Monday Memo
January 15 - 19, 2018
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education. -Martin Luther King, Jr.
There seems to be a lot of important information to share this week. Please be sure to read the newsletter carefully so that you don't miss out on any important events, changes or timelines.
The PTA Board has voted to change the Talent Show to a Variety Show. They have also decided to limit it to 2nd-5th grade. Because it was open to everyone last year, first graders will be grandfathered in this year and allowed to participate. To clarify, this year is open to 1st-5th grades, next year will be 2nd-5th grades. In addition, this will no longer be a competition. This means that we will not have winners to showcase during a school day performance. If you have a Variety Show scheduled on Monday, January 29th at 8:15am, please remove it. We do not want to communicate misinformation to parents or students.
PTA also needs one teacher to serve as their official employee contact after school until about 6:00 on Thursday, January 18th for the Variety Show Try-outs and again on Tuesday, January 23rd for the Variety Show Dress Rehearsal. During this time you are able to work in your room, you just need to be available in the event that they have a question/concern. If you are able to cover one or both of these days, please email Donna. I would happy to express my appreciation in the form of jeans passes.
We noticed a few mistakes on the Google calendar specific to PBIS Team meetings. While I am not sure what happened, we have made corrections and the calendar is now accurate. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused. Future PBIS Team meetings will be held on February 15th and March 5th.
We have a few evening events coming up on our calendar. Please make sure that you work with your teams to ensure that you have coverage at each of these events. If you have a student participating in the Variety Show, I strongly encourage you to attend. While I know that certain circumstances can prevent that, if that is the case, please notify your student and the parents so that they understand your absence.
Due to a conference, Melanie Burford is attending, she will be on a tight timeline for getting the Mavs of the Month ready for the next Mav Fan Jam. While she is normally flexible when people don't submit names on time, this month, she does not have that ability. This means that you must submit your names by the due date this month. Please support your teammates and Melanie by checking with each other to make sure this task is completed on time. Your efforts to do this is greatly appreciated.
Valentines Day is just around the corner. Please make sure that Donna has the time of your grade level party by Friday, January 26th. All parties will be held on Wednesday, February 14th, and call me a softy, but you may wear jeans with a Valentines Day shirt. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Make today count!
JL
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Teacher of the Year Nominations
It is that time of year again. This is our opportunity to recognize one of our own who embodies all that we strive to achieve. Please review the timeline and criteria below, then use this link to submit your nomination.
Nominations will be due by EOD on Friday, January 19th.
Nominated teachers will be announced in next week's Monday Memo.
Voting will close at 8:00am, Thursday, January, 25th.
Teacher of the Year will be announced at Mav Fan Jam on Friday, January 26th.
Criteria:
1) Peer nominations are encouraged.
2) One nominee from each campus will be accepted.
3) Nominees should have taught in McKinney ISD for at least one year.
4) Nominees should not have won the “Campus Teacher of the Year” award within the past three years (they can have been nominated within that time frame).
5) Nominees can include your campus LMS, Counselor or a Specialist, however, they are not eligible for the regional competition.
6) Just keep in mind, that your Nominee must spend at least 4 hours a day with students to be eligible to advance to the next level.
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Student Transfer Requests for Employees
Student transfer petition requests for MISD employees for the 2018-19 school year will only be accepted from January 9 to January 31, 2018. Petitions submitted outside the acceptance dates will not be processed or retained. The student transferring must be the child of an MISD employee. This benefit does not extend beyond the parent-child relationship. Substitutes and contracted services employees (Durham Bus Services and Aramark Food Services) are not eligible.
The 2018-19 transfer petition form is located at : http://www.mckinneyisd.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2018-19-Employee-Transfer.pdf
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Action Items
- Submit names and photos for Mav Fan Jam by January 18th.
- Submit nomination for Teacher of the Year by January 19th.
- Confirm your team's coverage for evening events.
- TLs - email Donna the time of your Valentine's Day Party by January, 26th.
- Submit student transfer requests for your personal children by January 31st.
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Warm-Up Wednesdays
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Shoparoo
Did you know that each week I give out jeans passes to the three highest scoring staff members on Shoparoo? I know that many of you have already joined, but if you haven't, it is not too late. Simply go to www.shoparoo.com to create your account. Please feel free to push this information out to your parents as well.
Congratulations to Krista Daniel, Barbara Peebles and Jennifer Little for being the highest three staff contributors to Shoparoo this week!
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Focus for 2017 - 2018
In order to help all children achieve their personal best, McGowen teachers and staff will:
- Knowledgeably speak about our current practices that contribute to McGowen becoming a Level 2 Certified High Reliability School.
- Engage in collaborative team planning and lesson design that addresses the four essential questions of a PLC.
- Present lessons in such a way that students understand and can speak knowledgeably about posted learning and language targets.
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Remind for Staff
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Happy Birthday!
January
Laura Garro - 10th
Renata Sanchez - 10th
Gail Fein - 13th
Lisa Pedersen - 15th
Jean Possehl - 16th
Holly Bianchetta - 19th
Krystina Ticehurst - 24th
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APPRECIATIONS
- Office Team - Thank you so much for always being there to listen to my stories about Lisa. I appreciate being able to laugh with you about things that make me want to cry sometimes. Your support of me and kindness towards her means the world to me. -JL
- Relle, Shambo, and McKeen - Thank you so much for enduring the cold temperatures in the carpool line every morning with a smile. That is not a fun job, and yet you always maintain a positive attitude. -JL
- 5th grade - Thank you for trusting me enough to ask the question. I love and appreciate you very much! -JL
- MC, SdL, & SL - Many thanks to you for the time, energy and effort that you put into supporting students in Kid Chats. - JL
- Grade Level Teams - Thank you so much for your time on Thursday. I appreciate your effort to support your students who are struggling with academic, behavioral and/or emotional issues. Your students are so blessed to have you. -JL
- Thank you everyone for your hugs, kind words, and endless support following the death of my aunt. We are blessed, and I could not ask for a better tribe! Love you all :-) ~KT
- Coach Relle - Thank you for helping my student out with his chronic untied shoe laces. - Trisha
- Donna – Thank you for all your help with my budget questions. You are the best and I appreciate all that you do! Love, JD
- JB – Thank you for being the best teaching partner ever! I could not do this without!!! Love, JD
- Cab – Thank you for meeting with us to discuss a difficult parent e-mail. Your knowledge about curriculum and data is amazing and we appreciate you! Love, JD
- JL – Thank you for meeting with me Thursday after school. Love, JD
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Bad Dude
This week, we would like to recognize Nurse Shannon as our Bad Dude of the Week. Not only does Shannon take care of all of us by making sure that students have the medications and medical care needed to optimize their performance in the classroom, at this time of year, she is also flooded with students who have the flu, strep throat, or some random virus that usually inspires vomiting. If that wasn't enough, she is also the chair of our Safety Committee (SHAC) and spends quite a bit of time and effort making sure that we are doing all we can to keep our students and each other safe. She is willing to have hard conversations when needed and has an attention for detail that prevents very little to get past her undetected. Through it all, she maintains a positive attitude and a smile. We love her very much and are so blessed that she is here.
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Important Pay Day Information
Due to the holiday breaks, paydays are slightly different. Here are dates so you can plan accordingly.
- Nov 15 (includes extra stipend)
- Nov 30
- Dec 15
- Dec 22 (Dec 31 check paid early)
- Jan 12
- Jan 31
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McKinney ISD's Vision, Mission and Beliefs
Any time we have an idea, concern, solution and/or comment, this is the filter through which we should speak. Let's help each other live up to our vision, mission, and beliefs.
Vision:
We are a cohesive, diverse community providing engaging learning experiences for all.
We will provide engaging learning experiences so students can become effective communicators, quality contributors and socially responsible citizens.
Beliefs:
- Partnerships between students, parents, community members and staff are foundational to educational success.
- Positive school culture and a safe environment foster growth.
- Everyone has inherent value and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
- Learning is an active process requiring engaging tasks and engaging minds.
- Relevant and authentic experiences ignite continuous, deeper learning.
- Meaningful relationships enrich learning.
- Confidence fuels risk taking and higher achievement.
- Financial stewardship ensures a tomorrow for education.