AD Connect
9-25-17
Culture Eats Strategy
In your principal checklist, there was a requirement for you to work on a plan for student and educator culture. I want to challenge you to formalize that plan. I have provided linked below a few resources I would like for you to take advantage of. We can review these in our next Coaching Session. Essentially, the assumption here is that we all get so busy and focused on "stuff" some of which is important and some not...that we can lose sight of our people. A person who thinks they are leading but doesn't have anyone following them, is only taking a walk. Considering this, no matter how great our planning and PD are...they will amount to nothing if our staff is not with us. I can say that many things don't come natural for me so I have to put them on my calendar to ensure that they are occurring. Such as the following:
- positive notes
- checkins with educators
- providing a little something special each month
As you formalize this plan, I want the principals to review the chapter on Staff culture in Leverage Leadership and the Assistant principals to review the chapter on Student culture. Together, lets create environments where though the work may be hard, both teachers and students can't wait to arrive!!
Culture Tracker I placed a tab with ideas pre-populated that you can change for both student and staff
New Teacher Support
Bambrick has a great book that all of you should have entitled, Get Better Faster. This is a resource to help guide you in providing support to new staff members. Additionally, you will want to have structures in place that support them beyond project Goal. Do they have a mentor? How many observations of other teachers do they get? Could you schedule a check in with them periodically. Many educators who could be great, quit in their first few years. Let's make a plan to stop this cycle!!!
Don't question what you don't plan to support
Great Digital Resources
If you can help me update my list, I would be most appreciative :)
Science
- STEM Scopes
Math
- ST Math
- Reasoning Minds
- Reflex math
Reading
- RAZ kids
Writing
- ???
Math Unit Assessments
Field Trip Manual Update
The following items have been updated in the field trip manual:
Should the field trip require a contract, such as Pine Cove, please attach contract to the request and allow 4-6 weeks in lieu of the standard 2 week time span
Requests should be typed and not handwritten
Please email all requests to our department secretaries in lieu of snail mail or fax.
No deposits should be made on field trips until a Field Trip Request Form has been approved.
In addition, our office is collecting from campus secretaries suggested methods for funding field trips, including providing support for economically disadvantaged students. We will share it will you as soon as it is finalized.
Free Dress Fundraisers
DEIC
Meal Debt
Instructional Leadership
Engaging Learners
Rider-PreK training
TEA has implemented Rider 78 to ensure that state-funded prekindergarten programs implement high-quality prekindergarten consistent with the High-Quality Prekindergarten program requirements. One component of this Rider 78 is the amount of professional development required for teachers who do not have a graduate or undergraduate degree in Early Childhood. More information will come out in next week’s WAIP, but we wanted to provide information about some training that is offered starting next week. She the following links:
Building Fine Motor and Writing Skills-10/10
Circle Preschool Foundations-10/17-10/18
Upcoming Dates
September 28-First cycle ends; Leadership Symposium from 3:30-5:00 at CTC
September 29-Second cycle begins; deadline to submit booster club form; deadline to access class registration info in old system
October 2-Dimension U Tournament kickoff
October 5-UIL planning meeting at 3:30 (HHB)
October 13-Staff development
October 16-Fair Day
October 24-Parent Conferences (extended work day)
October 30-Parent Conferences (extended work day)
October 31-Summer program proposals due
Donde Esta Tu Amigo?
Tuesday:AIE
Wednesday: AIE
Thursday:IDF Callibration Walks AM; Lunch with principals; PM GPLA
Friday: Campus Visits