Wilson Ranger Post
February 6th 2017
Number Sense Instruction
http://mathsolutions.com/making-sense-of-math/number-sense/understanding-number-sense/
Register for Monday's TELPAS training here:
TELPAS Tidbits (a few updates from last week)
All staff:
You are required to attend the holistic TELPAS training at 3:30 on Monday, February 6th, in the library.
TELPAS raters (classroom educators, special education educators, Jennifer, Carol):
Please read your rater manual before the February 6 training.
All raters need to provide documentation indicating completion of the basic online training course before the first calibration session. If you have not taken the course, if you do not have the documentation, or if you are in a different grade cluster (K-1 or 2-12), you will need to take the course after the February 6 training and after you have signed your oath.
All raters need to attend the calibration session 1 on February 23 at 3:30. Bring your laptop and headphones/earbuds. If you do not pass the calibration activities that day you, will need to attend session 2 on February 28 at 3:30. If you are unable to attend the sessions at Wilson, you may attend a session offered at a different Coppell campus.
There is a Proficiency Level Descriptor (PLD) Refresher course available in Schoology for you to complete if you feel you need additional training on the PLDs and/or rating your ELLs in any of the four domains of English proficiency prior to the required calibration activities.
You may find this refresher course in Schoology: LOGIN TO SCHOOLOGY
Click on the COURSES tab on top
CLICK JOIN BUTTON
USE THIS CODE TO JOIN MCCFC-ZSGCC
Poem of the Month
HOW MANY, HOW MUCH
How many slams in an old screen door?
Depends how loud you shut it.
How many slices in a bread?
Depends how thin you cut it.
How much good inside a day?
Depends how good you live ‘em.
How much love inside a friend?
Depends how much you give ‘em.
Shel Silverstein
TAIS Data Due Dates
Mark your calendars now...
We have 2 more due dates for the TAIS data.
As you know, we assessing our learners on math, reading and writing throughout the year. Different grade levels have different requirements.For your planning, data will be due at the following times...
- March 24th
- May 26th
From Nurse Jill
GE Walkthroughs
Feb 20th - Professional Learning Day
The following classrooms will be utilized.
C103
C101
C104
C105
C107
C109
C202
C201
B203
B201
A203
A201
CISD Legislative Talking Points
School Funding
1. As a Chapter 41 school (a property wealthy district), we pay a certain amount of property tax dollars back to the state every year in what is known as recapture. This is what is also known to many as “Robin Hood.” While state legislators would like to us to believe “their” contribution to schools has increased, the reality is that the amount of recapture being collected has increased, giving the state the ability to “increase” their contributions to education. However, the actual state contribution outside of the money collected through recapture has decreased. During the massive budget cuts to state finances following the last recession, education saw a historical drop in funding. While most state agencies have seen their funding increasing since then, the Texas education system has never returned to being fully funded. Because the State still does not fully fund our education system, the District is required to lean on our taxpayers to help us fulfill the State’s responsibility. The state should fully restore funding to the public education system
2. At a minimum, the state should be able to fund education by keeping up with population plus inflation when allocating funds.
Vouchers
1. Vouchers, and the broader issue of school choice, are being touted as the “civil rights issue of the 21st century” because they would provide poor children with an “escape from failing schools.” However, the amount of a voucher would not be enough to cover tuition at most private schools. Only more affluent families with the means to pay the balance of their children’s tuition would truly benefit. This would leave the very children vouchers are supposed to help left behind in schools with even less funding than before.
2. School choice already exists in Texas, with transfers, magnets, and charter schools. In fact, in 2013, the Legislature raised the cap on the number of charter school operators in Texas from 215 to 305 by 2019 — the largest charter school expansion since 2001.
3. Texas public schools have already endured massive funding cuts, and a broken (and unconstitutional) school finance system is yet to be fixed by the Legislature. Texas ranks in the bottom third of states for per-pupil expenditures, despite having one of the healthiest (if not the healthiest) economies in the U.S. and a rich reserve.
4. At a time when the state’s public schools are being held to increasingly rigorous accountability standards, lawmakers should not allow public, taxpayer dollars to be spent at private or religious schools that do not have to meet the same standards — either for students or for teachers.
Assessment
1. While CISD does not “teach to the test,” there is still an emphasis placed on the state examination because of state standards and accountability. CISD believes in students truly learning subject content instead memorizing potential testing material without a true understanding.
2. As Action Item 3 states, nationally Norm Reference Tests provide useful diagnostic data on a student’s learning whereas the states standardized test do not.
A-F Accountability System
1. The A-F System misrepresents a large portion of what happens in schools by reducing an entire school and a district to a single mark. A single mark for an evaluated area cannot fully capture the complexity of schooling, therefore not giving the public useful or accurate information about their schools.
2. The A-F system uses a single indicator for 55% of their grade, the STAAR exam, and does not give a school or district diagnostic information for needed area improvements.
Local Control
1. Coppell ISD would like the legislature to maintain or improve legislation relating to the District of Innovation.
What is a District of Innovation? The District of Innovation concept, passed by the 84th Legislative Session in House Bill 1842, gives traditional Independent School Districts most of the flexibilities available to Texas’ open-enrollment charter schools.
What are the flexibilities? Districts will have the flexibility to implement practices similar to charter schools, including exemptions from mandates such as: school start date, certain student discipline provisions, 90% attendance rule, use of planning and preparation periods, class-size ratios, teacher appraisal requirements, site-based decision-making processes.
State Legislature Contact Information
Texas House of Representatives
Matt Rinaldi
Capitol Address: Room E2 508
Austin, TX 78768
512.463.0468
512.463.1044 FAX
District Address: 12300 Ford Road Suite B348
Farmers Branch, TX 75234
972.247.8994
Texas Senate
Don Huffines
Capitol Address: P.O. Box 12068 Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
512.463.0116
District Address: 8222 Douglas Avenue, Suite 675
Dallas, TX 75225
214.239.6131
Math Vocabulary Resources from Diana
These resources, and more, can be found on the CISD Elementary Math website under CISD Aligned Vocabulary (https://sites.google.com/a/g.coppellisd.com/cisd-elementary-math/k-5-aligned-vocabulary) and Vocabulary Resources (https://sites.google.com/a/g.coppellisd.com/cisd-elementary-math/vocabulary).
- Here is the aligned vocabulary that is by grade level standard. This document identifies vocabulary that should be covered with each math TEKS.
- Here is the aligned vocabulary that is separated by grade level and strand. This document identifies vocabulary for each grade level that should be covered in Number and Operations, Algebraic Reasoning, Geometry and Measurement, Personal Finance, and Data Analysis.
Behavior RtI from Mr. Jeff Minn
Behavior RtI Mid-Year Screener window is now open. It is recommended to be conducted in Late January/ February. Directions on how to administer the screener can be found here-https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4mahO8s0BsRN0Z0RnppRkhob3c
All corresponding forms can be found in the Universal Screener: Behavior RtI folder -https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4mahO8s0BsRflp4enVPYWtkVm53Tl9xMk1hRmdDWmtnbWI2VlFnRU84OWdrN1FsVTJvdlU
Science from Linda Cook
February Staff Birthdays
Johanna Rivera - 2/2
Leigh Pang (cafe')- 2/19
Jennifer Adams - 2/21
Birthday Buddies!!!
Eric Hanson - 2/25
Heidi Rupley - 2/25
Jennifer Vasquez - 2/28
Honk, Jr. Info from Mr. Hanson (including a little new info)
FOR YOUR PLANNING
All our learners will be able to enjoy a performance of Honk, Jr. at Wilson this year! Honk, Jr. will be performed for our learners at 1:30 on March 2nd. That means we will start calling learners down at 1pm on the 3/2. Please plan your day accordingly. Additionally, we will have a Spirit Day that week (2/28) for the 2nd grade performance.
Lunch will be in the classroom on March 2nd for 3rd-5th grade and for all grades on March 3rd.
TO COMMUNICATE
Wilson Elementary Music Theatre is proud to present Honk! Jr. as our spring musical! Come enjoy the story of the Ugly Duckling with a modern twist. Tickets are available (but going fast!) for Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday matinee - March 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. On stage, you will see the hard work 90 of our own learners have done to put together this show full of laughs, lessons, and great music. Get your tickets today!
Purchase your tickets through the Wilson PTO website here:
https://wilsonpto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/16291
VOLUNTEERS
We are still in need of volunteers for our show! If you would like to sign up for set building and painting this Saturday morning, or any of our performance times, please use this link or let Jessica know.
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/4090B4BA9A82EA5FF2-honk
T-SHIRTS
Many of you have expressed interest in getting a Honk Jr t-shirt. I have plenty in stock! Use the link below to pay, and then let me know what size you need after you've checked out.
https://wilsonpto.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/24941
STAGE
We will be putting up the set on stage for our big show on Saturday morning. We will also be storing props and some costume pieces on stage and back stage. If you see any curious kiddos around the stage, please help us in keeping them off for the next few weeks, both for their safety and for our sanity. :)
Thanks again for your support and for plugging our show with the community! We sincerely appreciate it!