Mustang Message
January 30, 2017
A Principal's Perspective
Tracy Brice and I are part of the CSISD Dream Team where we are exploring innovation in education. We are using the book by George Couros, The Innovator's Mindset. You can check out the CSISD blog at http://dreamteamcsisd.weebly.com/ This week we talked about the 8 things to look for in today's classroom. These 8 characteristics of learning environments inspire creative thinking. Organizations that are successfully executing their vision have or encourage these characteristics daily in learning.
- Student Voice
- Choice
- Time for Reflection
- Opportunities for Innovation
- Critical Thinkers
- Problem Solvers/Finders
- Self-Assessment
- Connected Learning
Think about our snow day. Can you identify any of these 8 characteristics when thinking about the student activities on snow day? When you design units or instructional lessons, do students have the opportunity to explore these 8 characteristics? Our GP mission is very clear. Will we be able to successfully fulfill our school mission without these characteristics? In thinking about these 8 characteristics, where are we currently in your classroom, grade level, and our school? Most importantly, where can we begin?
Be Innovative - Design the possibilities!
Donna
Morning Duties for the Week
Morning Assembly (7:20): Lindner
Gym (7:20): J. Rhine
Cafeteria (7:20): Helfeldt
Bus (7:15 - Buses/ Cafeteria after all buses arrive): McMurry
Parent Drop Off Direct Traffic (7:20-7:50): Cooper
Parent Drop Off Car Doors (7:20-7:50): Neidig & Miller
Counselor Schedule: Small Groups
Librarian: GP
Week at a Glance
Monday: 4th grade field trip to the symphony; 3 week progress reports due by 8:00 am; Tech jean day for staff that attended Tech Tuesday last week (we had about 35 staff members in attendance)
Tuesday: STEM Club 3:15-4:00; Campus Council rescheduled to Wednesday, Feb. 8th, 3:30-4:30
Wednesday: 100th Day of School; Lounge Wednesday (If participating, wear GP shirt, jeans & eat in lounge); New Teacher Meeting 3:30-4:30; Open Office Hours with Parr for technology & Specialists
Thursday: Groundhog Day; BRAVE 3:15-4:15; SIT Group #4 (Simpson, Reed, Piscacek, Williams/Hastings/J. Rhine, Glunk); PTO Meeting 12:00-1:00
Friday: Education Foundation's 50 Men Who Can Cook; Campus Council Agenda Items to Donna
News & Notes
- Thank you to the Living Hope Baptist Church for the donuts this week. Tara Pack dropped them off with a great thank you card. Please see Mustang News in office hall for note.
- I have the SWIVLs in my office. If you are still needing to SWIVL your lesson in preparation for your lesson reflection discussion, please come check out in my office. I am keeping them charged and ready to go.
- It is that time of year again - Lounge Wednesday! We know that eating together provides opportunities to get to know each other better, laugh, share stories while building our GP team. If you eat in the lounge on Wednesday, wear your jeans and a GP shirt. Relaxed, comfy, and great company during lunch - can it get any better?
- Please send Campus Council agenda items to Donna by Friday, Feb. 3rd
- Check out the e-mail from Shannon Long that she sent this week. Shannon presented at our Tech Tuesday. She showed us some great program tools for students and teachers. Her Smore is full of great resources for us.
Mustang Yee Haws!
- What a super snow day! Thank you to Vicki Murphy and the planning team for organizing such an enriching day for our students. Check out KBTX on Thursday's 4:00 show for a great clip of snow day and the weather. If you have pictures of the day, please put in Teacher Scratch/1026-2017 Yearbook Folder/Events/Snow Day (not Snow Bash). Hopefully, some of these pictures will be used in the yearbook.