Cat Tracks
Spring Shadows Elementary Wildcats Staff Newsletter
October 2-6, 2017
#Limitless Learning
Our Vision
Our Mission
Core Beliefs
- Each student has unique intellectual, emotional, social, and physical qualities.
- We embrace a child’s individual values, interests, and personalities.
- Parents are confident in their child’s social and intellectual educational growth.
- Educators lead their craft by preparing learners in our fast changing world
Principal's Message
Dear Wildcats,
October is here and we feel fall in the air! It is also almost the end of the 1st 9 weeks, so make sure that you are finishing up your grading as scheduled and also your units for the 1st 9 weeks within the allotted time period. We would like to start the 2nd 9 weeks as closely on schedule to the the Post Harvey Instructional Calendars as possible.
Also, I wanted to inform you that by this point, I have met with all of the curriculum directors to share our school vision, state our personalized goals, and garner support for you in the classroom for areas of need based on our current data.
In October, you will be receiving support in the following areas:
- October 9th PD- Donald Burken (Science) and Susan Said (Math) will be here to support with your curricular needs. Become well acquainted with the 2nd 9 weeks instructional calendar so that you may ask questions.
- Cathy Roth (ELAR) will be on site to meet and greet teachers ELAR teachers on Tuesday 10/3/2017 from 2:45-3:15 p.m. in Mrs. Gentry's Room. She will then proceed to observe teachers in their natural practice sometime this week. After that she will schedule a personalized session for planning with teachers. (Please look out for a microsoft invite).
- Our guided reading will be getting a $30,000 refresh! Woohoo! Elizabeth Gasca is leading the charge and she will be organizing and cleaning out the GR library. Our goal is to have the guided reading library in beautiful shape by the end of the December to start buying books in the springtime to replenish it. If there are any of you that are willing to volunteer your time and get some free leveled books for your classroom library in return, please send your name to Elizabeth as a volunteer and then she will send you dates and times, along with your particular job assignment.
Finally, don't forget we are checking for attendance!
- Each class will create an attendance chart/incentive & each teacher shall personally communicate with parents to see how they are doing when a student is absent. If done before 8:30 encourage them to drop off their child- they will count for the day if here by 9:00 a.m. Have evidence of this attendance incentive chart by October 1st. The classes with the best attendance will be awarded monthly over the PA system and with a popcorn party from Ms. Garza. Don't forget all perfect attendance students are eligible for the monthly drawing on the 1st of the month.
- I'm planning the October 9th PD and almost have everything ready to send out to you with the agenda. I'm waiting on one person. However, the morning will be staff development and the afternoon will be roadmapping/lesson planning. To kick off our day- I'm asking everyone to contribute one breakfast item or snack to share throughout the day. That's your ticket in! :)
Finally, the school is going to kick off reading with a Reading rally! Read more about it in Ann's section and let's have some reading fun- don't forget to come dressed spaced out tomorrow!
Happy Kick-Off to October!
Wildcat Love,
Rachel Martinez
Calendar
Come Dressed "Spaced Out!"
- Happy Birthday, Consuelo Navarette
- Digital Citizenship - Be Kind
- Scholastic Book Fair
- National Custodian Appreciation Day
- ILT Meeting @ 1:00 (PLC Room)
- Reading Rally 1:00-1:25 K-2nd @ Library
- Reading Rally 1:30-1:55 3rd-5th @ Library
- Dismissal 2:30
- Technology Café @ 2:45
Tuesday, October 3, 2017: Kinder Ext. Planning
Visit your Space Buddies & Make a Bookmark Together
- Digital Citizenship - Be Kind
- Dismissal 2:30
- Meet and Greet with Cathy Roth @ 2:45-3:15
- Scholastic Book Fair
Wednesday, October 4, 2017:1st Grade Ext. Planning
Students help teachers decorate door!
- Digital Citizenship - Be Kind
- Spiral Day
- Scholastic Book Fair
- Dismissal 2:30
- No Faculty Mtg.
Thursday, October 5, 28, 2017: 2nd Grade Extended Planning
Share your Favorite Book Day!
- Digital Citizenship - Be Kind
- No PLC Day
- Scholastic Book Fair
- Dismissal 2:30
- Be in the cafeteria by 4:15 p.m.
- Open House 4:30-6:30
Friday, October 6, 2017: 3rd Grade Extended Planning
Door Contest Winners Announced
Rachel out @ Community Principal's Meeting
- Digital Citizenship - Be Kind
- Scholastic Book Fair
- Dismissal @ 2:30
Deadlines/Priorities
- Add your parent email addresses by the end of the week.
- Ensure you are following the district curriculum and intentionally planning for each day for bell to bell learning.
- Proceed with grading in preparation for Report Cards.
PBIS and Project Class
Project Class: Make sure to be paying attention to the morning announcements starting on Monday. Everyday we will start the announcements with a Project Class skill song, followed by a brief explanation of the skill. This will be our focus skill for the day. Teachers, please make it a point to spotlight these students as they are using the daily focus skill by saying something positive, giving them an extra Dojo point, or any other positive reinforcement that you would like to use. After a few weeks, I will ask you to send me the names of 2-4 students who will be our Project Class Skills Stars, take their picture, display it in the cafeteria, and read their names over the morning announcements.
Jaci and Luz will be here this week. Jaci will be on campus on Monday's and Luz will be on campus on Thursday's. Please use them as your support for teaching and implementing the skills.
Reminder: Please don't forget to have your students complete their personal invitations to their parents/guardians for Open House on Thursday. This is great opportunity for students to practice their writing, spelling, and letter writing skills. Team Leaders, please make sure that all your team has completed these invitations. This is our parent communication activity for the first 9 weeks.
PBIS Matrix Strategy: Bathroom - Go over this skill daily with your students. Possible suggestion is to have the matrix for the restroom displayed for them to see as they come in.
Keep up the good work!
Instructional Specialists Message
Keep an eye out for a DRA/EDL and OS/PAPI training in the coming weeks. This will be for new teachers, those who haven't given these assessments in awhile, and those who would like a refresher.
Your friendly Instructional Specialists,
Katie & Elizabeth
Library Notes
Hi,
This week is the big Reading Week!!
*Monday starts the book fair! Plus it is the Reading Blast Off Rally!
Monday is also Space day -Come dressed!!
1:00- 1:25 4 & 5th Graders will come to the library on Monday Oct. 2 for 25 minutes to kick off our school wide reading incentive.
1:30- 1:55 K-3 will come to the library for their kick off.
: ) I am getting some beautiful class rockets!! I went to laminate them on Friday - it was down. : ( So not sure I can have them on the wall for the rally.
*Tuesday: Visit your Space Buddies (former Superhero Buddies; sign up will be sent by Katie) & Make a bookmark together!
*Wednesday: Best Decorated Door (Space Theme with reading connection/content): Students help decorate the door with teachers.
*Thursday: Favorite Book: Students select their favorite book to showcase to their parents at Open House. Have your door ready for Open House! Remind parents the book fair is open during Open house.
*Friday: Best Decorated Doors Winners Announced:
- Grand Prize: A Collection of Books for the Classroom Library!
- 1st Prize: A set of 5 books from Barnes of Noble (your choice) to be added to the
- classroom library.
- 2nd Prize: A teacher wishlist item from the Scholastic Bookfair. Hey! There are sets of books packaged together - I would suggest that. : )
Thanks for all your support!
Your friendly librarian,
Ann
Sunshine Updates
The deadline for turning in your Sunshine dues has been extended to Friday, September 29th. Dues are $20 for professionals and $15 for paraprofessionals.
Jeans Pass
- 7 passes for $10
- 3 passes for $5
You may use your pass any day of the week. Here are the "rules" for jeans passes.
- Jeans need to be without holes or rips
- Wear with a blouse or nice shirt (not a T-Shirt)
- Wearing jeans without a pass already bought is a $2 fine (to Sunshine)
Please pay Katie Gentry or Rachel Menefee. They will give you a receipt and log your name and number of passes into a Google Doc. Each day you wear jeans, just send BOTH of them an email stating that you are using one of your passes.
If you have any questions surrounding Jeans Passes, please contact Katie or Rachel Menefee.
Staff Shout-Outs
- Congrats to our new Newsela Coordinator - Ana Maria Klauer! She will be sharing our newest resource with you very soon!
- Thank you to K-2nd bilingual teachers for working closely with Dr. Cavazos with Prview, View, and Review strategies.
- Way to go 5th grade for identifying ways to stream line and support students through opportunity culture and ELL supports!
- Thanks to Cindy G. for helping out Cindy R., in learning the ropes at SSE!
- Shout out to Bea for identifying "smells in the cafeteria" and we immediately got maintenance to clear it! It's better to be safe!
- Ms. Brown is rocking and rolling with Project Class! Way to go girl!
- Thank you Ms. Gasca for training K-2nd with MAP reports during PLC!
- Thank you Ms. Gentry for training 3rd-5th with Map reports during PLC for the past 2 weeks!
- Many thanks to Ann and Maria & the 3rd grade team in collaborating with United Way to ensure each 3rd grade child has a dictionary!
- Gracias to Mr. Cabrera and Mrs. Moreno for taking their team for the first field trip of the year to the Children's Museum and handling all situations with calm!
- Ann is taking on the Scholastic Book Fair this week- A big task and thank you for supporting our children!
- Rachel Menefee would like to thank her 3rd grade team for all the guidance and support her team has demonstrated to her during her time out of work! It takes a team to make the dream work!
I know there are many unsung heroes out there that I did not get to mention. If you see someone out there going above and beyond and want me to recognize them on cat tracks, please send me an email.
Spring Shadows Elementary
Email: rachel.martinez@springbranchisd.com
Website: https://cms.springbranchisd.com/sse2/
Location: 9725 Kempwood Drive, Houston, TX, United States
Phone: (713) 251-7100
Twitter: @twitter_rachelmartinez4