Mitchell ES Staff Newsletter
Week of February 1, 2016
Phone: (979) 209-1400
Fax: (979) 209-1420
Principal: John Rokenbrod
john.rokenbrod@bryanisd.org
Assistant Principal: Amanda Jackson
amanda.jackson@bryanisd.org
Staff ONLY Items
I have attached a key to CS2000 to the paper storage closet key lanyard that we keep in the workroom/copy room. You can now access CS2000 when the doors are locked.
I have submitted a hiring form for another tutor. This person will provide additional support to try and fill in some gaps/pressing needs. I will let you know when they can start pulling students. The person I recommended already subs for the district so it shouldn't take too long to process the new hire form.
I have also submitted a request to buy a school license of Flocabulary. This request may take as long as the one for BrainPOP took. This is our last week of the free trial of Flocabulary.
Sanji Blue and Asha Williams now have mailboxes. They are in the para row. Blue is to the left of Medina and Williams is to the right of Shirley.
The weather station has been reinstalled. It is now outside of the front corner of the school near the Motor Lab.
We have entered crunch time for STAR testing. Please try to stay healthy and at school as much as possible as we near the end of the school year. Pulling staff to cover classes often means that we are pulling people who are providing supplemental services or intervention to students who are on the bubble. These students often need every minute of instruction that we can provide them with.
The PTO still has unspent money allocated to grade levels and professional development conferences. They have a board meeting tonight (Monday, February 1) at 5:30 pm so get your requests to Marlee Criaco A.S.A.P. if your team want anything. I'm going to share my request....
From the Department of Instruction
Interventions
The following links will direct you to important intervention resources provided by the Meadow Center's Mathematics Institute for Learning Disabilities and Difficulties. Math coaches are aware of these and can help with this resource.
TEMI Intervention Lessons click here
ESTAR Intervention Lessons click here
MSTAR Intervention Lessons click here
Professional Development
Two February 15th Training Opportunities:
Armed Intruder Training:
A response to an armed intruder is one of the most dynamic situations that anyone will ever face. Prior to the arrival of police personnel, how you respond to an armed intruder will be dictated by the specific circumstances of the encounter. The Bryan Police Department will conduct a day long training on Feb. 15, 2016 designed to help first responders, teachers, para-professionals and other employees tools to use in an active situation. The seats for this training are limited, and sign up is on a first come first serve basis. Please enroll using this link: Click here
NAMI - The National Alliance for Mental Illness is presenting their full day "Mental Health Training for Educators" on Feb. 15. This training equips the participants with strategies designed to recognize and support students in crisis. This training is being given to our staff who need the TE Credit on Feb. 15, but we do have more seats that we can offer to other staff that would like to receive the training on this very important topic. Please register using this link: Click here
CKH Summer 2016:
June 7-8-9
June 14-15-16
June 21-22-23
August 2-3-4
August 9-10-11
"Children First, Always. What does it mean to teach the Bryan Way?" is a 3-day summer conference sponsored by the C&I Department. This conference will offer a multitude of courses for various levels and various content areas and will be held July 26-27-28 here in Bryan ISD. More information about this conference will come as we release our Summer PD Catalog, but we wanted you to have those dates now.
Our Summer PD Catalog will include many courses available to both professional and paraprofessional staff throughout the summer. The e-catalog, along with registration instructions and information about Bryan ISD TE Days for 2016-17, will be released mid-April. We are excited to be able to offer a diverse selection of professional learning opportunities to equip each of you in meeting the needs of the children you serve in Bryan ISD.
PLC Dates
Please remind your teachers of these upcoming PLCs:
- New Hire NTI - 2/1
- Elementary NTI- 2/4
Kurzweil training video link
A corrected link to the On Demand video for Kurzweil is provided. Click here
This week's Parent Newsletter is below. Please read it in its entirety.
Here is a correction to the print version of the newsletter: We already have a Watch DOG scheduled for February 12.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 3rd grade PTO Program on Thursday night. That may have been our largest concert crowd so far this year, second only to December’s PJs with Santa and kindergarten program that followed it. We are combining February’s 1st grade PTO program and Open House so that they will both be on February 25. Our Open House will run from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM and the 1st grade PTO program will follow it at 6:30 PM.
This is National School Counseling Week. Please join me in thanking Mrs. Becky Skelton (rebecca.skelton@bryanisd.org) for all that she does to support students. Mrs. Skelton’s duties include far more than working with students to provide comfort and emotional support. She also serves as the school’s Section 504 Coordinator and Gifted Education Coordinator, supports educational testing and evaluations, helps students get additional academic support if they need it, meets with teachers and parents to support students, helps students to solve conflicts, spends one day each week presenting school counseling lessons to students as part of our Wednesday schedule rotations, presents a brief school character lesson during morning meeting each week, serves as a teacher mentor, and helps out in various areas around the school when needs arise. Our students and staff members are very fortunate to have her here at Mitchell.
Congratulations to Mitchell’s February Teacher of the Month, Mrs. Laura Hlavinka. Mrs. Hlavinka teaches 4th grade Science and Social Studies, but more importantly, she teaches students. I cannot say enough about Mrs. Hlavinka’s talents as a teacher and her ability to connect with students and pull their best out of them.
Mitchell’s staff family grew by one last week with the addition of Mrs. Sanji Blue. Mrs. Blue is a long-time Bryan ISD employee and will be supporting students around the school. She has already impressed me a great deal.
We are sending flyers home today regarding 2016-2017 student transfers. The window for completing the transfer application opened yesterday, February 1, 2016 and closes on Friday, March 11, 2016 at 5:00 PM. The online transfer application is available at http://goo.gl/forms/3JD7iBq7tD and it will not be available after 5:00 PM on March 11. Please see the flyer for additional information.
Flyers went home last week regarding a school supply drive being conducted as a service project by a group of Bryan High School International Baccalaureate students. Mitchell is competing against Johnson Elementary and the school that brings in more supplies than the other will earn a pajama day. The drive began yesterday and ends on February 12.
Last week was a rough week for both student and staff illnesses. Please remind your children to try and prevent the spread of germs and viruses by doing such things as coughing and sneezing into their sleeves or a tissue, frequently washing their hands with soap and water, keeping their hands away from their faces unless they are eating, and keeping their hands to themselves. These simple precautions go a long way to helping keep everyone a little healthier.
The lost and found bin behind our front counter is full. Please remind your child to check the bin if they are missing a coat, jacket, or lunch box.
We have a Giving Tree along one of the walls in the Kinder Corner area of the office. Please stop by, pull a leaf, and help a teacher fill a need in their classroom. The teachers and students will be extremely appreciative of your efforts.
Remember to contact either Mr. Josh DeLeon at (979) 739-6209 or by email at spokes276@yahoo.com, or me at (979) 209-1405 or by email at john.rokenbrod@bryanisd.org if you are interested in serving as a Watch DOG. Don’t forget about the Bryan ISD volunteer form that must be completed in order to volunteer at school and/or chaperone a field trip. The form can be found at http://tinyurl.com/prklgum and it can be completed on a computer, smartphone, or tablet.
Thank you for your continued support of your child's education.
Sincerely,
John Rokenbrod