Smoke Signals: Staff Edition
March 20-24
Welcome back!
I hope you had a wonderfully restful spring break! My family and I hit a few spots on our West Texas bucket list...sledding down the Monahans Sandhills, hiking to the bottom of Carlsbad Caverns, a star party at McDonald Observatory, and the Marfa Lights really put on a show for us! It was a much needed break that helped me recharge and get ready for this last, very busy part of our school year. I hope that you also took time to recharge and do the things that make you happy, see the people that lift your spirit, and take a moment to breathe. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again on Monday!
--Theresa
Important: Possible Retentions
This week's events:
All Week: Spring Fundraiser, TELPAS Window
Monday, 3/20:
- 3:15 DMAX
- School Board Meeting
Tuesday, 3/21:
Wednesday, 3/22:
- 9:00 - DLT Meeting, Burkhalter off campus
Thursday, 3/23:
- 2nd grade Dog Show
- 11:30 - SHAC Meeting, Burkhalter off campus
- 6:00 PTO Meeting
- 6:30 - 2nd Grade Program
Friday, 3/24:
- 11:30 - Elementary Principal Brown Bag Lunch at Shackelford
Coming up next...Mark your calendars!
March
3/23 – 2nd grade Dog Show – 8:00 am
3/28-29 - 4th & 5th grade STAAR Testing, closed campus
April
4/3-7 – Book Fair Week
4/3 – Muffins with Mom 7:45-8:15
4/4 – Donuts with Dad 7:45 – 8:15, 5th Grade Field trip to Perot Museum 9:00-2:00
4/5 – Goodies with Grandparents 7:45-8:15
4/6 – Family STEAM Night and Book Fair 5:30 – 7:30 pm
4/7 – Music Notes Concert –K-2nd: 1:00, 3rd -5th: 2:00
4/7 - 3rd grade field trip to Cook Center Planetarium
4/13 – 1st grade program & PTO General Meeting 6:30, 4th grade field trip
4/17 - No School
4/21 – Kindergarten Field Trip to the Dallas Zoo
4/27 – 4th CAT Meeting – 3:30 – 4:30, Dairy Farmers Presentation
4/28 – Volunteer Luncheon 11:00-1:00
May
5/8-10 - 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade STAAR testing
5/11 - 1st grade field trip
5/19 – End of Year Party – Urban Air
5/22 – 5th grade Talent Show 8:00 am
5/23 – 1st grade awards ceremony, 2nd grade awards ceremony
5/23 – Kindergarten Program & PTO Meeting – 6:30 pm
5/24 – 3rd Grade Awards Ceremony, 4th grade Awards Ceremony, 5th Grade Awards Ceremony, Last day of school
5/26 – No School, Teacher Work Day
Thank yous...
- Huge thanks to Mrs. Daehnert for putting together such great activities for Read Across America Day! It was a huge success!
- Thank you to Mrs. Taylor and the specials teachers for a fantastic BRAVE Rally on Thursday! The kids loved it!!!
- Thank you to the Sunshine Committee for providing snacks for our STAAR Test training on Friday. It sure made testing training better!
New Phones
TTESS Updates
- Observations and post-conferences will be completed by April 1.
- End of year conferences for everyone will be completed by May 4.
Mr. East and I will begin scheduling the End of Year conferences soon. So you can start planning, the key components of the End of Year conference are listed below:
1. Summative document in Eduphoria added by administrator.
2. Discussion about the final scores for Domain 1, 2 and 3 at conference
3. Teacher and Appraiser share evidence/data that was collected all year for Domain 4. Please ask if you have questions about this!
4. Conversations are focused on how the goal(s) were met or not met
5. New goal(s) drafted for the following year and potential professional development for the following year. (goals not formally submitted until next school year)
6. All staff must have an end of year conference even if you opted out of the observation
7. Must be printed, signed and sent to HR
Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions about how the process will work. If I don't know the answer, I will find out!
Fundamental Five: Frequent, Small Group, Purposeful Talk about Learning
As I walked through the building the week before spring break, I was able to catch most of you in the Power Zone! I can't tell you enough how amazing it is to work with a campus full of master teachers! When it comes to quality instruction, Shackelford teachers are at the very top. I'm so proud to walk through our building and know without a doubt that our students are getting the very best instruction and opportunities for learning.
This week's Fundamental 5 focus is about frequent, small group, purposeful talk about learning (FSGPT). We remember so much more when we talk about what we are learning. Giving students the opportunity to talk to each other about what they are learning will increase retention and engagement in your lessons. FSGPT requires planning ahead but can be easily implemented using strategies such as turn and talk, shoulder partners, or think-pair-share.
What does this look like?
Small Group - 2-4 students
Frequent - Every 8-15 minutes
Quick - lasts 30 seconds - 3 minutes
Purposeful - Questions are pre-planned
Purposeful Writing - Discussion leads to a written product