January 22nd Pony News
Building a Brighter Future!
KNOWING OUR NEW CREW
Garrett Frosch 4th Grade
Hey Pony Family!
I am excited to start my public teaching career with LISD. I graduated high school from the small community of Quitman, TX, and went to university at Texas A&M-Commerce.
I come from a non-traditional teaching background, and began teaching with Outdoor Adventures at Texas A&M-Commerce (Go Lions!!!). I had the opportunity to lead adventures on challenge courses, climbing walls, as well as kayaking/camping/cycling trips. As my time at Commerce came to a close, I decided to get a “real job,” and started a career in sales with Fastenal. After a few years I was asked to help with their HR team. I had the opportunity to fly across the US teaching sales skills, product knowledge, and service techniques to increase my students’ book of business. I was led to become a public school teacher, and spent a year as a SPED aide at Marcus high school. Now I get to teach 4th grade!
Through it all, I could not do anything without my lovely wife, Elin. Ask anyone who has talked with me for more than 10 minutes and you will know that she is my favorite subject to talk about. She is the lead SPED teacher at Forestwood Middle School. We have a 2 year old dog “Pippin,” (named from the Lord of the Rings character) and each day with him is a new experience.
I look forward to working with and growing with our great Pony Family!
The Purpose and The Why - LVES Mission and Vision
I enjoyed meeting with 1st, 2nd, and 5th grade teachers, and will be joining Kinder., 3rd, and 4th grade team meetings to share with you the revised mission and vision that was updated at the end of the semester by the leadership team. My hope is to make connections with your why.
Please begin thinking on what the following mean to you:
- building relationships,
- impact student learning,
- intrinsically motivated,
- thrive academically and socially.
Mrs. Burleson is having her baby on Monday! Wish her good luck! We will miss you.
Meet Mrs.Venita Blake
Learn more HERE
Kinder - 2nd Istation Check-ins
Please click here to see the rest of the Istation Check-ins for the semester.
Before the meeting:
- Print and bring your classroom distribution report graph and your ISIP report by skill.
- Identify how many of your students are on each range.
During the meeting:
- Share 3 things that you can CELEBRATE based on this month's Istation data and running records for your class.
- Share 2 things that you have been doing in RESPONSE to your Istation data and running records for your class.
- Create a goal for your Tier I, Tier II and Tier III students for your next Istation Check-in using the Description of Instructional Tiers.
For example, for your students above grade level, your goal might be to increase by 5 points.
For your students below grade level, your goal might be to increase by 10 points (from 204 Tier III to 214 Tier II next month).
We will Identify strategies and resources to use to accomplish these goals, and discuss the skills on which to focus.
Restorative Practices Support
Safety Audit
- Always have your doors locked, and place the magnet on the door jamb.
- Door of all portables should be locked and closed at all times.
- Always wear your LISD badge.
- All visitors must wear an identification badge. If you see someone in the building without a badge, please escort them to the front office.
- Do not let anyone enter the building if they don't have a badge. Visitors can only enter through the front office. Sometime during the spring semester, an undercover police officer will attempt to access the school in plain clothes.
- Teachers are welcome to stay in the building after school as late as desired, within the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
- Please allow the custodians to come in and clean your room, etc. daily.
- All staff members have an access code to enter the building when the alarm is set.
- Please be very vigilant in entering through the front door of the school, disarming the alarm when you enter and arming the system when you leave. You will also be required to sign in and out on the clipboard by the alarm. Please do an all call (** 000) if you suspect that there are more teachers on campus before setting the alarm. If you are the last person on campus, it is your duty to set the alarm before leaving.
- Please follow the procedures on the "in an emergency card" that you received.
- Remember not to text or post any information.
What is our Istation Data telling us?
- What are your next steps?
- How are your students responding to the conversations that you are having about their growth?
- How might you use the Istation intervention lessons as part your guided reading?
- How might the Language Arts facilitators help you? Perhaps they might share strategies for the students that are not making progress.
- How consistent are your guided reading groups?
- What are your running records and anecdotal notes telling you?
- Are the students who are not making progress in RtI?
- How might we help you?
Note: 1st and 2nd grade scores include Dual Language classes. English is their L2.
Master Calendar
Our Pony Week
- HOLIDAY MLK DAY
- Mrs. Burleson is having her baby. :-)
Tuesday, January 22nd:
- NO TEKS & ELPS Collab.
- No Pony time
- Ms. Snell will train all instructional support in behavior strategies.
- Tutoring
- Mrs. Valdes will join team meetings for K, 3rd, 4th.
Wednesday, January 23rd:
- Dress for Success
- Principal U
- Multilingual Coordinator
- Vertical alignment Mtg.
- Paul Wieczorek BD
- 5th grade goes to DeLay Middle School.
Thursday, January 24th:
- Girls LWAL
- Tutoring
- Lewisville ES Site Visit- Safety Audit
- 4th and 5th Grade Small Groups and Accommodations Check-ins with Ms. Lawson
Friday, January 25th:
- Spirit Day
- Restorative Practices Consultant on campus
Important Information
Monday, January 28th: NEU Rally, K - 2nd Istation Check-ins
Tuesday, January 29th: 2nd, 5th and 1st Writing PLC
4th Grade Writing STAAR online training after school Part 1: Jan. 29
Wednesday, January 30th: Safe and Civil Committee goes to Bolin for training (Day 1)
AFTER SCHOOL: TELPAS training & Safe & Civil Meeting 3:15-4:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 31st Safe and Civil Committee goes to Bolin for training (Day 2)
Congratulations to Ms. Paris class for reaching their goal of 10 ponies.
Shout-Outs!
- To whomever gave me a shoutout about caring for my students! I needed it more than you know! <3 YB
- Coach W. for giving up his lunch to entertain our 4th graders during recess on bad weather days. You're awesome!!!
- Mrs. Oden
- Mrs. Oden- thank you for stepping in to assist in BIC! You are AMAZING!
- Ms.McNamara for being so thoughtful during her guidance lesson...fixing me and my computer! :)
- Vando for going above and beyond to always help...and saving me from starvation :)
- Thank you to Mrs. Oporto and Mrs. Vando for keeping your cool and helping me with an injured student!
- Coach W Is Super Helpful every time we ask for help about anything and everything. He's the man!
- Thank you Mrs. Franco for being my sounding board in all things library and helping me create/launch our new reading initiative. I am so grateful to have you here! Mrs. Hernandez
- Ms Heim & Ms McNamara for hearing of a need and being so willing to fulfill it. Thank you!
- Shout out to Veronica Hernandez for her great vision to encourage our Ponies to read. I love your ideas. We are so lucky to have you as our Librarian.
- Shout out to Ms. Burleson and Ms. Lawson for making the parent breakfast a success.
- Shout out to Ms. Itzy Bernal, Mrs. Oporto, Ms. Wier, Ms. Kilam, Ms. Frederick, Mrs. Gray, Ms. Salazar, Mrs. Anguita, Mrs. Guerrero and Coach W. for coming on Saturday to support parents Breakfast educational meeting.
- Mrs. Burleson is really, really grateful for all the love you have shown her family - thank you for the well wishes, check ins, cards, letters, flowers and gifts. You all have blessed us immensely with baby #2.
January's Birthdays
Click here