Monday Memo
August 28, 2017 - September 1, 2017
“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” - Henry Adams
Tomorrow our doors will open and hundreds of beautiful children will walk through our doors full of promise. While you have spent tireless hours preparing your rooms, organizing supplies and scanning cum folders, the real work begins tomorrow. You have the power to change lives. You have the power to affect eternity. I say that not to create additional stress for you, but only to impress upon you just how important you are to your students, their parents and to me.
You can be the amazing teacher that will always be fondly remembered. You can be the one who believes in the child so much that they decide to believe in themselves. You can be the one that makes math easy or inspires a passion for writing. You get to decide the level of impact and influence you will have on your students. Every day, every lesson and every interaction you have the power to choose.
The relationships you build will determine your success. Each child will come as they are. Some will have more baggage than others. Some will be easier to love than others, but all will be watching you. All of them will want your acceptance and encouragement. That investment of time and energy will pay off.
I am proud of you and look forward to our year together with great anticipation. You are an amazing bunch of professionals and our students are blessed to have you. I have never been more proud to say that I am a McGowen Maverick!
Make today count!
JL
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Please be sure to click on the link above to make sure you are aware of our first day & first week procedures.
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Action Items
- Join PTA
- Turn in favorites list and emergency contact info
- All hands on deck for the first week of dismissal
- All AIE teachers need to secure subs now for the days you will be at training this year. Given the sub shortage, we will want to take care of this sooner rather than later. I will also need to block the calendar on those days for others to take personal days.
- Complete compliance trainings
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Important BOY Information
Compliance Trainings
McKinney ISD is using SafeSchoolsTM.com to offer training courses online for your convenience. Follow these easy steps to complete your McKinney ISD safety training requirements:
Using your web browser, go to the SafeSchoolsTM website for McKinney ISD: https://mckinneyisd-tx.safeschools.com/
Enter your Username: 6 digit ID#
Once you log into the site, click on a course title to begin the training. Each course has audio, so be sure to turn up your speakers if you'd like to listen. You must complete each section of the course in order to receive full credit.
Your McKinney ISD SafeSchoolsTM contact:
Kathryn Robertson
Given that the beginning of the year is so busy, if at all possible, I strongly encourage you to complete these trainings prior to Academy.
SmartFind Absence Tracking System
The SmartFind Absence Tracking system was moved to a new location. It looks and functions exactly the same; however, there are two very important changes: a new telephone number and a new URL.
Here is how to the access the SmartFind Absence Tracking system.
New Number: 469-208-5567
New URL: https://mckinneyisd.eschoolsolutions.com
You may also access the system from the McKinney ISD website under Quick Links.
Please update your records accordingly. You may contact Kathryn Robertson, Human Resources Systems Manager, at 469-302-4122 or krobertson@mckinneyisd.net if you have any questions.
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MEF Grants
The McKinney Education Foundation Grant application is open. Our deadline is October 2nd, 5:00 pm.
Apply: http://www.mmeeff.com/staff-grants/
Good news! We are holding a Grant Writing Workshop on August 31st at 3:45 pm. We’ll be located at Greer. Registration is open on Eduphoria. We plan to share specific tips for the MEF Grant Application. Bring your computer and we can work at the workshop if times allows.
Please call the MEF office with any questions: 469-302-6313.
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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!
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Focus for 2017 - 2018
In order to help all children achieve their personal best, McGowen teachers and staff will:
- Knowledgeably speak about our current practices that contribute to McGowen becoming a Level 2 Certified High Reliability School.
- 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.
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Remind for Staff
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Happy Birthday!
August
Amy Arnold - 7th
Sharon Butler - 7th
Michelle Haas - 10th
Jen McCartney - 13th
Maria Elwood - 24th
Marley Goodwin - 30th
September
Jessica Bravo - 1st
Rico Sneller - 5th
Jaime Hardy - 9th
Jen Dickinson - 12th
Angie Cochrum - 14th
Shannon Hershberger - 22nd
Tara Jackson - 25th
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APPRECIATIONS
- A-Team - Thank you for all that you have done over the past few weeks to get us up and running. While I know it is very stressful and overwhelming, I appreciate that you come back each morning with a smile on your faces ready to tackle a new day and take care of each other in the process. I am blessed beyond measure to have you as teammates! -JL
- MC - Layne was simply amazing! Thank you so much for bringing him to McGowen. -JL
- Paras - Thank you for all of the work you have done behind the scenes to support the office team. We could not do it all without you! -JL
- Maria Elwood & Jessica Bravo - Thank you for all of the work you have put into getting Student Council up and running! -JL
- Teresa Nocella - Many thanks for volunteering to co-sponsor Student Council. -JL
- Lynn-Thank you for making calls and getting SDM set up!!! We appreciate all your time and hard work! Jen
- Peebles-Thank you for everything you tackle each day. You are the best! Jen
- Jaime Hardy - appreciations to our lead SPED teacher - for countless hours she spends on scheduling, spreadsheets and all she does to help SPED team be prepared for our new school year. - Marilyn
- Appreciations for my roomate - John Cissick for coming up over summer to work on our room and make it look FABulous! - Marilyn
- Appreciations to entire Administration staff for countless hours of work they do to prepare us teachers/staff to have a successful school year - you guys are the BEST Admin staff ever! -Mrs. Oliphant
- Barbara- I appreciate your efficient system for registering our new students! SL
- Jennifer – Thank you for taking the time to meet about my two girls and their homerooms. I appreciate the moment of time during such a busy week. -AE
- Barbara – Thank you so much for being my notary and taking care of a personal matter for me during such a busy week. I really appreciated it! -AE
- Melanie – Thank you for agreeing to do a BreakOut so early in the school year and helping us organize it. You are the best! -AE
- Mandy – I absolutely love your positive attitude and enthusiasm because it continues to rub off on me. You are doing a great job so far, and I am excited to share kiddos with you this year! -AE
- Valerie & Noble – Thank you for being such great team players, meeting, and helping get together our math/science plans. You all rock, and I am excited to have you both on my team! -AE
- Ashley – Thanks for always being such a great friend & colleague and for all of your listening/help/advice. I am really excited to spend another school year with you. Love ya! -AE
- Marilyn – Thank you for helping us be prepared for the first day of school and being so supportive with one of our students. We appreciate you. -AE
- Jenny – Thank you for helping adjust your schedule to meet our needs for science. -AE
- Lynn –Thank you for all of the hard work you have put in to help make sure that first day of school is a success and all of our students get home safely. -AE
- Michelle – I really enjoyed our speaker on Friday, and appreciate you finding him for our behavior training. -AE
- Lynn- I appreciate how you have jumped right into things with such a happy heart! SL
- SPED team- thanks for taking the time to meet and schedule all of our ARD's for the year! SL
- JL- thanks for being an incredible mentor and partner. I'm so grateful for our collaboration and excited about another wonderful year!
- Shiela & Lynn- thanks for being our breakfast heroes on the first day of Academy! SL
- MC& MB- I appreciate all of the creativity and expertise you bring to planning Academy! SL
- Jen, JL, Krystal, Lori, Shannon- thanks for taking the time Thursday to meet with a family to set their sweet boy up for success! SL
- 2nd Grade Team-Thank you for everything these past two weeks; the collaboration, the laughs, the patience, making my birthday so special, and so much more. I am looking forward to an amazing year! Xoxo Maria
- Jennifer, Sylvia, Melanie, Shiela, and Michelle--Thank you for breakfast during Academy and for the time you have put into making our Academy week so fulfilling:))xoxox, Maria
- Michelle C.-Thank you for all you do to help us prepare for the beginning of the year! Thank you also for having Layne Pethick present, it was incredible! Xoxox Maria:))
- Jessica-Thank you for all of your help over the summer planning StuCo..I love you, Maria
- Teresa-Thank you for volunteering to co-advise StuCo! It;’s going to be great! Maria:)
- 4th and 5th grade teachers-Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to make sure Student Council will get off to a great start! Maria:))
- PTA-Thank you for lunch and all you do to help us throughout the year! Maria:)
- JD, JB, Nikki, and Teresa – I am so excited to share this year with you! Let’s make it the best one yet! Shana
- SPED Team & Administration- Thank you so much for all of your support and wisdom going into this school year! It truly takes a village to coordinate all of the moving parts for our kiddos. I am so lucky to have such an awesome team by my side!-Atterberry
- Arnold, Barton, Bianchetta, Kincaid, Leotaud, Relle (& team) and Tebo,- Thank you for partnering with me to have my kiddos in your classrooms for inclusion this year. ! I look forward to working with all of you! -Atterberry
- Irma & Team- Thank you for always making sure my classroom and that our school overall looks awesome!! I appreciate you! -Atterberry
- McGowen Staff- Thank you as a whole for being so welcoming to newcomers! I am SO GLAD to be a part of this team, and I look forward to getting to know you better as the year progresses! -Atterberry
- First Grade Team – thank you for being so awesome!! Tebo
- To the Office Staff, especially Lynn and Barbara. Thank you for your Herculean efforts to get us up and running.
- Maria~ Thank you for the organization shelf- I LOVE IT!!!!! ~KT
- Melanie H.~ You have been an absolutely amazing addition to our team! I hope you love us as much as we love you!!!!! ~KT
- Michelle H.~ Thank you for driving us to convocation! And for just always being so willing to share & help! ~KT
- SL & JL - Thank you for the Panera breakfast on first day. LR
- PTA - Thank you for the Olive Garden lunch. LR
- Michelle - Thank you for bringing Laine P. to our campus. He was amazing and super fun to listen to with great information! Would love to hear again. LR
- Nikki A. - Thank you for the yummy treats. LR
- SPED Team - This has been a great week getting to know each other. I look forward to an amazing year working with you. LR
- 2nd Grade Team- Thank you all for your unending support during Academy week! Even when I had my moments, y’all were right there holding my hand!!! It is going to be our BEST year yet!!!!! ~KT
- Tara- Thank you SO much for letting your boy help out on BTSN! And for the labels, too!!! I love you!!!!! ~KT
- Trisha~ Thank you for the pens and sweet card! You are always so thoughtful, and I appreciate you!!! ~KT
- First Grade Team-I love the way everyone pitched in to help each other this week! I'm looking forward to having a great year with all of you! -Laura Garro
- Cab-Thanks for bringing such a wonderful speaker to our campus, I don't know about everyone else but I sure felt inspired!-Laura Garro
- Alisa and Alison-You're both great additions to our first grade team!-Laura Garro
- Krista-Thanks for lunch on Wednesday and for taking me to get my car fixed.!-Laura Garro
- Laurie-Thanks for always being you! Great to have someone who speaks my "Northern Language".-Laura Garro
- Lynn-Thanks for making the color copies so quickly and for the hug, I needed it!-Laura Garro
- Melanie-Thanks for trying to fix my smart board and for putting in a work order for me.-Laura Garro
- JL and SL-Thanks for being able to laugh at things! It is the best medicine most of the time! Laura Garro
- Gaby-Thank you so much for helping me get things ready for Back to School night and running copies for our team!!!! You’re awesome! Jen
- Krystal-I don’t know what I’d do without you!!! Thanks for helping me with all the MANY details we need to work out for my new friend! Jen
- Nurse Shannon-Thanks for taking time to go over all the medical stuff, sit in a parent meeting and talk me off the ledge when I’ve stressed about my new friend! Jen
- Makenzie-Thanks for sharing so many new ideas and making tons of cute stuff for us to use. You are amazing!! Jen
- I really, really appreciate Jessica Bravo for all her dedication to me as my mentor. She has been amazing in every way. I appreciate Jessica for her leadership as team lead. She’s been a true and humble leader. -Gail
- I also appreciate Rico Sneller for his patience and great attitude as my partner. -Gail
- I cannot forget the rest of the team, Marley Goodwin, Deanna Harris, and Miki Kelly, along with Jessica Bravo and Rico Sneller, who have been warm, embracing, encouraging, and supportive. They are all genuinely gracious people, and I am so fortunate to be working with them. - Gail
- Lynn - for jumping right in and handling mass amounts of tasks with a smile! – Donna
- Gaby - for staying late Friday to help with dismissal spreadsheets. – Donna
- Barbara - for not quitting! You are amazing! – Donna
- To all the paras for helping all throughout academy, we couldn’t have done it without y’all. – Donna
- Karol for your willing heart and helpful spirit! – Donna
- Shiela, for always be there at the right time - Donna
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In Need of GT Hours?
TAGT On-Demand Registration information is below:
The district is providing you access to the TAGT Learning On-Demand, a library of online courses for professional development. You will be able to select six hours’ worth of courses. Please note that the library includes 1-hour, 3-hour, and 6-hour courses.
To begin, you will need to acquire a username and password. To do this, click the link below and use the registration code to complete the form.
Registration Code: u6515mck9131
Link: http://txgiftedcourses.responsivelearning.com/SelfRegistration/
IMPORTANT NOTE:
It is essential that you disable your popup blocker.
The courses are compatible with desktops, laptops and tablets in both PC and Mac, but are not compatible with smartphones.
We find that Google Chrome tends to provide the best user experience. You may download Google Chrome here: https://www.google.com/chrome/browser/desktop/.
If you need assistance, email support@responsivelearning.com and a support team member will be happy to assist you.
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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.