CSHS Weekly Bulletin
March 6-19, 2017
The Circle of Safety
Dear Cougar Family,
I am currently starting a book study of Simon Sinek's Leaders Eat Last with a group of CSISD principals. The first chapter of the book is called "Belonging," and I keep thinking about this fable he shared:
"A lion used to prowl about a field in which Four Oxen used to dwell. Many a time he tried to attack them; but whenever he came near they turned their tails to one another, so that whichever way he approached them he was met with the horns of one of them. At last, however, they fell a-quarrelling among themselves, and each went off to pasture alone in a separate corner of the field. Then the lion attacked them one by one and soon made an end of all four." --Aesop, sixth century B.C.
As I consider why this is resonating with me so much, it is not because I see members of our pride of Cougars "a-quarrelling" (an excellent word, by the way), but more so because I feel very much a part of group of people who work well together and work hard for each other and our students. No matter what metaphorical "lions" threaten our circle of safety, we Cougars band together to see about one another and offer to help.
I then begin to wonder if our students feel this same circle of safety on a smaller scale--in our building, in their classrooms, in their peer groups, in their own personal families--and I am afraid not all of them would say they do. So my challenge to you this week is to take a look at the smaller "circles" within which our students navigate and consider how we as the adults on campus can help them to feel the strength and security needed to try to learn new things, even though they may have to fail several times before they understand a concept.
"Only when there is a strong circle of safety is there innovation." Simon Sinek. Let's work to keep our circle strong!
Have an incredible week as we look forwarded to a well-earned week-long break!
As always, COUGAR PRIDE!
Tiffany
504, SPED, ESL: Your Feedback is REQUIRED!
It is IMPERATIVE that teachers complete AND return the student information sheets for students served under 504, SPED, and ESL. The accommodations each student receives are based on this input and the feedback is invaluable to help those in attendance make good decisions with the student and his/her family.
There is a DUE DATE on the top of the form and the information gets entered into the computer system prior to the meeting to help expedite the process. Make sure you are upholding your teacher responsibilities by taking care of this important task.
Learning Zone Faculty Meetings in March!
Learning Zone faculty meetings have begun! Two sessions have already passed, and we have two more this week with the final two options the week after Spring Break!
Thank you so much for signing up in a timely manner! If you would like to attend more than one meeting, then you are welcome to do so! Please sign up for each you attend through Eduphoria. You can find all options in last week's bulletin.
60 Second Staff Development: Brain Breaks!
I knew I wanted this week's 60 Second Staff Development to focus on Brain Breaks!
"A brain break is a short period of time when we change up the dull routine of incoming information that arrives via predictable, tedious, well-worn roadways. Our brains are wired for novelty." For more information about why brain breaks are important, read the full article Energy and Calm: Brain Breaks and Focused Attention Practices.
The first few sites I found seemed a little elementary, but have good ideas, such as gonoodle.com, so I altered the search terms to focus on high school students and found this video from CSISD's own Aaron Hogan. Take a moment to watch this quick video on a few simple things you can do to help students retain information by giving their brains a minute to focus on something else.
ARD/504 Invitations--Be Sure to Click YES!
The spring is certainly a busy time of year, and we know that any time away from your classroom is hard for both you and your students; however, another important part of our jobs is to attend ARD and 504 meetings. If you are on campus the date you are asked to attend an ARD or 504 meeting, our expectation is that you accept that invitation.
If you are getting multiple invitations for the same day or are feeling overwhelmed about the scheduling, please contact the assistant principal for the your department.
Student Recognition
We'd like to recognize the success of our students on the announcements and social media. Please email Tiffany and Victoria or place an announcement in the box on Tiffany's desk. In order to be included on social media, please either send a picture of students or your organization's logo. Thanks!
Duty Schedule
If you have not had duty in the fall, you have duty this spring. Check the full schedule here and mark the dates in your calendar.
Morning Duty
Afternoon Duty
Upcoming Events
3/9 Cheer Tryouts
3/11-3/19 Spring Break
3/16-20 Band Cruise
3/21 UIL District One Act Play Contest
3/22 UIL District Academic Meet
3/23 National Merit Scholar Dinner
3/24 HOSA Blood Drive
3/28 English I EOC
3/30 English II EOC
4/1 Area One Act Play Contest
4/1 District UIL Speech and Debate Contest
4/1 Area FFA Contest