Longhorn News
Week of March 21, 2016
Principal's Message
Happy first day of Spring and welcome back from what I hope was a very relaxing Spring Break for everyone.
If the school year was a race, this part of our year would be compared to the last lap. Yes, we have pushed ourselves, implemented strategies that we knew would prove successful, but this is not the time to give up. This is the time when we can see the finish line and it is that much more important not to slow down. The next couple of months will definitely fly by. Can you believe we only have 51 instructional days left for this school year? Let's make sure that these last few days are filled with high quality instruction by maximizing our time with students and prioritizing standards to ensure that once we cross the finish line we can all proudly say, "I gave it all I had and I am proud of our accomplishments." If we put all of our efforts on the following five things I can assure you we will finish strong:
1. Student Owned Learning 2. Higher Order Thinking Culture 3. Well Planned Purposeful and Meaningful Aligned Lessons and Tasks 4. Collaborative and Joyful Engagement and 5. Providing our students with Twenty First Century Skills.
I am looking forward to working with you and our leadership team to ensure that we are with you along the way to ensure that we stay focused on what matters most all the way to the end. We are here to support you. We are in this race together. We are a part of a team. Thank you for pushing and encouraging each other until the end.
In Partnership,
Lorena G. Hernandez
ACP Viewings
Key Action #1
Promote a college and career going culture
Key Action #2
Provide differentiated professional development, individual support plans and effective feedback and coaching.
Key Action #3
Increase the advanced levels through data driven rigorous instruction and progress monitoring.
Vision/Mission
Vision
Our vision is to create a nationally recognized academy of 21st century learners equipped with the necessary academic and social skills to make a positive impact in an evolving global society.
Mission
Our mission is to empower Henry W. Longfellow learners to excel in an evolving society through a challenging academic and collaborative environment that includes specialized courses, leadership development, enhancement of critical thinking skills, and career exploration.Commitment Statements by Department
As ELAR educators we commit to:
Reading complex text;
Incorporating strategies that prompt critical thinking;
Student generated questioning;
Having students reference quotes in writing;
Giving students multiple opportunities to respond to text orally and written; and
Effective annotation strategies according to genres.
As MATH educators, we commit to:
effective facilitation in a student-centered classroom;
more student-led discussions;
Bloom’s Taxonomy and higher order questioning;
students creating math problems;
the discussion of essential questions;
multiple representations of both problems and solutions, multiple response strategies, and student voice; and
connect to interdisciplinary courses (real-life application).
As SCIENCE educators, we commit to:
providing a safe space where students can make mistakes, ask questions, challenge existing ideas, develop new ideas, and critique explanations and solutions; and
giving students opportunities to learn in different ways including student-driven instruction, labs, exploration, research, modeling activities, and connecting learning to pre-existing knowledge.
As SOCIAL STUDIES educators, we commit to:
an environment of collaboration, challenge, and relevancy through passionate instruction;
fostering discussion; and engaging students with meaningful dialogue candidly relating to real-world experiences.
Important Dates to Remember
March 21
Mandatory STAAR testing training @ 3:45
March 22
Tutoring Science/SS
DISD Scholars recognition ceremony
March 23
Tutoring ELAR
March 24
Happy birthday Ms. Jones!
Tutoring Math
March 25
No School
Coming Soon!
March 22-March 31
ACP viewings
March 28
FSAC @ 7:30
March 29-30
First Round of STAAR Testing(Writing, 8th Reading, Math)
April 1
Last Day for Clubs
April 11
Inclement Weather Day No School
April 12-15
Student Surveys Administered
April 22
Open Transfer Period Ends
April 29
Field Day