Alice ISD - ISC Curriculum Gazette
May 2018
May
Take some time this summer to rest and refresh. Reflect on the reason you entered the profession and the way you impact your students. Above all, know that you are appreciated and that you DO make a difference.
Thank You, Mr. Ruiz
Mr. Ruiz has worked selflessly as our interim while fulfilling his responsibilities as Director of Operations. We appreciate his openness, dedication and support of Alice ISD.
Thank you so much, Mr. Ruiz!
District of Innovation
That plan was approved.
The 2018-2019 school year calendar is shown below.
2018-2019 Calendar
Back to School Staff Development 2018-2019
Monday, Aug 13, 2018, 08:00 AM
Alice High School, Coyote Trail, Alice, TX, USA
Garcia Elementary
This has been a difficult decision, but has been based on the best educational opportunities for the students of Garcia Elementary.
Currently Garcia Elementary has two PreK classes, one Kinder class, two first grades, two second grades, one third and one fourth grade class. They have 181 students and many of those do not reside in the zone. Next year students out of the zone will return to their home zone campuses and those residing in the Garcia zone will attend Noonan Elementary. When making the decision where students would go, careful consideration was given to NOT splitting up families.
The staff of Garcia Elementary will be notified soon of their new assignments.
We are confident the Mary R. Wranglers will be greeted with open arms by the students and staff at their new campuses.
Summer Professional Development - Mark Your Calendars
TEA Summer Opportunities for Texas Educators - Improving Instruction Through Assessment
The week-long institutes will be held in downtown Austin during two different weeks in July and travel, lodging and meals will be covered by TEA. Teachers will also receive a stipend of $400 per day. The deadline to submit an application is May 31st.
TEA is looking for classroom teachers and curriculum experts with current experience and qualifications in the following:
- Teaching reading/language arts, mathematics, and science for grades 3-8
- Teaching English I, English II, Algebra I or Biology
- Working with English learners and students with disabilities
- Completing other activities beyond what is required in the classroom (e.g. curriculum alignment, data analysis)
Grades K - 2 Interactive Read-Aloud: Fountas and Pinnell Classroom Summer Training
Developed by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell
Based on their PD resource, Fountas & Pinnell Classroom Interactive Read-Aloud Collection, Grade 1
Alice ISD will be hosting a Heinemann Professional Development session for the Fountas & Pinnell Interactive Read-Aloud Kits. This new resource will be made available to all K – 2 grade teachers for the 2018-19 school year. Make plans to attend this awesome, one-day training to be held during the week of July 23rd. The actual date has not been finalized, so we will be sending out a definitive date before teachers leave for the summer. Teachers will be paid $125 for attending the one-day training.
Interactive read-aloud is the foundation for instruction within a literacy rich classroom. Interactive read-aloud promotes the joy of reading, expands children's vocabulary, and increases their ability to think, talk, and write about texts that fully engage their interest. Participants in this seminar will learn more about the values of this powerful instructional context. They will learn how to use The Fountas & Pinnell Literacy Continuum to observe children for evidence of their reading behaviors, and how to use the Fountas & Pinnell Classroom™ Interactive Read-Aloud Collection Guide to engage children's thinking through high-quality texts.
Course Goals
Participants will:
- Consider the values of interactive read-aloud
- Develop an understanding of reading as a complex process
- Use The Fountas & Pinnell Literacy Continuum as a tool for observing students, identifying
- teaching goals, and developing an understanding of the characteristics of texts
- Reflect on the teacher's and students' roles before, during, and after reading
- Explore how to select and sequence texts around a connecting idea, central theme, or study of a particular author, illustrator, or genre
- Learn how to plan for meaningful conversations that use talk as a tool to expand thinking within, beyond, and about texts
- Become familiar with the Fountas & Pinnell Classroom™ Interactive Read-Aloud Collection of books, text set overview cards, and lessons.
Resources Needed:
- The Fountas & Pinnell Literacy Continuum (Current Resource)
- Fountas & Pinnell Classroom™ Interactive Read-Aloud Collection Guide (New Resource being purchased)
- Books, overview cards and lessons from Fountas & Pinnell Classroom™ Interactive Read-Aloud Collection (New Resource being purchased)
Saxon Phonics & Spelling Training Coming Soon!
The New Accountability System
The new phrase to remember is :"Meets is the Measure".
This means we need to work on getting all our students to achieve at the Meets level or above. Approaches Grade Level is no longer going to be sufficient. When accountability is determined the average of the Approaches + Meets + Masters will make up the Student Accountability or Domain 1 score.
Let's say a campus had 100% students pass, but at the Approaches standard and no students at the Meets or Masters Levels. (100 + 0 + 0) ÷ 3 = 33%, which would be a score of "D" or "In Need of Improvement" for that Domain. That makes it easy to see why "Meets is the Measure". It is also important for teachers to know that while Reading and Math are the tests for SSI, ALL SUBJECTS count for accountability.
For Domain 2 we look at progress made. Students can earn 0, 0.5 or 1 point. For STAAR Progress Measure we look at Reading and Math since those are tested at each level, and Alg. 1 and Eng. II at the EOC level. Domain 2 has two parts: Scaled School Performance or Relative Performance where campuses results are compared to schools with similar percentages of economically disadvantaged students. The higher of those two parts is counted and the better of Domain 1 or Domain 2 counts 70%.
Domain 3 considers student groups and targets to determine the overall score.
Campuses will receive a "Met Standard" or "Improvement Required" and Districts will receive a letter score (A,B,C,D or F).
Domain 1: Student Achievement
Domain 2: School Progress
Domain 3: Closing the Gaps (Ensuring Educational Equity)
Staff Climate Survey for Alice ISD Employees
This survey is designed to measure various aspects of school climate, such as collegiality, condition of facilities and resources, attitudes on general climate, community support, and school leadership. The data gathered from this survey relates to the Every Student Succeeds Act [ESSA] - Comprehensive Needs Assessment Campus Binder. Your input is valuable to us so please keep in mind your responses are strictly anonymous and you will not be asked to identify yourself at any time during the survey. Please respond honestly and completely. Thank you in advance for taking the time to respond.
Alice ISD Summer School
- Staff workday June 7
- Students - June 11-July 6
- Staff workday June 7
- Students - June 11- June 29
Grades 5 and 8 SSI and Attendance / 6th and 7th Attendance
- Staff workday June 7
- Students June 11- June 20
High School
- Staff workday June 7
- EOC Retesters for ELAR, Bio, US History and Alg. 1 - June 11- June 29
- Credit Recovery & Credit Attainment (Speech only) - June 11 - June 29
Saenz Hosts Drum Cafe Rally for Alice ISD 3rd & 4th Graders
Drum Cafe was back in Alice ISD for another exciting and motivating STAAR Rally. The Drum Cafe is not a restaurant, a coffee shop or a certain location on the face of the earth. It is a unique, (literally) hands-on experience to team building, learning, and motivation that, simply put, helps people make connections to one another in a very engaging way.
Alice ISD 3rd & 4th graders from all elementary campuses were treated to a one-of-a-kind experience with The Drum Cafe on May 3rd. The purpose of the program was to get kids energized, focused, and motivated to take on their STAAR exams with confidence.
The students, teachers and staff members who were on hand for the day quickly learned that in this program, there are no spectators…everyone is a part of the performance – just like in a community and a school district we all have to work together to succeed.
Having delivered over 56,000 events in more than 55 countries around the world, The Drum Café has the experience to deliver an unforgettable program for any group of people.
Imported to the USA by Dale Monnin over 10 years ago, the Drum Café continues to expand across the country, and we are extremely excited that our Alice ISD students were able to experience this powerful and stimulating program.
Thank you to Saenz Elementary principal Marina Garza and her staff for hosting the presentations on her campus! The kids and staff had a great time!!!
Alice ISD Recognizes Family Volunteers
In addition to the informational and new business items on the agenda, the Alice ISD Family Engagement Department took the time to recognize and celebrate the many volunteers that contributed their time this year at the Alice ISD campuses. Family volunteers were presented with certificates of appreciation and were treated to beef nachos and plenty of desserts courtesy of the parent liaisons from each campus and the Federal Programs Department.
The Alice ISD administration and staff are extremely thankful for the dedication and commitment that these family volunteers provide. Without their support, many of our schools would not be able to provide campus events, dances, or incentives for our staff and hard-working students. The combined amount of volunteer hours for this school year totaled 6,104 hours! Next time you see a volunteer at your campus please thank them for their time and dedication.
V - Valuable is the work that you do
O - Outstanding is how you always come through
L - Loyal , sincere and full of good cheer
U -Untiring in your efforts throughout the year
N -Notable are the contributions you make
T - Trustworthy in every project you take
E - Eager to reach your every goal
E - Effective in the way you fulfill your role
R - Ready with a smile like a shining star
S - Special and wonderful-that’s what you are
Watching a TED Talk Video on Parenting
Evaluating Family Engagement Program & Policy
Taking Parent Survey
Memorial Intermediate
PAC officers
Saenz Elementary
Alice High School Volunteers
Mary R. Garcia Volunteers
Noonan Volunteers
Parents We Need Your Input
The Alice ISD is conducting an evaluation of selected programs and student services. Parent and family perceptions are an important part of this evaluation. The results will help district and campus leadership learn how to best improve services for our students.
Please visit either the Alice ISD website or your child’s campus website and select a link to submit your survey.
We are accepting responses until May 31, 2018.
We thank you in advance for you participation in this survey process!
Tech 4 Teachers
Federal and Special Programs
End of Year LPAC
TELPAS
Texas History Day
Our Coastal Bend History Fair Regional finalists traveled to Austin for the Texas History Day Contest held on Saturday, April 28th, on the campus of the University of Texas and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.
Senior Division Participants: Jacquelyn Perez-Saenz & Betty-Mae Rodriguez
Junior Division Participants: Juan Garcia, Jaime Garza, Ezekiel Martinez, Lucas Walker, Cameron Timmons, Grabiel Silva, Cristian Trevino, Mercedes Benavides, Robyn Charles,, Celeste Torres, Isabela Torres, Marco Ruiz, Shawn Chalfant, Deandra Ybarra, Allyson Cantu, Aliana Silva, Julianna Espinoza, Alejandro Villarreal, JJ Salazar, Ember Cavazos.
A special regional award was presented to 7th grade student from WAMS, Marco Ruiz, for his understanding individual exhibit entitled “Si Se Puede.”
Alice ISD
Email: anna.holmgreen@aliceisd.net
Website: www.aliceisd.net
Location: #2 Coyote Trail
Phone: 361-664-0981
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliceISD/