Cowboy Courier
May 30, 2019
Well, that's a wrap! We did it!! I hope you didn't blink. I cried like a baby when my own kiddos left for school this morning, and this isn't even a milestone year for them. I'm a mess! I think I just realized how quickly the year has gone by and I pray I have poured enough into them this year. I am so thankful for the teachers who have loved on them every day, even when I know the teachers probably felt that they had nothing left to give.
That's how lots of parents feel about YOU today. After getting over my own emotional breakdown, I immediately thought of each of you and how you give of yourselves daily, sometimes at the expense of your own families. I never take for granted what it takes to do your job. Average people would crumble under the pressure. I am truly honored to work with you every day. I don't say "thank you" enough for letting me lead this school. You cheer with me when we win, stress and cry with me when we face challenges, and always offer grace when I mess up. I choose to be here each day because I have a tribe of warriors around me who love these kids and each other more than some people can comprehend.
Congratulations to all the parents and grandparents who are experiencing the bittersweet milestone years. Happy graduation weekend! I hope your celebrations are wonderful and all you have dreamed they would be!!
I want to thank Shontia, Danita, Libby, Nancy M., and Victor for their years of dedication and service to our school. I wish you the very best in your next adventures!!
Go have a relaxing and rejuvenating summer, and work hard to make the best memories yet!
Lots of love,
Amber
All hands on deck this afternoon please.
Congratulations to these teachers celebrating MISD milestones!!
Wendy Buehrer
Sarah Fox
Michael Zoellner
10 Years of Service in MISD
Ann Ahlborn
Nicole Spinnato
Kathleen Sprouse
Courtney Starnes (won't stay in one place long enough for a picture)
15 Years of Service in MISD
Lisa Cook
Kathy Turpin
Connie Worrell
20 Years of Service in MISD
Jenny Smith
Important PD Info for teachers
Teachers will have the opportunity to "comp out" or trade time for Nov. 11th and May 28th next year. You must be able to document 6 hours of PD this summer to replace the May 28th contract date. You will be responsible for making sure this is reflected in Eduphoria and your documentation (certificate) is given to Jenny Zornes (who will serve as the campus PD police). There are MANY opportunities this summer to get these hours. We will put the summer book studies in Eduphoria for credit as well. Please get the hours done this summer so we don't drive Jenny crazy chasing this all year.
Benefits Open Enrollment
Make sure before you leave for summer break that your contact information is correct in Employee Self Service (ESS) at https://ess.mckinneyisd.net/MSS/Default.aspx.
Important Things to Know:
- All employees must participate in open enrollment whether you elect or decline coverage due to this being our first year with FBS
- Open enrollment will begin July 8 through August 9
- Attached is additional information including plan highlights
- Medical coverage:
- If you regularly work greater than 10 hours a week, you are eligible for medical only at the full premium cost (without district contribution)
- If you regularly work greater than 20 hours a week, you are eligible for medical (with district contribution towards premium)
- Benefits other than medical:
- You must regularly work greater than 20 hours a week to be eligible
EOY T-TESS
Carnverge 2019
Below is the link to the Carnverge (Converge) website. The site includes links for registration, session proposals, keynote bios and a “schedule at a glance”. The “official” detailed schedule with session descriptions, times, locations etc. will be pushed out in the Sched App in early May for registered attendees. Information on how to win a “Golden Ticket” and VIP pass to the Jenni Magiera Lunch & Learn will be coming out on April 5th to registered attendees. This year’s luncheon will be for the winners of the Carnverge Innovation Challenge.
Attendees will receive 6-hours of GT update training credit along with C&I PD credit. Please let me know if you have any questions.
A New Summer PD Opportunity
We are offering a NEW summer learning opportunity called MISD Mini-Institute. The Mini-Institute will offer a variety of collaborative & interactive sessions. The goal of the institute is for K-12 educators to improve student success. We are excited to host Carol Jago, author & educator, who will present a K-5 session & 6-12 session on July 30.
MISD Summer Learning at Boyd High School:
June 19 McKinney ISD CARNVERGE 2019
July 22-23 Region 10 Roadshow (register on the Region 10 site & we will add it to your Eduphoria portfolio after you attend)
July 30-31 Mini-Institute
Summer PD Opportunity
Region 10 Roadshow is coming to McKinney Boyd High School on July 22-23, 2019. Region 10 is offering various sessions in core content areas, Bilingual/ESL, Special Programs, CTE, Early Childhood, and various 6-hour GT Updates to name a few. These professional development sessions will challenge growth, foster innovative practices, and prepare educators to meet diverse student needs. This is a great opportunity to begin completing your PD requirement for 2019-2020.
Registration is OPEN & filling up fast!
- Use the link below to register for sessions though Region 10 website:
https://www.region10.org/programs/r10-summer-roadshow/mckinney/. This PD is free to our district staff because we are a participating cooperative of Region 10.
- You are required to register with Region 10 for this PD. We will use the sign in sheets provided to us from Region 10 to add this PD to your portfolio in Eduphoria.
Kudos!
Thanks to our CREED curriculum team for planning the egg drop activity this week. So fun!-Amber
Thank you to our support staff in every office area. We wouldn't make it at the end of year (or any time) without you. Appreciate all of you for the big and little things you all day that make our school run smoothly. -Amber
Dear Nicole L.,
Thank you for taking such good care of your student on Friday when you were coming back from the 8th grade celebration!
You did EXACTLY the right thing at EXACTLY the right time!
Good job!!! Thank you.-Nurse O'Grady
I want to give a big shout out to David Moore for helping me with after school practices for the Lip Dub. It was a lot of kiddos to wrangle all at once and he was a huge help! – Nicole Spinnato
Mr. Gore,
My wife Stephanie and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for what you have done for our son. He had a difficult situation where he came from and it was a real difficult adjustment for him when he came to McKinney. You told us a couple of years ago that you tried hard to get him at Cockrill. We are so thankful for that. You have assembled the greatest staff we have ever encountered and that surely not only has paid dividends for our son, but for all the other young people that have been lucky enough to come across your path. Mrs. Beyer has been so influential in his development, we are without words. He knew I was writing this tonight. This is what he told me.
“I’m sad that Mr. Gore is leaving. I really like him.” His personal message was “Mr. Gore, good luck to you in the future!”
My family is so grateful for what you have done for our son. His achievements are directly related to what you have done for us. You will be missed. Thank you again for everything! Enjoy retirement! -Happy Family
Thank you to Mr. Herrington for helping us with music for the lip dub practices after school and for the actual performance, even when he was off campus. Thank you for going above and beyond! – Nicole Spinnato
Dear Mrs. Ahlborn!
I just wanted to let you know that you have inspired my daughter to absolutely LOVE math this year!
She has always been afraid of math or worried that she didn’t understand it- this year she has grown to truly love it and says it is her favorite class and YOU have been her favorite teacher!
We both owe you the credit for teaching it in a way that she immediately understood, was fun to learn it, and inspired her to master the concepts. I believe she is well prepared for 9th grade pre AP math. Not only that, but also you are excellent at communicating to the parents what’s going on every week! So appreciate everything you have done for us!!
We wish we could clone you for the next four years of high school math!
Anyway- I just wanted to let you know what a significant difference you have made in my daughter for the rest of her life!! I hope you have a fantastic snd well deserved summer!!
We love you Mrs. Ahlborn!!
All the best to you and your family!
Sincerely, Happy Parent
Thank you to Mrs. Rumley and all the volunteers who pulled together an awesome Cowboy Round-Up! I appreciate the extra work you put into this event for our students. -Amber
Nicole, Congrats on a successful lipdub project. I know it was hours of work behind the scenes to help these make this memory. I don't know how you do all you do each day, but think you are pretty amazing! I guess you can go have your baby girl now. Whew! You made it! -Amber