Bronco Chronicles
Volume 41, February 16th - February 28th
Lead Learner's Message
Goooooood morning #BroncoStrong faculty and staff!
I hope everyone is having a fabulous Friday! As you all know, Spring is full of excitement so PLEASE read through this volume within 48 hours of receiving it. If you have any questions or concerns, please come see me. If you would like anything to be put in the next volume, send it my way! Also, I want to inform everyone that we will be getting some new furniture on 2/20 and we will discuss this along with a few other agenda items when we meet briefly at 8:15 in room 2 on our PLC day.
Please make sure ALL GRADES are input by 4:30 p.m. on 2/20. Report cards will be handed out on 2/22 during 2nd period. Finally, please make sure all MOY ESL Accommodations are updated in Google Sheets with comments by TODAY, 2/16.
I hope you make this Friday the BEST Friday of the week! Thanks so much for all you do and don't forget, our mindsets shape our behavior when it comes to learning. #Growthmindset
#BroncoStrong #BestYearYet #BuildaBetterBronco
Due Dates
1. 2/16: ESL MOY Accommodations and comments must be updated in Google Sheets.
2. 2/20: Grade posting closes at 4:30 p.m.
3. 2/22: Failure Monitor Reports are due and phone calls home must be made by the end of the day.
4. 2/23: Download Slack and create your profile. (it is a free APP...see Tech Tidbits) (Celly is going out of business at the end of the month, so Slack will be our new school communication platform/app.)
5. SIX WEEKS CHECKPOINTS MUST BE SCANNED BY 2/23 if you haven't already done this).
6. 2/23: Six Week Core Value Award Nominations are due.
7. 2/26: Telpas Raters and Verifier must have Telpas manuals read
8. 2/27: Core Value Votes will be calculated at the end of the day so we can name the winners.
Mark Your Calendar
2. 2/16: Grade posting opens at 7:30 a.m.
3. 2/16: VALENTINE DANCE!!!! (6:30-9:00pm) "The Enchanted Forest"
4. 2/19: Presidents' Day - NO SCHOOL - have fun with your families!
5. 2/20: PLC Day - we will start in room 2 at 8:15 - Grade posting CLOSES at 4:30 p.m.
7. 2/22: Report cards go home with kids (check your boxes)
8. 2/22: Bronco Track Meet (running only)
9. 2/22: Practice Online TELPAS @ the HS Library (a list of kids will be emailed to you on 2/20)
10. 2/23: #ShadowAStudent Day (Mrs. Monty will be shadowing a student all day.)
11. 2/26: Rater calibration in the JH Library from 2-4pm
12. 2/26: Teacher Partner Appreciation Day.....show your teacher partner some LOVE!
13. 2/28: Staff Lunch - Mardi Gras.....NOLA/Cajun Favorites
Jar
#CoreValues #Grit #BroncoStrong
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#CoreValues # Responsible #BroncoStrong
Awesome
Teacher Feature
Mrs. Bay is our featured teacher in this volume of the Bronco Chronicles! Please read through his feature and get to know him a bit more!
Favorite Hobby: anything where I can enjoy warm sunshine-- especially watching Texas Rangers baseball
Favorite Snack: chocolate, beef jerky, chips & salsa
Favorite Color: light tan (just kidding...I love ALL colors!)
Favorite Food: anything Mexican
Favorite Movie: so many…The Blind Side, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, all of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (basically anything with Johnny Depp…OK, or Matthew McConaughey for that matter), the Bourne series, Top Gun, Nacho Libre, Elf, Hocus Pocus…I could go on...
Favorite Candy: currently--Hot Tamales or anything chocolate
Favorite Store: At Home
Favorite Book: The Book Thief
Favorite Learning Experience in School and Why: Kindergarten--for real. We had to answer questions about a story we just read, and I was freaking out, crying, because I couldn’t remember. My teacher came to me to ask what was wrong, and I told her. She patted me on the back and said it would be OK, and told me to just TRY. Well, I TRIED, and when she closed the lesson, she told the whole class that I was the only one who got all of them right. I was shocked! It stuck with me because that one, little, three-letter word made all the difference. I wanted to sit and cry and give up….but she told me to try, so I did.
HS Attended: Graham High School
College Attended: University of North Texas
Favorite Quote: Aside from Bible verses, I have 3:
1. If plan “A” doesnt’ work, there are still 25 other letters to try; stay cool.
2. Be patient with yourself; nothing in nature blooms all year.
3. Courage is a hard thing to figure….I mean any fool can have courage. But honor, that's the real reason for you either do something or you don't
Tech Tidbits
Slack
Slack is a team messaging platform that is much more efficient and user- friendly than email for team communication.
Messaging takes place on Slack through channels, which are like separate chat rooms for different conversations. A channel can be public or private, making it flexible for all kinds of communication needs. And it’s more than just messaging: Users can also attach files and hold side discussions about these files within the larger conversation.
This tool would be wonderful for staff communication, where channels could be created for different uses: one for the whole school, smaller channels for departments or grade-level teams, and even smaller ones for special projects.
Slack would also work for students working on group projects, participating in clubs, student government, or sports teams, or staying in touch with their teacher or classmates about class assignments and due dates. And because so many workplaces are shifting away from email and toward platforms like Slack, getting students used to this type of environment will make it easy for them to transition to the workplace.
Similar Tools: Asana, Aula, Classuite, Yammer
Website: slack.com
ACTION REQUIRED: Please download the Slack App as we will be using this as our communication platform rather than Celly (Celly is going out of business on 2/28.)
Presidents' Day
More Tech Tidbits
STORYBIRD
Here’s how Storybird works: Users begin by browsing through a gallery of artwork until they find an inspiring image, and then they write a story or poem to accompany the image. The written piece can then be published on Storybird or purchased as a print book.
Using the “class” feature, students are grouped into a private class separate from the regular public Storybird community. Within this space, student work is published only for consumption by other class members. Other students can comment on their peers’ work, and teachers can moderate those comments before the writers see them.
Users are limited to using Storybird’s artwork, and layout is largely controlled by Storybird as well. Although this could be seen as a disadvantage, what it offers is a consistently attractive end product, and these limitations mean that students can concentrate on their writing.
You can make the most of Storybird by creating assignments for your class and following their blog for monthly writing challenges and ideas. Storybird also offers a fantastic fundraising program, where schools can earn 30 percent of sales on student books.
Website: storybird.com Difficulty: Easy Platform: Web
Price: Free for individual use. Educator plans are free and now include unlimited class sizes and Pro features.
PLC Day - 2/20
I will be visiting and offering support to each PLC in relation to the data dig. I will make sure and visit your PLC in the afternoon so your team can focus on your Plans for Learning in the morning.
I will come by and spend some time with each PLC to offer support in relation to interventions and looking at data. PLEASE EMAIL ME AND TELL ME WHERE EACH PLC WILL BE MEETING.
Breckenridge Junior High School
Email: michelene.etzel@breckenridgeisd.org
Website: principaletzel.blogspot.com
Location: 502 W Lindsey St
Phone: 254-212-4311
Facebook: www.facebook.com/breckjh
Twitter: @mich_rob10