January 7, 2018
A Communication Tool for the Seven Hills Staff
What's Your "Everest?"
Over the break, our family went on our annual ski trip. I do not love the cold, so I wasn't really looking forward to skiing in January instead of March. But, I love spending time focused on my family, so I bundled up and embraced the opportunity. For the last 3 years I have spent all of my time on the green slopes, taking it very easy as I reentered the skiing world and my kids learned. The first day on the mountain...the first day of 2018...I felt an overwhelming sense of urgency to level up this year and ski a blue by the end of the week. Maybe it was the excitement of the new year? Maybe it was the motivation of Eric, and somehow this was my personal "Everest"? Maybe it was inspiration from our students who worked so hard to accomplish their goals during the fall semester? Maybe it was the feeling that I needed to be a model of risk taking and perseverance for my own kids? I'm not sure where the sense of urgency came from, but it was there and I need to act on it!
I will share the short version of the timeline...I ended day one with a swollen knee from a collision with Micky (totally his fault)...still on a green...but still motivated! I ended day 2 with a deep bruise on my leg (same leg as the swollen knee) from Jett slamming the lift bar down...still on a green...injured...but even more motivated! Day 3 I suffered from altitude sickness, but after some Oxygen in a can, I made it down what I like to call a turquoise (a steeper and longer green). WIN! I was injured and sick, but I had taken the first big step, and my team was there to support me! Day 4 was the day. I was exhausted but determined. With my team in tow to support me (and possibly help pick me up :)), I finally did it! I skied a smooth blue with no falls. Some may call this a turquoise, but it is labeled a blue..so, it's a blue! It felt amazing! I skied what I hadn't done in over 20 years! I felt empowered! I felt accomplished! I felt exhausted! I did it! I BELIEVED MYSELF FORWARD! (The picture is me a little more than half-way down the mountain. I wanted a big, poles in the air, celebration picture at the end, but my paparazzi was long gone by the time I made it. lol!)
As we return from break, take time to reflect on your personal "Everest." What is your sense of urgency? Who is on your team? What is your plan? Do you BELIEVE YOU CAN?
Does your PIG need to be revised and updated? Does it need to be celebrated? Model this for and with your students. You are the exemplar that they will be motivated to follow!
Monday, January 8 is a Campus Based PD Day:
- Time: 8:00 - 3:00 (please be ready to learn at 8:00 in the gym)
- Attire: Casual and comfortable
- Lunch: Lunch is being provided by the campus. The menu is Kind Ranch Chicken. Staff will have the opportunity to Sharpen the Saw by eating together or as a team, and/or teams may use this time to Synergize for planning or other grade level team needs.
- What You Need to Bring: The reflections completed in previous staff meetings. In case you are not sure, they are your thoughts about the following questions:
- What would our school look like and feel like if everyone were inspired by the same core set of beliefs (think about our campus beliefs)? What if everyone was on the same path to those beliefs and the Wildly Important?
- What if everyone on your team had a common purpose?
- What matters to you most about our school?
- What do you want MOST for your students?
- What do you want most for your team?
- Could you make decisions and solve problems based on what matters most to you?
- What will it take to make what you want MOST a REALITY?
January Positive Parent Phone Calls:
Celebration Boards, January Writing, MOY Writing Benchmarks:
The information below should have been shared with everyone by ILT and Lighthouse Team Members before the break. I am sharing in an effort to maintain open lines of communication.
In an effort to begin with the end in mind and also be proactive, I wanted to share details about a January writing activity, 3rd grading period celebration boards, and MOY writing benchmarks. Please carefully read the information outlined below, ask clarifying questions, and share with your teams. This information will impact instructional planning for January, so make sure you read, seek to understand, and communicate in a timely manner.
Celebration Boards:
I have enjoyed “window shopping” your celebration boards to see different student celebrations from the second grading period. As we continue to fully implement 4Dx, it is important that students see and be able to articulate the connections between their work, their WIGs, and their celebrations. The celebration boards process has the potential to make a big impact on student ownership of learning! As you wrap up the 3rd grading period, please have students select a piece of work they are proud of, reflect on that work, and add the piece to their “My Celebrations” section of their Leadership Notebook. For the 3rd grading period, we will not display these celebrations on the board. When you remove the 2nd grading period work, make sure it is added to the “My Celebrations” section as well.
So, you may be asking yourself… “Self, if we are not displaying student celebrations, what is being displayed?” In anticipation of being selected as a site visit for Symposium (I have heard this is a STRONG possibility), and our Leadership Day, we would like to display authentic student writing about the 7 Habits.
The deadline for boards to be changed and celebrations from the 2nd and 3rd 9 weeks to be added to Leadership Notebooks is Friday, January 26. (This is moved from January 17).
January Writing:
In preparation for Symposium, our Leadership Day event, and the MOY Writing Benchmark, all students will take a prompt through the writing process to a published piece – Early Childhood there is a prompt for you too. The prompts are specific to each grade level, and can be found in the slideshow linked below. Please read your grade level’s prompt, and share any comments on the slide (and in a different color) about any changes in wording, etc. that you would like to suggest. The topic should not be changed, as these have been selected based on grade level experiences, strengths, etc., and together they will provide a schoolwide reflection on how we use the 7 Habits at 7 Hills. What a powerful leadership walk our guests will have to see comprehensive implementation from student perspectives! Published pieces must be ready to display by Friday, January 26.
MOY Writing Benchmark:
The recommended window for the campus based MOY writing benchmark to be completed is February 5-9. This is after the MOY DRA window and Symposium. Based on feedback from staff, we will use the prompt from the BOY assessment in order to measure growth over time.
Reminder About Tasks Needing to Be Completed Before the Break:
- Meet with ILT members to complete a tuning protocol. This will set us up for great work on January 8, and your feedback is valued.
- If your team has not discussed the January writing task and celebration boards, please do so.
- Complete all grading and entering of grades into gradebook for the 6 weeks and the semester.
- Update WIG achievement for end of the second grading period in the Google Student Accountability spreadsheet, and also update text level for end of the grading period (must be prepared for our work on Monday, January 8.)
- Notify parents of Star Leader and mail home the invitation. Complete the Google form for the certificate.
- Prepare for 3rd six week Leadership Assemblies by preparing classroom awards/spirit sticks.
- Intentionally plan the first week of school in the 4th grading period, including the January writing task sent to ILT members.
- Look at district assessment calendar and plan accordingly for MOY assessments. The window for MOY writing assessments was shared with ILT members.
Call for EXPO Presentations:
Be sure to submit your EXPO presentations and projects by January 19, 2018.
ALL exemplar projects are welcome for review. Find the submission form at expo.nisdtx.org. Though teachers often complete the application, students are welcome to submit for themselves.
After January 19th, a campus-based Expo committee will review each submission looking for best examples and products of learning from their respective campuses to be showcased at the event. Because there is a maximum number of submissions EXPO can accept from each campus, anticipate a decision about your submission soon after the submission deadline.
For questions, reach out to your campus CTL or Kylie Lloyd.
*Submission prizes are awarded at will of the companies and organizations providing the prizes.
Leadership Assembly is Friday, January 12!
If you did not take care of this before the break...you need to do so on Monday.
It’s that time again! Please fill out the Google Form below with your next STAR leader. This needs to be done by Wednesday, December 20 in order to be prepared for the Leadership Assembly in January. A paper invitation was placed in your mailboxes last week. Please mail this home by Thursday, December 21 so parents can be prepared for our next Leadership Assembly.
Seven Hills is Managing the Whirlwind and Focusing on the Wildly Important!
Literacy and Math Connecting the Whirlwind to the Wildly Important!
Reminder from before the break:
Please don't forget to post your reflections from our math PD.
7 Hills Leads Blog: http://7hillsleads.blogspot.com/
Note About Professional Learning: The reflections on our blog are part of our campus ongoing professional learning and support T-TESS dimension 4. Thank you for your engagement.
Aligning Academics Professional Learning:
Reminder from before the break:
4Dx With Staff:
- Have you posted all of your reflections on the blog? http://7hillsleads.blogspot.com/
- We will move into part 2 of the book next. Read pages 105 - 117 by January 8.
Note About Professional Learning: The reflections on our blog are part of our campus ongoing professional learning and support T-TESS dimension 4. Thank you for your engagement. If you have not been posting please make sure you put first things first and get caught up before we return in January.
Habit Focus for the Week: Habit 1
Choose Your Weather!
Use Proactive Language
Proactive Language Takes Practice
What Does Being Proactive Look Like, Sound Like, Feel Like?
Wonder
Precept for the Week: With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. - Eleanor Roosevelt -
If your students write reflections about the weekly precept, please place on the counter by the phone for announcements.
Campus and District Announcements and Updates:
DH Policy Action Required: At this point, ALL staff members should have read the policy and FAQ documents from Dr. Warren. In the event you have not, they are attached. All staff must read the policy and sign receipt that you have read and understand the policy. I have placed a paper copy of the acknowledgement in your mailboxes. Please complete this action item before you leave for the break. There will be a folder in the “pockets” between Leslie and Hayley’s offices for you to return the form.
Additionally, many of you have familial and social connections to NISD students. These relationships do involve the need to send electronic communication from time to time. You are required to obtain parent permission for this communication. Per the policy, you must provide the parents with a copy of DH local. Per the FAQ page, there is no official form for this at this time, but they did provide a statement to use for the time being. I have attached this for your use. I must receive a copy of the signed consent in my office. Please take care of this over the winter break and have signed consents back in my office when we return from break. I strongly encourage you to consider all possible relationships, and when in doubt ASK if you this should continue or if you need a form.
Latest Edition of the C&I Newsletter: https://www.smore.com/aefhd
New changes to STAAR! ALL students are now allowed to use both a dictionary and thesaurus on both the reading and writing STAAR tests!!! WooHoo! In order to make sure we have enough supplies for testing days, ALL teachers please complete the following form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYFemNFDEpERL4pWW9I9S5zBLW87Vt53GvzKFSfcSzpo0XAw/viewform
Save the Date:
Habit Focus: Habit 1: Be Proactive
- Campus Based Professional Learning, 8 am - 3 pm (paras may use comp time; lunch provided by campus; dress comfortably)
- 7 Hills PTA Chuck E Cheese's Fundraiser
- MOY DRA window opens
- PTA Reflections Gala, 5:30 pm
January 10:
- Math planning
- Math learning walks with Dr. Griffin. We will be looking at evidence of problem solving block, math journals, etc.
- Wednesday Attire: Staff may wear jeans and the new Navy T-shirt as part of the fundraising incentive
January 11:
- Kim Blackburn off campus for DLT
- Leadership Teams, 3:30 - 4:30
January 12:
- College Colors Day for students and staff
- Leadership Assemblies (Specials and 5th grade will need to switch conference periods; K-2 at 8; 3-5 at 8:30)
- SST A
January 15:
- School Holiday
Happy Birthday to You:
Dora 1/6
Allyson Moron 1/12
Meghan Tucker 1/12