Monday Memo
February 29th - March 4th
If you don't know where you're going, you might not get there. -Yogi Berra
Team,
Wow! There is quite a bit of information in the newsletter this week. Please review the information as soon as you are able so that you can be in the know and up to speed. I strongly encourage you to watch the Dismissal Manager videos prior to Tuesday night so that you have a basic understanding of the program and will be able to answer most questions that parents may ask.
I appreciate all that you have done to display meaningful student work and the additional housekeeping that goes into getting ready for Open House. During the day on Tuesday, you may use a jeans pass and wear jeans. However, at Open House, everyone will need to wear this year's staff shirt with pants or a skirt (no jeans). We would like for everyone to plan to be in their rooms by 5:45. We will keep the gates down and the doors locked until 6:00pm. At 7:00pm, I will make an announcement thanking parents for joining us and requesting that all teachers join me in the library for a quick meeting. Please help out your teammates who might be still talking to parents so that we can wrap up and go home.
As you are working on entering report card grades, remember that a parent should never be surprised by a grade lower than expected. Please make sure that you call the parent prior to report cards going home. In addition, remember that a comment that you can copy and paste into more than two or three students' report card is probably not specific enough. All comments need to include glows and grows specific to each child.
As we continue to pray for The Prugh Family, count your blessings and make today count!
JL
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Teacher Scales for Reflective Practice
Easing into ELM
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School Dismissal Manager 101
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Newsela
Website: Newsela
Newsela is an app that delivers content from top news sources adapted to just the right reading level (K-12). It can be integrated into any lesson plan to help students read and understand current events as it relates to the curriculum, and is free to students and teachers.
Newsela articles span a variety of topics, including science, literature and social studies and helps to develop nonfiction fluency and critical-thinking skills. It provides text sets for each topic, as well as regional news and text sets for Spanish-language readers.
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Shoparoo
Did you know that each week I give out jeans passes to those who are one of the top three participants on Shoparoo? I know that many of you have already joined, but if you haven't, it is not too late. Simply go to www.shoparoo.com to create your account. If you use veft4467 as a referral code, McGowen will earn money for you just signing up. Please feel free to push this information out to your parents as well. Once you sign up, Shoparoo will give you a referral code for your parents to use when they sign up. Schools with just 40 supporters are earning an average of $1,000 every year.
Congratulations to Donna Fabian for being in this week's top three!
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Focus for 2015 - 2016
In order to help every child their personal best, McGowen teachers and staff will:
- Develop a common language needed to become High Reliability School.
- Develop an understanding and process for effective Professional Learning Communities.
- Engage in collaborative team planning and lesson design to promote higher level thinking and student engagement.
- Present lessons in such a way that students understand and can speak knowledgeably about posted learning and language targets.
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Remind for Staff
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Happy Birthday!
February
29th- Kelli Cantu
March
4th - Gaby Shambo
14th - Alison Tebo
17th - Colleen Everett
21st - Valerie Larpenteur
22nd - Lora Lovell
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APPRECIATIONS
- Shiela - Thanks for being the best memory that a girl could ask for. I don't know how you manage to remember everything, but I sure do appreciate it! -JL
- Chitwood - Thank you for coming to my rescue! I appreciate how close you were to your phone on a Sunday night! - JL
- Peebles - Thank you so much for saving me on Friday with the lunch mishap. You were my hero! -JL
- Melanie and Sylvia - Thank you for being my Sonic fairies last week. Some days a little extra caffeine goes a long way! -JL
- Sylvia - Thank you so much for always taking care of lunch on RtI days. That is always a special treat. -JL
- Donna - Thank you so much for managing picture day. That is always such a big undertaking and to do it when you are sick was pretty impressive! -JL
- Kristi, Trisha & Aly - I cannot praise and thank you enough for your part in our parent mtg last week. You were simply amazing! -JL
- Amy and Tara - Thank you for being so flexible with me when it comes to our booster class. I appreciate all that you have done so far for our students; they are loving the booster class! -JD
- Cab - Thank you for all the support and guidance you have given me the last couple of months. You have helped me so much and I appreciate it more then you know! Love ya friend! -JD
- Stacie - Thank you for all the time and help you put in on my tutoring passes for my students. It is working great and has helped me so much! -JD
- SL - Thank you for all the prayers and support you have given me the last couple of months. You are truly amazing and I’m so blessed to be working with you! -JD
- Barbra - Thank you for the reminder calls for the AVID interviews. You are a lifesaver in so many ways! -JD
- Lynn - Thank you so much for all that you do! You always have a positive attitude and a smile on your face that is contagious. You are a rock star in all that you do! -JD
- Tracey - Thank you for your dedication to your students and positive words of wisdom that you have shared with me throughout the year. I adore you and all that you do! -JD
- Kristi - Thank you for your prayers and positive words. You are an amazing teacher and it shows in all that you do! Your students are very lucky to have you! Love ya sweet friend! -JD
- JL - Greatness is within us all if we are willing to look inside ourselves, evaluate where we are, make changes, and separate ourselves from others. Thank you JL for keeping things real and for allowing me to be the best I can be. -JD
- Tara Zappe ~ Thank you for your preparedness and contributions at our 504 meeting. ~Shiela
- Lhauren and Rhonda ~ Thank you for staying after school on a Friday for a 504 meeting. Your input was appreciated. ~Shiela
- K-5th grade Teachers ~ Thank you all for your hard work in meeting the individual needs of our students. Our RtI meetings went well and your dedication to our students' continued progress is evident. ~Shiela
- Barbara and Melanie Reeves ~ Thank you for helping manage the AVID interviews on Thursday. ~Shiela
- JD— Thank you so much for all the time you put into helping Julian with math, as well as the many others. You are a fabulous teacher!! — KWard
- Tracey— Thanks a million for having my back when I couldn’t make it to duty, as well as being an amazing writing partner!! ;-) — KWard
- Trisha— Thanks for my coffee and breakfast last week. You are such a precious friend!! — KWard
- Lynn— Thank you for pulling the inventor books for my students when they were researching. BTW, you always do such an amazing job making the book fair so enjoyable for teachers and kids!— KWard
- Melanie — I appreciate you helping me out when I didn’t have time to fax an important paper. We are so blessed to have your expertise, kind heart, patience, and clever ideas at McGowen. I do not take you for granted!! — KWard
- Aly— You always brighten my day, and I look forward to coming to work each day because I know I will have fun with you! ;-) —KWard
- Rico— It’s not everyday that you get to have a really cool, smart, laid back, creative, and "all-in" kinda guy on your team. Thank you for being amazing ALL THE TIME!! — KWard
- JL— It means a great deal to have your support when parents are ‘not so nice’ and want to “meet”. Thank you for standing your ground and making my teammates and me feel like superstars!! —KWard
- Shannon— You are phenomenal for helping me do my first class assignment for my masters. It takes a village for teacher’s too. ;-) THANK YOU!! —Kward
- Keri- The card you had my sweet friend make for my mom meant more to me than you'll ever know. -Michelle C.
- Tanya and Cathy – Thank you both for your great parent conferences! - Michelle C.
- Coach – Thank you for the Family Fun Night! Also, thanks for going bald for the incentive of the kiddos! You’re awesome! - Michelle C.
- Sylvia – Thank you so much for lunch and Sonic drinks this week. You are always generous and kind and I appreciate it! - Michelle C.
- Shiela – Thank you for all you do to manage it all and to always be my “memory”!:) I love our team! - Michelle C.
- Teachers – I am grateful for your diligence and collaboration during our RTI meetings Thursday. I am always blown away by your hard work and perseverance. McGowen teachers are the BEST! - Michelle C.
- Donna – I love our talks and your spirit! - Michelle C.
- McGowen Team - I don’t have the words to truly thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for my mom as we are going through this “unexpected journey”. McGowen is family to me and I am beyond grateful for you all! - Much love, Michelle C.
- Daniel, Peterson, Garro – Thanks for supplying crayons to help us make sedimentary rock models! Zappe
- Melanie B.- Thank you for creating the penguin infographic template for me! I was amazed at how fast you got back with me (especially during a Book Fair week)! - Valerie L.
- Shiela- thanks so much for all that you managed while we were out! SL
- Donna- thanks for all that you have done to get our tutor up and going! SL
- Teachers- thanks for supporting your teammates classrooms and students while they were out at ELM training! SL
- ELM team- I appreciate the phenomenal work and time you invested into our three day training! SL
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Action Items
- Send Dismissal System Parent Letter home on Tuesday, March 1st
- Enter grades and comments by 8:00am on Wednesday, March 2nd
- Revisions/Corrections completed by 8:00am on Friday, March 4th
- Turn in Staffing Survey by EOD on Friday, March 4th
- Scan all 5th Grade Science DAs by EOD on Friday, March 4th
- Complete TELPAS Writing Collections by EOD, Tuesday, March 15th
- Send Report Cards home on Wednesday, March 16th
- Submit MVM by EOD on Thursday, March 17th
- Scan all K-5th Grade Math DAs by EOD on Friday, March 18th
- Scan all 4th Grade SS DAs by EOD on Friday, March 18th
- Schedule 3rd, 4th and 5th grade DAs with Bonnie
Bad Dude
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McKinney ISD's Vision, Mission and Beliefs
Any time we have an idea, concern, solution and/or comment, this is the filter through which we should speak. Let's help each other live up to our vision, mission, and beliefs.
Vision:
We are a cohesive, diverse community providing engaging learning experiences for all.
We will provide engaging learning experiences so students can become effective communicators, quality contributors and socially responsible citizens.
Beliefs:
- Partnerships between students, parents, community members and staff are foundational to educational success.
- Positive school culture and a safe environment foster growth.
- Everyone has inherent value and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
- Learning is an active process requiring engaging tasks and engaging minds.
- Relevant and authentic experiences ignite continuous, deeper learning.
- Meaningful relationships enrich learning.
- Confidence fuels risk taking and higher achievement.
- Financial stewardship ensures a tomorrow for education.