UHMS Rising Phoenix
Uplift Hampton Middle School March 16, 2020
"Be Committed, Be Consistent, Be Courageous"
Welcome Back!
Hello Phoenix Nation,
Hope you enjoyed your spring break! We realize that now is a new time for all of us. There is a lot going on but we have confidence that we can come together as a community and as a school to get through this very less than normal time. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work though all of this together. Please don't hesitate to reach out to your direct report with questions or concerns.
With Gratitude,
Priscilla, Chataqua, Chrissy, and Jabez
Things To Do
Grades & CA 3: 13 total grades in PowerTeacher for each scholar by March 6th. CA 3 grade curves are posted on blackboard. Please include the curved grade in the gradebook and not the straight grade. If had an RPA instead of a CA, please include the RPA grade instead.
Virtual Learning: Practice and review: The optional enrichment activities for the next 2 weeks should be for practice and review. Based on what we see happening in other districts, the school closures will more than likely be extended, we will re-evaluate this, but for now, please do not provide materials, activities, etc. that require students to self-teach new material. Plan for Monday Launch – Keep it simple and relevant
Field Trips: Cancel field trips that have been scheduled through the middle of April. we can hold on any trips planned for May or later.
Connect: Message families and scholars about the importance of completing virtual assignments. Inform them of incentives for attempting and completing work.
ARDs: We must complete any ARDs that are scheduled. Accept ARD invites from Toni and the SPED team
Summer School Job Posting: Greetings Staff! It is that time of year that Uplift is starting to plan for the 2020 Summer Institute, and we are currently looking for applicants for Summer Institute Coordinators. This year's hosting campuses will be:
- Uplift Mighty
- Uplift Summit
- Uplift Heights
- Uplift Infinity
- Uplift Wisdom
- Uplift Elevate
If you are interested, please let your director know and apply with their Uplift credentials on SmartRecruiters. Remember to review the Job Description and only apply to one job. The Summer Institution team will review the applications and contact you for next steps.
March Virtual Parent/Scholar/ Teacher Conferences: It our expectation that a conference be held with all of your parents. Please be sure your parents have been informed that all conferences are being held over the phone. Start with scholars who are failing or in danger of being retained first. Scholars who are doing well can wait until later. I suggest you to set up a google number or block your number and let parents know you will be calling from a blocked number. Everyone should send an electronic conference form with the scholar data and summary of the conference for the parents to reference during the conversation.
Some parents can be contacted as a group if needed. Please keep a log of all conferences made with parents. A log will be provided in the near future.
Things to Know
Corona Virus Communication to Parents and Families: Be aware that all parents and families in the network will receive a ParentLink communication from our central office regarding corona virus today, Friday March 6th. The communication can be found here.
Women’s History Month: March is national Women’s History Month. Check out the link or feel free to google as there are TONS of resources online for classroom activities to support this month. http://www.nwhp.org/womens-history-month/2017-honoree-nominations/
Extra Duty Pay: We are about to start our STAAR bootcamps which will include extra tutoring and Saturday school. All teachers should have received a letter from HR stating they are approved for extra duty pay. This is for Saturday school and extra tutoring. All academic staff should have access to time clock to log their time for extra duty pay. If you are an academic employee and do not have access to time clock, let your evaluator know. Please do not schedule any Saturday schools without approval from Priscilla. Any time logged in without approval will not be honored. This will be an entire school effort. If you are not an academic employee and would like to assist with tutoring middle school scholars, please let Priscilla know as soon as possible.
Professionalism – Ever hear of a “Teacher of the Year” with a bad attitude or a poor work ethic? Be punctual, prepared, friendly, optimistic, dignified, helpful, respectful, and committed to high performance standards. Associate with people who are perceived by all to be very professional. We are professionals and must always deal in a professional way. When things get stressful, be extremely conscious of what we are saying to and around our scholars, parents, and colleagues. Off the cuff comments serve no purpose and can come back to “bite” us later on. You will be admired and revered for your professionalism. Watch how other people go out of their way to associate with you.
Track Success: Blowing Past The Competition!
Track did an amazing job at their last meet! Boys took 1st place in the Sprint Medley Relay. Girls took 1st place the Sprint Medley Relay and 4x2 and 2nd place in the 4x4, despite only having ten minutes of rest between the 4x2 and 4x4! What an incredible job! They worked really hard. Bryson's SMR split would be #5 in the nation. He's top 20 in the nation right now.
Two Weeks At A Glance
Shout Outs
Brenda G. for CA 3 scores of 88% approaches, 55% met, and 345 masters! She crushed all of out goals!!
Kelly Anna, Trenese, Laurasia, Lauren, and Xavier for coming to their data meetings prepared, planned, and ready to go! You guys knew your data and were on point!
Toni, Tammy, Stedmon, Carmen, Katricia, and Ms. Candler for receiving an amazing 3rd quarter review from the Uplift SPED department. Congratulations Team Phoenix!
Kelsie for all that she does for the scholars and staff of UHMS. You are so appreciated!
Xavier for starting track season undefeated in his first two meets!
Chelsea for organizing the UHMS cookout!
Henry Wilson for a strong showing of the Men of Hampton!
Chelsea, Tiffany, Xavier, and Mark for assisting with cafeteria duty.
Karina for going over and beyond to make sure scholars have what they need in her absence.
Cynthia and Ranae for making sure all CAs were scanned in on time!
Everyone! - For making it this far and committing yourself to our kids! Thank you!
STAAR Goals
UHMS Common Assessment 3
March Expectations for Increasing Rigor
Literacy Instruction: Reading and writing occurs in every Core class daily and in Electives at least monthly
· Every period starts with some form of writing. Writing is the most difficult thing you can have the brain do
· All Core classes are using Close Reading Strategies
· Scholars read and use textbooks and other complex readings daily
Teaching Strategies: 100% of teachers will use these 3 strategies to help scholars Interact with New Knowledge
· Compare and contrast
· Note Taking – Identify critical Information
· Chunk content into “digestible bites”
Scholars Show Their Work: Ask scholars to show their work and identify content areas strengths and weaknesses.
Cite Evidence: Have scholars support conclusions with evidence
March Expectations for a Brilliant School Culture
Celebrate: Call out scholars who have their efforts and attitudes dialed inside. Celebrate the scholars who are doing the right thing.
Hero Usage: Teachers are utilizing HERO to track scholar behaviors and habits.
- 100% of UHMS scholars have at least 1 positive HERO recognition
- 100% of UHMS teachers have used the HERO system to give positive praise (Precise Praise)
Classroom Management: Scholars don't respect waffling or inconsistency. Be consistent. It's difficult and it's worth it.
Show Passion: Excitement is contagious! Unfortunately so is boredom. Be excited about what you teach.
Phoneix Nation Rise Up
Here's How to Reach Us!
Priscilla Parhms 469.236.2900 pparhms@uplifteducation.org
Chrissy Cormier 214.326.3002 ccormier@uplifteducation.org
Chataqua Mangum 972.897.4659 cmangum@uplifteducation.org
Jabez Deacon 414.562.7592 jdeacon@uplifteducation.org
8915 S. Hampton Rd. Dallas, TX 75232
(972) 421-1982 https://www.uplifteducation.org/Domain/47