Friday Newsletter
January 15, 2016
Smith Mission
Collective Commitments
*All kids can learn in different ways and at different times.
*Relationships are vital to the success of students, teachers and families.
*Smith will provide all students with opportunities to experience success.
*All teachers share the responsibility for the needs of all students.
*Smith Elementary provides an enjoyable and engaging learning environment.Celebrations
Janis Dahl
Ashlee Freeney and Lauren Tucker
These two ladies were willing to step outside the box when dealing with student discipline. They allow students to come to school each day with clean slates and have implemented behavior plans that spotlight positive student actions. They are trusting the process and seeing gains!
Deb Fleming, Nicole Whatley, Josefina Barrerra, Danie Love, & Sadaf Zuberi,
Our SAIL crew received accolades from two district representatives. The words they used to describe our team include...
"They are, without a doubt, the strongest group of paraprofessionals I have ever observed. They work alongside of you seamlessly, and you can tell that they are all confident and competent in the roles that they perform. How fortunate are our students to have the opportunity to receive this level of supports and services on a daily basis?!"
Jen Baker and Ashlei Funtjar
Jen and Ashlei also received words from two sources.
"Each time I visit, I am continually amazed at the progress the students have made. You guys are amazing in your roles and I simply could not ask for more dedicated, passionate, and skilled teachers."
And another compliment...
"You have done a terrific job implementing a layered and differentiated reinforcement system, having clear procedures and routines, and utilizing the "station" model for instruction when appropriate. It is evident that these components of the program are implemented daily."
Way to go SAIL!!!
Data Dialogue Celebrations
- Consider a Throw Back Thursday as a way to spiral back in concepts already covered during problem solving.
- There is a free app called TEKS that has all the TEKS organized and easy to access, very user friendly
- Quote of the week, take time to notice and celebrate that "Even in the wrong answers, there is good thinking!”
Sonic Thursday Recognition
3rd grade team
My WHOLE team for going above and beyond for me when I was out. They didn’t even ask…they just did! I was able to rest and not worry about a single thing. They are not just teammates, they are LIFE LONG FRIENDS!!!
I love you guys!! Annie
Renee Dunagin
I nominate Renee Dunagin - She is always going the extra mile for her team. She handles tasks for us without hesitation, or often does them for the team before the rest of us even know about it. She takes on more than her share and does it with a smile! She is an amazing teacher and is always willing to share ideas! Jenny Parris
Dominique Gonzalez
I would like to nominate Dominique Gonzalez for...oh, so many things! First of all, she took time to help my sister and I with my youngest nephew who has significant speech delays. She met with him and put together a TON of activities for us. As if that wasn't reason enough, she also worked some magic with a reluctant parent. Seriously, she is the best of the best. :) Sarah Anderson
Upcoming Dates:
Lindsey is off campus on Tuesday, but will be back on Wednesday afternoon.
She will miss planning's next week, so wanted to give you a heads-up!
January 20: 3:20 All Staff Meets in the Cafe - Committee Day
January 22: Celebrate Smith, Principal Award Nominations for January Due to Kasey
In the future:
January 28, 29 Diverse Abilities Day
January 28 6:00 pm PTA Meeting/1st Grade Music Performance
Principal Awards - Due January 22nd
Committee Meetings on Wednesday
After the presentations, committees will break out to do further work around their goals.
Instructional Team Leader Notes
I would like to commend all that are participating in our annual Biggest Loser competition!
Our top three weight losing fanatics are:
Andrea Sibley losing 2.7%
Dana Andregg at 2.6%
Amy Bell at 2.4%
Way to go ladies! It is not always easy to stay on task, but if you reach deep and get your GRIT on, you WILL be successful!
See you lighter!
Carissa
Book Club, Book Club Read All About It!!!
Teaching Numeracy
Encourage thinking at deeper levels
Be less concerned with the right answers and more concerned with the questions
Fostering Grit
We talked about possibly having a “Grit Day” where students are required to do something very challenging-maybe even almost impossible so that they can experience how to handle failure and frustration. We would advertise it with parents so that they know how important it is to develop Grit.
The Literacy Playbook
Our takeaway was how can we make the data we derive from pre-assessments more and how can we use running records in a strategic way with our small groups?
Simply the Best
We made poster signs to hang in the bathrooms, so that everyone on staff can also be Simply the Best!
Results Now
1. We need to remember to welcome our substitute teachers (guest teachers) at Smith. They are a part of our family, if even for a day.
2. The new evaluation system (TTESS) is supporting more of a coaching model for administrators. The old model (PDAS) was really about maintaining.
3. Quote from page 39: “A caveat: when it comes to curriculum and standards, teacher need and deserve some flexibility; we need to allow for personal and creative variation…”
4. Fascinating information…”In international comparisons, the highest-scoring countries attempt to teach less than a third as many topics as those found in US textbooks. Narrowing the curriculum when done right, is not just permissible but essential.” This quote really supports the work we are doing with backwards planning and targeting the essential TEKS.
Next Book Club Date
Kasey
Smith Elementary
Email: smith@friscoisd.org
Website: http://schools.friscoisd.org/ES/smith
Location: 9800 Sean Drive, Frisco, TX, United States
Phone: 469-633-2200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Noel-Smith-Elementary/171764046491667
Twitter: @smithelem_noel