Monday Memo
Week of September 16th-20th
Greetings, CCE!
I had decided that this weekend, I would work on house work and try....really try to clean my house from top to bottom. I came across a book that I had not read in about 10 years under my bed that I didn't even realize was down there, it had been forgotten...and I happened to find it again. The book is from SimpleTruths....its description reveals it's title:
At 211º water is hot. At 212º, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And steam can power a locomotive. The one extra degree makes the difference.
This simple analogy reflects the ultimate definition of excellence. Because it’s the one extra degree of effort, in business and life, that can separate the good from the great. The 212º concept is vividly illustrated for every aspect of your life through powerful stories that will inspire and motivate yourself or your team to the next level of success.
I flipped through the pages of the book and even though I had read the book many years ago, the message continues to be timeless. As we work to inspire excellence, this book and going the extra degree spoke to me. I ask you to hold each other and Greg and myself accountable to thinking excellent thoughts, being excellent with our interactions with students and parents, and modeling excellence for others in CCE family! We are "Legendary" and we do "Inspire Excellence"! Thank you, CCE, for going the extra degree!
What's Happening at CCE...
Sept 16th- Dot Day- "Wear Dots"
PK RSK Training
RenFlo Training- ICs & Interventionist off Campus
Sept 17th- US Constitution Day
Paraprofessional Interviews 8:30-12:00 AM (Pachicano, Marquez, Cargal)
Read Grant Visits (Read Grant Teachers Only)
Staff Meeting- RenSTAR Training w/Teachers (Marquez, Janda, Jeffers) in Sc. Lab
-Duty Tweaks w/ all IAs (Althoff) in Teacher's Lounge
Sept 18th- Read Grant Visits (Read Grant Teachers Only)
UT Intervention Luncheon 3rd/4th/5th Grade Teaches at Lunch Times/PLC Room
PLCs by GLLs- Topic: GLL Needs, Finalizing Parent Conference Form
UIL Coaches Meeting @ 3:15- Savoy's Room (Come by if interested in Coaching UIL this year)
Sept 19th- Empowering Writers Training (K-1st New to Hutto/New to Grade Level & ELA, Linda
Notified those attending)
CCE PTA/Open House (IAs do not need to attend) 5:30 - 7 PM (See email from Gloria)
AP Leadership Meeting- 2 PM-4:30 PM (Greg off Campus)
STARBase 5th Grade
Sept 20th- STARBase 5th Grade
Empowering Writers Training (2nd-5th New to Hutto/New to Grade Level & ELA, Linda
Notified those attending)
National Day of Peace- Wear something Groovy
Week of Sept 23rd- Hello Week & College Week (See email from Kozak)
Celebrating Good Things
Kylie Heer
Reminders Just for You
10/25- Classroom Management Plans Due
9/20- Field Trip Requests Due
9/28 - ESL Training Day 2 8:30 AM @ CCES Science Lab
Launching Us Off!
Here is a video from Simple Truths for thinking about "The extra degree" and excellence. Great video for some of our older kiddos/classrooms!
Other Reminders....
1. Safety & Security- Please practice your safety drills this week with kiddos, make sure to leave sub notes for this for subs in your classrooms.
2. Let's try this again this week: We hope to have our lunch TV monitors up and running this week with visual practice for sight words and mental math practice. Please talk to our students about the video being interactive in their brains and reminding them that they should think and not say what they see on the screens. The slides will include sight words and math facts that are age-appropriate for the various lunch times. Thank you, Mrs. Janda & Mrs. Jeffers, for working on this!
3. Community Circles/HippoWay Lessons- Held every Wednesday during Power Hour, please include in your lesson plans weekly. Remember to Capture Kids Hearts with a Greeting each Day, Good Things/Celebrations/Circle Time/Hippo Way, and Launch at the end of the Day.
Teachers' Corner
Submit a story, success, aha! moment, funny, photo, announcement, etc. that you would like our CCE family all to know about. Email it to me by Friday of each week and I will put it in the next Monday Memo.
"Many Hands Make Light Work"
Hispanic Heritage Month...Ideas for our School & Classroom
Help celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at CCE! Check out Scholastics' 24 Great Ideas website. It has lessons, activities and more. Teachers can do what they'd like if they want to participate.
Some ideas for all our Hispanic Students to share with their classes (ALL students are invited to participate):
- My Home Country: Celebrate diversity in your classroom by inviting students to share photos of their hometowns, important cultural items, and basic phrases in their native language. Highlight any countries to Hispanic Heritage as they connect.
- What's Your Heritage?: Ask students to investigate their own heritage and report back to the class on the origins of their ancestors. Graph the results and discuss how the class reflects, or differs from, city, state, and national demographic statistics. For current census data, visit the United States Census Bureau.
- Our Heritage Album: Compile a class album of significant Hispanic Americans throughout history featuring lots of drawings, invented memorabilia, and simulated newspaper clippings. Browse the Smithsonian's Hispanic Heritage Teaching Resources or take your kids to the virtual Smithsonian's Latino Center's Kid's Corner for inspiration for your album.
Pre-K/K students will be encouraged to bring something of cultural significance to decorate our hallways honoring Hispanic Heritage Month. The hope is to display several countries: Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, Honduras, etc.
Mrs. Johnson is showcasing library books by Hispanic Authors encourage your students to check them out. Thank you, Mrs. Johnson!