Peebles and Laura Garro for being the highest three staff contributors to Shoparoo this week!
---------------------------------------
Focus for 2016 - 2017
In order to help every child their personal best, McGowen teachers and staff will:
- Knowledgeably speak about our current practices that contribute to McGowen becoming a Level 1 Certified High Reliability School.
- Actively participate in grade level and content Professional Learning Communities.
- Engage in collaborative team planning and lesson design that addresses the four essential questions of a PLC.
- Present lessons in such a way that students understand and can speak knowledgeably about posted learning and language targets.
---------------------------------------
Remind for Staff
---------------------------------------
Happy Birthday!
January
Laura Garro - 10th
Renata Sanchez - 10th
Trent South - 10th
Martha Gordon - 15th
Lisa Pedersen - 15th
Jean Possehl - 16th
Holly Bianchetta - 19th
Stacie Bullock - 19th
Krystina Ticehurst - 24th
Shani Beeman - 30th
---------------------------------------
Appreciations
- Krista - Thank you so much for Lisa's birthday card from your class. She was beaming all afternoon. It truly made her day! -JL
- Shiela - Thank you for keeping our team updated about Stacie! - JL
- Chitwood - Thanks for helping out with the PTA kids on Tuesday. -JL
- Relle, Peterson, Hyde, Goodwin & Ward - Thank you so much for participating in the Region 10 Safety Audit. You did an amazing job! -JL
- Donna - Thank you for managing the Warm-Up Wednesday passes. -JL
- Sunshine Committee - Many thanks for a wonderful hot chocolate bar last week. It was a delicious treat! -JL
- Shannon - Thanks for organizing lunch on Friday! Sometimes it is the littlest things that mean so much. -JL
My first APPRECIATION goes to our wonderful Diagnostician Martha Gordon who has a personality that is like a Ray of sunshine, she has a red hot super attitude that glows with positivity and a joy to work with.
Thanks and APPRECIATION to Tracey Kelley for taking upon herself to coordinate the celebrating of team members birthdays! Thanks Tracie for making us feel special and celebrated on our special day!
My last APPRECIATION goes to my tenacious team lead who continues to work tireless for our team planning and scheduling of testing etc, we really appreciate you Jaime, especially since I know you have so much else going on being close to being a new mommy! J
First Grade Team-Thank you for celebrating my birthday with me! You helped turning another year older fun!
Laurie L.-Thanks for always being willing to step up and help me when ELAR plans get overwhelming.
---------------------------------------
Bad Dude
Thanks for all that you do, Shannon. We are so grateful to have you here!
---------------------------------------
McKinney ISD's Vision, Mission and Beliefs
Any time we have an idea, concern, solution and/or comment, this is the filter through which we should speak. Let's help each other live up to our vision, mission, and beliefs.
Vision:
We are a cohesive, diverse community providing engaging learning experiences for all.
We will provide engaging learning experiences so students can become effective communicators, quality contributors and socially responsible citizens.
Beliefs:
- Partnerships between students, parents, community members and staff are foundational to educational success.
- Positive school culture and a safe environment foster growth.
- Everyone has inherent value and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
- Learning is an active process requiring engaging tasks and engaging minds.
- Relevant and authentic experiences ignite continuous, deeper learning.
- Meaningful relationships enrich learning.
- Confidence fuels risk taking and higher achievement.
- Financial stewardship ensures a tomorrow for education.