Patriot's Pen
Week 12: November 11-15
Educator of the Year Nominees - 2019-20
A luncheon in honor of you will be on Friday, Nov. 15th, during 8th lunch. More info. to follow.
Abell, Audrey
Bunn, Michelle
Case, Denise
Countryman, Emily
Cortes, Michael
Cyr, Mari
Kilborn, Nancy
Martin, Tisha
Narvaez, Hannah
Potter, Kelli
Smith, Billie
Spoor, Rayne
A Message from Mireles!
Thank you Mike and Tisha for leading your coaching staff & students through an incredible season of lessons learned.
About a month ago I came up on a Saturday, mistakenly thinking I was going to be alone. Surprisingly I was not, both football and volleyball teams were here. Football teams were practicing, taking pictures and doing some community service by cleaning our campus.
Volleyball teams were engaging in some pretty awesome team building activities and focusing on their confidence and esteem as a team. It was a really proud moment for a Principal.
We are so lucky, to have such influential adults in the lives of our students. The impact that school sports can have on students is immeasurable.
Thank you Coach's for a GREAT season!
The Week Ahead
School Psychology Awareness Week, Nov 11-15
End of the 2nd Six Weeks!!
Veteran's Day Ceremony, Boy's Gym: By announcement
(1st period: 7th Grd / 2nd period: 8th grade / 3rd period: 6th grade)
ALE class CBI
Basketball Tryouts AM/PM
RMS Leadership Team Meeting, 3:05pm
Watchdog Kick-Off Night, 6pm
Tuesday, 11/12
Faculty Learning: United Way Kick-off, SLO Goal Reflection, PD (Dealing w/Difficult Behaviors)
Basketball Tryouts AM/PM
Wednesday, 11/13
Basketball Tryouts AM/PM
GLL, Patriot Place, 11am-1pm
Thursday, 11/14
Girl's Basketball Parent Meeting, 6pm
Friday, 11/15
End of 2nd Six Weeks
Expresso Yourself Cafe AM
Hospitality all day
Patriot Spirit Shirt Day
TWEDT'S TWEET!
We are already approaching Week 6 of the second marking period!! I know you have been diligently working to ensure that all students are successful!
I continue to hear how amazing Rawlinson is! I have observed the incredible changes that have taken place in the last year and have felt a deep sense of pride develop in our student and teacher Patriots! There is a visible effort by every staff member to care for the individual student. Rawlinson is a community, a family, a place to be connected. You have worked hard to help students make those connections through athletics, dance, spirit, numerous clubs, music, theater, and art.
As we approach the end of the marking period, please make sure that every effort is made to allow our kids the opportunity to remain engaged with their school community. I am guessing that for some, next week will be the first time they suddenly care about their grades. Please take advantage of their interest! If we can keep them engaged, they are far more likely to remain engaged throughout the year. Engaged students are successful students!
As you begin to finalize your grades, please consider the following for each one of your students:
Does the overall grade reflect what this student has learned?
Has there been growth? Will the grade encourage to continued growth?
Has the student been challenged, failed, and then had opportunities to succeed?
Can mastery be assessed in more than one way?
What are the implications of the grade on the remainder of the year?
Does your student know that you will not give up on him or her?
Does the grade inspire hope for future success?
Have you spoken to the dean about every student who will not be successful?
Have you called home for every student who will not be successful this marking period and documented that conversation in CMS?
I know how hard you have been working. October is always challenging! I also know I am in a place where teachers care for their students and work for their success. There is no place like Rawlinson Middle School! I am truly honored to be working alongside you.
November is Generation Texas Month!
#RMSGenTX @RMSCounseling
Generation Texas was designed to acknowledge the journey that students, along with their families, counselors and teachers take towards college acceptance!
Next week, during morning LIVE announcements, there will be a series of videos that focus on higher education.
Throughout the month of November, to support Generation Texas Month, all faculty and students are encouraged to wear college shirts on Wednesdays! (Faculty- College shirt w/jeans)
Tweet it out and tag: #RMSGenTX @RMSCounseling
Counselors are in guidance the week of November, visiting with our students about the dangers of vaping and decision making.
As we get closer to the holidays, it can be a stressful time for families, our students included. If you observe or become concerned about anything that might be out of the ordinary for a student, please let admin or counselors know. Don't hesitate and don't wait, supporting students is essential.
Thank you for everything ya'll do.
RMS Counselors
Shannon Zavala- UNITED WAY REP.
In your box, you will receive a booklet that has all of the local organizations you can choose to support. If you were at Rawlinson last year, you will also receive a form that indicates how you would like to donate: payroll deduction, cash, check, or credit card.
If you are NEW to Rawlinson this year, you do not have a form. You are still able to donate online through payroll deduction, but please see me if you are going to do a one time cash/check/credit card donation.
Please click the link if you want to do a payroll deduction, or you can access it through Employee Connection.
Our campus goal is to raise $3,085.00 by December 3rd. I will have a tracker for everyone to see our progress next to the teacher boxes. We can do it!
Bookkeeping Matters
Need a refresher on how to purchase what you need for your department or club and the process that takes place? No problem!
STEPS:
Submit the appropriate documentation to me. A quote, completed requisition, or shopping cart list, depending on the vendor. Ask if you’re uncertain.
Campus requisition processing and approval take place.
Purchasing converts the requisition to a purchase order and sends it to your vendor to allow the order. Once it is completed and in a printable form, I will e-mail a copy to you.
REMINDERS:
Generally, the turnaround to process your requests in the above manner happens pretty quickly. However, you do need to be aware that it sometimes will not be as quick as you would hope.
Campus processing and approval usually takes 24-48 hours. However, due to various circumstances this could take longer, especially if further research or discussion is needed. This is not the only thing that Mrs. Mireles or I have on our daily to-do list, but we really do try to get it done as quickly as possible.
The Purchasing Department states that their turnaround window after I submit a requisition to them is up to TWO WEEKS. I repeat, TWO WEEKS. That is substantially longer than they have currently been doing it, but you need to know the possibility exists. A few people in that department process hundreds of POs each week, plus deal with hundreds of vendors.
In reality, your order from start to finish could take up to three weeks to reach your vendor. I know that’s not ideal or what we’re used to, but it can happen, so keep that in mind.
TIPS:
ALWAYS ask the vendor for a QUOTE. Let them know it is a POTENTIAL order.
NEVER tell a vendor to go ahead and process an order unless you have been given a PO#.
If your vendor provides services before the PO has been fully processed by Purchasing, this will result in a Confirming Purchase Order. These are not allowed by the district. These become issues for your Bookkeeper and your Principal during campus audits. Therefore, it will also become an issue for you, so it’s best to do everything you can to avoid them in the first place.
LOOK closely at your calendar when planning fundraisers or department needs. Allow time for the whole processing window, as noted above, and be thankful when it all happens quickly.
Our Super Hero is a Super Leader!
VPO REMINDERS!!
Thank You Team!
- Thank you MaryAnn & Vincent for keeping up with our constant demands for assistance in the mornings. You really help get our days off to a good start! ~ Lori
- A huge thank you goes out to our wonderful librarian Pam Gonzales for putting together the Holocaust/The Great Purge interactive Museum in the Library! The kids were engaged in some serious conversations worth having! Thank you for your patience and flexibility in pulling off a great lesson for my 8th graders! ~Kimberly Villarreal
- Thank you Hospitality Committee for attending a Tuesday morning meeting! We are in our busy season with four major events taking place soon. Thank you for going above and beyond. ~Nancy and Janet
- Thank you History Department and Hospitality for making sure our LLSP was honored this week! ~Nancy & Janet
- Thank you PTA for a fabulous Patriot Games. ~ Kilborn
- Thank you Custodians for making sure our school stays so welcoming. ~ RMS Staff
I'd like to thank Cruz Ramirez for helping me cook for the Elementary Feeder Bruncheon on Wednesday! ~Sarah Hobbs
- I'd also like to thank Lori Tarbell for setting up the coffee for the Bruncheon and helping me with all of the "behind the scenes" stuff like budget and decorations etc. ~Sarah Hobbs
- I'd like to thank Chassidy Davis Mcgee for being an awesome knitting club partner! ~Sarah Hobbs