PONY NEWS MARCH 6th
HELLO PONIES - A LITTLE TO SHARE ABOUT MRS. URBAN
I teach 5th grade Bilingual at LVES. I’ve taught school for 28 years; 14 in High Schools in the Rio Grande Valley and Houston areas; and 14 in Elementary Schools here in LISD. I was part of the first Alternative Certification Program in Texas, piloted at UTPA in Edinburg in 1990. I became a teacher after spending 10 years as a Broadcast Journalist with ABC. I have taught all 28 years in Title 1 Schools.
I grew up in Edinburg, Texas. My Dad is a dentist and at 85, he still practices! He was on the ECISD School Board for nearly 20 years. My Momma taught Math in High School and at the University for 53 years. I came to this profession later in life than some, but I came by it honestly.
My former vocation has become my avocation! I continue to love Photography and Writing. Occasionally I write on Education for
the Dallas Morning News. I maintain a Blog, I Tweet and am starting to learn Instagram. I’ve recently published two books:
Martha’s Garden, and Pictures and Poetry: A Teacher’s Guide for Teaching Poetry to Students With Access to Digital Cameras.
Last month I presented my Teacher’s Guide at the TCEA Conference in Austin. While there, I entered a Twitter Contest about how we use innovative technology in the classroom. Nearly 2000 teachers at TCEA17 participated. With the help of Mr. Green, and the LVES Administration and Staff, I won the 1st place prize: 5 Samsung Chromebooks and they were delivered last Friday! They are a little
different than the Apple products I’ve been using, so I’ve got a learning curve ahead of me this week!
I have been a Finalist in the HEB Excellence in Education Lifetime Achievement Awards twice, in 2015 and again this year. I will compete in the Finals in Austin the first weekend in May.
My husband, Mario Palomarez runs a Call Center in Irving, my daughter Elvia is a Grad Student and will finish her Master’s degree in Medical Sciences at UNT HSC in Fort Worth in May. We have two sons who are grown with lives and families of their own.
I’ve worked in 5 School Districts, and I truly believe LISD is the BEST school district in Texas, and one of the best in the country!
I’m loving the learning, and living the dream!
A Minute with the LASes...
Building Academic Vocabulary
We know the benefits of acquiring academic vocabulary, which go deeper than just learning words. The Marzano's Six Steps Academic Vocabulary Program works at every grade level from Kindergarten to High School, to help students understand complex texts, engage deeply with content-area concepts, and participate in academic discussions. It works better if all the steps are used without leaving anyone out.
Click HERE to see the description of the steps, ideas of activities that are appropriate for each step, practical examples and many links for a more in-depth learning about this topic.
You can also click HERE to watch a 54 seconds video with our own Pony peers' ideas and examples!
- How can we support you better implementing or expanding the use of AVP in your classroom?
- What is one "AHA" or what are you still "Wondering" after taking a look at these resources?
Click HERE to add your comments. Thanks!
Learning from our own Experts- CHAMPS
Thank you Mrs. Isham for sharing!
More sharing will be coming from your peers next week.
Thank you for an amazing Open House
You are making a difference! You are welcome to wear your jeans this week with a nice top M-W , University shirt for Thursday and Spirit shirt on Friday.
Let's finish strong this week before the break.
Feedback: The Long View—Does Feedback Improve Learning?
Professional Learning Communities - Collaborative Planning
K-2 MATH
3-4 USING I STATION TO CLOSE THE GAP
5TH Differentiated based on content
Click here for the PLC agenda
PLC IMPLEMENTATION
Calendar for the next 2 Weeks
Position Input for 2017-2018
Please take a moment to provide your input about your preferences for next year. Requests to change assignments within Lewisville will be considered, but not guaranteed.
Please complete this survey by March 20th.
Bond Presentation
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lori Rapp will be visiting Lewisville ES on March 20th beginning at 3:10 for the bond presentation and to answer any questions the staff may have.
STAFF SHOUT-OUTS
- Mrs. Wier, Mrs. Sammon, Ms. Satterla, Mrs. Shield, & Mrs. Rodriguez for being WELL prepared for their RTI meeting. Thank you, Mrs. Simpson
- Thank you Mrs. Oden, Mrs. Rutherford, & Ms. Pierce for covering classes at the last minute! (Admin Team)
- Thank you Ms. Tonya, Ms. Danielle, & Ms. Betty for covering classes at the last minute. We appreciate you! (The Admin Team)
- Thank you Mr. Colon for supporting all students! Mrs. Simpson
- Thank you to all the paras, you all are always willing to support! The Admin Team!
- Thank you Mrs. Valdes, Mrs. Bradley, & Ms. Ulman for always sharing your knowledge and wisdom with me! M. Simpson :)
- Thank you Mrs. Araceli Hernandez, for being a great, but humble leader! -Mrs. Simpson
- Mr. Thomas, every time I hear you speak or teach our students in English and Spanish, it gives them all equal opportunity to learn the language of music! (Mrs. Simpson)
Thanks for the Shout-Outs!
Submit a Shout-Out to someone else HERE and we will share it in future Monday Messages.