Goals+Planning+ Effort=Excellence!
Batesville Bobcat Newsletter 02/21/2018
Belief in Excellence means a Dedication to Excellence
February 6th Batesville Elementary had a professional development support visit for its 3rd through 6th grade math teachers. This is a common process for schools. However the impact of this particular visit was especially deep and affecting. Our trainer Ms. Tracy Myers is a former teacher who pulled many classrooms of students from poor performance to 100% success in STAAR. She did so in schools whose demographics are comparable socio-economically to our campus' and our districts'. In a matter of minutes Ms. Myers identified the need for a small shift in our approach that hit me like sledgehammer. We were doing many things right, but we were stopping a little short of a determined push toward excellence. While we were following the No Excuses School Model, we were often allowing excuses to infect our daily practice. Ms. Myers challenged me to look inward again, and to push myself to see where I was falling short; where I was allowing myself to settle for good enough. It is a daily challenge to maintain the determination necessary to expect and accept excellence or nothing at all. However, I am strengthened in this challenge by the team that stands with me, the potential of the students we serve, and the love of the Batesville and UCISD community.
PK-2 Saturday Literacy Camps
Over the next two Saturdays, our school is rolling out a Camp Splash style PK-2nd grade Literacy Camp. The camp will be headed up by Ms. Deborah Chapoy and includes our team of dedicated literacy experts, Ms. Trevino, Ms. Mchazlett, Ms. Williams, and Ms. De La Cruz. The camps run from 8am to 11:15am and will include a light snack and juice. Eligible students should have received a permission slip and letter, as well as a personal phone call from our campus team. We look forward to a great gathering of literacy growth and development.
Student Enrichment Model Building Community through Service
When we rolled out SEM in September there was little more than an idea and a desire to build something that students could really enjoy and shape in their school day. Through the work of our SEM station leaders like Ms. Simpson, Ms. Limones, Ms. Sheedy, Coach Samarripa, Ms. "Chayo" Sanchez, and Ms. Becky (FSE) that idea has sprouted wings and begun to take off. This past week our community service station created and delivered gift bags that went to every teacher on campus, and many professionals and leaders throughout our community. And there was the wonderful buzz of loving school in all of our stations!
4th and 5th Grades Digging in for STAAR Benchmarks
Students in Ms. Valdez 4th grade ELAR class have been working overtime to prepare for the annual STAAR test. The students work in learning centers while their teacher works with small groups on reading passages.
Additionally our 5th graders are really digging into the concept of excellence or bust as they head for the home stretch and their date with the Math and ELAR STAAR.
Our team believes in practicing what we expect, and so each day we turn our mental engines on and push ourselves to be our very best. It is a wonderful process to be a part of.