Guzick GOLD News
Week of 1/13/2020
Dr. Davis' Quote of the Week
Guzick's 2019-2020 Key Action Items
Success at Guzick 2020 and Beyond - Embrace Your "Sweet SPOT"
Mrs. Aguilar - PERSEVERANCE
How many of our students struggle with learning a concept in class or just following our Guzick behavioral expectations? It takes perseverance to consistently find different strategies to reach our students or to provide constant verbal reminders!
Thank you Mrs. Aguilar for stepping "unapologetically" into your Sweet SPOT and demonstrating perseverance until the "light bulb went off" for this student during a one-on-one re-teach session. Take a moment to log-in and watch the short video of Mrs. Aguilar's student finally mastering a math concept! The joy in his face and the sense of accomplishment in his eyes is all we needed to see to know that Mrs. Aguilar made a difference in this student's life!
Now that's a SWEET MOMENT!
LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! "The Red Carpet" Weekly Spotlight!
Lights! Camera! Action! "The Red Carpet" Weekly Spotlight
Coming down the red carpet this week are the following Guzick Staff Members: Ms. Taylor and Mrs. Nieto! We are well on the way to Success at Guzick in 2020 and beyond because of their efforts! Please join me in congratulating them! The Spotlight this week is on them!
Ms. Taylor and Mrs. Nieto
H.E.A.R.T. Characteristics: Trust
Staff Goal: No Excuses
Guzick "SPOTLIGHT" Nomination Form
KEEP THOSE NOMINATIONS COMING!
We are so truly fortunate to have so many Guzick staff members who go above and beyond the call of duty each and every day! It is time to shine the spotlight on those staff members! Please use the form below to nominate your colleagues for exhibiting our H.E.A.R.T. characteristics! I will include the SPOTLIGHTS in GOLD News each week!
Writing Across the Content Areas - W.A.C. in Reading
Turn your avid readers into strong writers by getting students to feel confident with short-response writing using the RACE Strategy. This strategy is just a mnemonic device that stands for:
R: Re-state the question
A: Answer all parts of the question
C: Cite the text to provide evidence
E: Explain your citation
What is the RACE Strategy?
RACE is a structure to help students answer passage-based, short response questions in a formal style, with using clear reasons and evidence from the text, and to provide concluding statements.
SEL Weekly Classroom Tip - Building Resilience: Focus on Interpretation
Building Resilience: Focus on Interpretation
-Priti Ahuja (pahuja@dallasisd.org)
Do you believe that people are doing the best that they can? This is the question that Brene Brown asked in a qualitative research study on compassion. While beliefs were very split on this question, she got one answer which hit home: “I have no idea (if people are doing their best), but my life is better if I assume that they are.” Is this true for you? Essentially, our beliefs about others and how we interpret and experience our environment forms our “worldview,” which guides our interactions and choices. One of the greatest choices we have in challenging situations is how we interpret the events and actions of others. While the emotion cycle can be interrupted at any stage, the interpretation is the earliest and, in my opinion, the most powerful place. Elena Aguilar says that the very source of resilience lies in how we interpret events. After all, an event is just that until we attach a story to it. For example, let’s say a colleague pushes back on an idea that I have. There are many ways that I can interpret that. I can choose to think that this colleague doesn’t care for me, and thus my ideas. Or I can choose to believe that he/she wants the best for our team and that it’s good to challenge new ideas on a team.
If you mapped out a scenario last week, look at it and think about the different options you have for interpretation. What would be the most generous interpretation that you could make in that situation? Would your life be better if you assumed the best? Here is a video of Dr. Brown with Oprah discussing the false stories we tell ourselves: Are you hooked to a false story?
Morning Meeting Activity - Sharing
In many cases, we ask students to share how they are feeling, and notice that the responses can be very limited in terms of emotional vocabulary. In morning meeting, we can teach and practice emotional vocabulary in a meaningful way to help students learn the actual vocabulary, but also to help them more accurately name their emotions, not a light task!
Here is a video of how one teacher who has a word wall with emotional vocabulary:
In morning meeting, you can have students start to think about how they typically feel at different times in the day:
When I woke up today, I felt…
Art class feels….
After lunch, I feel…
The most joyful part of my day is….
When it is time for math, I feel…
PBIS Focus Area GOAL - Week of 1/13/20 - RESPECT
POSITIVE OFFICE REFERRALS NEEDED!
This week we will be celebrating students who demonstrate “RESPECT”. Any teacher/staff can select "one student" and write a positive office referral for that student. Next Tuesday morning, we will call all students with Positive Office Referrals for showing RESPECT to the office. When they arrive in the office we will call their parents and afterwards highlight the students on social media and on our Wall of Fame in the front of the building.
Students in the car rider dismissal line led by Ms. Grulich, Ms. K. Smith, Ms. Verdun, and Ms. McGee were in perfect hallway procedure which demonstrates respect for our campus, their teachers, and each other!
PLC Meetings - Tuesday, January 14, 2020
PLC Meetings PK-2: Will meet as usual with team lead and/or Mrs. Maldonado
PLC Meetings 3rd-5th: Will meet in the PLC room led by Dr. Davis. The agenda for these meetings will be sent in an email. Please review so that you can be prepared with the materials needed for the meeting.
Parent Teacher Conferences & Guzick Family Dinner - Thursday, January 16, 2020
Thursday is an optimal time to have our students share their academic goals with their parents It is a great opportunity for teachers to partner with parents to ensure they know what we need from them to help meet those goals!
Success at Guzick in 2020 and beyond is going to take a concerted effort from EVERYONE!
Displaying Student Work - A Fresh, Aesthetically Pleasing Uniform Look!
Power Half Hour - 1st/2nd Grade Reading Begins Tuesday, January 21, 2020
REMINDER: After School Tutoring - Begins Tuesday, January 14, 2020
After School Tutoring will be available by teacher invitation only for students in grades K-5 in need of additional intervention time beginning Tuesday, January 14, 2020. Please submit your Oracle Request (if you have not done so already) for supplemental pay approval by Friday, January 10, 2020.
Important Reminders:
Student Tutoring Times: 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Teacher Work Times: 3:30pm - 4:45pm - clock in and out. Turn in sign in sheets and student work samples to Products Due Folder after each session.
Dismissal: Car Drive/Red Hallway Doors
Tutoring Invitation: Letter to be sent home with student, returned to teacher signed by parent. Ask K. Harris or Wallis for a copy of the standard tutoring letter.
Tutoring Cancellation: At least 24 hours in advance via phone, letter, or electronic correspondence. Email Willis and Mendoza so we can communicate the message if parents call the front office.
REMINDER: Timeliness
7:15am - Morning Duty
7:35am - Most staff member's clock-in time
7:35am - 7:40am - Pick-up students from cafeteria, gym, auditorium or hallway
7:45am - Hallways clear of entire classes
Guzick 2019-2020 Calendar - Live Updates
Upcoming Events/Reminders
- 3rd - 5th Grade MAP MOY Testing - Monday, January 13, 2020 - Friday, January 17, 2020. (Please stick to the testing schedule on the Guzick calendar).
- PLC Meetings - Tuesday, January 14, 2020 during planning.
- Reading Tutoring - Tuesday, January 14, 2020.
- Guzick Dollar Denim Day - Wednesday, January 15, 2020.
- Writing/Science Tutoring - Wednesday, January 15, 2020.
- NO TUTORING - Thursday, January 16, 2019.
- Parent/Teacher/Student Conference Night - Thursday, January 16, 2020. (Dinner w/parents will be available on a come and go basis from 4pm-5pm).
- 1st Semester Winter Awards - Friday, January 17, 2020.. (More info to come).
On the Horizon
- MLK Day/Staff/Student Holiday - Monday, January 20, 2020.
- 2nd Grade MAP MOY Testing - Tuesday, January 21, 2020 - Friday, January 24, 2020.
- PLC Meetings - Tuesday, January 21, 2020 during planning.
- Reading Tutoring - Tuesday, January 21, 2020.
- Writing/Science Tutoring - Wednesday, January 22, 2020.
- CILT Meeting - Wednesday, January 22, 2020.
- Math Tutoring - Thursday, January 23, 2020.
- PTO Program (1st grade performs) - Thursday, January 23, 2020.
Frank Guzick Elementary School
Email: aandrus@dallasisd.org
Website: www.dallasisd.org/guzick
Location: 5000 Berridge Lane, Dallas, TX, United States
Phone: 972-502-3900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GuzickES/
Twitter: @GuzickES