Anchor Weekly
A newsletter for Alta Vista Staff~Week of May 6, 2019
Don't Forget! Next Week's Calendar
- Staff Appreciation Week ALL WEEK
- 1st Grade Field Trip to Homestead Heritage on Tuesday, May 7
- Faculty Meeting on Wednesday, May 8 **STAAR Training**
- CDMC Meeting on Thursday, May 9 at 4:15 pm
- STAAR Pep Rally (Gr 3-5) on Friday, May 10 Time TBD
Coming Up: CDMC on May 9
From Your Captain
Your hard work and proactive measures to improve behavior for the month of April really paid off. We had 26 incidents in 2018 but only 13 incidents in 2019 for April. That is a 50% reduction in incidents! Thank you to everyone that reinforced procedures/expectations, led Morning Meetings, and positively reinforced students with weekly behavior treats.
If you didn't get your popsicles for the last week of April, they are still in the freezer in the staff lounge. Don't forget this reward!
Staff Appreciation Week!
Monday: Chips, Salsa & Queso in the Staff Lounge
Tuesday: Special Gift
Wednesday: Ice Cream Sundaes after dismissal
Thursday: Staff can wear jeans! Lunch provided by Meadowbrook
Friday: Lunch provided by First Presbyterian
Conscious Discipline
Our focus for May Morning Meetings is POSITIVE ATTITUDE. This skill ties in many of the things we have already discussed; it is a good reminder as we finish the year.
Here is a link to the May Morning Meeting lessons: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZfmUwbqOp0gZyq1WOnmr9zjJlNIFXRd1wDLC2FXDK2U/edit?usp=sharing
If you have ideas for Morning Meeting themes for next school year, please share them with Mrs. Helton.
May Makerspace
Our final Makerspace is based on "The Very Impatient Caterpillar." It's a great story to reinforce animal life cycles. The project will include students creating their own butterfly feeder that they can take home. Email Mrs. Helton to reserve the cart.
If you have ideas for Makerspace projects for next year, please share them with Mrs. Helton!
Small Containers Needed!
Staff of the Week
Congratulations to Ms. Terrell for being the TEACHER OF THE WEEK for planning 2 science PBLs this school year.
Congratulations to Ms. Lopez for being the TEACHER OF THE WEEK for having a positive attitude and holding her bilingual students to high expectations.
Summer Professional Development
Region 12 Summer PD
The TransformED Conference is being paid for by WISD if you follow the attached directions. :)
District Summer Professional Development
The district is working to finalize summer offerings for summer professional development to release next Friday, March 29th. All offerings will be available for registration in Eduphoria. For a preview, you can access the summer calendar at this link.
ESL Summer Academy
The English Learners Department will be offering a Summer ESL Academy for all Waco ISD teachers that are interested in ESL certification. This important workshop is highly recommended for emergency certified ESL Teachers and teachers on ESL waivers.
Please note: Teachers who received ESL Waivers during the 2018-2019 school-year will not be eligible for a waiver in 2019-2020. Thus, it is important that they attend this academy as it will help to prepare them for the ESL Certification exam. Please refer to the attached flyer for more information or contact the English Learners Department at 254-755-9512 if you have any questions.
PK & Kindergarten Summer Training
The following Early Childhood trainings will be offered at no cost through Region 12 this summer.
Please note: PK and Kindergarten teachers will be required to complete 15 hours of professional development in the area of Early Childhood during the 2019-2020 school year. The courses below will count towards the 15 hour requirement for the 2019-2020 school year.
PK Teachers:
• Early Childhood Conference, June 17th, Region 12, FREE, #148429
• Social Emotional Storytime, July 16th, Region 12, FREE, #167269
• I Can See This Number In How Many Ways, July 16th, Region 12, FREE, #168557
Kindergarten Teachers:
• Early Childhood Conference, June 17th, Region 12, FREE, #148429
• Social Emotional Storytime, July 16th, Region 12, FREE, #167269
• I Can See This Number In How Many Ways, July 16th, Region 12, FREE, #168557
How to register for the TransformED Early Childhood Conference:
- See the document above for Registering at Region 12 and paying with a PO #.
Reading Professional Development
The 2019-2020 school year will start out with new K-5 Literacy Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). We are excited to be entering this new phase of TEKS where listening, speaking, reading, writing and thinking will be interconnected, integrated and recursive. We will be offering the following trainings for all K-5 teachers this summer in preparation for the new year. Please see Donna Trigg if you have any questions.
“New” 2 Day Literacy Academy (Required for all K-5 Literacy teachers)
• June 11 & 12th, 2019 OR
• July 16 & 17, 2019 OR
• August 13 & 14, 2019 (back on contract)
We will be addressing the following:
• Understanding new Literacy TEKS
• Aligning resources and curriculum with the new Literacy TEKS
• Aligning instruction and assessments with the new Literacy TEKS
• Guided Reading will be offered as a choice of a beginning class or an advanced class during the Literacy Academy.
There will be something new for everyone! Please note: If you attend the Literacy Academy in June or July, you do not need to attend in August.
Repeated Trainings from 2018-2019
Sarah Waller-Units of Study, K-5
• June 13, 2019 OR
• July 18, 2019
Jeff Anderson-Patterns of Power, Grades 1-5
• July 24, 2019
• Sign-up in Eduphoria ASAP before summer spots fill up.
All Things Summer School
Summer school will be at KENDRICK ELEMENTARY due to campus construction. The dates are: Monday-Thursday, June 4-26 from 8:00 am - 1:30 pm.
If you anticipate a student needs to go to summer school, the student needs to be added to the following tentative list (PAST DUE): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dEqLaK5qnMrbjtsffdLGH-OqY7Epl0zcML37aVe6cuk/edit?usp=sharing
You need to meet with the parents of any student that is in danger of failing. Parents will also need to fill out the Summer School Application REVISED here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zqdN5xlyQxV2X3dp4139nu0GtlPOWOr8psvYG9v8XEg/edit?usp=sharing
Return completed summer school applications to Mrs. Maynard.
Here is the parent letters that you can share with the application:
Language Acquisition Summer School
n order to meet the 120-hour requirement of direct instruction for Language Acquisition Summer School, Waco ISD’s Language Acquisition Summer School will run during the following dates, days, and times:
Dates (with students): June 4th-July 2nd
Days: Monday- Thursday
Times: 8:00-3:35
Location: Bells Hill & Dean Highland
All current PK and Kindergarten LEP students will be invited. Applications and letters will be provided to parents in English and Spanish. The Bilingual Department will deliver the letters with students’ names and applicable information to campuses during the week of April 8. The letters will need to be sent home with students on April 11 per the Summer School Timeline.