Wilson Ranger Post
9-28-2015
GE Reminders
Thank you so much for all the ways you are implementing GE in your classroom. What a treat to see a first grade class lead us all in Rise and Shine this morning! Thank you, 1D!
A few reminders...
Celebrations..make sure your are celebrating successes in your classes either through cheers, fist bumps or words to let your students know you see their great work! By the way, did you add the Disco Cheer from Friday's Rise and Shine to your celebration board??? :)
"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." - Mother Teresa
Greeters...Make sure your students know what to do when someone knocks on the door.
- Who will be the door greeter?
- How will they greet the guest and what will they say?
- How will they get the attention of the class if they need to make an introduction?
- How will the class respond when they have a guest?
"Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings." - Samuel Johnson, English writer, poet and lexicographer
Tatiana created a list of items to have posted and updated in your classrooms for our new teachers. Please double check to make sure you have these items posted:
1. Objectives (content and language) and Essential question
2. School creed
3. Class creed when/if created
4. Teaching certificate
5. Pictures to show community ( pics of you and your family, you and team, you and kids in classroom)
6. GE bulletin board that will include
- Life principle of the week
- Quote of the week
- Word of the week
- Poem of the week
7. It will be easier for learners to use quotes, life principle, and poems if they are posted around the classroom and made easy to view so that recitation can be successful. A great way to incorporate recitation of poems is during your transitions. It helps with classroom management too. Quotes are also great to recite when addressing behavior!
8. Enriched vocabulary Word wall
9. Content vocabulary
10. Lexicon
11. Displayed learner’s work with feedback from you or other learners(possibly on a sticky note)
12. PBL board
- Driving question
- Entry doc/event
- Knows and need to knows
Please make sure your learners are using your word wall.
"All things are difficult before they are easy." - Thomas Fuller
Write-A-Check - 1 Week to Go!!!
Please send any write-a-check donations down each morning by 8:30 am.
Collaboration is happening in Wilson Classrooms!
Language and Literacy
The CGA Creative Writing Competition posters are on the way -- they should be receiving them in within the next week.
Help us spread the word:
- Let your students know about this great opportunity to share their stories and poems!
- Hang the poster in your classroom as a visual reminder.
- Remind your passionate writers to enter.
- Consider individually letting learners know that his/her hard work on a particular assignment is worthy of submission.
- NOTE: This competition is not intended to be a mandatory class assignment. Instead, we are looking to showcase the talent of young passionate writers.
Important competition rules:
- All CISD students in grades 4-12 can enter.
- Students do not need to be “identified gifted”.
- CISD students do not need to be members of CGA.
- Categories: STORY and POETRY
- Maximum length: 10,000 characters (approximately 6 pages double spaced).
- Deadline: December 9, 2015
- FREE to enter. Winners will be published in a book to be released next spring.
- More information at: coppellgifted.org.
Please consider judging the event! We need lots of help to make this event a continued success. To sign up, please contact me at: competition@coppellgifted.org
Estudios Sociales
Elementary Social Studies educators are encouraged to be a part of the following opportunities that will be starting in October:
#1 CISD K-5 Social Studies Scope and Sequence (Flex credit awarded)
#2 Exploring Models for Social Studies/ELA Integration (Flex Credit awarded)
“National Hispanic Heritage Month” runs through October 15th. Please join me in paying tribute to Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society. #cisdss
Debra the Rebel
Banned Books Week
Did you know that every year, the last week of September is known around the country as “Banned Books Week”? No, the purpose is not to condone the banning of books, but to celebrate Intellectual Freedom, and the individual’s right to choose what they read. During Banned Books Week in Coppell, we focus NOT on the reading of banned books, but on the freedom to choose and read what we want.
Each year, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas compiles a report on books challenged and banned across the state. In 2013-14, ten books were banned, half of those in the same district. None involved CISD.
In CISD, there is a formal Reconsideration Committee of teachers, librarians, administrators, and parents who would meet should there be a challenge of any sort of material available in CISD schools. Our School Board’s official policy, EFA-Local, includes specific steps to be taken in case of a challenge. The principal and the librarian, or other professional involved in the choice of the material, are involved in the first step of the process. Their responsibility is to try and resolve the matter informally by explaining the school selection process, the criteria for selection, and the qualifications of the professional who selected the questioned material. In no case, would a book or material be pulled from use before all the steps in the policy have been taken.
Please let me know if you ever need assistance with questions regarding library materials.
CMS-East’s
Freedom to Read Display
Banned Books Week is September 27 through October 3.
CMS East's Freedom to Read Display
Sciency Stuff
SBRC Vertical Alignment
All campuses, please send one representative per grade level K-4 to the SBRC Vertical Alignment Meeting. During the meeting we will discuss grading expectations, rubrics, and answer questions that arise. This is not a content specific meeting. This meeting was intentionally scheduled to ensure that educators would have the information they need before they have to report for the 9 weeks report card. Those who attend should sign up in Eduphora of the meeting and be prepared to share what they learn back with their team. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Penny Trammel.
Did you hear, 5th Grade went to Pine Cove!?!?!?!
Testing and Accountability
TELPAS
On October 16th, Pearson is closing their Texas Training Center that is used to deliver TELPAS online training courses. Prior to 10/16, staff must download their training history and save their certificates of completion. The state requires that the basic training (about six hours) must be done for anyone who has not either trained or calibrated within the last three years. Without their documentation and certificates of completion, raters for TELPAS will be required to take both the basic online training andthe calibration before being able to rate for TELPAS. Please share with your staff that they must download all training history and certificates from the Pearson Texas Training Center prior to 10/16. If staff need assistance in accessing their account or downloading documents, please have them call Pearson at 1-800-627-0225.
ONLINE TESTING IN AWARE
If your learners are taking online tests through AWARE, their 5-digit student id is the username. The password for the entire district is cowboys. Please share this info with staff. Thank you.
STAAR 3-8 RAW SCORE CONVERSIONS FOR ALL PHASE-IN STANDARDS
STAAR 3-8 STATE RESULTS FOR ALL PHASE-IN STANDARDS
STAAR A 3-8 RESULTS FOR ALL PHASE-IN STANDARDS
(Notice the one consistent color.)
STAAR 3-8 2014-2015 COMPARISON (% INCREASE/DECREASE IN THOSE ACHIEVING SATISFACTORY)
(minor increases with some decreases)
UPCOMING ASSESSMENT DATES FOR SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
8/24-9/16: Grades K-2 BOY Assessment Window for DRA2/EDL2/WTG/TEMI Math Assessment
9/2-23: Grades K-2 BOY iStation Assessment Window
9/2-9/23: Grades 3-8 BOY iStation and Writing Assessment Window
9/8-9/23: Grades 3-8 BOY Assessment Window for ESTAR (elementary version) and MSTAR (middle school version) Math Assessment
9/19: CogAT Testing for GT Parent Referrals
10/13-10/16: CogAT testing window for 3rd/5th universal GT screening
10/14: PSAT for CHS and NTH
10/14: ASVAB for CHS
10/1-10/15: Registration window for November 5th/10th CBE testing
Intervention Services
RtI2 now has presence on our website!
We have added an abbreviated version of the RtI2 Guidelines to the Department of Intervention Services webpages.
This will serve as a resource that you can direct your parents to when they have questions like “What is RtI?”
Click link below to see the new pages on Response to Instruction & Intervention
http://www.coppellisd.com/Page/13133
We See You, Ranger Educators!
Smart and Creative people stuff
GT Universal Screening
Learners in Kindergarten, First grade, Third Grade and Fifth Grade will be universally screened for GT services this fall. Please note the following:
Learners in Kindergarten and First grade will complete planned experiences with their classroom educator and the GTi Specialist during the fall. The window will run from the beginning of October to the beginning of December. There will not be a CogAT administered to all first graders this year. (This is a change from the published district assessment calendar.) The elementary GTi Specialists will be conducting a training for your campus Kindergarten and First Grade educators during September.
Third Grade and Fifth Grade learners will be administered the CogAT in October as in years past.
- ALL fifth graders will sit for the CogAT as we believe it provides important data as learners as transitioning to middle school.
- Third grade learners who have been previously identified will NOT assess again during the October CogAT administration. A teacher on that grade level will need to be designated to work with those learners during the testing times on those days.
- “The Why” The State Plan for Education of Gifted and Talented Students as well as the 2013 program audit calls for us to minimize reassessment of GT identified learners.
GT Training
The catalog of 6 hour update trainings along with guidelines for requesting GT hours for outside workshops or a book study will be sent out the week of September 21st.
Any questions regarding any GT training can be addressed to Deana Harrell at dharrell@coppellisd.com.
Coppell Gifted Association
Once again, the Coppell Gifted Association is offering free educator memberships until October 16th to CISD educators and administrators. Last year the CGA sent 56 educators and administrators to TAGT in Fort Worth. Please encourage your staff member to join the CGA here.
Educator scholarships for training, TAGT in San Antonio in December and other professional learning opportunities are open now. Educators can apply here until October 1, 2015.
TAGT Parent Night on October 7th
Coppell ISD and CGA will be hosting the second ever TAGT Parent Night on October 7th at Coppell High School. We are excited to provide a speaker and an activities fair for our parents while learners have a hands-on experience. Food trucks will be on hand and more information will follow! All educators, learners and parents are welcome.