Wilson Ranger Post
February 1st 2016
10 minutes to Blame
With the work load we all have, time seems to be a precious resource available all those who are not in the education field. I believe intentionality to also be necessary in your planning time. With the vast of amount of TEKS, needs of learners, and available resources to vet, we cannot waste any time. Ten minutes spent blaming the grade level before, the lack of parenting, or simply venting of frustrations of how low a learner was when he arrived to your classroom...is 10 minutes that could have been spent seeking the solution that potentially could have taken him to the next level of learning.
15 months...That is our goal for learners who are below level. We need them to make 15 months growth in one academic year...then pass the baton off to the next grade level to do the same. With this mindset, they will close the gap under our supervision. We are all a team. Just as we have developed the solid relationships within our grade level and have become adept at holding instructional conversations for betterment of the learners within our grade level...our next step is to continue that conversation between grade levels.
It’s That Exciting Time of Year Again…TELPAS Time!
We will have our TELPAS training on Monday, February 8th in the Library during our snack time, before we begin the poverty and vocabulary meetings. Please go to the library in a timely manner that day after school so that we can begin as quickly as possible. There have been a few changes and updates made this year. As a part of these updates, all educators must provide a copy their Online Basic Training certificate as their ticket into a monitored calibration session in order to rate learners in the four domains of English Language Proficiency. Mary will be monitoring these sessions and collecting these certificates. You may print a copy of your certificate and turn it into her prior to February 8th if you wish, but every educator who has completed the Online Basic Training course in the past must turn in a copy of the certificate by Monday, February 8th to Mary. If you have never before completed the Online Basic Training or you are in a different grade level this year, you will need to complete the Online Basic Training for the corresponding grade level but will not be able to do so until after our training on February 8th. We will have two monitored TELPAS calibration sessions after school on February 16th and March 1st, so you will choose one to attend and will need to bring a laptop and ear buds or headphones with you to complete the calibration activity. If you are unable to attend the sessions at Wilson, you may attend a session offered at a different Coppell campus that best fits your schedule. The district deadline for successful completion of these calibrations is March 4th.
Curriculum Audit Needs: Action Required
Artifact Submission: One student artifact per teacher per school. A completed student assignment/project (assessment) that has been collected in the month of January that was intended to evaluate student mastery of a TEKS. At each grade level all four core areas need to be represented and each teacher needs to be represented. On the artifact include school name, core content area being assessed, TEKS being assessed, and the date of the assignment with a cover sheet summary.
Due to Chris during your conference period on Monday.
Want to participate in the District Curriculum Audit???
February 2, 2016
Elementary: Town Center Library from 4:00-4:40
Science from Linda Cook
Feb. 18th - Final session of the Science is Messy workshops - from 4:00 - 5:00 pm at Town Center Elementary. Be sure to look for the interactive math and science word walls while at TCE!
March 3rd - Elementary Science Content Specialists Meeting - from 4:00 - 5:00 pm at Austin Elementary. Ashley Rhodes will share about the First Lego League robotics competition. We will also continue our discussion about the future professional learning needs for K-5 science.
Language and Literacy from Heather Cato
Pinning for PD
For all educators - Principals please share this professional learning opportunity with your educators. Language and Literacy is providing educators the opportunity to stick their foot in the waters of content curation by utilizing Pinterest as a vehicle to house the curated resources. This offering is open from now until April 25th. Should the campus administer choose to award credit, this opportunity may count towards an educator’s flex credit.
Food for Thought and Action
Reminder: Wilson Ranger Ranch
That being said, I want all of you to integrate at least one activity that takes your class outside to use the garden in the next two weeks! For those of you who just screamed a little, fear not. Please ask Carol for ideas...Janet would also love to help you...just reach out and ask. We also have the RSG site with many ideas...
http://www.realschoolgardens.org/curriculum
Once you have decided what your group will do, send your supervisor an email so we can go out there and join in on the fun.
I would also like to mention that our PTO is about to make a very significant investment in our outdoor learning environment. We should see the fruits of their labor by the end of February. These are indeed exciting times at Wilson.
Math Vocabulary Requirement
Talk to your Math Vertical Team member if you have questions regarding this!!!
In response to the CISD State and Federal System Safeguards, the following action steps were developed through the TAIS Process:
- Identify and inform 3-12 educators of academic vocabulary aligned to math and science STAAR and TEKS.
- Train Special Education and General Education educators on the integration of academic vocabulary strategies in math and science lesson design.
A professional learning opportunity is available for all mathematics educators within the Schoology platform to meet these requirements. Educators should enroll in the Academic Vocabulary in Mathematics Lesson Design course in Eduphoria/Workshop. At that time, they will be given the Access Code to enroll in the course in Schoology. The deadline to complete all 6 steps in the Schoology course is May 9, to align with the conclusion of the spring STAAR testing.
If campus TAIS Process resulted in similar action steps, principals may speak with Mary Kemper to coordinate implementation plans.
DLI Info...In Case you are Asked :)
Thanks to Raquel and Tatiana for your presentation...and 3rd and 4th grade DLI for presenting your learning!
Dual Language Immersion
The Dual Language application process is now open to all interested kinder learners. The application and the process is clearly delineated on website at www.coppellisd.com/dli along with a detailed list of questions and answers. All application are to be turned at the Vonita White Administration Building no later than the close of business on March 3, 2016. Please note additional important dates below.
March 3, 2016
Applications Due
March 31, 2016 (8:30-10:30 a.m.)
DLI Lottery @ Vonita White Administration Building Boardroom
April 7, 2016
Commitment Letters Due
Pre-K News
Pre Kindergarten Exploration Fair
The Coppell ISD will host its first Pre Kindergarten Exploration Fair on April 9 at Richard J. Lee Elementary from 9:00 to 1:00.In 2015, our governor signed House Bill 4 which includes updating instructional guidelines, certification of Pre K educators, and improving parental involvement. The Pre K Exploration Fair will assist parents who qualify for the program in building partnerships with essential personnel in the district as well as ensuring each learner is prepared to start school on day one. The exploration fair will showcase booths that include the following:
- Child Nutrition
- Transportation
- Vision and Hearing Screening
- Health and Immunizations
- Child Find
- Vroom
- Registration
- World and Culture: Newcomers
- Model Classroom Visit
- Literacy in Action
Please mark your calendars and plan to attend if your schedule allows. You will be receiving electronic information for school news letters and twitter shortly.
Bond Update
Dear Wilson Ranger Educators,
As you know, the Board held the first of four public work sessions last Thursday night and additional sessions are set for February 1, 8, and 15. These work sessions are held in the Board Room of the Vonita White Administration Building/200 South Denton Tap Road/Coppell, TX. and are open to the community. The session on Monday night, February 1, will start at 7:00 p.m.
Please take a few minutes to visit the Bond section of CISD’s website at www.coppellisd.com/bond to familiarize yourself with the complete project proposal/recommendation to the Board. Updates are made regularly making this the best resource for CISD Bond information. Project categories, cost estimates, and projected completion dates are summarized as follows:
1) Growth Solutions – approx. $146.2M
o Remodel CMS West to become the district’s 9th Grade Center for the 2018-19 school year (NTH@C will remain at its current location)
o New middle school (on CISD land in Cypress Waters) 2018-19 school year
o Future elementary school (land in Cypress Waters) TBD
o Renovations & additions to CMS East and CMS North - 2019-2020 school year
2) Technology Infrastructure & Equipment - $34.6M
3) Renovations – construction for Support Services/Network Operations Cntr. & CHS - $32.9M
4) Districtwide Improvements – at campuses & district buildings - $32.4M
5) Safety & Security – Districtwide Solutions - $2.9M
These projects address the critical enrollment growth occurring in the southern sectors of the district (esp. the Bridges of Las Colinas, West Haven, and Cypress Waters developments) where construction is currently projected to be over two years ahead of schedule.
If the School Board calls for a Bond Election next month, an administrative team will immediately begin visiting every campus to present the Board’s final proposal and answer any questions you may have. Remember, as employees of CISD, we are often viewed as the authority on “all-things education.” While you are certainly not expected to know every detail, as the most important proposal in the history of this school district, we should all learn as much as we can about its contents, stick to the facts, and ask questions if we are unclear. Thanks for taking this matter seriously and for all you do every day for our learners.
Sincerely,
Chris Nester
Wilson Elementary