TOPS Weekly Scholar
September 14, 2015 --- Today we LEARN. Tomorrow we LEAD!
TOPS Teachers at Capitol Day!
Rashida Roberts, Kimberly Berba, and Juliet Jones
TOPS Tiger!
Rally at the Capitol for School Choice!
K12 Parent/Learning Coach Information
Do you need a place to go for tips, reviews on navigating the OLS, and perhaps to even find out outings, events, and make parent connections? Please visit our K12 TOPS Start Page. Bookmark the website and visit it often throughout the year!
http://tops.k12start.com/
http://tops.k12start.com/
Welcome to a great new school year, TOPS Tigers!
We are so very excited to start off the 3rd year of TOPS! Our school is growing by leaps and bounds. Two years ago when we opened, we had 3 students. Now we plan to reach 1,000 this year! WOW! We couldn't do it without you, so thanks for being so dedicated to online education and school choice for our amazing Texas scholars!
Are you a little confused and feeling overwhelmed? It's okay! There is so much to learn in this model and we are going through some changes in policies and systems. We have to anticipate some bumps along the way (even though we may not enjoy them). Those bumps will surely make the ride much more of an adventure.
Stick with it, reach out to your teachers for help, connect with other families, and remember why you chose this model of schooling. You will be a pro before you know it, I am sure!
If you have not had a chance to watch the Parent Orientation Recording, please do so by clicking on this link: PARENT ORIENTATION RECORDING
If you have not completed the POG Receipt Survey, please do so by clicking here:
POG RECEIPT SURVEY
Happy Schooling!
Leslie Smith, M.Ed
TOPS Principal
Are you a little confused and feeling overwhelmed? It's okay! There is so much to learn in this model and we are going through some changes in policies and systems. We have to anticipate some bumps along the way (even though we may not enjoy them). Those bumps will surely make the ride much more of an adventure.
Stick with it, reach out to your teachers for help, connect with other families, and remember why you chose this model of schooling. You will be a pro before you know it, I am sure!
If you have not had a chance to watch the Parent Orientation Recording, please do so by clicking on this link: PARENT ORIENTATION RECORDING
If you have not completed the POG Receipt Survey, please do so by clicking here:
POG RECEIPT SURVEY
Happy Schooling!
Leslie Smith, M.Ed
TOPS Principal
Your TOPS Faculty and Staff!
Leslie Smith
Principal
Katie Skillrud
Operations Manager
Bre'anna Murphy
Registrar
Shannon Peacock
RTI/Dyslexia Coordinator
Ashley Deets
504 Coordinator
Teri Heims
Special Programs Manager
Asmaa Syed
7th & 8th Grade
Social Studies/ELA
Social Studies/ELA
Michell Boman
Special Education
RaShida Roberts
5th & 6th Grade
Social Studies/ELA
Social Studies/ELA
Kimberly Berba
5th & 6th Grade
Math/Science
Math/Science
Tom Troxell
Special Education
Alisha Valdez
Lead Teacher
Heather Horn
7th & 8th
Math/Science
Math/Science
Stephanie Makulinski
ELL Coordinator
Jamie Buchanan
3rd & 4th Grade
ELA/ Social Studies
ELA/ Social Studies
Course Calendars
How does this work?
Your teacher will send you a course calendar to follow instead of using the schedule in the OLS. The purpose of this is to ensure our students are receiving all of the necessary state standards to be the most successful as a Texas public school student. It may be a little confusing but please don't hesitate to reach out to your teacher if you need tips and suggestions. Once you get the hang of things, you will be a pro!
Learning Coach Mentor Meet-Ups!
These are offered twice a month in Sarah Robinson’s blackboard room. They are optional, last about 1 hour, and run from 4:00-5:00pm. Below is the FALL schedule for your families to join us! We share encouragement, support, success stories, and more. 8/15, 8/30, 10/15, 10/30, 11/13, 11/30, 12/15 CLICK THIS LINK TO ATTEND
Sign Up for the Barnes and Noble Event by clicking here:
BACK TO SCHOOL EVENT
BACK TO SCHOOL EVENT
TOPS Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to Alisha Valdez. She was voted by her colleagues to be our Teacher of the Year! Alisha has been with K12 Texas for 6 years and serves as our Lead Teacher this year for our 3-8 faculty. We are so proud of you, Mrs. Valdez!
K12 National Student Clubs
Are you interested in building social relationships with other students across our K12 schools who may have a shared interest with you? Click on the link below to learn more about the clubs and sign-up!
http://www.k12.com/k12-student-clubs
http://www.k12.com/k12-student-clubs
Questions About Class Connect Requirements?
Students are expected to attend all class connects live whenever possible. This allows students to interact with teachers and their peers. However, if a student has to miss the live session, the recordings are always available. It's the student's responsibility to watch the recording and complete any assignments or exit ticket surveys from the teacher during that session. Students will get the same credit for attending whether it's live or recorded, as long they complete the survey.
Need a Translator?
When requested, a translator may be scheduled by the school for parent/teacher conferences and meetings.
In Addition to Kmail, you may reach us at following numbers and emails:
Leslie Smith, Principal: 832-265-2969; lsmith@k12.com
Katie Skillrud, Operations Manager: 972-420-1404, Ext. 1001 kskillrud@k12.com
Alisha Valdez, Lead Teacher: 817-631-3197 avaldez@k12.com
Bre'Anna Murphy, Registrar: 972-420-1404, Ext. 1005 bmurphy@k12.com
Main TOPS Office: 972-420-1404
Katie Skillrud, Operations Manager: 972-420-1404, Ext. 1001 kskillrud@k12.com
Alisha Valdez, Lead Teacher: 817-631-3197 avaldez@k12.com
Bre'Anna Murphy, Registrar: 972-420-1404, Ext. 1005 bmurphy@k12.com
Main TOPS Office: 972-420-1404
Send some kudos to your teachers or anyone at the school you'd like to praise!
Click the link below to send a shout-out to the teachers or staff member of your choice!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JOmK_N-0D5GwogaKy0iV7ElOdYboReDxBW9-4PxjxQk/viewform
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JOmK_N-0D5GwogaKy0iV7ElOdYboReDxBW9-4PxjxQk/viewform
September 14th- Monday Morning Meetings (MMM)
September 14th- Back to School Barnes & Noble events (10:00-12:00)
September 21st- Monday Morning Meetings (MMM)
September 28th- Study Island Benchmark Tests
REMINDER: All new students must complete the Scantron Reading and Math tests. If you have not done this yet, please do them as soon as possible, to avoid having your account locked in the OLS. If you have questions about the test, reach out to your homeroom teacher.
September 14th- Back to School Barnes & Noble events (10:00-12:00)
September 21st- Monday Morning Meetings (MMM)
September 28th- Study Island Benchmark Tests
REMINDER: All new students must complete the Scantron Reading and Math tests. If you have not done this yet, please do them as soon as possible, to avoid having your account locked in the OLS. If you have questions about the test, reach out to your homeroom teacher.