REALM Focus
Staff News for the Week of May 20, 2019
Upcoming Events
May
20 - REALM 6th and 7th grade Awards Celebration in The Pit
22 - BISD Technology collecting all student laptops for summer maintenance and storage
27 - eSports Regional Qualifier at eSports Arena in Arlington (across from Globe Life Park)
28 - Staff Work Day (Please complete all items on year-end check-out list and get all necessary signatures before leaving)
29-30 - REALM Retreat with team from Microsoft and BISD Instructional Technology to earn MInecraft Education certification that we all will use next year!
31 - eSports Finals at Dream Hack Dallas (held at the Dallas Convention Center)
Save these dates - - 29-30 - - In order for our campus to become the first public school to be certified in Minecraft Education, we are revising our original campus retreat plans. This two day retreat will ensure all of our staff have addressed their need for earned off credit for 2019-20 AND are certified in Minecraft Education with enough time to dive in, try things, build, experiment, and integrate across content areas prior to our one-day follow-up during our PD days in August. (I believe the honor of being The First coupled with providing everyone the time to process the training rather than cramming it all in during the week before students arrive will prove most beneficial in the long run.)
Summer Learning Opportunities
June 3-4 - Solution Tree PLC training in the district*
June 4 or 5 - Youth Mental Health Awareness training*
June 3-6 OR July 22-25 - BISD Technology training in the district*
July 16-17 - TIACON Ten Technology Conference at Braswell High School in Aubrey
ELAR Teachers - I also know there are opportunities scheduled for you to receive training regarding our most recent textbook adoption prior to the school year.
* - available to register for these learning opportunities through Eduphoria
Shout outs!
- EVERYONE for doing such a terrific job navigating our final week of state testing for the school year - - I appreciate your flexibility in rolling with the unusual nature of the week!
- Wylie for coordinating and organizing the awards for Monday.
- Sara for all of her work behind the scenes to help address details for Saturday's 8th grade celebration, input data in Skyward so we can build our Master Schedule based on student course requests, gather input for possible staff shirts for next year, and schedule interviews with prospective staff.
- Essex for the vision behind Saturday's celebration and for working closely with Wylie and Sara to ensure all details are addressed.
- Eversole for continuing to prepare our REALM Team for the upcoming eSports Tournament on Memorial Day - - it should be amazing (I hope that many will be able to come experience the excitement and cheer on our students!)
- Wylie, Smith, and Coggins - Thank you for the positive difference you have made during your time at REALM, and we wish you all the best as you turn the page to a begin a new chapter in your personal journey!
Maintaining Focus
Carpe Diem - - "Seize the day!" Although originally this phrase carried a very worldly connotation, it can actually serve as an amazing bit of truth to guide our decisions throughout the day. Jon Muth took a well-known short story by Leo Tolstoy and turned it into a children's book entitled The Three Questions. In essence, the story is a young boy's personal journey to discover the truth and wisdom of carpe diem.
Since I moved from the classroom into administration, I have felt the need to be more intentional about pausing to celebrate and embrace the moments at the end of the school year. Too often we as administrators are already thinking months down the road into the details of the coming school year. If I am not intentional about pausing, then I miss opportunities to celebrate the amazing things that students and staff have accomplished throughout the year.
Over the next several days as we prepare to close this chapter of our learning journey, it is a perfect time to "turn back the pages." Beyond official celebrations and ceremonies, I encourage everyone to hit the pause button, turn back the page, reflect on this school year. I also encourage us to celebrate the journey, the attempts, the times we fell short, the lessons learned from the process, as well as the successes.
Our campus is unique in that for another year we have the chance to add a grade level and grow. Eventually, we will celebrate the first of many graduations. Until then, we have four years to continue weaving into the fabric of REALM and the mindset of our students that life is like a game - - we play, we learn, we improve, we try again, and we continue to up our level of play. Thank you for your investment of self this year. Let's seize the day to celebrate ALL the experiences of this year that will make us better, stronger, and wiser in the coming year! #REALMRocks
REALM
Email: jcalvin@bisdmail.net
Website: http://realm.burlesonisd.net/
Location: 517 SW Johnson Ave, Burleson, TX, USA
Phone: 817-245-0875
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BISDLevelsUp/
Twitter: @REALM_BISD