Cat Tracks
Spring Shadows Elementary Wildcats Staff Newsletter
January 28 - February 1, 2019
TEAM WILDCATS UNSTOPPABLE
The SSE Team presented in district gallery walk!
Our Vision
Our Mission
Core Beliefs
- Each student has unique intellectual, emotional, social, and physical qualities.
- We embrace a child’s individual values, interests, and personalities.
- Parents are confident in their child’s social and intellectual educational growth.
- Educators lead their craft by preparing learners in our fast changing world
1st Saturday Tutorials- Learning Anytime, Anywhere!
Collaboration is key!
Small group guided instruction!
Making sense of skills!
Principal's Message
This past week, I had the great pleasure of being trained along with all the SBISD principals and our core team of educators with Solution Tree's PLCs at Work: Taking Action for RtI at Work. It was an excellent training and I have plans for thoroughly training our staff. You will receive an introductory training on Feb. 6th on this. I walked away with a renewed passion for ensuring that no child slips through the cracks or fades into the background. Read this quote by former president Obama.
"In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity- it is a prerequisite."- Barack Obama
Do you believe you can change the course of history for a person?
You do. Every single day you choose to come to SSE to ensure that the children sitting in your seats are learning. I'm talking about truly learning all the time. As Scott says, that their brains are sweating.
Good first instruction comprising of effective core instructional programming (TCRWP, Reader's & Writer's Workshop, etc.) paired with guaranteed and viable curriculum (unit planning), and appropriate assessments (backwards planning design) must be top priority for us to ensure our children's goals of T24 are attained.
How well are you maximizing every instructional minute? How rigorous are all the student's activities and learning experiences? This week during PLC, take time to bring some samples of your students work and judge them based on their rigor.
Our urgency to educate children appropriately and at high rigorous levels is no longer an aspiration. It is something we have to do now. And at all times. We do not have time to put this at the way side. Our students lives depend on it. So what action step will you take this week to change the course of history?
On another note, this week, you will see me missing most of the week! These last few weeks I have been on a hectic schedule. It is all short and long range planning for our school. This week, I, along with the core ReDesign team will be off campus for our monthly training/planning. Then I will be off for the remainder of the week on a learning experience in New York and will be ready to share when I return.
With that being said, Cindy will be on campus ensuring your needs are met. If you need something, I am only a phone call away....
With love, respect, and admiration,
Rachel Martinez
Calendar
Monday, January 28, 2019
4th Grade Extended Planning
Group 2
- 8:00-10:00 ILT Meeting (Conference Room)
- 10:30-12:30 Cindy Off Campus
- 2:45-4:00 Team Leader Huddle (Conference Room)
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
5th Grade Extended Planning
Group 3
- ReDesign Core Team Convenes (Rachel, Maria, Laura, Noe, Elizabeth off campus)
- Alternative Lunch Duty Schedule
- 3:00-4:00 Afterschool
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
KIndergarten Extended Planning
Group 4
- ReDesign Core Team Convenes (Rachel, Maria, Laura, Noe, Elizabeth off campus)
- Jakerian Colvin off Campus @ Conference
- Alternative Lunch Duty Schedule
- Online Teacher of the Year Voting
- See to Succeed Field Trip
- 8:00-11:00 5th Grade Transition visit to Middle School
- 2:45 - 4:00 Faculty PLC
Thursday, January 31, 2019
PLC Thursday
Group 5
- Rachel off campus with ReDesign Team
- Jakerian Colvin off campus @ conference
- 3:00-4:00 After School
Friday, February 1, 2019
1st Grade Extended Planning
Group 1
- Rachel off campus with ReDesign Team
- Spiral Day
- ILT Planning Huddle (1:30-2:00)
Library News
Rockets - Read Nation Challenge is on !!! EVERY child's goal is to read 30 minutes EVERY day at HOME. Keep them reading!! Make them accountable!
Reading Update
SSE Readers now have 414,723! I KNOW SSE Readers will make a million - just keep them reading!!
Rank and Minutes by Classrooms
5th Grade Readers - Parada (53830,), Keyim (24,074), Denson (22,635) Calkins (6,430)
4th Grade Readers - Perez (15,182), Mendoza (12,452), Shankar (9,541), Hill (8,400), Dortch (4,629) Vargas (3,347)
3rd Grade Readers - Salazar (18,559) , Klauer (8,493), Lee (6,696) Carrabba (3,947)
2nd Grade Readers Alvarez (31,714), Urrutia (30,221), Zetino (27,818 ), Hudman (8,380), Gutierrez (6,184), Ochoa (5,182)
1st Grade Readers- Barron (39,184), Gomez (27,080) , Castaneda (19,755) Espejo (7,782), Garcia (7,075), Brown (2,278).
Kinder Readers - Moreno (18,280), Almaguer (7,340), Guykens(2,117) Campos (1,225), Cabrera (262),.
Top Grade Levels --------------Top 5 Classes
2nd Grade -109,499 -----------------Ms Barron 39,184
1st Grade - 103,154 ----------------Ms. Alvarez 31,714
5th Grade 83,677_ -----------------Ms. Urrutia 30,221
4th Grade - 53,551-------------------Ms Zetino- 27,818
3rd Grade - 37,695 ------------------Ms Gomez 27,080
Kinder - 29,224
Bookworm Festival on Saturday - I will send a couple notes home this week to those that have parent permission slips in.
Thanks again for your support!
Ann : )
Shout Outs
New Orleans Visit
Collaboration is key!
Movement!
- Custodial and Office team receives a huge shout out for working to clean and organize the front office under short constraints after they installed our new office tile.
- High Fives to Elizabeth and Sarah for venturing out of town to view signature learning experiences in New Orleans and Denver. We can't wait to hear what they learned!
- Many thanks to Bea and Olga for making the awards for our award ceremony!
- Thanks to Jakerian for working together with Rachel M. to conduct parent empathy interviews of about 25-30 parents on Friday morning!
- Kudos to our "Learning by Doing" RtI team- Maria, Noe, and Zetta for attending a 2 day training so we can ensure every child is receiving appropriate learning targets.
- Way to go the extra mile to Elizabeth, Ilsa, Rashmi, and Jorge for Saturday Tutorials! Unstoppable attitude in action!
Remember to Sign Up for Sunshine and PTA!
Join Sunshine & PTA for $30 (certified staff) & $25 (non-certified staff). You can pay cash or check to Mrs. Berryman or Mrs. Gentry. Checks can be made out to Spring Shadows Elementary.
We are trying to get 100% participation in Sunshine & PTA!
When you join, you get an SSE Unstoppable T-Shirt, 5 Jeans Passes, 4 Late Arrival Passes, and 4 Leave Early Passes.
Please review the PDF attachment to see our SSE Sunshine Bylaws that the team revised and agreed upon at our last meeting. This will give you more information about Sunshine and what your dues are used for.
Sunshine SEMESTER JEANS PASS for $30
The one caveat is that your jeans are to be worn with a nice shirt and shoes (not a t-shirt).
See Mrs. Berryman or Mrs. Gentry to pay for your pass!
Spring Shadows Elementary
Email: rachel.martinez@springbranchisd.com
Website: https://cms.springbranchisd.com/sse2/
Location: 9725 Kempwood Drive, Houston, TX, United States
Phone: (713) 251-7100
Twitter: @twitter_rachelmartinez4