The Weekly Armadillo
Monday, May 8, 2017
"The Best School in Town"
Vision
To create an exceptional learning environment that produces remarkable students who are prepared to be successful and equipped to compete in a global society.
Mission
To prepare all students to achieve the highest standard of intellectual, physical and social growth.
W. T. White Feeder Mission
We will cultivate a premier learning community to foster globally responsive citizens.
Therefore, we are committed to:
Providing access to an equitable and high quality education
Promoting citizens who contribute to the common good
Supporting our students academically, socially, and emotionally
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Wilt or Grow
There is no such thing as status quo.
You either wilt or grow.
Read and grow from the information below.
Reflection Item
When your students enter your classroom for the last time on June 1, what do you hope they've learned to value? We still have a little less than a month to go. Make the most of every minute.
One to Grow On / Mileposts of a Meaningful Life by Carol Ann Tomlinson
Educational Leadership
March 2016 | Volume 73 | Number 6
Learning for Life Pages 88-89
What would I teach, and how would I teach, if my goal were to best prepare my students for life—the life they live today and the one they will live for all the time that follows school? It's a sobering question and one I fear we've not asked very often in an era defined by answers recorded on machine-graded bubble tests.
Here's a short list of attributes I'd suggest are mileposts on the road to positive and generative lives for the students we teach.
Work for quality. It's not necessary to shoot for the moon in everything we do, but when the work matters—when we "sign it," when it represents us—it is worthy of our best. Working for quality implies working hard, working wisely, doing and redoing, being mindful of and reflective about what we are doing and why.
Be kind. Kindness and empathy have bidirectional power. They strengthen others and, in return, strengthen us.
Pull your own happiness wagon. We human beings filter our experiences and make our own memories. We're rarely dependent on someone else to make life good for us. We can create our own joy, look for what's right rather than what's wrong, and find redeeming moments even in difficult circumstances. Look for beauty, for inspiration, and for humor all around you. Look inside yourself for satisfaction and joy.
Take time to know yourself. Spend time each day with just you. Be aware of your strengths and nurture them. Understand your limitations and work around them. Think about the shape you want the day to take. Know what you stand for and live with courage to represent those things so that you have clarity of purpose.
Be useful. Make the day better because you were in it. Make the place better because you passed by. Make the idea better because you improved it. Make the people you encounter stronger because you provided a helping hand or made them laugh or gave them hope.
Be responsible. Do your part—and then do some more. Turn off the excuses. Try to fix what's broken, even if you didn't break it. Understand that the world works better when we refuse to see ourselves as entitled. Accept the reality that we are better and the world is better if we pay our own way as we go through life. Take charge of your own path. Learn to be the captain of your own success.
Invest heavily in people. Understand that human beings are all cut from the same cloth. We share the same needs, hopes, and longings. Respect differences and be open to expanding your window on the world by learning from all kinds of folks. Learn to work more powerfully by teaming up with people whose strengths fill in your gaps and whose differences expand your possibilities. On most days, life is better lived as an ensemble than as a soloist.
Learn. The quest for understanding and truth makes us more fully human. Ask probing questions. Don't settle for surface explanations and easy answers. Learn to listen beyond the surface. Value diverse perspectives and learn from those whose ideas challenge your own. Learning is one of the few things no one can take from us. Every time we learn, we grow. We become stronger.
Play. Spend time doing things that make you happy. Be silly. Giggle. Hatch ideas and try them on. Understand that "play" teaches us as much as books can teach. It enables our minds to exceed the limits of the known. It is freeing.
The list is not exhaustive. It should grow as we grow—as individuals and as teachers. In the end, though, I would feel like I'd earned the title "teacher" if my students left our time together valuing things like these.
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Hey! Look us over, we are the BEST!!
Nathan Adams Armadillos always beat the rest.
We're spectacular people with wonderful spirit
Who never let you down!
Nathan Adams, best in town!
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Earth Day Clean Up
We LOVE our Volunteers!
Cool Kid!!
Thanks to all of you for showing out the Armadillo way!
Ms. Bricker, Ms. Silvio and Ms. Smith - they have been an awesome team to work with.
Kudos to the A team and the PTA for all the treats during this week
Kudos to Mrs. Goudarzi for the wonderful teacher lunch on Thursday.
Kudos to Mrs. Moore for working with me to get 2 of my students caught up on a few missed assignments.
Kudos to Mrs. Copeland for helping a student with their biography.
Kudos to Mrs. Bricker for her extra time spent coaching soccer.
Kudos to Mrs. Gibson for setting up the volunteer breakfast.
Kudos to Mrs. Jones for always being on top of things and always having a smile.
Kudos to Mrs. Salazar for all the many things she takes care of in a day.
Kudos to Ms. Moore for helping with 3rd grade pizza party.
Kudos to Ms. Villarreal for helping with last minute LPAC items.
Kudos to Ms. Muro for taking care of 5th grade IPT testing.
Kudos to Ms. Moore for helping us keep track of how many days we have left until summer break.
Kudos to Nurse Carey for taking care of our students.
Kudos to Ms. Jones for always supporting the front office with a smile.
Kudos to Ms. Copeland and Ms. James for working with small groups. This extra support is greatly appreciated.
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5/8 STAAR Math (3, 4, and 5 retest)
5/9 STAAR Reading (3, 4, and 5 retest)
5/10 STAAR Science (5th)
5/12 SLO Accomplishment Submission Deadline
5/12 Field Day
5/16 Class Roster Meetings during planning time (Pink and Blue Sheets)
5/16 Parent University (8:30-10:00 with Ms. Morales)
5/18 WT White Goes to College (Seniors visit elementary schools 10:00-2:00)
5/18 Spirit Night (PTA) @ Chuck-e-cheese
5/19 Coffee with the Principal (8:15-9:00 in library)
5/26 4th grade trip to Austin
5/29 NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day Holiday
6/1 Last Day for Students - EARLY RELEASE
6/2 Last Day for Teachers
6/5 Summer School Begins (our students will go to Gooch Elem)
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Created by Adrian Luna, Principal
Nathan Adams Elementary School
Dallas Independent School District
Email: aluna@dallasisd.org
Website: www.dallasisd.org/nathanadams
Location: 12600 Welch Road, Dallas, TX 75244
Phone: 972-794-2600