Akers' Updates
September 20, 2019
School News
Vision: Remember that we are working toward our vision "To Perform Better Today Than We Did Yesterday" by putting Kids First and ensuring the we leave a Legacy. We do this by working specifically on growing in the areas of Achievement, Communication, Culture, Technology, and Leadership.
Vision Focus: Achievement
As principal, I am tasked with setting academic targets for our Campus Improvement Plan specifically for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade STAAR tested subjects. The targets I set for us are focused on incremental growth. Also, when students are achieving at very high levels it is hard to see large gains in percentages. Most targets I set for ALL students were to get 1% or 2% higher than we did last year.
When looking at sub-pops, Dr. Henry has challenged all schools to try to get all subpopulations within 10% of each other, therefore, if I set an overall target to go from 89% Approaches to 91% Approaches, then each subpopulation needed to be set at at least 81% so that all subpops would be within 10 percentage points of each other. Your ISs will have copies of these targets available for you to look at this week during planning.
No matter what grade you teach, our goal is the same - "To Perform Better Today Than We Did Yesterday." Please take time to look over our targets for next school year so that we can see what subpopulations need the most support as we move forward to close the achievement gaps for all of our redhawks.
Adventure Dash
PLEASE start letting parents know NOW how messy it will be with FOAM to run through - which quickly makes mud. Students should come in clothes that they don't mind getting messy in AND bring a towel and clean clothes if they are staying at school after their run.
#EachOneTeachOne
We will have 6 incredible learning opportunities:
Szkody/Brenner/Bell - Tips for working with students with Austism
Julie Hill – GradeBook Tips
Kelly New – Video Your Lessons using the Hovercam!
Kelsey French - Boom Learning
Counselors – Samford Harmony Preview
5th ELAR Team - Blending in ELAR - Our Tips and Tricks so far!
Remember, you'll get to select 2 sessions for 15 minutes each session to attend that morning. There are so many great ideas, strategies, and knowledge in this building! I can't wait to learn from you!
Principal Read Aloud
Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who signed up to have me read to your classrooms! It was such a joy and pleasure to share BE KIND with your students. Thank you!
Security Update
Due to recent events, some parents in our district are concerned whether our security measures are being conducted with fidelity. Some are attempting to bypass and/or get through security measures at our schools. Please be watchful in monitoring exterior doors before, during, and after school and at lunches - especially now that we have visitors at lunch. Do not be afaid to politely ask anyone, "Can I help you?" if you don't think they should in the building or you aren't sure you see a visitor's sticker. Walk anyone that needs a visitors sticker to the front desk. We need to remain vigilant with all our security measures to ensure the safety of all our students and maintain trust in our community.
Freckle
If you are needing support with Freckle, the support team can be reached at support@freckle.com.
Looking Ahead
- Tuesday, September 24 - 7:50 AM CPOC/Team Leader Meeting
- Tuesday, September 24 - Watch Dog Orientation from 5:30-6:30
- Wednesday, September 25 - Elizabeth Martin - 4th Grade ALL DAY
- Thursday, September 26 - Purposeful PD - #EachOneTeachOne (YAY!)
- Thursday, September 26 - Elizabeth Martin - 3rd AM, 2nd PM
- Thursday, September 26 - Marcia Kish on Campus
- Friday, September 27 - Adventure Dash Fun Runs during LG
- Monday, September 30th - Go Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness - wear gold!
- Thursday, October 3 - 7:50am ALL Staff Meeting
- Tuesday, October 8 - Texas Roadhouse Spirit Night
- Tuesday, October 8 - 8:00am Team Leader Meeting
- Thursday, October 10 - 7:50am Committee Meetings
- Monday, October 14 - Book Fair all week!
Tuesday, October 15 from 4:30pm-6pm - Book Fair Family Night - Early edition
Thursday, October 17 from 6:30pm-8pm - Book Fair Family Night - Later edition
Thursday, October 17 - 7:50am Purposeful PD - #WatchAndLearn
Tweet of the Week
PD Opportunity - EdTech Live!
Staff Shout Outs
- Mrs. Thurston and Mrs. Holderfield for keeping me informed about Planetarium schedule changes! - Ms. Szkody
- Mrs. Lee for always checking in and letting me know how my students are doing out in the world! - Ms. Szkody
- Morning Car Rider Team - Thank you for greeting our students every morning with smiles, high fives, and positivity. You set them up for a great start for the day and are the face of our school in the morning to sooo many car rider parents!!! I appreciate you all so much! - Meredith
- Morning Bus Team - Thank you for braving the weather and greeting all of our bus riders each and every morning with a smile! You set them up for a positive and happy day!
- Afternoon Hallway duty staff- you guys are so positive! Thanks for ensuring our students move quickly and you do so with positivity and kindness!
- ALL AFTERNOON DUTY CREWS - We are getting our students home quickly and safely thanks to you! Come RAIN or SHINE (or MORE RAIN in some cases) our Rennell Staff puts KIDS FIRST!!! MUAH!
- Tara Myers....you are AWESOME. I cannot thank you enough for all the time and energy you have spent helping me understand and navigate the curriculum. My students and I are very grateful. THANK YOU!!!! - Kristi
- Shout out to Lauren Bottley for ALWAYS making sure I'm ready for bus duty. - Jodi
- Hannah Sanches - welcome to Rennell! We are so excited you are on the Kinder team - Stelly
- Shout out to Carmen Walker for helping me navigate the unknown! - Jodi
- Shout out to Molly for helping me with paperwork! - Jodi
- Shout out to Allison and Abby for working with me to meet the needs of our children. - Jodi
- Jessica Huettel for her awesome work on the Rennell Family Adventurers bulletin board! -
- Mary Ellen Truncali for always being patient with me when I have a question about Math - Jennifer Wilkerson
- Mrs. Kaura for always making sure we are on target for Science. - Jennifer Wilkerson
- Hannah Sanches for joining us at Rennell!!! We are so excited to have you! - Kinder Team
- Ms. Dudablon and Ms. Beard for being AWESOME! We make a wonderful PPCD team!!! - Mrs. Mayra Martinez
- Ina Nguyen - thanks for always being so helpful with technology issues! - Liz Rutledge
- Ms. Cleveland to plan Dot day with our class. I loved to see some of my second graders and the students loved to see you. - Shradha
- To our lovely Admin to treat us to Pumpkin icecream and cool us down. You all are awesome. - Shradha
- Huma for a great job on the Rennell Reflection and sharing your dismissal procedure with us. You are awesome. - Shradha
- My incredible 5th grade team: Thank you for being so supportive and dependable.Each one of you has your own way of making the team better, and fun to work with! - Irshad
- "My Dearest Rennell Family:Together, we are all *MAD here.
- *Making A Difference <3" - Irshad
- Allison & Jamie: We are a TEAM!! End of story :) - Irshad
- Shout out to Molly Redner for taking an extra leap with me and our REDHAWKS! Looking forward to great things! - -Kelsey
- Jodi Ng - Thank you so much for making AWESOME transportation folders! You used your own laminating! Thank you, thank you!
- Huma Quadri - You think of little details to make others smile! Thank you for thinking and remembering others! ~Rebecca
- Monica - We appreciate you and you have been a wonderful addition to Rennell! Thank you for being so organized and top of everything with scheduling, copies, etc.! You rock!
- Paras - Thank you for being flexible with schedule changes. They have been changing a great deal and your patience is so appreciated! ~Rebecca
- Laura Amador - Thank you Laura for working so hard with a student to develop a positive rapport!You clearly are noticing what the student needs to be successful and it's paying off!
- Cherise and Anndrea - All of us appreciate you stepping in whenever needed to assist with students and difficult situations! You are both INVALUABLE! ~Rebecca
- Coach, for continuing to teach me patience in PE!! - Ms. Mauer
- Kristi Shepherd for completing and returning her academic information well in advance for an IEP meeting next week! Awesome sauce! - Marci Walker
- Ms. Sylvia, Ms. Morris, Ms. Ginger, Ms. Nikola, Ms. Leal, Ms. Lee, and Ms. Shauna , thank you very much for your support, flexibility and dedication towards our students. We are grateful to you! Thank you! - Zakia Rahman
- Ms. Dusablon, we are fortunate to have you at Rennell. Your knowledge, expertise, and dedication are a great support for us. - Zakia Rahman
- Ms. Kreitz, Ms. Beard, Ms. Torres and Ms. Martinez, you all are the best! Your hard work, dedication, and spirit are incomparable! -
- Shout out to Jessica for giving me great ideas to help my kiddo!! So very thankful I get to work with you! - Brittany
- Rebecca - for always taking the time to listen and add support in any situation. I appreciate you. - Mrs. T.
- Mrs. Akers - for being such a positive leader. - Mrs. T.
- Molly - for all of your support with our Pre K kiddos. - Mrs. T.
- Kendall Cleveland for doing such an awesome job teaching math this year! You're rocking it! - Melissa Smith
- Shauna for taking such good care of my personal kiddos during the crazy weather! My husband mentioned someone else in there with Shauna, so THANK YOU TOO!! Y’all are amazing. - T. Myers
- Meredith, the A team, and the front office for handling all of the weather craziness. You guys are the best! - T. Myers
- Kendall for being such an understanding and flexible partner. (No hugs, please. Ha!) - T. Myers
- Ms.Ng-‘ Sometimes the simplest things mean the most.’ Thank you so much for your generous offer yesterday. It means a lot :) - Irshad
- "Jodi Ng,
- Thanks for being proactive with the forming of Reading Enrichment groups. I am overjoyed with your willingness to work with our primary students. " - Carmen Walker
- "Kelli Smith,
- Thanks for using our preliminary data & conferring with our primary teachers to get Reading Enrichment groups going in the p.m. " - Carmen Walker
- "Cherise Garcia,
- I cannot begin to put into words how lucky we are to have you at Rennell! You are such a wonderful addition to our staff. " - Carmen Walker
- "Donna Douglas,
- Thanks for always starting the day off with a positive vibe. I love covering morning bus duty with you. You're awesome!" - Carmen Walker
- "Hannah Sanches,
- It was wonderful having you join our Kinder team during planning this week. We love your warm and friendly personality!" - Carmen Walker
- "Kindergarten Team,
- Thanks for your patience and grace during this time of year, as we add more Kinder students to our Rennell family. You guys ROCK!" - Carmen Walker
- "Sherry Johnson,
- Thanks for being Rennell's historian and most awesome IS partner! Your positivity is contagious!" - Carmen Walker
- "Jackie Morris,
- A BIG Thank You for assisting with the organization of our new ELAR Inventory. Your attention to detail is amazing!" - Carmen Walker
- "Katie Keating,
- Thanks for taking care of all of the distribution of ELAR DPM booklets & scantrons. You always have the best ideas for getting more organized and working efficiently. Thanks for all that you do!" - Carmen Walker
- Math/Science Teams, I just want to send a shout out to you! You are an amazing group of educators who are prepared, proactive, and keen on building relationships with your team, students, and families. Thanks for being a part of the Redhawks family! - Sherry J
- "Terri Carreon,
- Thanks for all that you do to keep our calendar organized and current. I love your warm and caring demeanor. " - Carmen Walker
- "Lauren Bottley,
- Thanks for always wanting to do the best for your students. I love that you are such a life-long learner. You live it and breathe it!" - Carmen Walker
- "Huma Quadri,
- Thanks for sharing your ""Passport"" idea with me. I love all of the different ways we can celebrate diversity at Rennell. Keep those ideas coming!" - Carmen Walker
- "Mary Ellen Truncali,
- Thank you for always being flexible and such a team player! I will miss your smiling face during planning. " Carmen Walker
- "Kristi Shepherd,
- Thanks for being flexible with your 3rd grade colleagues. I appreciate you sharing your technology ideas & skills during planning. " - Carmen Walker
- "Fourth Grade ELAR Team,
- Thanks for always coming prepared with wonderful ideas during planning. I love the occasional spontaneous laughter that erupts. " - Carmen Walker
- "Fifth Grade ELAR Team,
- Thanks for your willingness to present your AWESOME Blended Learning menu idea to the staff. I'm also amazed at how quickly you started using the Pro Literacy Subscription with the e-books. Your positive energy and cohesiveness is wonderful! " - Carmen Walker
- "Third Grade ELAR Team,
- Thanks for being gracious and patient with the growth of our 3rd grade population. I appreciate your flexibility. " - Carmen Walker
- "First Grade Team,
- As I walk through your areas, I am AMAZED at how much blended learning and small groups I see happening during the BOY DPM window. You guys ROCK!" - Carmen Walker