Conrad/Thomas Jefferson Tribune
WEEK OF DECEMBER 3-7, 2018
NEW SCHOOL LEADERSHIP MISSION
WE WILL CULTIVATE LEADERSHIP THAT INSPIRES AN UNWAVERING COMMITMENT FOR EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE IN OUR SCHOOLS TO ENSURE ALL STUDENTS ARE COLLEGE AND CAREER STRONG.
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP 'B' GOALS
- INSPIRING CULTURE
- DATA MASTERY
- EFFECTIVE PLCs
- AGGRESSIVE MONITORING
VISION, MISSION & CORE VALUES
CONRAD/THOMAS JEFFERSON FEEDER PRIORITY GOALS
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Advance teacher effectiveness and improve the quality of instruction through research-based professional learning practices
QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION
Close achievement gaps through effective data practices and alignment of core content curriculum.
CLIMATE AND CULTURE
Develop and sustain a positive and supportive climate and culture of high expectations through effective communication, inclusive practices and leadership development.
A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Illustrious Leaders,
Everyone should be settled and back into the routine of delivering high quality lessons for our scholars after our Thanksgiving break.
By now, all your teachers should have received an email in regards to taking the Climate Survey. Highly encourage your staff to take the Climate Survey as it is merely a reflection of your campus as a united team. What will your climate say? Is Good First Instruction a focus for all? Is your campus truly a college going culture? How is your morale? Do teachers really enjoy coming to work in Dallas ISD and your campus? All these questions and more will be answered in order to give you a true reading of where you are as a staff and where you need to improve for your Spring Climate survey.
As a campus, you should continue to analyze and AGGRESSIVELY campus data in order to look at trends for all your scholars so that instructional sound decisions can be made prior to taking the upcoming ACP’s. Your ACP’s will be a true reflection of all the work you have engaged in the first semester of school. This will give you a great indicator of where your deficits are and where you need to place more emphasis in order to be ready to conquer the STAAR in the spring. Be thinking of the next steps to ensure that you have the proper staff in placements that they have the most leverage for all scholars that will affect your campus academics. What are the highest leverage points? Are they different from the beginning of the year? Are you closely INSPECTING what you are EXPECTING? Remember, as the instructional leader of your institution of learning, you will be accountable for the results at the end of the year! 'Good First Instruction' is expected! Remember Covey's Habits #1-Be Proactive, Habit #4 Think Win Win and Habit #7 Sharpen The Saw.
"WE ARE IN IT TO WIN IT...GO FOR THE GOLD!!
Ms. Torres
Emmett Conrad/Thomas Jefferson Executive Director
WEEKLY UPDATES
MONDAY, December 3
- Unscheduled Campus visits to monitor Aggressive Monitoring Implementation & ACP Action Plan Implementation
- Elementary Principal Interviews-11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
- District-Wide Elementary Principals Meeting @ Edison Learning Center-8:55 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.-(PLEASE BE 20 MIN. EARLY)-UGLY SWEATER CONTEST WILL OCCUR!
- District-wide CILT @ Cigarroa-3:30-6:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, December 5
- Unscheduled Campus visits to monitor Aggressive Monitoring Implementation & ACP Action Plan Implementation
- Unscheduled Campus visits to monitor Aggressive Monitoring Implementation & ACP Action Plan Implementation
- Master Schedule Development action plan due TODAY to Ms. Torres
- Unscheduled Campus visits to monitor Aggressive Monitoring Implementation & ACP Action Plan Implementation
CLIMATE SURVEY RESPONSE RATES UPDATES
CONRAD/THOMAS JEFFERSON CLUSTER KUDOS!
Congratulations to Mr. McLaurin and Mr. Rivera who are the 2 of 4 Finalists for Principal of the Year!
Conrad and Jefferson CICs Take Charge at CIC Conference
Aggressive Monitoring Take 2
Celebrating Partnership for Student Achievement: United to Learn Holiday Party
Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Williams and her awesome team!!!
Jill Stone Recapping November 2018
AGGRESSIVE MONITORING ACROSS THE ELEMENTARY CLUSTER IN ACTION!
Jill Stone ES
Joe May ES
Joe May Faculty & Staff Appreciation from August to June!!!!
From Aggressive Coaching to Aggressive Monitoring
Thanksgiving Break: Fresh Paint for a Fresh Start of Instruction
DISCIPLINE DATA FOR FIRST & SECOND MARKING PERIODS
TEI UPDATES
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2018
MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 2019
Professional development agendas are due to Ms. Torres via email by December 18, 2018 by the COB. Please be sure that campus instructional leadership teams review the agenda with prior to submission. It is highly encouraged that the agendas encompass components of School Leadership B Goals.
LEADERSHIP 'B' TUESDAY WORKSHOPS AVAILABLE
Leadership 'B' has upcoming Tuesday Workshops that may be of benefit to the campus leadership teams in our.
The Next 4 Workshops are:
- Leading Effective Data Meetings
- Look Forward: Planning PLC
- Coaching in the Moment (sold out)
- Observation and Feedback
I highly encourage ALL of you to take advantage of sending your teams to these workshops; especially those that would benefit your teams.
The workshops are limited to 25 participants per session. Participants can register at the link shown below.
MASTER SCHEDULE DEVELOPMENT
Campus Plan is due to me by December 7. The Master Schedule Action Plan should include a draft schedule of campus master schedule development activities:
- student request timeline
- department meetings
- target deadlines
- persons responsible)
Expectations of Instructional Minutes and Schedules
UNITED WAY
The Kick-off for United Way campaign for 2018-19 will be November 1. The window of opportunity to contribute to United Way is Nov. 1-Dec. 14. This year the District goal is $200,000.
CORE 4 HIGHLIGHT THIS MONTH
It is a strong commitment that goes beyond the conversation about what exemplary customer service looks like to becoming the norm for the way we operate in the district and in the Conrad/Thomas Jefferson Elementary Cluster daily.
This edition of the Tribune will focus on one 'EXCEPTIONAL SUPPORT STAFF' Congratulations to the Facility Supervisor, Ms. Sherry Vanzandt at Joe May Elementary and for ALWAYS displaying the Core 4. Ms. Vanzandt is always wearing a smile from ear to ear just like in her photo above, and takes pride in her job. She makes it a priority to ensure the facility is EXCEPTIONAL daily. Thank you for your commitment to our scholars and learning community daily Ms.Vanzandt. The Joe May Learning Community is very lucky to have such amazing staff member on their team!
STAAR AND COMMON ASSESSMENT TESTING CONSIDERATIONS
COMMON ASSESSMENT WINDOW
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Leader in Me Symposium 2019
ALL CAMPUSES SHOULD HAVE REPRESENTATION ATTENDING!
Coaching Connection Corner
SCIENCE
DECEMBER
12-19-ACP Testing
14-Last day to contribute to United Way
18-Principal Holiday Gathering w/ED & ILC @ 5:30 p.m.-details to be sent soon!
20-TEACHER WORK DAY
20-Annual Acknowledgment & Policy Review Due date
JANUARY
7-CAMPUS PROFESSIONAL WORKDAY
10-NORTHWEST NETWORK DAY@ JOE MAY/CIGARROA
14-25-K-5-GT Testing Window (1-5 2nd opportunity to test)
8-22-ACP Make-up window
29-NAEP Test for 4th grade begin-Multiple subtests designated campuses only
8-31-ISIP Reading Inventory (K-2/MOY)
FEBRUARY
1-Registration deadline for CEFA
4-Spring Budget ED Training
7-9-Spring Budget Principal Training by ED for Spring Budget
7-8-The Leader in Me Symposium-Irving Convention Center-All Principals should register to attend
12-22-Spring Budget meetings with Principals by Network
18-22-Common Assessments #4 begin
25-TELPAS teacher online ratings begin
MARCH
4-CEFA testing begins
8-NAEP tests end
23-Northwest Network Super Saturday-Time TBD
APRIL
1-19-STAAR ALT 2
5-Last day to test for CEFA
8-12-Common Assessments #5 begin
9-STAAR 4th Writing/5th Math
10-STAAR Reading 5th
22-26-Student Surveys given
23-26-Terra Nova/Supera-K-2
23-Terra Nova/Supera Testing Reading K-2
24-Terra Nova/Supera Testing Math K-2
25-25-Terra Nova/Supera Testing Make-ups K-2
MAY
1-31-ISIP Reading Inventory K-2
13-STAAR Math-3rd -4th
14-STAAR Reading-3rd -4th & 5th Retest
15-STAAR Science-5th
23-29-ACP Testing
30-ACP Testing Make-ups
MARSHALL MEMO #704
Getting Young Students Thinking and Talking Like Scientists
“When teachers support students to ask, explore, read, write, and discuss science ideas, they can increase opportunities for sophisticated disciplinary talk in the primary-grade classroom,” say Tanya Wright and Amelia Wenk Gotwals (Michigan State University) in this article in The Reading Teacher. “Students’ curiosity about science can be a powerful motivator to promote talk, and students will talk most when they are excited about an idea and wonder what happens.”
But kindergarten students get an average of only 2.3 minutes of science a day – even less in high-poverty schools. The paucity of science vocabulary and conceptual instruction is directly linked to lower literacy achievement later in elementary school. Wright and Gotwals have developed the SOLID Start project to promote science talk in primary-grade classrooms in these five ways:
• Asking driving questions – A teacher might launch a curriculum unit with a question like, “Why are only some of the plants at the front of the school dying?” or “Why are there different types of clouds, and how are they connected to whether we’ll be able to play outside today?” Questions like these can link the content and activities of a unit to the central theme.
• Exploring science phenomena – The teacher can choose activities that get students investigating the driving question – for example, examining the different plants in front of the school to find clues as to why some are dying and others aren’t. Some verbal prompts:
· What is the reason that…
· What do I want to know about…
· I wonder…
· What if…
· How could…
· Why does…
The teacher might record students’ talk during explorations on an easel sheet, linking observations back to the driving question.
• Talking about read-alouds – Reading books with the class can extend the exploration well beyond what can be seen and touched in the school and introduce a wider range of science vocabulary. The teacher might make strategic selections of vocabulary words that will enrich the exploration and get students talking about how each book relates to the driving question. “Remember that you don’t have to read an entire informational text,” say Wright and Gotwals. “It is fine to read a section of the text that supports students in answering the driving question.”
• Talking about drawing and writing – Students can be prompted to sketch their observations in notebooks, watch the teacher draw diagrams and pictures, and then discuss what it all means. “As young students explain their models, pictures, and writing to peers and adults,” say Wright and Gotwals, “their work provides a meaningful context for practicing extended science talk and for teachers to both support students in sense-making and to press them for evidence-based explanations.”
• Scaffolding students’ thinking – Toward the end of each unit, the teacher pulls together the class’s explorations, read-alouds, visuals, and discussions and prompts students to arrive at the answer to the driving question. This kind of pull-it-all-together discussion may be challenging for students, and it’s helpful to have a word wall, pictures, graphics, and other displays to scaffold the discussion, along with some verbal prompts:
· Can you explain more about that…
· Why do you think…
· What made you think that…
· What did you do when…
· What do you predict will…
EMMETT J. CONRAD/THOMAS JEFFERSON SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
- Jack Lowe Elementary: Principal, Sandra Barrios
- Jill Stone : Principal, Rosalinda Pratt
- Highland Meadows: Principal, Julian Davis
- David G. Burnet Elementary: Principal, Sonia Loskot
- Leonides Cigarroa Elementary : Principal, Douglas Burak
- Tom W. Field Elementary: Principal, Selena Deboskie
- Stephen C. Foster Elementary: Principal, Irma De La Guardia
- Joe May Elementary: Principal, Israel Rivera
- K.B. Polk Elementary: Principal, Kourtnei Billups
- Julian T. Saldivar: Principal, Edgar Jaramillo
- Walnut Hill Elementary: Principal, Robert 'Chase' McLaurin
- McShan Elementary: Principal, Cecilia Criner
MEET OUR ILLUSTRIOUS CONRAD/THOMAS JEFFERSON LEADERSHIP TEAM
JACK LOWE SR. ELEMENTARY
JILL STONE ELEMENTARY
HIGHLAND MEADOWS ELEMENTARY
DAVID G. BURNET ELEMENTARY
LEONIDES CIGARROA ELEMENTARY
TOM FIELD
STEPHEN C. FOSTER
JOSE 'JOE' MAY
K.B. POLK CENTER FOR THE ACADEMICALLY TALENTED & GIFTED
JULIAN T. SALDIVAR
WALNUT HILL DUAL LANGUAGE GIFTED & TALENTED
MCSHAN ELEMENTARY
INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP COACH
Math ILC
Administrative Assistant-Northwest Network
OUR BOARD TRUSTEES REPRESENTING OUR NETWORK
EDWIN FLORES
DISTRICT # 1, Northwest Dallas, Addison, parts of Carrollton and Farmers Branch
Walnut Hill
DUSTIN MARSHALL
District #2 North and Near East Dallas
K. B. Polk
DAN MICCICHE
DISTRICT #3 Northeast Dallas
Highland Meadows, Jack Lowe Sr., Lee A. McShan Jr, Jill Stone at Vickery Meadow
MIGUEL SOLIS
DISTRICT # 8 Love Field, Northwest Dallas, and Central Dallas
David G. Burnet, Leonides Gonzalez Cigarroa, Tom Field, Stephen C. Foster, Jose "Joe" May, Julian T. Saldivar