UHMS Rising Phoenix
Uplift Hampton Middle School January 28, 2020
"Be Committed, Be Consistent, Be Courageous"
Strength from Struggle
Hello Phoenix Nation!
Thank you for being you. You did a fantastic job executing a memorable awards assembly for our scholars. To best serve the scholars in our care, it is important that we first know and care for ourselves. Continue to build relationships with your scholars and with each other. Human connection is the basis of the work we do. Promote learning and healthy development by fostering strong interpersonal relationships. Live. Laugh. Love. Life is an awesome journey. We must find the silver lining in every cloud to be the champions our scholars so richly deserve. It is up to us to remind ourselves that when we are challenged, and things are difficult, that is when growth happens (to be clear, no one, loves life all the time). We are incredibly proud of the hustle that each of you brings to this work. It isn’t easy, it isn’t glamorous, but it is so worth it. From the start of the year to right now, we have had so many victories, large and small. Take some time to celebrate both the progress and the strength from the struggle. “Strength comes from struggle. When you learn to see your struggles as opportunities to become stronger, better, wiser, then your thinking shifts from 'I can't do this' to 'I must do this.” - Toni Sorenson
With continued love, respect, and humility,
Priscilla, Chataqua, Chrissy, and Jabez
UHMS Represented at the Uplift Science Fair!
Things to Do
Grades: Update your grade book. You should have at least 6 grades in PowerTeacher by Jan. 31st
Scholar Data Trackers: Please update your scholar data trackers to reflect at a minimum, CA and MAP results. You can also include exit ticket and unit assessment data on your trackers. Trackers should be posted and updated by Friday, 2/7th. Reach out to your grade level team lead if you need support or ideas.
Black History Month: In honor of Black History Month, we are asking each class to create a bulletin board or window with student created work that honors famous African Americans that exhibits one or more of the MYP attributes or Learner Profile. Bulletin boards must be completed February 7th. The advisory with the best overall display will win a free dress day for scholars and prize for teachers.
Align Lesson to TEKS: It is important to align the rigor of our quizzes, exit-tickets, and independent practice to TEKs. To do this effectively, we need to spend time evaluating scholars’ work to assess their level of mastery. When we analyze the quality and accuracy of scholar work, we can make strategic changes to future lesson plans that will address scholar deficits and areas of weakness.
1. TEKs: Align all classroom activities to the rigor of the TEKs. Use the know/show strategy to make sure the work we are giving scholars is rigorous by looking for the verbs in the TEKs and aligning scholar work to those verbs. Teach any prerequisite skills needed to match the verbs in the TEKs.
2. TEACH: Teach vocabulary to scholars every day and every class. Start each class with a writing assignment or task.
3. RIGOR: Align quizzes and lesson practice to rigor of STAAR
4. REFLECT: Analyze exit tickets, quizzes, and independent practice to determine scholars’ level of mastery
Examine scholar work during class and after class. Compare scholar work to the exemplar example that you’ve created. We want every scholar to make progress toward creating exemplar level work. Reach out to your content team lead if you need support.
Carline/Duty Coverage: If you are sick, absent, leave early you are REQUIRED to get your duty covered by a teammate. Whomever has the day off needs to cover that class and then work it out as a team. Please write your duties in your sub plans. We are noticing a pattern of missing or late staff members.
ESL & STAAR Accommodations: ESL & STAAR Accommodations due February 7th . STAAR Linguistic Designated Support Forms will be sent out to 4th and 5th grade teachers for April STAAR exam recommendations on Monday, January 27th. You will receive an email directing you to our ELLevation website. Please complete the STAAR DS Forms by February 7th. LPAC will review and approve all appropriate DSs. If you would like to walk thru a form together email Mary at mhawkins@uplifteducation.org
Two Weeks At A Glance
Things to Know
Flu Season: We are experiencing several absences of scholars and staff. Here are some common practices we should do regularly on campus. 1) Make sure you have disinfectant wipes and at the end of the day to take 5 minutes and wipe down desks, chairs, and door handles. 2) Make sure your classroom has a bottle of hand sanitizer and students are spritzing their hands as they walk into class. 3) Continue to aggressively screen kids at the door and send children who look like they have flu-like symptoms to the nurse immediately (with a pass of course J). 4) Allow kids to bring water bottles into the classroom to stay hydrated. Make sure you have a water bottle and are drinking the water from it to stay hydrated. 5) Wipe off door handles and surrounding areas multiple times throughout the day. 6) Teach students to cough into their sleeve and not their hands. Take precautions. Take your vitamins, eat healthy, stay hydrated, and get plenty of rest.
Extra Duty Pay: All academic staff will receive a letter from HR stating they are approved for extra duty pay. This is for Saturday school and extra tutoring. All academic staff will receive access to time clock to log their time for extra duty pay. Please do not schedule any Saturday schools without approval from Priscilla. Any time logged in without approval will not be honored.
Re-Enrollment: Re-enrollment is for EVERY CURRENT scholar. The re-enrollment process will start in the next couple weeks. EVERY current scholar needs to re-enroll upon receipt of the email that Uplift's central office will send out (we do not know the exact date or time). More info to come with prizes for the advisory, grade level, etc. that finish first.
Here's a SHOUT OUT to...
Laurasia for leading the opening activity during staff development
Karina for sharing her data practices during staff development
Tammy, Stedmon, and Katricia for starting class with writing
Rosa for using Cornell Notes during Spanish
Gabby for teaching a really engaging and fun math lesson aligned to the TEKs
Yesenia for getting the report cards completed and out on time!
Marisha, Kennedy, Rosa, Kelly Anna, Laurasia, Karina, and Xavier for attending scholar basketball games this week
Alicia and Charles for making sure the cafeteria was set up and ready to go for the Awards Assemblies
Chelsie, Daniel and Marisha for consistently helping in the cafeteria during dutyDaniela for making sure the copies are made for ELT
STAAR Goals
UHMS Writing Focus
Push scholars to be more exact and specific when they write. Are scholars answering questions, composing essays, and/or writing paragraphs at a college-level? Or are scholars regurgitating some generic words and phrases, but failing to ever write about the specific and more detailed elements of the topic? Push scholars to be more exact with their language and add more detail to explain their thinking. We can support scholars by showing them how to borrow words from text, and we can provide scholars with word banks of synonyms and high-frequency words.
The best way to know if scholars’ responses are exemplar is for us to do the writing that we expect scholars to do. If we have written the essay, the paragraph, or the written responses to questions, we know exactly what we expect and are able to provide scholars with feedback and specific guidance.
If you have questions about writing reach out to your content team lead, your interventionist, your dean, or Priscilla
January Expectations for Increasing Rigor
Literacy Instruction: Reading and writing occurs in every Core class daily and in Electives at least monthly
· Every period starts with some form of writing. Writing is the most difficult thing you can have the brain do
· All Core classes are using Close Reading Strategies
· Scholars read and use textbooks and other complex readings daily
Habits of Discussion: 100% of teachers will prompt for exemplar responses
· Higher level thinking questions are scripted in the lesson plan with exemplar responses
· Scholars engage in academic conversation with each other
· Scholars can respectfully agree and disagree with each other
ELT: 100% of teachers are engaging scholars in the work
· Scholars are in class and actively working
· Teachers are circulating and checking work
· Teachers are using a tracker system to determine if scholars are completing work
Lesson Execution: Teachers execute high quality lesson plans daily
· Teacher teaches with lesson plan in hand or close by
· Teacher has evidence of high-quality scholar work based on lesson plans
January Expectations for a Brilliant School Culture
School Environment: The school environment feels safe, welcoming, and supportive of scholar and learning
· The school (including classrooms and common areas) is clean and clutter-free
· The school feels welcoming to everyone who enters and there is a consist joy factor
· Safety concerns can be freely expressed
· Regularly elicit feedback on instruction and learning from peers, scholars, admin, coaches
Scholar Work Posted: Bulletin boards are inviting and have current scholar work posted
· 100% of scholar work posted is exemplar
· 100% of scholar work posted is 4 weeks old or less
· 100% of your bulletin boards have work on them
· 100% of data walls are updated
Hero Usage: Teachers are utilizing HERO to track scholar behaviors and habits.
· 100% of UHMS scholars have at least 1 positive HERO recognition
· 100% of UHMS teachers have used the HERO system to give positive praise (Precise Praise)
Staff Climate
· 100% of the teachers have someone at work they can talk to “best friend”
· 100% of teachers have at least 1 administrator they can talk to openly and honestly
· 100% of teachers can give a feeling word at huddle by the end of the month
UHMS: We Power Transactions That Drive Learning
Phoenix Nation!
Here's How to Reach Us!
Priscilla Parhms 469.236.2900 pparhms@uplifteducation.org
Chrissy Cormier 214.326.3002 ccormier@uplifteducation.org
Chataqua Mangum 972.897.4659 cmangum@uplifteducation.org
Jabez Deacon 414.562.7592 jdeacon@uplifteducation.org
Website: https://www.uplifteducation.org/Page/13790
Location: 8915 South Hampton Road, Dallas, TX, USA
Phone: 972-421-1982