Raccoon Review
A Weekly Communication Tool for Rice Elementary Staff
Campus Goals
- Ensuring ALL students are in attendance.
- Cultivating a climate that welcomes students and parents.
- Creating opportunities for students to use and increase critical thinking and decision-making skills.
- Moving from Parent Involvement to Parent Engagement.
Staff Shout Outs
Thank you to each of you for opening up your classrooms for math walk throughs!Tammy had nothing but wonderful things to say about the math instruction going on in your classrooms. All of you were teaching appropriate content, had great math reviews, and were doing wonderful fact fluency activities that that aligned to the calendar. You guys rock!!!
2nd, 3rd and 4th math teachers were teaching great content, had great math reviews, and were doing wonderful fact fluency activities that that aligned to the calendar during walk through's this week!
Week at a Glance: October 21st-27th
Red Ribbon Week
Monday-White Day
Kinder PLC
2nd Grade Cogat Testing
Tuesday-Black Day
3rd/4th ELA PLC
PTO Provides Lunch: Soup & Salad
2nd Grade Cogat Testing
Wednesday-Red Day
3rd/4th Math PLC
2nd Grade Cogat Testing
1:00-2:30- Mayra Torres on Campus
4:30-6:00-40th Anniversary Celebration
Thursday-White Day
1st/2nd Math PLC
2nd Grade Cogat Testing Make-up
1:00-2:30- Mayra Torres on Campus
Chat and CHEW: New Teachers and Mentors during lunches
1:30-3rd Grade Dress Rehearsal
Friday-Black Day
1st/2nd Grade ELA PLC
Math Review Quiz
9:00-3rd Grade Program
2:00 & 2:30-Rice Way Pep Rally
Notes from Malinda
Switch Day
Have you ever wanted to teach another grade level? Are you brave enough to "Try Everything?" If so, November 13th is your day...are you ready for it? For teachers who are interested, we are going to switch classrooms from 8:30-2:30. You will follow the other class plans and gain lots of great information. To top it off, you will get to meet lots more Raccoons. If you are interested, please sign up on the door to Mrs. Stewart's office by October 31st.
Parent Contacts
Please remember to log all parent contacts within View-It. Sped Case managers will print these every 9 weeks for documentation of parent contacts.
Innovative Education Grant Program
Conroe ISD is once again offering an Innovative Education Grant Program. Complete the application, found at this link, to be considered for funding through the Innovative Education Grant. The purpose of this grant is to identify and support innovative educational practices within Conroe ISD. Technology is not a required component. Proposals can be submitted for resources up to $10,000. Principal approval of an application is required. Grant applications received without principal approval will not be considered in the evaluation process.
The application and Principal Approval Form must be submitted by Friday, November 16, 2018.
Proposals will be scored through a blind review process. Applicants will be notified of the status of their proposal by Wednesday, December 19, 2018.
Those awarded grants may be required to present at campus and district level staff development.
Steps to apply for the grant program are below.
1. Submit the application online.
2. Print the Principal Approval Form.
3. Complete and return the Principal Approval Form to Krissy Calhoun in the Technology Department by email or interoff mail by Friday, November 16, 2018.
Something to Ponder
Video Game Dependency and Video Game Addiction are now being recognized as diagnoses in several diagnostic manuals. This is an easily dismissed epidemic that is wreaking havoc on our children's brains.
Experts estimate that more than 3 million Americans between 8 and 18 could be suffering from video game dependency. There could be about 1 million more diagnosable dependent gamers in America than coke addicts. The latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders recently christened the phenomenon as "internet gaming disorder." The DSM warns that such "persistent and recurrent online activity results in clinically significant impairment or distress," adding that certain neural pathways are triggered just like a drug addicts' would be when ingesting their substance of choice.
One of the main researchers, Douglas Gentile, began his research in 1999 to disprove the notion that video games can be addictive. He has now proven himself wrong and is very passionate about bringing attention to the pathological gaming. There is no "typical" gaming addict. After tracking 3,000 kids for 3 years Gentile learned people with mental health problems or attention disorders are more inclined toward escapism and, therefore, habitual gaming. But on top of that, people who game consistently from a young age will develop attention disorders and social anxiety, which cripple them in school, leading to more intense mental health problems and a stronger drive to game.
"I wanted to shut out real life totally. I just wanted to climb in the game and stay there." —Patricia, a 69-year-old gaming addict in recovery. When Patricia sobered up in 2011, she experienced intense withdrawal symptoms similar to those of cocaine: sleeplessness, anxiety, and hallucinations.
"I decided that the progression of my WoW (World of Warcraft) character was more meaningful than the progression of myself in real life. It's so much more quantifiable. It's so visible. It's more entertaining than real life, it's easier than real life." —Brett
Games like World of Warcraft aren't inherently evil or even inherently habit-forming. In fact, all the addicts interviewed—they prefer to be called "addicts" regardless of their recovery status, like AA members—stressed that their game of choice was irrelevant to their gaming dependency. They latched on to a variety of games ranging from Tetris to Halo.
For more information: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vdpwga/video-game-addiction-is-destroying-american-lives-456