The Dream Team
12/14/15 Weekly Memo 20
Our HERO Focus is....
Table of Contents
- Week at a glance
- Upcoming Events
- Duty Schedule
- Cultural & Instructional Focus Areas
- Good Things
- Message from the Coach
Friday December 11, 2015
- 8am- 10am- College March
- 10am-12pm- Skating Trip
- Those who are staying behind will have the same group all day. You will take scholars to lunch at the regular times and your schedules will be provided to you in the morning. You may choose to allow them to read, work on the spelling list Mrs. Brown sent, or have scholars work on their passion projects.
- 12:32-2:02- Skaters return to 4th period.
- 2:06- 3:36- 5th Period
- 3:39-4:00- Pride TIme
Week at a Glance
Monday, December 14th: A Day
Jeans and HP/College T-shirt
Arrive by 7:20 am
Morning Meeting 7:25 am
12:45PM Release
Teachers you are expected to work to score your CA tests and update your gradebooks for progress reports.
Departure time: 2:30pm
Parks Out
Tuesday, December 15th: A Day
Jeans and HP/College T-shirt
Arrive by 7:20 am
Morning Meeting 7:25am
12:45PM Release
Teachers you are expected to work to score your CA tests and update your gradebooks.
Departure time: 2:30pm
Parks Out
Wednesday, December 16th: B Day
Jeans and Ugly Sweaters :)
Arrive by 7:20 am
Morning Meeting 7:25 am
12:45PM Release
During Phoenix Time: Scholars will take a social and emotional learning survey
White Elephant Gift Exchange ($20 Minimum) in the library at 1:15pm
Holiday Celebration at El Corazon de Tejas at 2:30pm
Thursday, December 17th: B Day
Jeans and HP/College T-shirt
Arrive by 7:20 am
Morning Meeting 7:25 am
12:45PM Release
Begin CA Action Planning
Friday, December 18th:
Jeans and HP/College T-shirt
Collaboration Day
Arrive by 7:20 am
Morning Meeting 7:25 am
Coming Soon...
December 14th-15th- Parks Out
December 14th- Grades for Progress Reports Stored
December 14th-17th- 12:45pm Release & Blackout dates for Staff
December 15th- Progress Reports Go Home
December 17th-
Q2 Ends
Enrichment Showcase
December 18th- Collaboration Day for ALL staff/Scholar Holiday
December 21st-January 4th- Winter Break
Duty Schedule
Lunch Duty- Teachers must arrive to pick up your class from the cafeteria at 11:39am (10:39am on Wed) for 6th grade and 12:23am (11:22am on Wed) for 7th & 8th grade teachers.
6th Grade Lunch- Science Team Lead & Specials Team Lead and Administration
7th & 8th Grade Lunch- Spanish and Humanities Team Leads and Administration
After School Duty- See the body of the email.
Instructional & Cultural Focus Areas
Questioning:
1. Start with an exemplar response.
2. What are the basic pieces of information scholars need to give you an exemplar answer?
3. What questions can you ask for scholars to discover or tell you the basic pieces of information?
4. Restate the original question and have scholar re-piece all the basics to give you the exemplar response.
STAR Behavior:
SIT UP
TRACK
ASK & ANSWER QUESTIONS
RESPECT
Good Things!
Mrs. Lamb-Peters says…
Super Shout out to Mr. Luna for always thinking of ways to uplift our scholars! Mr. Luna is a great team member and a mentor. I am thankful to have as a fellow teaching mate.
Huge Shout out to Mr. Houston! Thanks for being an innovator! Even when you think that perhaps your idea is crazy or you think we are not going to follow your lead, keep ‘em coming! I am listening!
Ms. Golledge says…
Shout out to Ms. Brown for being my ELA right hand man at all times.
Shout out to the Sunshine Committee for the Sunshine Walks and moving the needle with Ten with a Pen
Shout out to Mrs. Parks for being my cheerleader
Shout out to Mr. Gardner for being an amazing thought partner for all things student culture and lunch duty
Shout out to Ms. Iwule for being a constant at lunch duty everyday!
Mr. Houston says…
Shout out to Ms. Smart and Ms. Pietroboni for leading awesome PDs about 10 with a Pen.
Shout out to Mr. Shepherd, Ms. Gracia and Ms. Smart for joining in on the Sunshine Walks.
Mr. Gardner says…
Shout out to Ms. Thomas for holding scholars accountable and administering score time detention to scholars that were not meeting our expectations.
Shout out to Ms. Pietroboni for modeling high expectations in every class, with 100% of scholars tracking and answering in complete sentences.
Shout out to Ms. Landis for impeccable think-alouds that break down complex concepts for scholars.
Shout out to Mr. Wright for demonstrating explicit expectations for scholar work. 100% of scholars write exactly what he writes.
Shout out to Mrs. Parks for always pushing me to try new things and find ways to grow.
Shout out to Ms. Golledge for always being high-energy and ready to work, and for getting my back when I need your help.
Shout out to Ms. Smart for leading us to become better teachers in morning meeting this week and for not telling too many people about my Spiderman moment.
Shout out to Mr. Luna and Mr. Houston for exercising leadership and taking initiative to improve what we do for scholars.
A Message from the Coach
Dearest Dream Team-
Fire
What makes a fire burn
is space between the logs,
a breathing space.
Too much of a good thing,
too many logs
packed in too tight
can douse the flames
almost as surely
as a pail of water could.
So building fires
requires attention
to the spaces in between,
as much as to the wood.
When we are able to build
open spaces
in the same way
we have learned
to pile on the logs,
then we can come to see how
it is fuel, and absence of the fuel
together, that make fire possible.
We only need to lay a log
lightly from time to time.
A fire
grows
simply because the space is there,
with openings
in which the flame
that knows just how it wants to burn
can find its way.
— Judy Brown
Maggie Anderson has a superb relfection to this poem. She says, "I thrived on the energy that ignites in a classroom. But I was exhausted at the end of the day and overwhelmed by the never-ending list of things to do for my work, my home, my family. After much soul-searching, I realized I was piling on too many logs too tightly and the flame inside me was beginning to wane–even smolder at times. I was desperate for some “space.” Children need space as well. The constant piling on of facts and figures, the demands of time and energy can quickly douse the flame–the energy that children bring to the classroom. I am learning for myself and for my students, to choose consciously the logs I place on my own fire, and to pay special attention to the spaces that invite reflection and warmth. Given this space between the logs, my students and I often witness the special beauty that ignites and takes on a life of its own."
I challenge each of you to think about the logs that you are piling on. Are you allowing there to be space in between the logs for scholars or even for you?
The Dream Team Will Fight,
Andrea
Strategic Priorities
Goal: We will build upon the knowledge & skills of all staff members
Parent, School, & Community Ties
Goal: We will engage ALL stakeholders in the school’s culture.
School Learning Climate
Goal: We will create a safe and orderly environment that promotes the sense of urgency required to climb the ladder of academic and behavioral excellence.