Thomas Jefferson Tribune
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 26-March 2 2018
MISSION, VISION & CORE VALUES
MISSION:
The TJ Feeder schools embrace high quality learning opportunities which honor the unique strengths and diverse needs of all Scholars.
VISION:
The TJ feeder schools will be the premier feeder to attract and educate all Scholars to positively impact our community and world.
CORE VALUES:
Innovation, Collaboration, Excellence and Integrity
THOMAS JEFFERSON FEEDER PRIORITY GOALS
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION
CLIMATE AND CULTURE
A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR..........
Distinguished Leaders,
I felt it necessary to use the quote above to express the true leadership that occured today. I am very humbled by the level of educators that are from our feeder that did what had to be done to assist with the difficult situation at Stephen Foster this morning. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to several leaders for giving so kindly and truly demonstrating the word of 'TEAM'!
Mr. Dickerson and Mrs. Massey's Leadership team and staff for accommodating Stephen Foster scholars and their teachers on their campuses so that students would not be without a campus. Mrs. Macklin for donating pizza to the Stephen Foster staff and Dallas ISD personnel, Ms. Johnson, Cary's CIC, who got Dominos to donate pizza to the Stephen Foster staff and Dallas ISD personnel as well as Mr. Rivera, who donated snacks to the Stephen Foster staff at Cary.
I am very proud of the all the teamwork that was witnessed in such a difficult time. Even in the midst of a crisis, as a team WE are stronger together. As always, have an awesome week LEADING, COACHING, TEACHING ,LEARNING AND MAKING ACADEMIC ADJUSTMENTS FOR SCHOLAR SUCCESS!
THE TJ FEEDER IS IN IT TO WIN IT!
Ms. Torres
Thomas Jefferson Executive Director
THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE
Monday, February 26, 2018
- Adamson Feeder Principal Interviews-Ms. Torres-8:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
- Deputy Chief/ED meeting @ 1:00 p.m.
- Unannounced Campus visit
- K-12 TELPAS Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing Window begins today
- Principal Task Force Leader meeting w/Ms. Torres-2nd floor Haskell@ 9:00 a.m.
- Deputy Chief/ED Meeting @ 9:30 a.m.-3rd floor
- Cigarroa Campus visit w/ED
- AIA Leadership Team Meeting @ NCX -13th floor Room #1350-1:30 p.m. Ms. Torres
- Dialogue with School Leadership @ 7:30 a.m.-Joe May Elementary
- Joe May Campus visit w/ED and AF's
- Medrano Campus visit w/ED and AF's
Deadline to allocate Title I budget for positions is TODAY no later than 5 p.m.
- Thomas Jefferson Feeder Pattern Principals Meeting@ Arboretum 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m
- ECHS Transition Advisory Meeting @ Brookhaven College-1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.-Ms. Torres, Mrs. Massey & Mrs. Eberhardt
- Transfer Period begins
- Read Across America Day-Dr. Seuss' birthday
- United to Learn Community Project Day for Thomas Jefferson Elementary Campuses-9:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.
COMMUNITY DAY IN THE THOMAS JEFFERSON FEEDER PATTERN HOSTED BY 'UNITED TO LEARN'
THOMAS JEFFERSON FEEDER PATTERN ACHIEVE 3000 MID YEAR COMPLETION NUMBERS PER CAMPUS
Below is the most current usage report for Achieve 3000. Please take note of the Mid-Year Level Set completion numbers in column J. Any students who have not taken this assessment are actually not using the program at this time since that must be done before they can go further in the program.
Principal Impact Collaborative (PIC)
Please find the following information about a terrific opportunity for the upcoming year.
A handful of Dallas ISD principals participated in the program over the past two years. One of our very own, Mrs. Loskot, has been a successful participant for the past 2 years. We are so proud of her. The feedback and impact was very positive and the district will be sponsoring approximately 15 principals for the upcoming school year.
Principal Impact Collaborative (PIC) is a two year program that allows principals to collaborate with other principals across the DFW area. Some learning experiences include topics as: design thinking, change leadership, personal leadership mindfulness and building trust.
Principals participate in: site visits to exemplar schools, deep training in design thinking with a campus action project, 1x1 coaching to support leadership growth and implementation of the action project and networking with peers across DFW.
For a quick overview of PIC, please check out the following video: https://youtu.be/lYxI6A2IxCE
Candidates for PIC would include:
There will be an informational session during lunch at the Districtwide Principals’ Meeting on March 7th. Please come hear a brief overview of the program as well as testimonials from current participants.
RSVP to apply@principalimpactcollaborative.org
If you would like to find out more information prior to the informational session, please feel free to access PIC website at www.principalimpactcollaborative.org or contact Alejandra Barbosa, Program Director at abarbosa@principalimpactcollaborative.org.
For a quick overview of PIC, please click on the video below:
CAMPUS NEEDS ASSESSMENT DUE ON MARCH 5, 2018
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RESPONSIBILITY FOR CHECKING CNA'S
Verify Agendas for CNA (detailed with data topics)
____ Verify Sign In Sheets for Data Review Meetings for CNA
_____ Verify Minutes from Data Review Meetings for CNA
_____ Verify that all these documents are uploaded to the campus Virtual Notebook
_____ Complete checklist regarding CNA, edits, revisions, etc.
_____ Verify that complete and correct CNA is inputted into the Google Drive
_____ Sign off and submit the final CNA checklist for each school
CAMPUS INCIDENT REPORTS
An “Incident” is any Injury, exposure, act of violence, safety concern or situation involving students, parents, visitors, or volunteers, or any loss, damage, theft, vandalism, safety concern or situation involving Dallas ISD schools, facilities, equipment, and events. An incident is NOT an employee injury.
Please continue to notify me via call or text prior to submitting the actual report. When this is done, I can assess the situation and help you with next steps that should be taken. The email notification should not be the first point of notification for an Incident taking place on your campus.
For more information on reporting campus incidents, please call the Risk Management Services Department at 972-925-4050 or refer to the department webpage at https://www.dallasisd.org/Page/26559.
SUMMER SCHOOL STAND ALONE SUMMER PROGRAMS
All principals should have received an email from extendedlearning@dallasisd.org providing instructions and a passcode to initiate a Stand-Alone Application. To start an application, please have your passcode and follow the link www.dallasisd.org/summer2018 to locate application and training videos. Please be aware of the following deadlines:
- Purchasing deadline: February 23rd
- Deadline to initiate an application that does not require funding March 9th
- Final application deadline: April 13th
If you have any questions, please contact the Extended Learning Opportunities department (extendedlearning@dallasisd.org) or Jamie Luellen (jluellen@dallasisd.org).
POWER SCHOOL TRAINING
As you are aware, we are moving to Power School system where we will be able to do so many things and use one system instead of many to find information, data, create student scheduling, etc. CRC’s, Instructional Coaches, AP’s, teachers, and Principals will need to be trained on the system. This system will be used to schedule students when returning from summer vacation in July. Chancery will NOT be used for this purpose, therefore, if your CRC’s/Data Controllers are not attending trainings to be well versed in the system, your campus will be having difficulty with enrolling. I highly recommend that you inform your teams of the upcoming trainings being held at NCX Building.
There is Mandatory Elementary Principal training upcoming that must be attended based on the feeder day. Please refer to the table below. Registration through Cornerstone is required.
THOMAS JEFFERSON FEEDER PATTERN KUDOS
NEWLY APPOINTED SUDIE WILLIAMS TAG MAGNET PRINCIPAL
Michael Jackson, Principal of Sudie Williams Tag Magnet
Irma De la Guardia, Principal of Stephen C. Foster ES
Congratulations to Mrs. De La Guardia, who had a successful visit on Tuesday with Deputy Chief Brian Lusk. She was featured in the ED Newsletter as a strong first year principal. We are so proud of Mrs. De La Guardia!
P-TECH PARTICIPATES IN UNITED WAY FUTURE FOCUS COLLEGE & CAREER EXPO!
Our scholars were selected to participate in the United Way Future Focus College & Career Expo on Wednesday, February 21, 2018 at the University of Texas at Dallas. The Expo brought together United Way volunteers from Deloitte, Starbucks, and Texas Instruments with 10th and 11th grade students from across Dallas.
The Expo kicked off with a pep-rally to energize students, followed by several breakout sessions that engage students, university staff, and volunteers. The sessions will include volunteer-led curriculum that supports United Way’s commitment to helping students graduate and succeed by preparing them for college and career opportunities. During the session with Deloitte, the students were able to speak to a TJ alumni that explained her journey from TJ to Brookhaven to UTD. The students left inspired and excited about the future possibilities.
"GO P-TECH!"
Out of the Box Thinking
Sudie Williams Magnet Gr. 4-6 2018-2019 Parent Information Meeting
Campus Tours for future Sudie Williams Families
Tom Field ES Family Literacy Night February 22, 2018
Community Supports Literacy!
Family Supports Literacy!
Collaborate for Literacy!
'UNITED TO LEARN' FULL NETWORK MEETINGS FOR TJ ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS
TEI NEWS
April --Student survey administration
Students in grades 3-12 complete surveys during one class period
MAY -JUNE-- Mid May Teacher roster verification process
Teachers verify students to be included in calculation of student achievement metrics
May 11th--Teachers submit SLO GoalAccomplishment in Schoolnet
Administrator approves, scores, and completes by May 18th
May 18th-- Last day to enter extended observations, summatives, and SLO scores into Schoolnet
Summatives may be completed after a minimum number of spot observations and the extended observation are conducted May 21st – June 4th
INSTRUCTIONAL COUNTDOWN TO STAAR
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
TEACHER STEM OPPORTUNITIES
STAAR Tested Content Grades 3-8 Reading, Writing, Math Science & Algebra I
TEACHER CURRICULUM WRITERS NEEDED-APPLY NOW!
The guiding principle for the new curriculum is, as much as possible, it should be "created by teachers, for teachers." To that end, the application to be a curriculum writer is now open!
- Applicant pool: teachers and campus instructional coaches only
- Application link (must be logged into Dallas ISD google account): www.tiny.cc/curriculumwriter1
- Application deadline: Friday, February 16, 2018
- Interview time frame: Wednesday, February 21 - Friday, February 23
Principals will receive an email for each applicant from their school. This will be a super easy reference where you only need to reply if you do not think that applicant should be considered.
Please share this application and encourage your teachers and coaches to apply!
GET YOUR 5th SIX WEEKS RLA CURRICULAR RESOURCES HOT OFF THE PRESSES!
Great news!! All 5th six weeks curricular documents have been posted on TRS and Curriculum Central. You can also access them on the 2017-18 Suggested Curricular Resources document linked here. Please let me know if I can assist you in any way. Spread the word!
STEM MATH ELEMENTARY PD
STEM MATH SECONDARY PD
DALLAS ISD STEM SCIENCE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CALENDAR
Click on the calendar link above to access the PD dates.
WEEKLY WAIP
2017-2018 DALLAS ISD DISTRICT-WIDE TESTING CALENDAR
Dallas ISD Year At a Glance Testing Schedule
UPCOMING DATES & REMINDERS
MARCH
5-CNA DUE TO MS. TORRES
5- Thomas Jefferson Feeder Teacher Collaborative Planning (Gr. 3-8 and 9th Algebra I) @ Cary 3:30-5:30 pm
9-Drill log for the Spring Semester is due TODAY via email submission to the Office of Emergency Management
27-Math AF TOT for CIC Content Training
29-Reading AF TOT for CIC Content Training
MAY
11-ALL CIP'S DUE TO MS. TORRES
JUNE
1-ALL CIP'S DUE TO MS. STEPHENS FROM ED
MARSHALL MEMO #724
Focusing Classroom Visits on Student Learning
(Originally titled “Excavating the Artifacts of Student Learning”)
In this article in Educational Leadership, Dwayne Chism (Omaha Public Schools) cautions against judging teachers’ effectiveness based solely on their actions during a lesson and students’ apparent energy level. “Student learning is the most meaningful measure of all instructional practices,” says Chism, “and must remain the litmus test, or gateway, to determining future teacher practice.”
How can administrators, instructional coaches, and other classroom observers zero in on student learning? Chism suggests ascertaining the lesson objective and then asking several students two questions as they work independently. Here are some responses in a third-grade class on prefixes:
Question #1: What are you learning?
- “I don’t know.”
- “I am circling prefixes that I find in sentences.”
- “I am learning what a prefix is and how words change.”
- “We are looking at root words and how they change.”
- “We are learning to find prefixes and to know how they give new meaning to words and to use them in sentences to help us be better writers.”
Question #2: How do you know you are doing a good job?
- “When my teacher tells me I am doing a good job.”
- “If I am doing my best work and complete my assignment.”
- “If I have read each sentence to find prefixes and can show my teacher how I use them in a sentence.”
- “When I have identified the new meaning of the root words and share my answers with a partner.”
- “When I have found the prefixes in the sentences and know the new meaning of each word. If I can use a prefix in a sentence and can share the meaning of my word with a friend.”
These comments are an excellent starting point for a conversation with the teacher afterward, along with reviewing samples of students’ work. In this lesson, students were asked to select a prefix they learned, combine it with one root word, and use the new word correctly in a sentence. Two responses:
- The thunder recaused my dog to bark.
- I was unhappy with my brother when he disappeared with the last cookie.
This post-observation conversation would help the teacher follow up with students who weren’t successful, as well as improving the lesson next time – especially checking for understanding to catch some of these problems in real time.
“Excavating the Artifacts of Student Learning” by Dwayne Chism in Educational Leadership, February 2018 (Vol. 75, #5), http://bit.ly/2FdWgFk; Chism is at dwayne.chism@ops.org.
THOMAS JEFFERSON SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
- Thomas Jefferson High School: Principal, Sandi Massey
- Francisco Medrano Middle School : Principal, Theresa Sigurdson
- Edward Cary Middle School: Principal, Ben Dickerson
- David G. Burnet Elementary: Principal, Sonia Loskot
- Leonides Cigarroa Elementary : Principal, Douglas Burak
- Tom W. Field Elementary: Principal, Shondula Whitfield
- Stephen C. Foster Elementary: Principal, Irma De La Guardia
- Joe May Elementary: Principal, Israel Rivera
- K.B. Polk Elementary: Principal, Misty Rathermund
- Julian T. Saldivar: Principal, Chaundra Macklin
- Walnut Hill Elementary: Principal, Robert 'Chase'McLaurin
- Sudie Williams Elementary: Principal, Michael Jackson
Thomas Jefferson High School
Franscisco Medrano Middle School
Edward Cary Middle School
David G. Burnet Elementary
Leonides Cigarroa Elementary
Tom W. Field Elementary
Stephen C. Foster Elementary
Joe May Elementary
K. B. Polk Elementary
Julian T. Saldivar Elementary
Walnut Hill Elementary
Sudie L. Williams Elementary
Tamieka Porter
Lisa Maia
Erica Rosas
Trustee Edwin Flores District 1
Trustee Dustin Marshall District 2
Trustee Miguel Solis District 8
DISD GOALS
- All students will exhibit Satisfactory or above performance on State assessments. Students below Satisfactory performance will demonstrate more than one year of academic growth
- Dallas ISD schools will be the primary choice for families in the district
- The achievement gap by race, ethnicity and social economic status will be no greater than 10 percentage points on all academic measures
- 95% of students will graduate. Of the graduates, 90% have qualifying scores for community college, college, military, or industry certification
- 95% of entering kindergarten students are school-ready on a multidimensional assessment
- All students will participate in at least one extracurricular or co-curricular activity each year.