The Mighty Cub
January 8- January 12
Our Mission
Our Cultural Vision
This Week
January 8
- Basketball Lady Cubs 7B/8B@AMS
- Holub--Boys B-ball B Teams@Holub
- Forward & Beyond--Lunch Promo
January 10
- Basketball Lady Cubs 7A/8A@Holub
- Department/Content PLC
- District Secondary Science Fair@Taylor HS
- Holub--Boys B-ball A Teams@AMS
January 11
January 12
- Fundraising: Academic Night
Admin Corner
- We should have a final inspection conducted this week. Once that is done, a certificate of occupancy will be obtained and we will be able to use that beautiful gym. I anticipate being able to use the gym within the next 3 weeks. I appreciate your patience and flexibility throughout the building process. Special thanks to our coaches who were inconvenienced but handled it with professionalism and positivity.
Counselor's Corner -
10 Golden Rules for Students
Every educator wants their students to be happy and to grow into nice, well-balanced students for the school year. But how do you know that you’re doing the right thing for your students?
There are things that all students need in order to learn, such as self-confidence, proper school behavior, sharing, trust, and an educator willing to learn new ways to connect with students. Remember, your job is to teach them, and teaching may take on many forms. Also, the journey to connect with your students may be an education for you as well.
If you use these 10 simple rules while your students are developing they will be better prepared for the problems that may come up later in the school year.
1. Help your student feel secure and safe. Student’s fears can be very real. Reassure your student with kind words and unconditional trust.
2. Set limits on what your students are allowed to do so they know what’s expected of them and what will happen if the rules are broken. Don’t make too many rules, just a few that can be enforced. But remember, effective follow-through must go hand in hand with good discipline.
3. Help your students develop self-respect. Impress on them that winning isn’t everything, but doing their best is. They will soon learn what their strengths and limitations are by experience.
4. Teach your students to set realistic goals. Give them challenging homework assignments, but make them attainable. Try not to make different students compete for the same thing. Make sure older students don’t ridicule younger students just because they’ve done it all before.
5. Communicate with your students at all times. Sometimes you should stop whatever you’re doing and listen to what they have to say. Don’t drop everything all the time, but just when they really seem to need your attention.
6. Encourage your students to express their feelings. Help them identify and talk about all their feelings, including unpleasant ones, so they feel no need to keep them bottled up. Show your students how to turn negative feelings into positive energy.
7. Be supportive of your student’s creativity and don’t be too quick to criticize. Allow students to feel good about expressing themselves through drawing, painting, writing, crafts, and other activities. This will lead to real problem solving skills and self-confidence.
8. Spend time with your students, and try to make it an enjoyable habit. Students need to learn how to share, cooperate and get along with others. Show them you enjoy their company by interacting with them or just talking together. You could set aside a time after school to talk about the events of the day.
9. Look after yourself and your school. Students learn to respect their environment when those in power do the same.
10. Don’t expect perfection of yourself. Every educator makes some mistakes, so don’t anticipate doing it all right the first time around. Over time, your skills as a compassionate educator will sharpen. Give it time and never quit.
*Special thanks to Ms. Redmond for sharing this info.
S.T.A.R Students
Teachers, please take a few minutes to submit your student names for S.T.A.R. Students. These students are often the students in the “middle.” Students who do not typically receive acknowledgements or recognitions for their academic work. These are the students who are in the 70%. We are not looking for students on the Honor Roll or students with common behavior problems. However, we are looking for students who do not get the recognition they truly deserve. They are students who work hard everyday. Students who help other students in class or in the hallway. Students who show excellent citizenship or great character. Everyone of us knows at least one student in our classroom who fits this criteria. Please take time to submit your names to Mrs. Quintanilla. Students will receive a letter from Commissioner Steve Radick and a snack voucher from one of our Alief Community Businesses. I look forward to your submissions.
Mrs. Quintanilla
SIOP Tip of the Week
Collaborative Dialogues
Purpose: To support the comprehension and use of academic language structures
Grouping Format: Teacher – student dialogue
Teacher Actions:
- Responds to student utterances in a one-to-one or small group conversation
- Uses a variety of strategies that provide needed academic language information such as: Repetition, Recast, Reformulation, Prompt
- Models academic vocabulary and structures
- Encourages students to continue responding by prompting for further academic language
Student Actions:
- Interacts with the teacher by responding to oral language questions
- Incorporates target vocabulary and academic language structures in the oral language conversation as the teacher models their usage
Upcoming Events
January 15
- STAFF/STUDENT HOLIDAY
- Forward & Beyond in AMS Cafe-4:00-6:15
- Hospitality Meeting@7:45
January 17
- Basketball Lady Cubs 7B/8B @Killough
- Department/Content PLC
- Killough--Boys B-ball B Teams @AMS
- SDC Meeting @7:30
January 18
- 3 weeks PR grades due
- 7th and 8th grade A team tournament at Spring Branch
- Boys basketball Tournament@AMS
January 19
- Fundraiser: Baseball Team
Shout Outs!!
Shout out to Ms. M. Tran for helping the new NJHS sponsors with getting things started.
Shout out to Ms. Polk for being our Mighty Cub of the Week Award winner! Don't forget to park in the front.
Do you have a "shout out" you would like to share with the staff? Send it to Mr. Lopez via e-mail or text.
Project-Based Learning - Redbird Professional Learning
Project-Based Learning (PBL) is an instructional approach where students master content and skills through authentic real-world experiences. The foundation of PBL is rooted in inquiry, creativity, and relevance. It is much more than just a project though; students have the opportunity to uncover learning through exploration and discovery.
PBL deepens student understanding and allows for digital thinking where students can leverage resources like their community, global experts, online articles, videos, and more. It provides students with opportunities to create, craft, test, refine, and present their work. During their work on a given project, they are reading, writing, speaking, listening, and problem solving as they collaborate with experts, classmates, and perhaps even students from other parts of the world.
Some of the key characteristics of PBL:
- Key Understanding
- Challenging Problem/Question
- Sustained Inquiry
- Authenticity
- Student Voice & Choice
- Reflection
- Critique & Revision
- Public Product
Click here for a detailed description of each bullet point listed above.