UHMS Rising Phoenix
Uplift Hampton Middle School November 11, 2019
"Be Committed, Be Consistent, Be Courageous"
Better Than Perfect
Hello Phoenix Nation,
‘Tis the season to be thankful. Well, this is according to Nordstrom’s, who won’t deck their halls until after Thanksgiving. They believe in celebrating just one holiday at a time. Everyone else (as in Target, Ulta, etc.) has already started “roasting chestnuts on an open fire” and “rocking around the Christmas tree”. We encourage you to be more like Nordstrom’s and fully enjoy this Thanksgiving holiday break. Rest, recharge, enjoy your family and friends, be grateful for all things, and eat a turkey or two while you’re at it. With all that is going on in the world, we would all benefit from investing in positive energy and showing gratitude. We are thankful for a hard-working staff—a team dedicated to scholars and their families, staff who put a smile on their face and give scholars their best amid whatever challenges there may be. Just like we give our scholars a fresh start every day, we need to give ourselves one too! No one can bring their best self every single day, but what we can do is offer ourselves grace. Grace is necessary in order to achieve a healthy working style. Our goal is to strive for progress, not perfection! Sometimes done is better than perfect. “Be thankful for one another. If you made a list of all the things you could be thankful for, the list would undoubtedly be longer than your misfortunes.” Catherine Pulsifer
Thankful,
Priscilla, Chataqua, Chrissy, and Jabez
Things to DO
ESL: Ellevation were due on November 8th. If you have not completed your accommodation forms do so immediately.
SPED: If you have not done so, complete the Failure Justification form for all SPED scholars that failed your course. The purpose of the Failure Justification form is to assist the Special Education team in monitoring whether a scholar’s IEP is allowing them to be successful. If you have any questions regarding the use of the justification form, let Toni know.
Hallway Presence: Teachers need to be on threshold for each transition. There are too many scholars still in the hallway when the bells rings due to them not being swept into their classrooms. Tardies are frustrating so help your team and grade level with getting scholars to where they need to be on time! Mark tardy scholars late in HERO.
Bathroom Concerns: There have been several issues with the bathroom on the 6th grade hallway. Please help monitor bathrooms and scholars; when you walk by if you notice a lot of scholars in the bathrooms help get them out and back to class. In addition, please limit the number of scholars you send to the restroom to one at a time and limit the number of scholars you send to the restroom throughout the class period. Remember first 10 and last 10. Scholars should not be allowed to go to the restroom or out of class the first 10 minutes of class and the last 10 minutes of class.
Independent Practice: Scholars should have some type of independent practice during each lesson. Group work and work with teacher guidance is not independent practice. If you need help creating lessons that have independent practice, please reach out to your dean or interventionist for support.
Expectations, Reset, Plan: Please work with your grade level to create a plan around resetting expectations when we return from Thanksgiving break and how to hold firm to expectations until winter break. Reach out to your dean for any support you need.
Repeated for Your Convenience
TELPAS is Coming! We need to make sure we are ready for TELPAS testing. It will be here before you know it. State Training Modules – All Staff are required to complete the STAAR Training Models 1-3. The test admin training modules include active monitoring, distribution of materials, and handling secure material. https://www.texasassessment.com/administrators/training/
November Attendance Competition:
o Teachers who have 97% or above attendance (during the critical hour) receives a 1-month jeans pass (including Mondays)
o RT, TA’s who supports a grade level with 97% attendance (during the critical hour) or above receives 1-month jeans pass (including Mondays)
o Donut Party- Grade level with highest attendance % and each teacher receives one hour of extended planning
Staff Culture Committee: Donate to the Staff Culture Committee. They are asking for $10 donation (optional) for the semester. See Trenese or Tiffani for more information
Two Weeks At A Glance
Things to Know
Restroom Vandalism: Unfortunately, we are experiencing an uptick in bathroom vandalism. This includes inappropriate drawings on the walls, holes being broken in the walls, and wet toilet paper thrown on the ceiling, and sinks stopped up so the bathroom floods. Deans will visit advisory classes throughout the next week to message to scholars that this is unacceptable. Our announcements this week will include a message to scholars about the importance of keeping “our house” nice. This announcement introduced your scholars to our facilities team and emphasized the impact on real people when we vandalize or make a mess.
Out for Safe Schools: Last Thursday, Yasmin sent out an email with details about OUT for Safe Schools™, which is an expansion of our Safe Space program that will include an optional training opportunity designed to ensure that LGBTQ+ scholars and their families feel welcomed and affirmed at our schools. If you are interested in participating in the optional OUT for Safe Schools™ program, you can attend ONE of the three trainings. Again, these are optional trainings and you would only need to attend one. See Ms. Wesson (high school counselor) for more information.
We All Face Challenges: We know that there are times that everyone can use a little extra support. This is why at Uplift Education we provide you an easy-to-use Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Whether you need legal assistance, someone to talk to, or even a wellness coach, the Employee Assistance Program is there to help you every step of the way. For more information please review the LifeKeys Services, EmployeeConnect Services, & TravelConnect Services fliers.
To register for the free Employee Assistance Program, simply go to the Guidance Resources website and use the following login information:
User Name = LFGsupport
Password = LFGsupport1
To contact the EAP by phone, call 888-628-4824.
You will need to contact Guidance Resources via telephone to request free, in-person counseling sessions.
MOY Observation Window: Timeline at Uplift Hampton Middle School
Part 1: Oct 30 to Nov 22 - Classroom observations with a debrief meeting. Expect to see your
coach/manager observe for a minimum of 45 minutes of the class period. They will complete a Full Observation form on iShine, and they will schedule a debrief meeting with you to discuss the observation. The observation will be scheduled unless a reschedule has to happen. At that point, the observation will be unannounced.
Part 2: November 11 - All teacher self-assessment forms are due. Complete the self-assessment in the Mid-Year Performance Review 2019-2020 form on iShine. These forms are available now and can be completed at any time. Part 3 of this process cannot take place until you complete your self-assessment form! Mid-Year Self-Evaluations must be completed in iShine by November 11, 2019 @ 11:59pm.
Part 3: Dec 1 to Dec 15 - Middle of year evaluation meetings held with your manager. After receiving your self-assessment form, your manager will fill out the same form. You will meet with your manager to discuss your mid-year performance review. If you have read all of the above email Priscilla for a treasure.
Please reach out to your manager if you have any questions about this process! This is a formal checkpoint in the evaluation process and applies to all staff members regardless of role.
You are Awesome!
Karina, Brenda G, Tasha, Chism, Tammy, Laurasia, Stedmon, Ranae, De’onna, Marisha, Tiffani, and Joe for attending and participating in Family Meeting: Science Night
Mark, Brenda S, Javetta for attending UHMS Pre-view Day – you may wear jeans on Monday (yes, Monday)
Shenika for implementing Lead4Ward strategies
Xavier for making quick adjustments with his questioning techniques
Kennedy for implementing immediate feedback
Cynthia for coaching and modeling
Javetta for leading small group instruction planning and implementation
Tammy and Stedmon for consistently keeping their scholars engaged in learning and making learning fun
Katricia, Carmen, and Ms. Candler for being on the grind. We appreciate everything you do!
STAAR Goals
UHMS Phoenix Phamily Night: Perot Science Night
Teaching and Learning @ UHMS
Phoenix Nation!
Here's How to Reach Us!
Priscilla Parhms 469.236.2900 pparhms@uplifteducation.org
Chrissy Cormier 214.326.3002 ccormier@uplifteducation.org
Chataqua Mangum 972.897.4659 cmangum@uplifteducation.org
Jabez Deacon 414.562.7592 jdeacon@uplifteducation.org
Website: https://www.uplifteducation.org/Page/13790
Location: 8915 South Hampton Road, Dallas, TX, USA
Phone: 972-421-1982