Monday Memo
Week of February 3rd- 7th
Greetings, CCE!
Football Season is in the Air! Walking into H-E-B this week and finding everything decorated in our American Football theme really makes the upcoming Super Bowl Game come alive! I even got to watch as the bakers worked on creating chocolate covered strawberries shaped as footballs! Mrs. Baker and I also shared some yummy recipes Friday night to get ourselves ready for Sunday snack time while watching the game!
Whether you may really love football and are counting down to watch the game (Gloria!!) or will be doing everything in your power to avoid watching by going shopping or even grading papers during the game, there is something powerful to say about the theme behind this weekend.
It's all about TEAMS and TEAMWORK!
This is what the Oxford dictionary says about a Team:
a group of players coming together to achieve a common goal
Oxford also defines Teamwork as:
the combined action/result of a group of people, especially when effective and efficient.
Here's what those bold words mean to me as I think about this weekend and it's relation to what we do:
As educators and staff, our game doesn't begin or end on a field, rather our school building and in our classrooms. Our game starts each day at around 7:10 AM Monday - Friday and sometimes after hours and on weekends. Why do we do it? ......It's our "Why" our common goal that drives our TEAM here at Cottonwood Creek Elementary to keep doing what we know we do best: teach from the heart each and every day! Why? Because our kids matter, therefore, the work that we do each day matters! You matter! Don't forget that! Even if the game gets hard or your team begins to struggle in a play. Work together because- YOU ALL Matter! Then Bring IT!
Like in any great team, working with each other and alongside each of our own grade level teams or departments we are challenged by each other to be actionable and to be the best we can be because our team relies on us to "Bring It!" each and every day. Together we can drive results!
This Super Bowl weekend, take the time to remember your "Why" and show up for your TEAM each and every day! Your TEAM of kids, your TEAM of colleagues, your school TEAM and your community.
Oh...and if you read up to this part of my Memo- Jean Day on Monday with any TEAM or Hutto Jersey/Campus Shirt! Show your TEAM spirit!
Thank you for Inspiring Excellence in Academics, Character, and Community! Go Team!
What's Happening at CCE...
Week of Feb 3rd: No BLAST Classes & PTA Candy Gram Sales
2/3: 2nd Positive Phone Calls Due - Turn In Paper Copy or Upload your form into our Campus Drive- Grade Level Folder- Sign In Sheets Folder. Thank you!
PTA Choir & Movie Night Flyers: Send Home to Parents
Region 13 Behavior Team Training for Select CCE Teachers/CHAMPS & Restorative Practices
8-3:30 PM @ PLC Room; Lunch Provided for Group 11-12 PM
Vote: Last day to Register to Vote (see Todd Robison's email) for March Elections!
PTA Meeting 6-7 PM
2/4: 100th Day of School!! Flyer Here (Please push out and encourage your kids to participate)
5th Grade Medium Term Planning AM/PM
Staff Meeting: 5 Love Languages/Capturing Kids Hearts Refresher (All Staff) See below for Classroom teacher information
2/5: 3rd Grade Medium Term Planning AM/PM
PLCs- K-2 (Writing w/Gloria) @ PLC Room
PLCs- GLLs 3rd-5th (On your own)
2/6: Principal's Meetings (Pachicano Out all Day)
2nd Grade Medium Term Planning PM
2/7: Progress Reports Date
Kinder Medium Term Planning AM
2nd Medium Term Planning PM
PTA Movie Night: CCE Choir Performance Toy Story 6-8 PM, Thank you, PTA!
Please come out to support your campus and students!
Other News, Reminders & Need-to-Knows
Celebrating Good Things
No birthdays this week
It's National Counselors Week!
On behalf of our entire campus, we want to give you a million thank you's for all you do for our school, kids, and staff! There is no one else that we would want to serve us as our School Counselor!
We hope that you enjoy your week!
Valerie, Be on the lookout for lots of little surprises this week on behalf of our campus TEAMS! We love you! Gracias and Gracias!
Launching Us Off!
Ode to Football by Ethan Taufa
Football, Footy
It all sounds the same
When you play it you’re in the game
You tackle
You pass
You kick
You chip
Don’t be worried who you hit
I run
I score
I yell and shout
But it all depends until the final count
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
We win
Or lose
We give it our all
But best of all we have fun.
Teachers' Corner
Submit a story, success, aha! moment, funny, photo, announcement, etc. that you would like our CCE family all to know about. Email it to me by Friday of each week and I will put it in the next Monday Memo.
ECSE/HIH is Bringing IT!
Also have to say "Way to Go" with recreating the story "3 Little Pigs" in the classroom dramatic play area. Very neat to hear little ones "huffing and puffing" as they play!
Specials TEAM Brag!
This group has been soooo flexible and supportive in allowing presentations i.e. counselor visits, presentations, etc. They are truly amazing!
This is definitely the BEST Specials TEAM!
Valentine's Day is Almost Here!
Here is the current schedule for Parties; updates will continue as GLLs check in with their teams. GLLs have edit rights only.
Teachers- Please take into account any allergies, etc. and communication that you need to send out to parents.
Cafeteria is scheduled for regular lunches this day~ Thank you!
Thinking of Recommending Retention for a Student? - What you need to know about February Teacher Conferences
What you should know~
1. Face to face conferences should be held in the spring with parents of students who teachers are concerned about either academically or behaviorally, or anyone that is in danger of being retained by March 2nd, 2020.
2. This week, teachers will be receiving a list of students from Estella who have missed more than 18 school days up to this time (or are at risk of more absences). State law says that students who have missed more than 10% of school instruction, equal to 18 school days, are at risk for retention. Teachers need to plan to meet with these parents to discuss possible retention and share how their student is doing academically in their classes.
3. If you are contemplating retention of a student, notify your principal before it is discussed with the parent; the proper paperwork must be completed. All students being considered for retention MUST be receiving interventions.
Please NOTIFY me if you have any students that meet 1 or 2 (or both). By Feb. 7th
I will schedule a quick meet with the group for 15 minutes after school as a whole to discuss information that you need before you hold that conference with your parent. We will review criteria for retention, documents that are required, and how to proceed.
Positive Phone Call #2
Upload of the phone call logs can also be made in your Cottonwood Creek Elementary Drive- Grade Level Folder; Grade Level; Sign-In Sheets Folder.
From the Front Office~
Parent Phone Calls Made~ Please leave parents a message when calling home rather than just hanging up. When parents call the office back, they usually do not know who called them from the school number and we have a hard time supporting them. Thanks TEAM!
Dismissal Lists Needed: Updated after school list or dismissal list from classroom teachers needed by our front office. This will help us know which kiddos are supposed to go where.
TEXAS PTA Information: Vaping Training/Info Session
More information is available at
https://www.txpta.org/straight-talk
We will try to record this for our staff and will also be sharing the information with our parents in their Monthly Newsletter for February.
T-TESS Reminders
Please continue to track how your students are doing with meeting their Student Learning Objectives. Keep this on your radar to help you drive next steps with students to support your goals.
How's your T-TESS Goal Going?
Keep your professional goal on your radar and in sight :)
TalentED:
Please log in and sign off on any pending documents in your T-TESS folders, Greg and I are almost wrapped up with our observations and look forward to sharing EOY expectations for Summatives, etc. with the group in March.
NEW Afterschool Opportunity: Hola! Hola!
We will be sending out flyers for a new afterschool opportunity supported by our local Hutto Education Foundation. Here is some information about the Spanish Immersion after school program from the company, if you would like more information. (See Lizzy Samples' email as well).
The program will be run entirely by the company; this information will also be shared with families in this month's newsletter. Gracias!