The Greer Gazette
MISD Special Populations Department
Salvation Army Bell Ringing
Our Next Step students stepped up to support the Salvation Army recently by signing up to ring the bell for donations. Several students took turns at Market Street and brought joy to the customers. The Salvation Army helped over 30 million families in America last year with the basic necessities of life - food, shelter, and warmth.
The Jolly Jive
Special Olympics
Bocce
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Donna Pugh
CONGRATULATIONS!
Tiffany Scott
WELL DESERVED TIFFANY!
Walker Staff Holiday Party
Evans Staff Exchange Gifts!
MEF Brings Big Surprises!
The McKinney Education Foundation awards Professional Development and Classroom Grants to deserving MISD teachers and staff. Most funds for these grants are donated by MISD staff themselves through the MEF Staff Fund/MISD Payroll deductions.
Awarding grants to teachers directly impacts the quality of education in McKinney. The grants give teachers the freedom to implement innovative ideas that otherwise would go unfunded. Grants also help teachers take courses, attend seminars, and engage in other activities that help them to develop as professionals and educators. An investment in McKinney teachers is an investment in the quality of education in McKinney.
Applications for Classroom and Professional Grants open each September. Classroom Grants are awarded in December.
CONGRATULATIONS to ALL the MISD SPED Teachers who were awarded a Grant for their classroom!
May The Force Be With You!
Student and Classroom Highlights
Heard Museum Field Trip
On a recent trip to The Heard Museum, Teachers of the Visually Impaired, the Orientation and Mobility specialist and MISD students with a visual impairment or blindness were given an opportunity to use their auditory, tactual and existing visual skills to explore mammals, reptiles, birds, spiders, and aquatic animals.
Students were also exposed to the outdoors and created an awareness, excitement and appreciation for local plants, animals, and ecosystems. Students received instruction on birds, reptiles, mammals, spiders and turtles; learning where they live, what they eat and how they catch their food, during a one and a half hour animal presentation complete with live animals, animal skeletons, furs, and hides.
After the instructional time, students were escorted out into the wildlife sanctuary where they used O&M (orientation and mobility) skills to walk a quarter mile trail through a native Texas landscape and discovered 10 life sized animatronic dinosaurs that moved their legs, eyes, jaws, and roared. There were also 3 smaller model dinosaurs for tactual exploration.
After walking the trail and exploring the dinosaurs, students enjoyed lunch outside on picnic tables and a chance to use their social interaction skills to talk about their experience with each other. They were all very excited about what they had experienced.
The final part of this activity included a discovery area, where students were able to use all of their senses to learn about smells of certain animals and plants, hands-on rocks and minerals, shells, bones and skins, and fossils. Throughout this activity students used their expanded core curriculum skills including compensatory skills, independent skills, and use of low vision technology.
During the animal presentation, some students impressed the presenter with their knowledge of the difference between herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores, and were able to use background knowledge to answer questions about animal group characteristics. One significant experience was the ability of our high school aged male students to take the lead on the outdoor trail, moving the group along the path and pointing out the dinosaurs and their information.
Thank you so much to ABCTX (All Blind Children of Texas) for sponsoring this great opportunity for MISD Students with a Visual Impairment.
Science Experiment at Evans MS
Ms. Brooks loves to share the learning going on in the FAC classrooms at Evans MS. Recently, the students did a leaf experiment to see what colors are found in leaves.
"Its also been a great way to teach them the Scientific Method, safety in the kitchen, measuring, cutting, etc." -Ms. Brooks
Finch Resource Sends Letters to Soldiers
The resource students in Ms. Wisdom's class wrote “Friendly Letters” as part of their monthly writing sample. They had a day of reviewing the components of a friendly letter and then compared those to a business letter and discussed who we might send a friendly letter to versus a business letter, then a day of “planning,” followed by a day of drafting their letter, revising/editing with teacher consult and finally their published copy.
Ms. Wisdom will be taking the letters to a friend who is collecting items for care packages (Operation Stuff a Stocking) for her to include in her shipment to the troops.. The students hope to hear back from at least one soldier!
Be sure to check out a copy of these wonderful letters displayed at the Greer Annex!
A Big Hello from Ms. Beckner's Class at Evans MS
Johnny Oh Makes an Appearance on the Bronco News
North HS Celebrates Thanksgiving
Meet Margaret Askey
One of our 5th graders, Margaret Askey, has started a new business knitting scarves and selling them. Margaret is a 10 year old 5th grader at McClure Elementary who wants to be a business woman. Her favorite color is red.
Check out her website! This is a great idea for a holiday gift.
Margaretsawesomestyles.com
Twitter News
January 4th Professional Development
January 4th Staff Development for SPED Staff
8:00-11:30
Collin Higher Education Center (CHEC) and/or Greer
Sign up through Eduphoria to receive PD credit
STC/FAC at CHEC Rm. #139
ALC/CAP/NextStep Rm. 220
Lawson PPCD/Speech Path's Greer Town Hall @ 1:00
Resource/Inc. Math Elem. CHEC Rm#218
DSSC K-12 at Greer in Conference 4
Resource/Inc. ELAR Elem. CHEC Rm# 219
PARA's: ALC, STC, FAC, Nextstep, CAP, DSSC, Lawson at CHEC Rm#'s 200, 225, 227
Inclusion/Resource Para's at CHEC Rm.# 222
Resource/Inc. Secondary ELAR CHEC Rm#223
Resource/Inc. Secondary Math Greer Town Hall
Dyslexia Teachers Greer B100
Evaluation Team Greer B103
Show and Tell (ALL STAFF)
It was requested we use some of our time together to share ideas. Everyone needs to come with one idea or activity you are currently using in your classroom that others could benefit from knowing/using. Our hope is you will see or hear about something that you can take back and use in your classroom immediately.
All of the groups will be discussing lesson planning and specifically using Forethought. Please be thinking about your process of lesson planning as we will have self-reflection and group time to discuss and share.
FAC and STC teachers will start the morning with STAAR Alt. Security Training. Leighann Johnson will be coming over from CO to provide training again for us this year! In addition, You guys asked for more guidance with inclusion, essence statements, phases, graduation requirements, and advancing from Lawson to elementary. Please use the link to add your questions and we will be ready for a guided discussion.https://docs.google.com/a/student.mckinneyisd.net/document/d/1tr6Hphh6DtE-GfkbUhW97u4xMJUVlaVEcHiT1IrRNzw/edit?usp=sharing
If you have any questions etc. about the training on January 4th please notify your coordinator and the staff member leading your assigned training.
Important Dates
December 14th, 2015
New Teacher PLC
4:00-5:00 at Greer Town Hall - FOCUS PLAAFPS
Greer Holiday Open House - Door Prizes!!!
December 15th, 2015
3:00-5:00 at Greer Town Hall
January 25th, 2016
New Teacher PLC
4:00-5:00 at Greer Town Hall
January 26th, 2016
Centralized Program Teacher Meeting
4:15-5:30 at Greer TownHall
Appreciations
Continued thanks to our Read 180 teachers as we continue to implement the program through coaching and walk thrus!
Thanks to Judy Lasik for making a huge switch in the middle of the semester- she is appreciated!
Thanks to the SDIFs for continually getting materials to teachers and starting the New Teacher PLC
Thanks you to Paige for your constant support. You are always there for us! Thank u! Your team at Malvern
I would like to thank the entire SPED staff at Evans Middle School. This has been a challenging year with all the staff changes, and each one of them has handled the transition with patience and professionalism. Thank you all for all you do for our students! -Danny Ledbetter
BIG shout out to Dowell Centralized programs for having to create/add another program and making the impossible, possible.
VC DSSC teachers made the transition of two students to their campus smooth and welcoming to all through the process. Victor, Karla, Sherri, and Kitty are true advocates and warriors for all kids and you can see their love of what they do in all their actions!
It goes a long way when you’re meeting with parent(s) at a receiving campus and Megan Richards and Mandy Bourland stop by to introduce themselves and welcome parent to the campus. Leadership at it’s best!
A thank you to Sally Riche for doing an awesome job on the Sped Department Newsletter!
Shout out to the McNeil Resource/DSSC teachers for surviving until November! We have had numerous staff changes and everyone still comes to work with a smile on their face!
Shout out to Judy Laseak - she came into a difficult situation and has made some remarkable changes and progress with her students and is leading them down the path of success! You are totally rocking that class!!
Congratulations to our own Erika Meza and the other members of our Dyslexia team. They have just been awarded an $8000+ grant from MEF! Thanks Ericka and team for all you do for our students!
Congratulations to ALL the sped teachers who were awarded an MEF Grant!
Sarah Mullen, ALC/PPCD teacher at Lawson, received an MEF grant for almost $3000 dollars to provide even more accessible playground activities for our PPCD students. Danielle Garcia, STC teacher at MHS, was awarded $750.00 to help support a garden for her students and Tina Worthy, Resource teacher at Minshew, was awarded $500.00 to help implement a writing program. Great job teachers!
Cockrill teachers Leslie D’Anibale (Resource/Read 180) and Kathy Sprouse (STC) both received MEF grants giving CMS more the $1500 in MEF grant funds. Way to go Cowboys!
Simpe joys, little pleasures,
Laughter and smiles in big measures.
Friends, family, togetherness, love....
The choicest blessings from above.
Peace, prosperity, and happiness too....
All these and more are my wishes for you!
Merry Christmas
and Happy Holidays!