COWBOY COURIER
Week of December 7, 2015
Our Values in Action
Belonging
Respect
Commitment
Commitment
Belonging
Growth Mindset
Student Progress
Achievement in Reading
Achievement in Reading
Achievement in Math
Postsecondary Readiness
Closing Achievement Gaps
A special shoutout to the students and staff at Cigarroa!
I'm super impressed at how everyone, including our students, demonstrated a sense of urgency this week! I made many laps throughout the building this week and I observed
so many of our rooms maximizing time in preparation for the upcoming ACPs. We are only two weeks out from a well-deserved, extended break and I greatly appreciate everyone trying so hard -- I'm eager to see the results of what our students have learned so far this school year as they work towards earning Cigarroa's first distinctions ever!
Here are a couple of reminders for next week:
The Fall 2015 ACPs are here! Thank you to Mrs. Johnson for organizing what will be a very straightforward administration of the district assessments, beginning this Thursday. It is incredibly important for everyone to be present for the next two weeks -- it is a huge endeavor to administer the thousands of tests we received and requires the coordination of every one of our staff members. Thank you for reading all instructions she has given you thus far and for committing yourself to making this a success for our students and your colleagues.
The Fall 2015 Campus Climate Survey has also been sent to all Dallas ISD employees. This is a great opportunity to provide welcomed feedback! Cigarroa has made huge gains in culture in the past year and a half we pride ourselves on the kind of school we are and the kind of school we are working to be. So far, we only have 25% of our staff members have completed the survey, which is comparable to other campuses. So, it's only natural for me to think of incentives to get you to complete the survey and when I think of our staff, the first thing that comes to mind is FOOD! That's right, it's a shameless bribe but I'm holding a contest for the first team to submit each teammate's printed email confirmation that they participated in the climate survey to Alicia Flores. The winning team receives lunch on me! Rather than go with the traditional grade level/department teams, I've decided to make it extra challenging by dividing the staff into alphabetical teams. So, you'll have to track down your peers (by last name) to make sure they've taken the survey! The last day to complete the climate survey is this Friday, December 11! Happy surveying! Here are the teams:
- Team 1: Aguinaga to Bowman
- Team 2: Canning to Cuevas
- Team 3: Dean to Fernandez (both)
- Team 4: Flores (both) to Golden
- Team 5: Gomez to Khobi Johnson
- Team 6: Tanya Johnson to Mathai
- Team 7: Menendez to Olivares
- Team 8: Oliveri to Rendon
- Team 9: Rios to Salazar
- Team 10: Saldivar to Tapia
- Team 11: Torralba to Woodson
Don't forget that our 2015 Cigarroa Staff Holiday Party is on Friday, December 11 at the Embassy Suites Dallas - Love Field hotel! This off-campus retreat is a great opportunity for us to come together as a staff to celebrate everyone who helps make Cigarroa such a great place for our kids. Liz Cardenas and the Sunshine Committee would like your music suggestions! Please suggest music for the party by selecting the button below. If you would like to participate in the white elephant ornament exchange, please bring one wrapped ornament (less than $10) with you to the event!
Have a wonderful week!
Morning Routine Responsibilities
Louisville (2B)
Morning Roundup Guests
Harvard (KC)
Week at a Glance
Monday, December 7
4th/5th grade Spelling Bee in auditorium from 9:00-10:00
After-school tutoring from 3:05-4:05
Tuesday, December 8
Parish Episcopal 2nd grade bilingual reading program at 9:40-10:20
Professional Development until 5:05
- ACP Testing Meeting
- 4th 6 weeks pacing calendars distributed
Wednesday, December 9
PLCs during planning time
After-school tutoring from 3:05-4:05
Thursday, December 10
Electives ACPs
After-school tutoring from 3:05-4:05
Friday, December 11
Khobi Johnson's Birthday!
Social Studies ACPs
Staff Holiday Party from 5:00-9:00 at Embassy Suites-Love FieldOn the Horizon
- ACP Paper Assessments are December 10-18
- Winter Break is Monday, December 21 to January 1
- Staff Development is Monday, January 4
- Staff Work Day is Tuesday, January 5