Westwood Way
Happenings In Panther Nation - September 2020
Over the last several weeks, I have been focusing on pushing through limits in my professional and personal life. In the previous two weekends, I decided to extend my bike rides to help relieve stress and increase my activity.
On Labor Day Weekend, I had a long ride of 8.29 miles, and then this last weekend, I pushed my distance to 9.32 miles. These rides were a challenge since the longest ride I had attempted before this was a 6-mile ride.
As I began the 9+ mile bike ride, I found myself doing a great deal of positive self-talk and convincing myself I could survive it. This self-talk helped get me going down the road and allowed me to envision the end goal. After riding for a while, my legs began to ache, and I shifted my focus to being comfortable with the aches and pain. This slight shift in focus enabled me to push past the initial pain and continue my pace.
As I approached the ¾ mark, my determination and desire began to fade, and I found myself struggling to maintain the same intensity as I had on the first part of the ride. At this point, I knew I had to shift my focus to pushing harder and concentrating on establishing a consistent rhythm as I peddled. Even though I maintained the pace during the last part of my ride, I became worried about the very end because I faced a long gradual incline to our house. As I began up the ascent, my thoughts shifted to the WHY behind lengthening my bike rides: to increase activity and, ultimately, begin losing weight. This shift in thoughts allowed me to have a strong finish!
As I reflected after completing my ride, I realized that the journey I experienced on my long bike ride is very similar to the struggle we all are facing as we are forced to push through our professional limits. As we grow in our profession, we also experience hesitations, aches/pains, and concerns. Like my bike ride, we will have a successful journey if we will center our efforts on the following areas:
2) Accept The Discomfort - Pushing forward in your profession can be filled with discomfort just like I faced during my ride. We are naturally wired to avoid pain and pull back or stop entirely when we experience it. We must begin not only to accept but expect discomfort, and this will allow the fear of these feelings to disappear. And once we reach this plateau, we can establish a new comfort zone.
3) Push Yourself To Take One More Step - On any journey worthwhile, we will face a time that we don’t think we take one more step or come back one more day. On my bike ride, this point was at the ¾ mark. We typically refer to this as hitting our limit or hitting the wall. Every time you feel that you have reached your limit, go one more step. Every time you think you have hit the wall, push against it as hard as possible until you go a little further.
4) Have A Greater Purpose - Sometimes, the first three tactics are not enough to keep pushing. This was the point I was at as I faced the long gradual incline to my house. The pain, discomfort, hesitations, and concerns are too significant to continue on. In these moments, when it is too uncomfortable to continue on the journey, we need to have a purpose. Something more important than the feelings that we are experiencing or the complete fatigue we feel. If we can recall that purpose, it will spark our WHY and provide the strength to continue pushing through our limits.
I encourage you to consider where you are on your journey and contemplate which of these tactics could help you continue on that journey of pushing your limits. I would love to hear about your journey, so feel free to share it with me!!
Wade
School Board Update
During the September Board Meeting, the following items came before the School Board:
Christine Bedre presented the monthly Curriculum Update in which she gave an overview of asynchronous and synchronous learning.
Kyle Johnson presented the monthly Finance Update, which he discussed the 2020-2021 budget, audit preparation, and CARES ACT funding.
Kyle Johnson presented as a First Read, a quote for bus purchases. This item will be placed on the October agenda as an Action Item.
Christine Bedre presented the 2020-2021 Accountability Update.
The Board discussed the Proud Panther selection process for the 2020-2021 school year.
The School Board unanimously approved adding ten (10) local COVID-19 leave days. These days will follow the same guidelines as the days authorized by the federal government. Human Resources will send out additional information on the use of these days.
The School Board unanimously approved the contract with Fitzpatrick Architects.
The School Board unanimously approved the Class Size Exception Waiver for one section of 2nd-grade asynchronous learning.
Teacher contracts were acknowledged as presented.
Curriculum
Matt Zalaznick wrote an article titled 9 ways to boost social-emotional learning on July 31, 2020. The article made me reflect on the various ways our teachers and staff already work on SEL and how they continue to improve in this area. A few of the mentioned include building connections with students through morning meetings and other interactions, don’t speed up instruction right away to tackle learning loss, and being honest and up-front with students if they ask about whether schools will have to close again or other sensitive issues. It is important to remember that some students will have gaps from the previous school year; however, building relationships, as well as a strong classroom community, will assist our students in gaining growth both academically and emotionally throughout this school year.
The beginning of the year (BOY) assessments have begun! I am excited to see teachers analyzing data, checking previous assessment data, and currently collected data to view improvement as well as plan for personalized instruction within their classrooms. The phrase “data talks” is more true than ever before. It is imperative that we are reading, analyzing, and listening to what the data is telling us about students to help grow them throughout the learning process.
Shout OUT to the high school English department is working hard implementing their new TEKS as well as the Reader and Writer’s Workshop model. I appreciate their commitment during this time and their ability to learn and implement new skills.
September 28, 2020, is our first department/grade level planning day on campuses. This is a full workday from 8:00 - 4:00 PM. Teachers will be on their home campuses working to plan for the upcoming six weeks, analyze data from BOY gathered during the first six weeks, and improve skills learned through specific PD requested by the department/grade level. Day 5 of the House Bill 3 Reading Academies will take place at the Elementary cafeteria.
Thank you to everyone for their hard work and dedication this first six weeks! I value everything that you do!
Special Programs
We are so thankful to be back at school and see the majority of our students in person again. We are also grateful that our home-based learners have the opportunity to connect virtually with us.
Westwood ISD applied for and received our Notice of Grant Award (NOGA) on September 11, 2020, for our ESSA funding for the 2020-2021 school year. This grant supplies funds that are extremely important to the education of our students. ESSA funding continues to provide instructional and intervention staff at our primary and elementary schools, teacher support and training, and materials and supplies to supplement the curriculum.
Our department also continues to work hard towards completing assessments that were delayed in the spring due to the transition to home-based learning. We are working with parents and students to provide individual assessments in a safe environment. We are also in the process of completing meetings to review progress and make instructional decisions for our students who are identified as English learners. These meetings typically take place at the end of the school year.
We continue to work with the curriculum department to target the social-emotional and instructional needs of all of our students. We look forward to a great year of serving the students and families of Westwood ISD!
Business & Finance
The finance department has had a great start to the 2020-2021 school year. Even with the uncertain times due to COVID-19, we were able to put together a compensation plan that rewards each employee of Westwood ISD for their hard work and dedication. The 2019-2020 budget is being closed down, and the budget for 2020-2021 was created, adopted by the board, and open for use on September 1st.
HR and Payroll have been working hard to ensure that each employee is set up for the 2020-2021 school year’s first payroll. This is a huge task, and we are proud of the hard work they have put into the process.
Accounts payable has been working hard to close out the 2019-2020 payments while keeping up with the demands of the 2020-2021 budget purchases.
Together we are trying to make sure each employee and campus has what they need to get the year off to a great start. We will continue to work with each campus and department and meet as many needs as possible.
PEIMS
We, in the PEIMS department, are so glad to be back on campuses! We truly missed everyone during the COVID-19/Summer break! Now that we are in full swing, here are a few things that are happening in PEIMS:
1) Student Registration - Due to COVID-19, our entire registration process had to be online. Where we were already completing the Skyward piece online, we had to add a documentation submission component. We have learned much from our experience during registration this year, and are already evaluating to make positive changes for next year.
2) New Attendance Codes - We are rolling along with our face-to-face and remote attendance codes. The MOI (Method of Instruction) code will show an “R” in your Skyward attendance rosters so you know if you should be using in-person or remote attendance codes for each student. If you have questions or are struggling with the new codes, please email Mindy Place, and we can get it straight together.
3) Term 1 Reconciliation - TEA requires each school to complete attendance reconciliation during the first and fourth marking periods each year. The process is intended to ensure that no students are being reported who have not actually attended (physically or virtually) class. Term 1 Reconciliation will take place on Wednesday, September 23. Information will be coming to campuses soon!
Did you know that PEIMS data drives the school district’s accountability ratings and funding? Having accurate data makes a huge difference in how many teacher/support positions we may fund, as well as campus and district ratings. Our data is a reflection of us as a school district. The PEIMS Department is working together to make sure that the reflection is as accurate as possible!
Food Service
Hello Westwood, Welcome back!!! For those who have not met me yet. I am Juan Torrez, the Child Nutrition Director, in partnership with Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE) here with Westwood ISD, where the Children are absolutely first.
A little bit about my background, I am from Austin. I hold a Culinary degree from Le Corn Blue, and I am finishing up my Bachelors in Human Resources & Business Management this coming December. I come with 15 years of experience working in school food and am very excited to put my skills and knowledge to good use here at Westwood ISD. New recipes will be introduced for this school year as we acclimate to new processes and procedures with staff, so be on the lookout for samples and, hopefully, new staples to our menu.
Opening day went great! I was taken back with joy to see so many students participating in enjoying the meals being served. We heard a lot of great feedback from staff, students, and people from the Westwood community. I have to say that the staff here are top-notch, and I have worked with so many, but Westwood ISD food service staff are amazing! They have worked hard every day, cooking and adjusting to new processes and learning new systems. I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing they have been every day, and I am ever so grateful to be able to work with them side by side.
SFE does plan on participating and lending a hand with school and community events and can’t wait to do so, and of course, I am super excited to meet everyone.
Facilities Services
These trials make us who we are. What we learn from them helps us construct what our future will be.
I cannot sugar coat anything about the start of this school year. It has been difficult. But it has pushed us to look at how we do things and strive to improve. We have begun implementing schedules, inspections, and procedures that make us more effective than ever. Our facilities opened smoothly, and we have been highly successful through the early parts of the school year.
Our team has been working tirelessly to ensure that our facilities are cleaned and disinfected as scheduled. I am confident that as winter sets in, we will be able to use our grounds crew to help with the demands of keeping the facilities running smoothly and that we will continue to adapt to any situation that comes our way.
Maintenance has done an outstanding job of getting out in front of the situation, and we are in a good place as far as supplies and materials go. We are still waiting for a few sanitizing machines to come in, but we are maximizing our resources during the waiting period. Common areas are being sanitized twice a day; sanitizing stations are out on each campus, and water bottle filling stations are installed. All measures to help keep our students and staff safe during these times.
We may have just entered a new era. One where all of these protective measures become commonplace. I know that we will look back and be thankful for the experience and what we learned. As things return to normal, we are confident that we are much better prepared for the next test that may come our way.
Transportation
The Westwood Transportation Department continues to have a great start to the 2020-2021 school year. Bus routes are going well. I am pleased to announce that our department now has a bus monitor assigned to each bus route. Thanks to the District Administration for the additional bus monitors. This will help tremendously with our student safety and driver awareness on each bus route.
Our new employees for the year are Kristina Arthur, Zettie Lanphier, Ken Carrol, Monica Knight, Sandy Brown, Crystal Feagins, Lenora Luce, Jennifer Wright, Daniela Gonzales, and Josh Jarvis. Our safety meeting for the first quarter was conducted with topics covered being the Transportation Handbook, Having a Positive Attitude, and Radio Procedures. Extra cleaning is being performed daily on our buses and sanitizing to reduce the risk of Covid-19.
I appreciate the tremendous effort that has been shown by the transportation staff, and we will continue to put our students first daily. If at any time you may need assistance feel free to reach out to me at 903-723-0425.
Technology
Welcome to the new mask-wearing, hand sanitizing, six feet apart school year of 2020. It has been a challenging start of school, but like any other school year, we will get through this. First on the list is the supply chain delay that has push device orders for Chromebooks back 10 to 16 weeks. This has created some unique challenges for us in trying to go 1:1 for remote learning with HBL. The entire state is suffering from the Chromebook shortage and delays. The District’s technology goals and strategies that we had in place have brought us really close to having enough Chromebooks for every student. Our current device inventory has allowed us to be creative in using older devices, PC’s and iPads to issue out to students. The goal is for every student to have some sort of device to use for HBL until we get our new Dell Chromebooks.
Over the summer, we completed some basic house cleaning projects. We cleaned projectors and their filters in each classroom. We blew out the dust in all desktop computers. We wiped and reimaged all iPads. We collected and counted the remaining Chromebooks and prepared them to be issued out to HBL students.
This past month we installed the new camera system with soundbar and microphones to support synchronous learning. We have experienced some new challenges with this setup and we are working hard to resolve them as quickly as we can.
Ms. Mandy Douglas has joined the Technology team. For the last 3 years of her 6 years with Westwood, she was the Elementary computer lab teacher. In her time with our department, she has already proven to be a valuable team member and exhibits an unbelievable desire to be excellent in what she does. I am so excited she joined our team.
Helpdesk At A Glance: The Technology department has resolved 259 tickets since the start of school. Within the last 30 days, we have resolved 293 tickets.
Overall, we are off to a great start this year. I am extremely proud of my team for the hard work they have been doing to resolve technology help requests as fast and efficiently as possible.
Our department continues to maintain and support our current systems and infrastructure by monitoring, tweaking, and resolving problems as they arise.
Athletics
We are focusing on building Champions instead of Winning Championships.
We have reached a pivotal phase in our athletes’ training regiment (the mental training).The athletic department focus during this phase (BOOT CAMP) is two-fold:
1.YOU WILL SINK TO THE LEVEL OF YOUR TRAINING.
2. F.A.M.I.L.Y. - Forget About Me I Love You.
We are excited about the opportunity to watch them GROW through this phase when faced with adversity.
Philosophy
The Panther Mission Statement: (program/coach’s part)
To GROW men and women of integrity who relentlessly pursue excellence.
The Panther Vision Statement: (athlete’s part)
GROW Everyday
Execute Westwood DNA
Be the toughest program in Texas
WESTWOOD DNA (core values):
Energy/Tempo Monday - relentless effort. We will attack with tenacity and make them quit.
Competition Tuesday - 1-0 Mentality. We are one play warriors who always compete.
Toughness Wednesday - comfortable being uncomfortable. We will impose our will and dominate with toughness.
Family Appreciation Thursday - value others above ourselves. We are a team of ‘foxhole’ brothers.
Discipline/Finish Friday - Discipline - always doing what needs to be done. We will continue to row the boat every day.
Finish - do more than is expected. We are a freight train that terrorizes with our finish.
Updated results from Volleyball, Cross Country, and Football:
Volleyball:
The Lady Panther Volleyball team has continued to improve daily as they started their district slate last week. They lost a highly contested match vs Buffalo on Tuesday. Next up they travel to Crockett on Friday to take on the Bulldogs.
Cross Country
The Cross Country Junior High boys ran at West Sabine on Monday where we had one top ten finishers. The High School Cross Country Teams start their season today at West Sabine.
Football:
The Westwood Football program has got off to a solid start early in the 2020 season.
Junior High football went (2-0) vs Eustace to start their season.
Junior Varsity football currently sits at 2-1 on the year.
Varsity Football Results:
40-21 Westwood over Carlisle to open the season
22-29 Westwood dropped a close one to Buffalo
50-28 Westwood over Eustace on Homecoming
Westwood will host Centerville on Thursday night and travel to Centerville on Friday night to play the Tigers at 7:30 PM.