Spruce Scoop
Joy. Hope. Resilience.
October 7 - 11, 2019
Principal Taylor's Message
Spruce Fall Climate Survey
The benefit of feedback is our response and growth mindset! Way to go and thank you again for your feedback.
Student ID Creation and Distribution
Projected Date that all students should have IDs: Monday, October 21
Dr. Porter will be emailing teachers directly with the schedule.
October 11th Spruce Staff PD Agenda
Behavior Intervention Committee
Thanks to some great brainstorming with Ms. Tully and Ms. Schroeder we are enacting a Behavior Intervention Committee (BIC) to strategize, create and monitor interventions, and create solutions for those students that are struggling academically and behaviorally.
Please join us at one of the following meeting times to help us get started!
Monday, October 7 at 4:30 pm or Wednesday, October 9 at 8 am both in Room 219.
TARDY SWEEP(S) THIS WEEK: (10/7 - 10/11)
Thursday (10/10) - After the 6th to 7th transition
At the end of these transition periods please lock your doors at the tardy bell and do not allow students in who do not have the tardy/detention pass as before. When they return to class with the pass, please allow them back in and mark them tardy in attendance.
Compliance Videos - Due Date 10/31
Exit Procedures
Teachers are present in the hallways and ensuring that entry and transitions are well supported! Way to go!
The area that we want to focus on for 2nd six weeks are:
Exit Procedures - Pace yourself so that there are a few moments to wrap up, provide praise for the days thinking, and remind of our hallways expectations. Let's be 100% strong!
Positive Narration - During transition please ensure that we are narrating the good we are seeing. The idea behind that is, they hear positive being praised consistently and want to rise to that level of acknowledgement.
Also, remind of time - count down for them is also helpful.
- Staff meetings (Tuesdays or Wednesdays, once a month)
- Sporting Events
- Fine & Performing Events
- Campus Wide Events
- Testing Days & Campus Testing Meetings
Staff meetings are subject to change. The goals is to communicate monthly staff meetings via the calendar and to have one a month.
Week of 10/7 Highlights
REMINDER- Parent Teacher Conferences!
Take a minute to review.
It is important that we recognize ALL the Excellence in Teaching occuring in all of areas of our academic programs. The highlights are on a weekly rotation throughout the year. Each content/department will be highlighted on a weekly basis.
Instructional Highlight Content/Department: Science & ECHS
Science Department "See a Need, Fill a Need!"
We offer the following courses at Spruce in the Science Department:
Biology & Biology Pre-AP: Banks, Lalani, Pipkin, Burke
Chemistry, Chemistry Pre-AP, and AP Chemistry: George, Herrera, Tematio, Simpson
Physics and Physics Pre-AP: Baine, Bradshaw, and Melancon
Human Anatomy & Physiology: Bradshaw, Holland, Melancon, and Rocha
Environmental Systems: Daniels
AP Biology and Health: Khan
Physics Highlight
Biology Highlight
Environmental Systems Highlight
Human Anatomy & Physiology
Inclusion Highlight
Chemistry Highlight
Spruce 1st Science Fair Expo
Save the Date!
Please see Mr. Rocha or Mr. Daniels if you are interested in judging or helping support our fair in any other way.
Spruce Early College High School
The Early College Program at Spruce began this year with our 5th cohort of students. Our first graduating class had 51% of students earn 60 hours of college credit (National Average 37%) and 100% earn an Industry Certification. Several of the graduates are now attending four-year universities, and others are working and earning well over 50,000 a year. Currently, our class of 2020 is on pace for 77% to earn their degree, and class of 2021 is on pace for 90%. The target student for ECHS is a first generation college goer, at-risk, and from an underrepresented population. Spruce ECHS has the highest at-risk percentage of all P-Tech/ECHS schools in the district. When students apply, we interview all of them; we do not look at grades, discipline reports, require recommendation letters, or have students write essays. Usually, a student is denied entrance into ECHS because their desired career is not related to one of the pathways that we offer. In the upcoming weeks, our students will be TSI testing (9th/10th), choosing their pathways (9th), entering their second round of 8-week courses (10th-12th) and starting internships (12th). Students in the program have collectively earned over 5000 hours of college credit.
ECHS Senior Parent Meeting
Pathways
Digital Media
Catch a Timberwolf Staff member being ELITE in their 20 Square Feet, Joyful, Hopeful, Resilient, SEL Champion, or simply did or said something that was the spotlight of your day/week!
Thank you for taking a moment to highlight your fellow staff member! You made someone's day!!
WAIP information that is specific to an individual, team, grade, content, will be emailed directly.
October Super Spruce Scholars
- Scholars are recognized on our Super Spruce Tee Shirt Showcase outside the main office
- Scholars receive a treat from Ms. Taylor for being Super Sprucey!!
- Scholars names are read during morning announcements.
October Super Spruce Staff Members
Mrs. Brown - Super Spruce Support Staff
Ms. Gladney Super Spruce Educator
Hispanic Heritage Program
Thank you Mrs. Sausameda, Dr. Pyland, Mr. Sheppard, and Mr. Powers
Super Spruce Phoenix Facilitators
Spruce Phoenix Hub
WELCOME!!!
Dr. Janell Edwards
Education must not simply teach work - it must teach Life.
W. E. B. DuBois
Ms. Laure M. Williams
Cari Bershell
The single most influential component of an effective school is the individual teacher within that school” –Robert Marzano
Alan Miller
Ms. Montgomery
Mr. Winter
Ms. Lad
Woosah Wednesday~ In case you missed it!
Staff Parking in Rear
MANDATORY CLOCK IN
- Monitors & Parking Attendant: 7:30 am
- Administrators: 7:50 am
- Clerks: 8:00 am
- Teacher Assistants: Ranger 7:30, 8:00, or 8:15
- Teachers: 8:15 am
8:20 AM Duty Begins
Please be at duty post ready to go a couple minutes early so that doors are opened at 8:20am. Teamwork makes the Dream Work!!
Tardy AM Procedure (Amended for 'C' Days)
Rear Entrance - ALL DAYS (9:00 am to 9:20 am)
- Our late door entrance, rear of campus/upperclassmen entrance, is open from 9:00 to 9:20 am.
- Scholars will be given a colored tardy pass (see picture BELOW) with the time/date written on it by late door check in monitors (Rubio/McWhorter/Espinoza). We need this process to be fast and will only involve the monitor putting the time/date on the slip and sending scholars off to class. Students may pick up breakfast but they have the time/date stamped on their pass and are to move quickly to class (5-7 minutes).
- The late door (upperclassmen entrance) is closed at 9:20 am.
Front Door Entrance - A/B DAYS (9:21 am to 9:40 am)
- Scholars that arrive after 9:20 am enter through the front of the building and check in with Ms. Edison.
- Between 9:21 am and 9:40 am scholars will receive the colored tardy pass from Ms. Edison or designated staff member when she is absent.
- If a scholar arrives after 9:40 am they will sign into the Late to School Log and be escorted to ISS for the remainder of the period.
Front Door Entrance - C DAYS (9:21 am to 9:48 am)
- Scholars that arrive after 9:20 am enter through the front of the building and check in with Ms. Edison.
- Between 9:21 am and 9:48 am scholars will sign into the Late to School Log and be escorted to ISS for the remainder of the period.
Teacher Moves:
- Every student that has arrived late should be allowed into class and still be marked tardy in attendance by you the teacher.
- Every* student should have a pass and show their teacher their pass upon entrance into class. ( * See exception below)
- Teachers should check the time on the pass against the time the student arrives in class to make sure it is reasonable. If not, teacher should follow-up accordingly with appropriate student interventions such as student conference, parent contact, etc.
- No teacher hallway passes allowed before 9:45 am. There are some scholars in the halls with hallway passes, please let's NOT slip on this expectation.
- The color of the tardy pass this week is GREEN.
* exception - Keep in mind tardy passes will not begin being issued until 9 am. That means students arriving just minutes before 9 am will not be getting a pass yet will probably still be tardy to class. Please allow some leeway with students within the first 5 - 10 minutes of class time each day for not having a pass depending on what time they actually come through the metal detectors. This is a great opportunity to have a conversation with your student about not arriving at the last minute to school and being caught in this awkward situation of being asked for a pass and not having one.
Monthly Fire Drills
BEFORE THE DRILL:
· Review the e-mailed evacuation map for your floor;
· Review the e-mailed color-coded buddy system and find your buddy teacher/staff member; and
· Print a copy of the attendance rosters.
DURING THE DRILL:
· Use the proper stairway/exit,
· Exit the building quickly and orderly with students,
· Take attendance and ensure that all students are present once outside,
· Communicate to your buddy and person in charge of your stairwell if a student is missing, and
· Wait for the bell to ring before re-entering the building.
AFTER THE DRILL:
· Use the proper stairway/re-entry point,
· Enter the building quickly and orderly with class,
· Report DIRECTLY back to class with students,
· Take attendance and ensure that all your students returned to class, and
· Reset class and resume teaching and learning.
H. Grady Spruce High School
Located in the heart of the Pleasant Grove region of Dallas, Texas, H. Grady Spruce High School serves a diverse population of students and their families. Our neighborhood maintains a strong tradition of community, hard work, and pride. Families have made Pleasant Grove their home for generations, and many of our students can claim a legacy of Spruce alumnae that go back to the founding of the school.
H. Grady Spruce High School was built in 1963, replacing Rylie High School. The school is named for Henry Grady Spruce, a native of Omen, Texas, who earned degrees from Southern Methodist University and the University of Chicago. He devoted much of his 35-year YMCA career to youth, including 25 years as director of the Dallas YMCA's Camp Crockett near Granbury.
Email: frataylor@dallasisd.org
Website: https://www.dallasisd.org/spruce
Location: 9733 Old Seagoville Road, Dallas, TX, USA
Phone: 972-892-5500