Ram Nation News
Week of April 30 , 2018
Vision
#AlltheWayUp
As I have received various messages from School Leadership as well as participate in meetings, there are a few things I wanted to share that have resonated with me. There is a quote from Robert D. Hales that states, It is not how you start the race or where you are during the race, it is how you cross the finish line that will matter.
- We still have 5 weeks left before the end of the year as we prepare our students for the next grade level. Also, we have 10 days before our students face the next milestone, STAAR testing; therefore,
- we must be purposeful and strategic on how we target our instruction to meet our students' needs and address their gaps.
Also, as we continue our race #AlltheWayUp, I want you to keep in mind the picture above from the characters of the Wizard of Oz that reminds us of three Cs that will continue to make a difference in the life of our kids. Dorothy had 3 friends,
- The Scarecrow - He wanted a brain. This is the first C, we must be COMPETENT to carry out our job, know our content, and address misconceptions that our students have so that we can support with bridging their academic gaps. We must be careful not to be arrogant.
- The Tin Man - He wanted a heart. This is the second C, we must have and exercise COMPASSION as we deal with our students and other colleagues. Compassion is linked to one of our core values, inspiring relationships. We must continue to give feedback and encouragement.
- The Lion - He wanted courage. This is the third C, we must have COURAGE to make the instructional decisions that we know are critical to the success of our Rams. We must have courageous conversations around data and goals set to ensure our students are set for success.
Below you will see the comparison from the 2017 TEA summary sheets after last year’s first administration (not adjusted for PEIMs.) Having received these results, we know that we are on the path to show great academic results and improvement as a campus!!! We are seeing lots of great growth!!
We know that aggressive monitoring is one of the instructional strategies that quickly improves student learning. This strategy will continue to assist us in making sure our students are on track to meet their goals, they are implementing their subject knowledge in everything that they do, and are focused in the learning.
- Students are sitting up straighter and more engaged and their finished products mirror the exemplar. ---PERFECT PRACTICE IS THE KEY!
- When lesson planning, plan your laps. Go to the fastest finishers and then students not meeting growth targets first
- Have your exemplar in hand with the clipboard tracker
- Use the tracker for notes and codes
- Put codes on the actual student work then prompt and questions
- After you notice three errors, stop the class and reteach if needed
- Use your laps to find papers for show call
- Require 100% --- allow no opting out
- Aggressively monitor all independent work --- do now, independent, and DOL. Remember, it is PERFECT PRACTICE that makes PERFECT, every minute counts for learning
Look forward to continuing to see focused teaching and learning taking advantage of every single minute as we prepare our students for the next grade level.
Attendance Matters
Let's continue to encourage our students to be present and on time!!!
THANK YOU
- Ms. Stripling, Ms. Molla, Mr. Harris, Mr. Guillory, Mr. Patel, Mr. Serralde (visiting teacher), Ms. Carroll, Ms. Vasquez, Ms. Brown, Ms. Perez, Ms. Hayes, Ms. Bickford, Ms. Herrera, Ms Rendon, Mr. King, Ms. Rocha, Ms. Woods, Ms. Davis, and Mr. Ramirez for their dedication, commitment, and support as they attended Saturday School providing small group support as they addressed low TEKS and areas of improvement.
Ms. Bickford
Ms. Michael
Ms. Iberosi
STAAR Parent Meeting - 6th and 7th Grade
School Priority # 3 is to broaden constructive relationships with the members of school community. We had several parents from 6th and 7th grade come out and participate in the STAAR parent meeting. Teachers had an opportunity to share expectations about upcoming homework, tutoring, and lessons related to STAAR. We had great feedback from the parents who attended. Let's continue to make sure we encourage parent participation in school events, parent workshops, and parent conferences to create partnerships to build the whole child.
All Hands on Deck
Science Plan
Science Tutoring
Scores are in!!!
Special Olympics at Love Joy HS
I am the Champ!!!!
Medals!!!
Inspiring Relationships!
Texas Vs. Lousiana
Teamwork
May 8
DAILY EVENTS
Monday, April 30-
Planning Meeting with CIC/AP - 6th Grade SS, 7th Grade Math, Science follows schedule communicated by Ms. Guerra, and 7th / 8th Grade RLA. Refer to the Planning Expectations to ensure your IPC and LP have the components to reach proficiency
1:00 - 3:00 EOY LPAC Chair/Administrator Meeting at Conrad HS - Ms. Davis and Ms. Vasquez
4:40 - 5:45 Attendance for Credit Meeting - Ms. Woods.
4:40 - 5:45 8th grade Reading and Math AIP development using MyDataPortal for students who failed STAAR first administration - Ms. Guerra.
4:40 - 5:45 8th grade Science, 8th grade Social Studies, and 6th grade reading and math will meet to either finalize or audit EL's accommodations for STAAR in the ELSTAAR system - Mr. Cordoba
- Planning Meeting with CIC/AP - 7th Grade SS, 6th/8th Grade Math, Science follows schedule communicated by Ms. Guerra, and 6th Grade RLA.
- 1:00 - 3:00 AVID End of Year Certification Presentation- Rusk MS - Ms. Baker. Band will perform.
- After school tutoring and Attendance for Credit continues.
Wednesday, May 2-
- Planning Meeting with CIC/AP - 8th Grade SS, 7th Grade Math, Science follows schedule communicated by Ms. Guerra, and 7th / 8th Grade RLA.
- After school tutoring and Attendance for Credit continues.
Thursday, May 3-
- 8:00 - 1:00 ACE Showcase - Superintendents and Leadership teams from Garland, Plano, Richardson, Grand Prairie, and Fort Worth will be visiting our campus. We will have an opportunity to highlight the work done under our ACE framework. This will be very similar to our AVID revalidation visit. Band and cheerleaders will greet our guests.
- 5:00 p.m. Lesson Plans due
- After school tutoring and Attendance for Credit continues.
Friday, May 4-
- Weekly PLC - Room 103
Saturday, May 5-
- Saturday School continues - Let's continue to provide meaningful opportunities for our students to close academic gaps. Anyone doing Saturday School must submit the extra duty pay request in Oracle before able to use the code.
Upcoming Events
Based on feedback received, I am sharing as many dates/events for the month of April as possible to ensure appropriate planning is taking place.
May 11
- SLO Accomplishment Due. As you are work with students on addressing low TEKS and give common DOLs, incorporate TEKS addressed in your SLO setting in order to target this component. The deadline to submit your SLO accomplishment is May 11.
May 10-25
- TEI Roster Verification is available on MyDataPortal
May 14
- 6th, 7th, and 8th Retesters - STAAR Math
- 8th grade Science and Social Studies Camp for students who have passed math/reading. Teachers are planing the activities for this camp.
May 15
- 6th, 7th, and 8th Retesters - STAAR Reading
- 8th grade Science and Social Studies Camp for students who have passed math/reading. Teachers are planing the activities for this camp.
May 16
- 8th Grade STAAR Science
May 17
- 8th Grade STAAR Social Studies
- 6th Grade Field Trip to the Environmental Center 1/2 of the students - Ms. Cooray's science students.
- 6th Grade Science and Social Studies Camp in preparation for ACPs. Teachers will plan for this camp.
May 18
- 6th Grade Field Trip to the Environmental Center 1/2 of the students - Ms. Minter's science students.
- 6th Grade Science and Social Studies Camp in preparation for ACPs. Teachers will plan for this camp.
Submitting your SLO Accomplishment
Teaching & Learning Professional Development Video Link
The video below provides a preview of our Summer Institute and specifies the PD requirements for 2018-2019 school year
Contract Dissemination 2018-2019
Contracts for eligible employees will be disseminated electronically via Oracle Employee Self Service in early May. An email notification from notifications@dallasisd.org will be sent out to inform employees that their 2018-2019 contract is available for acknowledgement. All employees will have two weeks to provide an electronic signature; according to section 21 of the Dallas ISD Educator Contracts, an offer of employment shall expire if the contract is not signed by the deadline.
Policy Guidelines:
According to Texas Education Code (TEC), contract-eligible educators are provided a penalty-free resignation deadline which is 45 days before the first day of instruction of the coming school year. The resignation deadline for this year is July 6, 2018. Any employee that has an expiring certification or license with an expiration date range of May 1, 2018 to August 31, 2018 will receive a contract hold and will not be eligible to acknowledge their contract until their certification is renewed. To renew their certification, they must access their TEA TEAL account and follow the renewal process. Any employee who is found to have abandoned a contract without good cause is in violation of the Texas Education Code and could face suspension/sanction of their teaching credential by the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC). For more information, please consult Section 21.160, Section 21.210, and Section 21.105 in the Texas Education Code and 19 TAC 249.15(b)(5).
Last Day for Chapter 21 to Resign Penalty Free
Educators have a penalty-free resignation deadline that falls the 45th day before the 1st day of instruction of the coming school year. For the 2018-2019 school year, that resignation deadline is July 6, 2018. Resignations are generally accepted via the electronic submission process (S-54), using the Oracle log-in, and must be submitted by 11:59 pm, July 6, 2018. The resignation deadline will be enforced; resignations received after the July 6, 2018 deadline will be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending upon the date of submission and the circumstances, and whether the campus has sufficient time to secure a suitable replacement.
For additional Information about how to submit a Notice of Separation, please visit the Retirements & Resignations page at http://dallasisd.org/Page/28102.
Rusk Middle School
Email: jcordoba@dallasisd.org
Website: www.dallasisd.org/rusk
Location: 2929 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX, United States
Phone: 972-925-2000
Twitter: @RuskAllTheWayUp