EAGLE MOUNTAIN NEWS & NOTES #1
AUGUST 17, 2015
EAGLE MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY
Email: bmclain@ems-isd.net
Twitter: @bmacEME
REAL QUICK
Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year! We are very excited that you are at EME with us, & we look forward to a sensational & unprecedented year. Whether you are returning to EME, or you are a new member of our school family, we’re blessed to have you & look forward to our journey together as we CARRY THE TORCH!
We especially want to welcome our new teachers: Nala Beal, Sandi Bowers, Chandi Punta, & Brook Williams who have already hit the ground running. We’re also pleased to welcome Andrea Reed as our office aide. What a great team we’ve assembled – Please know we couldn’t be more excited to have you at EME!
THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE:
Monday – We are delighted to have Angela Maiers with us to kick off our year. We will be at HCTC today from 8-2:00. Greenfield & Lake Point will join us. Our school theme this year is “YOU MATTER!” & Angela’s keynote is titled “Mattering IS the Agenda” which I heard at TEPSA Summer conference – it was outstanding!
Angela will also talk to us about the importance of Social Media & using Twitter since that is relatively new for us. Although we don’t normally start our first day back with a presenter this is what worked with her schedule as she was already in our area, so we’re running with it, & I think you will be glad that we did! She is INSPIRING & will help instill enthusiasm & excitement as we prepare to CARRY THE TORCH!
Tuesday – Convocation – Chisholm Trail High School – 9:00 – 11:00 - District professional development in the afternoon – see detailed schedule that has been sent to you.
Wednesday – Faculty meeting - this is our Nuts & Bolts day – 8:00 – 11:45 – A light breakfast will be served at 7:45 & we will meet our new folks, receive class lists & schedules & go over housekeeping items beginning at 8:10.
Thursday – This is the coveted teacher work day, & you will need this time to prepare for Meet the Teacher which is this evening from 6-7 PM. Remember how important those first impressions are! PTA will provide lunch for you.
Friday – All Fifth grade SS teachers who did not attend training offered in July will meet at HCTC for McGraw Hill New Materials implementation Training from 12:30 - 3:30. (HCTC D109/111.) Everyone else will have grade level meetings & some additional time in your classroom. Motivational Speaker Jim Jacobus will speak to us after lunch at 1PM in the library with his “Living Life Large: How to Have Your Best Year Ever” presentation. Then Dr. Debbie Rhea from TCU will meet with our K & 1 teachers from 2:15 – 3:15.
Here are our Non-Negotiables that we will adhere to as a staff:
· We will treat all students with dignity & respect.
· We will ensure success for all students.
· We will grow professionally – both individually & collectively as a staff.
· We will communicate consistently & professionally with parents.
· We will work together to promote a team-oriented environment conducive to learning.
· We will listen to & respect the opinions of others & be willing to compromise.
· We will base decisions on fact rather than supposition & support decisions that are made.
· We will tell the truth, admit mistakes, take responsibility, keep confidentiality.
· We will be perceptive to the needs of others & be willing to help; remember we are part of a TEAM!
· We will have fun! J
· Remember my core non-negotiable that I expect EVERY student to feel welcomed, valued, supported, nurtured, challenged, & loved. This is vital to our success!
· I know you have much to do in the short space of a week to get ready for your kids on Monday, so we’re hoping you’re refreshed & ready to hit the ground running!
· Our Curriculum Night has been set for Sept. 10th – 5:30-6:30 for grades 1, 3, & 5, & 6:30-7:30 for grades K, 2, & 4.
· YOU MATTER is our School Theme this year! We can do a LOT with this!
· We will continue our school wide D.E.A.R. program & ask that you have it in place no later than the second week of school. Please respect the integrity of the program by ensuring that you are reading/modeling with your kids the entire time. (7:40 – 8:00)
· If you have items you want placed on our Sept. calendar, please get those to us soon.
· The building will be open Saturday from with air on for anyone needing to work.
· The Welcome Back Basket in your room came from the PTA.
· We know this is one of the busiest times of the year as there are many last minute things to do to prepare for your students. We hope this is your best year yet!
NOTEABLE QUOTABLE:
Coming together is a beginning;
Keeping together is progress;
Working together is success!
A “TO-BE” List for Aspiring Leaders
-Angela Maiers
I have the privilege each year of speaking to auditoriums full of aspiring young leaders, anxious to go out into the world and make their mark. They are looking for the “book”, the “roadmap” the “words or wisdom” that will guide them to the things they need “TO-DO” next.
As we know, success in leadership and in the world is not only attributed to what you do; it is dependent on who you are and why you do what you do. Who you are comes across more strongly than what you sell or say. We set young leaders up for a fall if we encourage them to envision what they can do before first considering the kind of kind of leader they want to be.
In supporting the kind of leader they must be, we enable and elevate their ability to influence, catalyze, and transform the future in a way we have not yet seen.
I have detailed the following TO-BE List for theirs and your consideration:
· Be a Learner: You may have graduated from school, but never graduate from learning. Being a lifelong learner is what empowers your relevance for the rest of your life. Eric Hoffer captured it best when he said, “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” Don’t be equipped for irrelevance- keep learning.
· Be teachable. Teachability leads to excellence and excellence makes people take notice. Being teachable reveals your desire to improve, grow, and be excellent in all you do. It’s the excellent that often lead in any given field or industry. Don’t fail to learn all you can from those who went before you or to grow from your mistakes. Seeking out coaches and mentors will push you light years ahead of where you would be if you travelled alone.
· Be A Question Asker. I have been teaching and writing about the importance of asking great questions for a long time. Great questions are the best way to have a meaningful conversation, the best way to rope in a mentor AND the best way to look like a star performer. Make it a priority to listen to people asking great questions. Be in charge of the questions you ask and keep a list of the best questions you hear. Use this to create a question toolbox you use and can apply to every conversation and interaction you have.
* Be Courageous. If there was ever a time to dare, to make a difference, to embark on something worth doing, IT IS NOW. I understand jumping into the world as leader can be scary, but now is not the time to be timid. We don’t serve the rest of the world or ourselves by playing small. Humanity’s misfortune is when we don’t realize the very gifts we have, or the impact we have the opportunity to make. It is imperative that you own and honor your genius, and seek to make a contribution that matters.
* Be Kind: We lead our lives in the company of others, and that is where we leave our legacy. Truly kind leaders – regardless of their title or position – are the ones we all remember. They’re the ones we are grateful to. It’s the quality of our relationships that most determines whether our legacy will be momentary or long lasting. Don’t ever pass up a chance to let others know they are noticed and that they matter to you.
* Be Patient and Persistent: I want you to be fully rewarded and recognized for your contribution to society. I also want you to realize, however, that most things of lasting value take time and discipline to achieve. HAVE FUN. DIG DEEP. STRETCH. DREAM BIG. Know that things worth doing seldom come easy. There will be good days. And there will be bad days. There will be times when you want to turn around, pack it up, and call it quits. Those times tell you that you are pushing yourself, that you are not afraid to learn by trying. I promise you the wait is worth it.
* Be Passionate- Passion is not only a differentiator; it is a difference maker. Passion makes the impossible possible. That’s what makes a passionate leader effective. He or she conceives of possibilities and opportunities for progress whereas dispassionate persons only see roadblocks and reasons why a vision can’t be achieved. The more passionate you are to achieve your purpose the stronger your fire and internal desire will be to strive for your mission and purpose.
* Be Confident: You will not always be able to solve all the world’s problems all at once. But don’t ever underestimate the impact you can have. Your efforts might not always draw the world’s attention, but as Teddy Roosevelt liked to say, “I hope that you will commit yourselves to doing “what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are,” because in the end, that is what makes you a lion. Not fortune, not fame, not your pictures in history books, but the refusal to remain a bystander when others are suffering, and that commitment to serve however you can, where you are.
* Be Hopeful: History has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own. No doubt, we live in challenging times. We also live in a time where nearly ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. As a leader your ability to be hopeful and dispense hope is crucial to helping those you serve thrive in face of difficulty. And there is much to be hopeful for. Believe in the incredible power of the human mind. Of doing something that makes a difference. Of working hard. Of laughing and learning. Of all the things that will cross your path. Of the ability to start something new. All these bring the hope of something great to come.
So, what do you think? Would you follow leaders with these traits and qualities? What can we add or do to help nurture those who seek or are called to serve?
Leadership is a choice. The choice is ours to help them make; TO-BE or NOT-TO-BE.
That is certainly the question of our time.
SHOUT OUTS
· I want to thank these incredible people for their help in getting everything ready for this week: Kelli, Sandra, & Donna all went above & beyond, stayed late, came early, etc. to ensure a smooth opening. We have an AMAZING team! I’m grateful for their help & am blessed to work beside them!
· We also want to thank Kelli for opening her home to us last week in hosting the staff cookout.