BESTeam Tidbits
May 21, 2017
Celebrations!
- Thank you Sue for an OUTSTANDING field day! The countless hours of preparation paid off as our Texans enjoyed a day of friendship, sportsmanship, and exercise.
- Thank you to each and every staff member for an excellent field day! Everyone adjusted their schedules, pitched in where needed, and worked together for our Texans!
- Thank you to our dedicated hiring committee for spending two late nights this week interviewing 12 candidates for BES! In addition to the time on campus, thank you for screening candidate videos so we could bring quality candidates to our interview panels.
- Thank you for supporting Teddy’s Burgers Spirit Night! We made $180.
- Thank you Connie, Carolyn, Alecia, Patti, and Cathy for taking time out to attend Jennifer Serravollo! Looking forward the opportunity for you to share your learning with the staff!
- Thank you Judy, Connie, and Susan for representing BES at this week's humanities' meeting!
- Thank you LaDonna for being creative in the cafeteria! Look for the new table layouts on Monday when you enter the cafetorium!
Tweets for Jeans
Thank you for communicating the wonderful work going on at BES!
Report Card Grades
The window for entering grades opens THIS Friday. The window closes on Tuesday, May 30th at noon. Shelly will post and print on Tuesday afternoon and give you the hard copies for cum folders before she leaves at 3:00 p.m.
Staff Meeting
Agenda
- 1st grade team building
- Stages of Concerns
- End of Year Check-List
- Student Technology Collections
- Closet Reassignments
- In Addition
Summer Learning Opportunities
For the first time this summer, we have decided to approach professional learning a bit differently. In the absence of the annual Humanities Institute, we instead have organized a self-paced learning opportunity for our Humanities teachers - The Humanities Summer Reading Race. We have curated a list of professional books - oldies/goodies along with NEW titles - for teachers to read and enjoy during the summer weeks. There will be face to face, Google Classroom, and Twitter chat formatted book discussions during the summer in order to deepen learning and build networks across the district.
Our kick-off celebration will be a come and go event at the Admin building on May 24th from 3:30-5:00 in the Alamo room (sign-up in Eduphoria so we'll know who to expect!). We'll have FOOD and a chance for everyone to flip through the pages of each book you may want to read over the summer.
Please join us and please help us spread the word to all of your Humanities friends!
CPR Classes
GT Updates
To do...
- Sign up for an item to bring to the volunteer breakfast (see below)! There's a slot for everyone! Thank you for taking time to give back as we have received time, talent, and treasures from our amazing volunteers!
- Google Community: Thank you for joining the Google Community sent two weeks ago. This will be used heavily in the coming weeks to assist in decision making.
- Please Complete: https://docs.google.com/a/gcisd.net/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFADwLsc3fqfl8iR5hpnfrwQn2vg6ith63A3GpDsu7HNYHLQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
- Please share the two links below in your newsletters, Summer Reading and Boredom Busters! Thank you!
Learning Commons Calendar
Mon. May 22 - 5th grade's Eras of History Projects displayed and presented in LC
- possible GT Presentations in LC @2:00 p.m.
Tue. May 23 - Colleyville Public Library Summer Reading Program presentations:
8:30-9:00 1st
9:15-9:45 PK, K
10:00 - 10:30 3rd
10:45-11:15 2nd
11:30-12:30 Lunch Duty/Lunch
12:35 - 1:05 4th
1:15- 1:45 5th
Wed. May 24 - BES Career Day - guest speaker in LC
Take two...
Check here each week for two websites, strategies, and/or ideas to implement in your work with our Texans. Please share great ideas you use or have found so we can post them here for others to use.
- Here's my number, so call me maybe: https://www.naesp.org/communicator-april-2017/best-practice-positive-parent-phone-calls
- Sticks and stones may break my bones: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-respond-when-students-use-hate-speech-richard-curwin
Student Voice
Volunteer Breakfast
- Invitation and RSVP: http://bit.ly/2qf1dq5
- Sign up to bring an item or two: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c044da9aa28a5fe3-volunteer
Watch DOGS
Tuesday, 5/23
- Gary Bannister
- Open
- Tim Berns
- Bryce Burton
2016-2017 Information
Dates to Know
***Please check the BES master calendar on Google for updates***
- Career Day: May 24
- EOY Celebrations
- Staff breakfast: June 2 at 8:15 a.m.
Week at a Glance
Monday 9:30 CHHS Graduates coming to BES CEC Meeting 3:10 pm Tuesday 8:30am 1st Summer Reading Program 9:15am PK, K Summer Reading Program 10:00am 3rd Summer Reading Program 10:45am 2nd Summer Reading Program 12:35 pm 4th Summer Reading Program 1:15pm 5th Summer Reading Program Jamie at admin (a.m.) Staff Meeting 3:15pm Wednesday Career Day Tonya at AP meeting (a.m.) KC Club EOY Celebration 2:55-3:45pm Special Education training in Lori's 2016-2017 room :) Thursday Alecia out Al out (a.m.) Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast 7:15-8:30am 5th Awards 8:15am 5th EOY Picnic Kidsville 10:00-1:00pm K Patriotic Celebration 10:00am EOY RtI Tier II & III 3,4,5 KC Club applications (4th grade) for 2017-18 due Friday
2017-2018 Information
Staffing Updates
- PE: The hiring committee interviewed candidates on Monday and Tuesday. We have recommended a candidate to HR.
- Music: The hiring committee interviewed candidates on Monday and Tuesday. Tonya, Cathy, and Jamie are conducting callbacks on three of the candidates, with the last one on Monday afternoon.
- Grade-Level Teachers: We are moving from four second grade teachers to three second grade teachers and from three fourth grade teachers to four fourth grade teachers. This will require a shift in staffing. Additionally, we are losing one teacher. Tonya and Jamie will meet with staff members individually this week to discuss placements for next year. Once current staff members are set, we will begin the interview process for a new grade-level teacher.
- Back to School Fair, Saturday, August 5, 2017. If you are interested in volunteering, please use this link to sign up: BTSF Volunteer Sign Up or if you would like more information, please contact Emberly Hill at emberly.hill@gcisd.net.
Map Update
You may have noticed that the map is labeled with the grade numbers (ex. 3) and subject or function (ex. GT or Learning Commons). This was done intentionally as we continue to focus on the 80/20 rule. 80% of the room should be kid generated and 20% should be staff generated. With your team, you decide which person teaches out of which room or you could have the room designated to a specific discipline and the teachers could rotate. As a team, think about ways to best design the learning spaces to meet the needs of the students you work with.
The map is done! Major changes include:
- Kindergarten moving to the hallway in which second grade currently resides
- Second grade moving to the hallway in which art currently resides
- Art moving to the current PK room
- Reading specialist moving to conference room
- Liaison moving to reading specialist's office
- Diagnostician moving to technician's office
- Technician moving to computer lab
- Moving from two to one computer labs
- Creating a meeting room for ARDs, 504s, PLCs, etc... in the B hall
- Creating a family center for information and resources in the current diagnostician's office
Arts
https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/01/13/how-integrating-arts-into-other-subjects-makes-learning-come-alive/
BES Learning Leader Job Description & Application
As we continue our journey from teaching platform to learning platform, we want to provide opportunities for growth and learning with our staff. The role of a BES Learning Leader is to be the link in the successful practice of a Professional Learning Community (PLC). PLC is not an event or a specific time each week, it is a mindset of learning and growing together. With a distinct focus on modeling LEAD 2021 Learning Platform ideologies and practices, the Learning Leader acts as a role model and exemplar of communication, instructional best practices, and ensuring a positive, rigorous, and engaging learning environment for all students. LLs strive to exemplify the characteristics of a BES teacher!
Characteristics
Serve as a professional role model for all staff members—this includes exhibiting evidence of the principles outlined in the GCISD Learning Platform Rubric and in the Portrait of a Graduate.
Strive to be the BEST!
Love learning!
Skills
Uses open, honest communication for the good of students and staff with all staff members.
Promote positivity with students, staff, and stakeholders.
Learn collaboratively with other learning leaders and staff members.
Apply new learning in appropriate settings. Reflect on the new implementation, impact on students’ learning, and
Model and ensure a commitment to the campus’s ongoing focus on professional learning.
Lead the staff in analyzing data from district, state, and national assessments and using the results of the analysis to inform instruction.
Engage in reflective practice with other learning leaders.
Unlike the team leader model, LLs are NOT managers of the team and disseminators of information. We can have more than one LL from a team! A Google Share Site will be established to share information and gather input on items that traditionally went through team leaders.
Learning Leaders will meet every other Monday to learn and grow together. We will focus on fostering a positive school culture and integrating the arts into Bransford.
Click here to apply!
August Professional Learning
When teachers return in August for the 2017-2018 school year, they will have two weeks of professional learning prior to students arriving on Monday, August 21. Since this is a change in our August schedule, I wanted to provide you with some information of what you can expect those two weeks.
Monday, August 7: All new hires and first year teachers report
Tuesday, August 8: Teachers report for 2017-2018 school year; Staff on Campus
Wednesday, August 9: Inaugural GCISD Learning Institute
Thursday, August 10: Elementary Learning Institute; Secondary Staff on Campus
Friday, August 11: Teacher Day off
Monday, August 14: Department specific professional learning opportunities
Tuesday, August 15: Convocation 2017 at 9 a.m.; Staff on campus in the afternoon
Wednesday, August 16: Secondary Learning Institute; Elementary Staff on Campus
Thursday, August 17: Staff on Campus
Friday, August 18: Staff on Campus
I am sure that many of you are wondering what is the Learning Institute? We are so thankful to our curriculum and instruction department for developing the opportunity for K-12 collaboration not only on our campus but across the district. These days are intended to be an open-ended learning opportunity where staff may choose sessions based on the areas they feel they need the most assistance from other teachers and curriculum and instruction staff.
The second item that may look new on our professional learning calendar are the department specific professional learning opportunities. This is a built-in time during the week for nurses, counselors, librarians, fine arts, etc. to gather in a district-wide meeting. During this time, the instructional staff that remains on campus will have the opportunity to engage in professional learning with your grade level and or subject matter.
There will be additional professional development requirements for new teachers during these two weeks and we will share them with those staff members as they join our team.
Our curriculum and instruction department has compiled a list of summer professional development opportunities. Please refer to this list for those offerings.
Jamie Halliburton
Email: jamie.halliburton@gcisd.net
Phone: 806-441-6518
Twitter: @BESHalliburton