Principal's Summer Newsletter
August 2016 -Rees Elementary - 5th Edition
TEAM,
Greetings! I hope everyone has found some time to enjoy friends and family this summer. I always find it a little surreal when I look at the calendar and realize July has come to an end and we're just days away from the August return of our students and staff.
As we get ready to mentally prepare ourselves for another outstanding year of teaching and learning together, I ask that you take a moment and play Katy Perry's "Rise" below. . As you listen to the lyrics, I hope it will remind you of the impact you will have on our Rees stars this year. I believe that the work of an elementary school educator is like no other. It is an incredible responsibility to balance the physical, academic and social-emotional development of primary students.
The line "Oh, you will see me thrive!" is an affirmation that I have told myself many times after making decisions that involved taking a risk or being innovative. With the advancements in technology today, we have an opportunity to rethink and redesign traditional methods of instruction that are not effective in preparing our students for success in today's rapidly changing world.
As you begin reflecting on how you will implement some of the ideas and strategies from professional development this summer, I want you to keep in mind the following quote from Albert Einstein as it might relate to risk-taking and innovation.
"We can't solve problems
by using the same kind of thinking
we used when we created them."
- Albert Einstein
BLENDED LEARNING
READING STATION ROTATION MODEL INSTRUCTIONAL FRAMEWORK
SCHOOLOGY
It's exciting that our district will be embarking on a new technology initiative with the implementation of the Schoology Learning Management System. At the most recent principal's meeting, we learned about the three year implementation plan. Please rest assured that for now we will not abandon any of our Google apps and go full force with Schoology. The most important task this August will be to update your Schoology profile and link your classroom web page. Once the district curriculum guides are uploaded into Schoology, this will be the only way to access them.
TEACHER WEB SITES (Ready by Thursday, August 18th)
Weebly has drag and drop features that make it easier to update interactive class web pages. By August 18, teachers should have a QR code linked to their website posted outside of their classroom entrance. In an effort to increase parent access to class websites, I am asking that you include this same QR code in ALL written correspondence with parents this school year. The Weebly tutorial link below is an excellent self-paced course to guide you in the development of your site.
START THE YEAR BY GOING DIGITAL - Create a/an . . .
GOOGLE FORM FOR PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION
Be ready to collect parent information on Meet the Teacher Night by creating a Google Form for parent contact information. It is much easier and more accurate to maintain a digital file of this information. No standing in line for the copy machine and you can access the parent information from your Google Drive. We will hold a digital make and take session of Google Forms during the week of August 15 - Bring the digital forms you want to convert to the training session.
SMORE NEWSLETTER
If you like to send home weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly newsletters to keep your parents informed, then consider converting to a digital version. The specialists and I have been using a smore.com flyer account for many of our presentations and CPC work. A free account lets you create up to ten flyers or newsletters. Some people keep revising those same ten and never upgrade. A professional individual account is normally $15 a month. They offer a offer a special deal for educators. For $59 a year, you get full educator access. If you purchase your account on/after September 1, I will give you the option of being reimbursed for up to $50 of your teacher BOYFunds allocation towards this
ADOBE SPARK VIDEO
It is often quoted that a picture is worth a "thousand words". With that in mind, I encourage you to explore a new app I discovered - Adobe Spark Video. It is similar to a Powerpoint Show or iMovie. I think it has the potential to be a great way to compile class pictures and have them set to music. Sharing digital pics of the learning activities in your classroom is a great way to share your celebrations with parents. The app is super easy, a web 2.0 tool, and free. For sharing, you can Tweet it to your class parents and/or post the video to your class website. We will be adding this AS to our list of core apps and it will be installed on all campus iPADS.
TEACHER MONEY (BOY FUNDS)
I am committed to making sure you have teacher supply money at the beginning of each year to purchase the extra supplies, decorations, and incentives you need to create the best learning environment for our Rees Stars.
Returning Rees teachers - $150
Teachers new to Rees - $200
First year teachers - $300
The allotted budget amounts may be used towards purchases made through a district approved vendor purchase requisition. Detailed orders should be submitted to the school secretary as soon as possible. The district budget cycle does not begin until September 1 so we can not take delivery of any items until after that date. The deadline for using these funds in November 4. Unused funds will return to the campus general supply fund. Teachers may split the funds and have a maximum of $50.00 reimbursed for items purchased from a local store. You must use a tax exempt form. Any items purchased before September 1 will not be reimbursed.
NEW TEACHERS TO REES
Raquel Stevens
Transfer from Klentzman
Jessica Fitzpatrick
Transfer from FBISD
Nouara Bouchelkia
Transfer from Sneed
Maheen Virani
Geromina Lopez
Transfer from Arizona
Monica Hurtado
Transfer from Sneed
Flor Alvarez
Transfer from Holmquist
Marianica Olivares
Transfer from Kennedy
CLASSROOM TWITTER ACCOUNT
I encourage every classroom teacher to maintain a classroom Twitter account where you can post thoughts or celebrations to be shared with parents. Setting up this account as a private account where followers must be approved will make it easier for you to share "Great News or Reminders of the Day" instantly with parents. By setting it up as private, you won't have to worry about compromising student privacy since your students' parents will be the only ones receiving Tweets.
What to share:
- School Reminders
- Links to videos or articles for flipped learning or frontloading a lesson
- Student work you want to showcase
- Pics of students you want to recognize
PROFESSIONAL TWITTER ACCOUNT (Personal Learning Network)
Every Rees staff member is expected to maintain a "Professional" staff Twitter account. Through Twitter we will all develop a comprehensive professional learning network where we share, connect, and learn from other educators.
Why do I have to do this?
- The Principal will be tweeting PD assignments for staff throughout the school year.
- Important school information and celebrations will be tweeted in real time.
- It is an intentional effort to stay updated with current trends and research in education. Following the "right" people is key to making this an invaluable resource.
- As a trailblazers with technology integration, you have an obligation to share with others so that all students benefit from your risk-taking and innovation.
- It is a non-negotiable.
If you choose to only have one Twitter account and instead combine the class and professional accounts, then you be sure that your tweets are written for both audiences.
Paul Baez
Email: paul.baez@aliefisd.net
Website: baezpaul.com
Location: 16305 Kensley Drive, Houston, TX, United States
Phone: 2815311444
Twitter: @baezp1