Pam's Pages
October 3 - 7
Walk to School day - Wednesday morning
Walk to School day is this Wednesday morning, October 5th. Our families will be walking to school and provided with a healthy snack once they arrive. If you are not on duty, please feel free to join us at the front of the building between 7:30 and 7:50 a.m.
Religious Holy Days Reminder
Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) begins at sunset on Sunday, October 2, and ends at sunset on October 3, for most families.
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), the holiest date on the Jewish calendar, begins at sunset on Tuesday, October 11, and ends at sunset on Wednesday, October 12.
SBISD district practice is to refrain from giving tests or hosting major events on these dates.
Safe Schools Audit
Spring Branch ISD along with all of the Texas ISDs are required by Texas law to have a Safe Schools Audit every three years. Spring Branch ISD has contracted with the Harris County Department of Education to conduct the Safe School Audits during the 2016/17 school year.
When the Audits begin the auditors will make an unannounced visit to campuses. The completed results of the audit will be provided to the Police Department and the Superintendent's office. The District is also require to submit a final report to the Texas School Safety Center.
Reminders
Absences, Leaves and Late Arrivals
If you are going to arrive past 7:50 a.m., please call or text me. (see below for phone numbers).
When you are going to be absent (aside from a personal day that has already been scheduled and approved), you must put your absence in AESOP and you should also email me or call/text.
School phone number - 713-251-6210 (my direct office #)
Personal cell number - 281-658-6433 (after 6:30 a.m., please.)
- Discretionary (Personal) Leave: Leave taken at an employee’s discretion that can be scheduled in advance is considered discretionary leave. An employee wishing to take discretionary personal leave must submit a request to the principal at least two days in advance of the anticipated absence. The effect of the employee’s absence on the educational program or department operations, as well as the availability of substitutes, will be considered.
The following restrictions apply: (Per SBISD School Board Policy)
- Discretionary personal leave shall be granted on a first-come, first-served basis, provided that no more than ten percent of the employees on a campus or in a department are absent on the same date. (That # is 6 for MWE.)
- Discretionary personal leave may not be taken for more than five consecutive days.
- Campus instructional employees may not use discretionary personal leave on the following days: scheduled District staff development days, the first or last day of a grading period, the first day of a semester, the last day of a semester, or days scheduled for state-mandated tests (main administration dates).
Early Leave/Late Arrivals: Please make these requests directly to the me.
Leaving during the school day:
- Duty Free Lunch: You may leave during your duty free lunch period, but you will need to sign in and out at the front desk.
- Planning Period: Teacher planning periods are part of the work day and you should remain on campus during your planning period, unless approved by the Principal.
Flex Day
On February 20, 2017, campus professional staff are not required to attend work if 6 hours of professional development (after the workday and/or on weekends) has been completed June 2016 and the date designated by the district (t/b/d). Staff members who clock in/out may accumulate comp time in order to be off on this day. (It is not too early to begin getting these 6 hours.)
SBISD Staff Development Requirement
In addition to the Flex Day, certified staff must earn at least 12 clock hours of professional development each year outside of contract time. (after the workday and/or on weekends). Failure to comply with the professional development requirements will be noted in the annual appraisal with a plan for completing required professional development.
Gifts
All gifts/donations received by you for the school or your classroom must be declared on a “Request for Acceptance of Gift” Form if it is worth $100.00 or more. You may get the form from our Administrative Assistant.
Hallways
Students should use zero or one voice. This is especially important when more than one grade level is transitioning and at dismissal.
Student Runners
Please do not send students to the front office, Admin assistant office or workroom to get materials from your mailbox, pick up copies from the copier or supplies during the school day.
Volunteer/Attendance Expectations for PTA events (Professional Staff)
- Carnival: Each teacher is asked to volunteer/attend a minimum of 1 hour for Carnival this year since it is on a Friday evening.
- International Night for a minimum of 1 hour (typically in January)
- 2 Restaurant Fundraisers for a minimum of 30 minutes (Chick Fil-A, Los Tios, etc
Walkie-Talkies
Please listen to your walkies, and respond as quickly as possible.
T-TESS
Lynne and I will begin walkthroughs, which will involve scripting and then going to the T-TESS forms and entering the information. Also, since this is a new instrument, Lynne and I will need to calibrate the scoring of your appraisals. That means that for some of you, both of us will be in the room scripting and then going back and discussing our ratings to be sure we are being consistent.
Bloomboard
Bloomboard is a learning platform that provides thousands of teaching resources to personalize professional learning, earn micro- credentials, create groups to share PLC’s and to foster discussions, build digital portfolios, and find instructional resources aligned to T-TESS.
You should have received an invitation from bloomboard@springbranchisd.com to learn more about BloomBoard and to be trained on how to use it. The BloomBoard Support Team is available via online chat, if you have any questions during the training. Following the trainings, the recording will be posted on the Human Resources Employee Appraisals page. A link to the training is also below.
After viewing thr video, please log into Bloomboard and start browsing through the topics. Be sure to create a profile.
Staff Meeting
Please bring your computers to our staff meeting this week on the 5th.
We will spend some time on Google and on the T-TESS rubric. We will be working in small groups based on the T-TESS Dimension(s) you chose for your goals, in order to become more familiar with the rubrics.
Meadow Wood Elementary
Email: Pamela.Redd@springbranchisd.com
Website: mwe.springbranchisd.com
Location: 14230 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX, United States
Phone: 713-251-6200
Facebook: facebook.com/meadowwoodelementarySBISD
Twitter: @reddprincipal
“If you’re doing something you care that much about,
and you believe in its purpose deeply enough,
then it is impossible to imagine not trying to make it great. It’s just a given.”
Jim Collins