ARMS Legend
Excellence Without Boundaries
TEAM
GRIT
GROWTH
April 4 5th Six Weeks, Week 5
BY MAY 2016, AT LEAST 80% OF ALL STAAR EXAMS TAKEN BY ARMS STUDENTS WILL MEET THE PHASE II PASSING STANDARD.
Improve Student Achievement
Improve the Quality of Instruction
Create a Positive and Supportive Campus Culutre
Principal Message
By remembering our Ranger we lost, Ms. "Buffy" Arnett, I was reminded again of the incredible value of relationships. I learned so much about her, by listening to how she touched her family and her co-workers. It was sad and at the very same time, uplifting. She was a special person.
Working side by side with one another is a gift. Whether they are next door or upstairs, it is a gift. We all have our own stories and what makes us who we are. I am reminded, as I am by no means perfect in this area and striving to grow, that it is critical to gain a piece of understanding of those that we share this very special place with, day in and day out. Day by day, gain a little more insight and appreciation into our ARMS Family.
One Band. One Sound.
F. Taylor-Glenn
(I know it is different, but add the Glenn on the end) Thank you :-)
TG2 Spotlight
Spotlight on Ms. De la Rosa (Grit & Growth)
Ms. De la Rosa is the image of grit! When things aren’t working, she tries something new. If students do not understand, she finds a new way to approach the concept. Ms. De la Rosa does not give up. Yes, there are times when frustration comes, but it’s not too long before she has a brilliant new idea or strategy to bring to her students. Her determination and perseverance is absolutely motivating!
Spotlight on Ms. Brown (Team)
Ms. Conley writes:
Ms. Brown truly cares about our students not missing one minute of learning. She is in the hallway after each period, encouraging ALL students not just her own, to get to class on time. Her presence in the hallway truly makes a difference and we all appreciate her dedication to our students. She has even encouraged other teachers to become a greater presence in the hall. THANKS BROWN!
Spotlight on ARMS (TEAM)
“One Band One Sound”, is probably my favorite saying here at ARMS. And over the last couple of weeks the testing music we’ve made at ARMS has been AWESOME. Not sure where to start, but everyone here has made my job easier as the Test Coordinator.
During TELPAS, Mrs. Fuller, Ms. Martinez and Ms. Ray administered the online Reading test and as a result of their hard work, we were able to test 725 students in 6 school days. And we couldn’t have even given the test without Ms. Goodwin, Ms Jolifee and Ms. Redmond being so kind to move out of their classrooms during that 5 to 6 days. Then as mentioned last week Mrs. Addison and Mrs. Hawkins rolled up their sleeves and help me input that same 725 students Holistic Ratings in the computer.
Without taking a breath we began STAAR. In all of my 11 years as a Test Coordinator this was probably the smoothest testing I’ve been involved in (in spite of the Monitor with the PhD.) With Mrs. Addison by my side, and Ms. Walker, Ms. Lacy, Ms. Jenkins, Coach Garcia and Coach Coffer running around crazy making sure every student was where they were supposed to be. I can’t thank you enough. Also want to mention the 7th and 8th grade ELAR team stepping in and helping test the 7th grade Pre AP Math students, all 110 of them in the library.
Not to mention when everyone went home Wednesday afternoon, Ms. Burns stayed and helped me finish hand gridding all of the 110 7th grade math students answer documents. The 6th grade teachers were also contributing. We never even knew the 6th graders were here Tuesday and Wednesday. Ms. Davis and her 6th grade team, Rangered Up!
I could go on and on. It would be easy to mention everyone’s name, because it was definitely a TEAM effort. This time my biggest THANK YOU goes to Mrs. Taylor-Glenn, because she trusted me to do my thing. Thanks you Mrs. Taylor-Glenn, thank you Rangers Faculty!!! It was so much fun, let’s do it again in May.
D. Crabtree
Test Coordinator
Spotlight on Mr. Folkenroth (Grit & Growth)
I want to spotlight Mr. Folkenroth for his GRIT and commitment to GROWTH as an educator with the purpose of positively impacting his students.
He will try something and if it doesn't work he will adjust, seek help from peers, and request another set of eyes, to see what he may not see. Thank you for striving to teach students to examine topics,their thoughts, and connections more deeply. Through you growing as an educator they grow as learners.
Ranger News
ARMS REMINDERS
ALL Teachers : ACTION Must be completed by Monday 4/4
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!! ARMS 1st Community Meeting
We are excited to have a diverse group of representatives attending Cedar Run community members, DISD Board Trustee, City Council Member, Code Enforcement representative, and ARMS Staff, Students, and Parents.
Aggie Rally
ACP Elective (PE, Art, Band) Testing Information
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES- Take a LOOK!!
Please take a moment to investigate these incredible 2016-2017 grant opportunities for teachers, librarians, principals, and assistant principals! Click here for more information!
Marshall Memo
What is the Marshall Memo?
In the spirit of our second "G" GROWTH, every week I will share 1 or 2 of the article summaries with ARMS staff. In hopes of sparking interest, sharing another perspective, or strategies as we all collectively work to improve teaching and learning @ ARMS. Take what works for you, leave what doesn't.
Question-Asking As a Key 21st-Century Skill
In this article in Mind/Shift, Katrina Schwartz says getting the answers to straight-forward information questions is just a mouse-click away on the Internet. “But while computers are great at spitting out answers,” she says, “they aren’t very good at asking questions. But luckily, that’s where humans excel. Curiosity is baked into the human experience.”
Questioning comes naturally to young children, but it “drops off a cliff” when they turn 5 or 6, says author Warren Berger. In school, he observes, “Time really conspires against questioning.” Classroom dynamics and curriculum coverage work against exploring thought-provoking queries. “Many kids don’t see asking questions as ‘cool,’” says Schwartz. “And the perception that question-askers are suck-ups or dorks probably also comes from fear. Many people feel vulnerable admitting they don’t know something. They are afraid to offer a window into their inner world by wondering out loud.”
But questioning is a highly valued skill for the 21st century – in companies, in day-to-day interactions, and as citizens asking questions about the world, policies, and the actions of our government. Schwartz suggests five ways to help students become better question-askers:
• Make it safe. “Fear kills curiosity,” says Berger. “The two things do not exist very well together.” That’s why teachers need to be explicit in encouraging big-picture questions, letting students know that they’ll be on a learning curve as they get better at formulating good questions, and making it easier for shy students to get their questions out there by forming small groups or encouraging students to submit questions on cards.
• Make it cool. “The people who are really breaking new ground are the people asking questions,” says Berger. “Questioners are the explorers, the mavericks. If you are a questioner, you are going against the grain. That could appeal to young people.”
• Make it fun. Teachers can turn question-asking into a game by framing the process as a detective solving mysteries, puzzles, or riddles. Students can take closed questions and turn them into open questions and vice-versa and experiment with different lead-off words:
- Why… ?
- What if… ?
- How might we… ?
- How could we… ?
- How should we… ?
• Make it rewarding. Some teachers respond to a thoughtful student question by saying, “That’s a great question” and moving on. Genuine interest and enthusiasm about a question may be all the reward some students need. Teachers could keep track of good questions and have students vote on the best question of the week, or add this question at the end of a test: What question should have been on this test, but wasn’t?
• Make it stick. To become a lifelong habit, asking good questions has to be a regular part of the school day. The comedian George Carlin had a routine on “Vuja de” that celebrated his ability to look at familiar situations in a fresh way (see the video in the link below). Teachers might ask students to look at an object in the classroom or their everyday lives in an entirely new way. “If you can instill this habit of mind in kids,” says Berger, “this is the key to success for innovators.”
“Kids need to learn during their time at school that they have the right to know,” concludes Schwartz, “to challenge assumptions and to dig deeper. Fostering this mentality in students can be challenging for teachers who are often complicit in systems of control over students. But often when teachers open the space for these questions, value them and explore them with students, a deep trust is built.”
“How to Bring ‘More Beautiful’ Questions Back to School” by Katrina Schwartz in Mind/Shift, February 9, 2016, http://bit.ly/1RCg2uv
ARMS Events
Athletic Events
Monday, April 4
ARMS Baseball vs. Gaston- 5:45 @ ARMS
Wednesday, April 6
ARMS Softball vs. Hood- 6:00 @ ARMS
Thursday, April 7
Track @ Jessie Owens Stadium
Saturday, April 16
ARMS Baseball vs. Long- 12:30 @ Skyline
ARMS Baseball vs. Balch Spring – 2:15 @ Skyline
ARMS Softball vs. Lang – 12:30 @ Forester
ARMS Softball vs. Balch Spring -2:15 @ Forester
Monday, April 18
ARMS Softball vs. Florence- 6:00 @ Samuel
Wednesday, April 20
ARMS Baseball vs. Hood- 5:45 @ ARMS
Monday, April 25
ARMS Baseball vs. Lang- 5:45 @ Lang
Wednesday, April 27
ARMS Softball vs. Hill- 6:00 @ Bryan Adams
Monday, May 2
ARMS Baseball vs. Florence- 5:45 @ ARMS
ARMS Softball vs. Gaston – 6:00 @ ARMS
Weekly Events April 4-9
Monday, April 4
MM Meeting @ 4:30
Trailblazer, Meeting @ 4:30- 5:45 – Conference Room 127
Tuesday, April 5
Wednesday, April 6
POD Action (AP)
Empower Team Meeting @ 7:30 – Parent Center Conference Room
Thursday, April 7
Community Meeting 6:30 – 8:00
Friday, April 8
$1 Jean Day
Core Meeting 9:30- 10:55 – Conference room 127
On The Horizon........
Monday, April 11
Inclement Weather Day- NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, April 12
POD Action
Staff Meeting @ 4:30 – Library
STAAR MOCK Testing (Math 6-7, Science 8)
Wednesday, April 13
STAAR MOCK Testing (Reading 6-7, Soc. St. 8)
Coffee w/ Principal 8:15
Parent Workshop 9:00
Thursday, April 14
Friday, April 15
Core Meeting 9:30- 10:55 – Conference room 127
Trailblazer Data Meeting (Time TBA)
5th- 6 weeks ends
Saturday, April 16
Math Saturday School
Monday, April 18
6th- 6 weeks begins
Trailblazer Meeting @ 4:30- 5:45- Conference Room 127
Tuesday, April 19
POD Action
Staff Breakfast (Office)
Wednesday, April 20
Thursday, April 21
Math Blitz
ARMS University
Ignite Ac. 4:30- 5:30
Friday, April 22
Earth Day
Core Meeting 9:30- 10:55- Conference Room 127
Saturday, April 23
Reading Saturday School
Monday, April 25
Tuesday, April 26
Wednesday, April 27
Administrative Assistant Day
Thursday, April 28
Math Blitz
Lowest Tardies Free Dress Day
Empower Team Meeting @ 7:30 – Parent Center Conference Room
Friday, April 29
Core Meeting 9:30- 10:55- Conference Room 127
Saturday, April 30
Saturday School Rotation (Math, Science, RLA, SS)
Finally...We have our FLAGS!!!
Rangers Bring Cheer To Greater Bethlehem Plaza Residents
Aiden Makes THREE!!
Spring Dance Event
Ms. J. Miller and Mr. Espie were instrumental in ensuring these young performers had a venue to perform; demonstrating the fruits of their hard work.
(Right)
Mr. Espie's wife, Deborah Espie (DISD Teacher of 35 years! and Pleasant Grove resident) and sister, Sylvia Cooper, joined to support all the dancers.
Victory for Lady Rangers!
Ms. Wagers shared, "The Lady Rangers had a successful day on the field today. We took on two great teams and came on top!"
WAY TO GO RANGERS!!
Arnett Burton Family
Plaque Dedication for Ms. Buffy Arnett
The plaque will be mounted in the ARMS cafeteria; as she will forever be in our hearts.
Rest in Peace Buffy
The Most Important Work of our Time! Always remember YOUR IMPACT!
Ann Richards Middle School
At Ann Richards MS, our vision is to be a flagship middle school at the hub of the community, nurturing diverse leaders, and empowering intelligent trailblazers.
Email: frataylor@dallasisd.org
Website: www.dallasisd.org/annrichards
Location: Ann Richards Middle School, North Prairie Creek Road, Dallas, TX, United States
Phone: 972 -892-5400