Monday Memo
November 28th - December 2nd
Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. -William Arthur Ward
I hope that you are having a fabulous week. I have gotten so much accomplished, but the week seems to be flying by so quickly. My hope is that by sending this to you now, you will have plenty of time to catch up on all of the upcoming events and be up to speed on everything when we return on Monday.
The announcement of our Holiday Staff Party is shared below. Please make sure to RSVP by December 2nd. Sadly, I won't be able to attend because this is scheduled on the same night as the McKinney Parade of Lights and Lauren will be in the parade. Regardless, I hope that you are able to take advantage of a night of fun and laughter and enjoy the time together. I'm sorry I won't be able to make it, but I know that you understand. If you are able to attend, you might want to watch out for Carin Thomas' white elephant gift. She really puts some time and effort into finding the most unforgettable items.
As I reflect on my many blessings, please know that I count you as one of them. I am so grateful to be a part of this team, the work that we do and the manner in which we support each other. I could not be more proud.
Make today count,
JL
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High Reliability Schools
PLEASE REMEMBER TO SUBMIT YOUR HRS EVIDENCE IN YOUR TEAM FOLDERS!
Thank you to all of the teams that submitted lagging indicators for HRS leading indicator 1.5! This week, we will be focusing on leading indicator 1.6: Students, parents, and the community have formal ways to provide input regarding optimal functioning of our school. As you think about the lagging indicators (evidence) on your team that align with this leading indicator 1.6, make sure to drop a few things in your team folder located at
Data collected from parent and student perception surveys
PTA meetings
School Board Meetings
Voting
Social Media
Town Hall phone conferences
Face to face meetings with admin
Email correspondence
Safety committee
Parent Teacher conferences (all conferences, year round)
Student learning surveys
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Professional Learning Communities
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Please RSVP by December 2nd
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Grant Opportunity for Professional Development
SCHOLARSHIPS for continuing education
DEADLINE: December 1st
Texas PTA also offers $500 scholarships to teachers, teachers’ aides, or other faculty members planning to take college credit courses, workshops or other continuing education which improves the applicant’s teaching proficiency or applies to a specific education-related certification (includes middle management, administrator, counselor, etc.). These courses may include online correspondence courses.
Submit your application at www.txpta.org/programs/scholarships
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Shoparoo
Did you know that each week I give out jeans passes to those who are one of the top three participants on Shoparoo? I know that many of you have already joined, but if you haven't, it is not too late. Simply go to www.shoparoo.com to create your account. If you use veft4467 as a referral code, McGowen will earn money for you just signing up. Please feel free to push this information out to your parents as well. Once you sign up, Shoparoo will give you a referral code for your parents to use when they sign up. Schools with just 40 supporters are earning an average of $1,000 every year.
Congratulations to Krista Daniel and Barbara Peebles for being in this week's top three on Shoparoo!
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Focus for 2016 - 2017
In order to help every child their personal best, McGowen teachers and staff will:
- Knowledgeably speak about our current practices that contribute to McGowen becoming a Level 1 Certified High Reliability School.
- Actively participate in grade level and content Professional Learning Communities.
- Engage in collaborative team planning and lesson design that addresses the four essential questions of a PLC.
- Present lessons in such a way that students understand and can speak knowledgeably about posted learning and language targets.
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Remind for Staff
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Happy Birthday!
December
Barbara Peebles - 9th
Danielle Fortenberry - 13th
Nick Relle - 13th
Krista Daniel - 24th
Amber Evans - 26th
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Appreciations
- JD - Thank you for sending out the progress report/mail merge info. I appreciate you looking out for everyone. -JL
- Kristi, Deanna and Jen - Thank you for being willing to stay after school on a Friday afternoon to come up with a plan to support a few struggling students. - JL
- Donna - Thanks for managing all of our evening custodial issues. I appreciate the time and effort you put into taking care of us and our building. - JL
- Stacie- Thanks so much for all of your help with camp! I can't do it without you! SL
- Shiela- Thanks for helping me with Cabin Games 2016! SL
- 5th Grade Team- Thanks so much for another great year at camp! SL
- Nurse Shannon- I appreciate how organized you are to make sure camp ran smoothly! SL
- Cab- Thank you for all you do to help our students and us. You always go above and beyond to ensure our McGowen family is well taken care of no matter what and I love you more then you know because of that. Love you dear friend!!! Love, JD
- Bravo, Chitwood, Hoye, and Prugh- I’m beyond blessed to be working with the best ladies and educators that I know! Your flexibility, commitment, knowledge, collaboration, and love for teaching is evident on a daily basis. I work with the best team ever and I love you all! Love, JD
- Donna- Thank you once again for all that you do behind the scenes to help make McGowen run smoothly. I also want to personally thank you for always being so uplifting and having a Godly heart that is quick to listen and full of love and good positive advice. No matter how I feel when I walk into your office I always leave feeling uplifted, joyful, and full of love because of you. Love you sweet friend! Love, JD
- Afternoon car rider crew- Thank you for all that you do to make car rider so smooth and quick. It takes a village to make the process work and you all are amazing at ensuring it goes effortlessly no matter what is thrown at us. Love you all! Love, JD
- Sylvia- Thank you for all that you do for our McGowen family and for 5th grade camp! Camp goes so smoothly because of the close collaboration that you have with our team and I love how you always go above and beyond to take the little details off of our plate so we can focus on teaching our students. You are truly amazing sweet friend! Love, JD
- Chit- Thank you for always taking on the 5th grade camp t-shirt orders every year! You always do an amazing job with taking the ideas from the team and working with the t-shirt company to ensure that we have the best camp shirts! Love you Chit! Love, JD
- JL- Thank you for all the free jeans days the last few weeks. It is so nice to be recognized for all our hard work with a free jeans day(s)! You are truly amazing JL! Love, JD
- Stacie- Thank you for all that you do with 5th grade camp and the beyond the scenes details that must be dealt with. Love you dear friend! Love, JD
- Jennifer & Sylvia thank you for taking time to help us figure out a strong plan for our boys. KWard
- Deanna & Jennifer thank you for putting in the extra time to support one another and create a better environment for our friends. KWard
- Tracey, thank you for always listening and being supportive! KWard
- Michelle, thank you for working so hard to help our special friends in 4th grade. KWard
- Rico, thank you for staying strong no matter what, and helping out in the many different ways you do. KWard
- Trisha, thank you so much for bringing so much sunshine to my life. I love you sweet friend!! KWard
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Bad Dude
Anyone that has the joy of working with Martha knows that she is one of the kindest and most patient people. While she is currently inundated with re-evaluations and new consents, she also attends all requested staffings and helps out other campuses in the district. She is so knowledgable and has a vast understanding and is always willing to share and collaborate. Martha is extremely positive and therefore you could not be around her and not smile!
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McKinney ISD's Vision, Mission and Beliefs
Any time we have an idea, concern, solution and/or comment, this is the filter through which we should speak. Let's help each other live up to our vision, mission, and beliefs.
Vision:
We are a cohesive, diverse community providing engaging learning experiences for all.
We will provide engaging learning experiences so students can become effective communicators, quality contributors and socially responsible citizens.
Beliefs:
- Partnerships between students, parents, community members and staff are foundational to educational success.
- Positive school culture and a safe environment foster growth.
- Everyone has inherent value and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
- Learning is an active process requiring engaging tasks and engaging minds.
- Relevant and authentic experiences ignite continuous, deeper learning.
- Meaningful relationships enrich learning.
- Confidence fuels risk taking and higher achievement.
- Financial stewardship ensures a tomorrow for education.