ARMS Legend
Excellence Without Boundaries
TEAM
GRIT
GROWTH
February 15, 2016 4th Six Weeks, Week 6
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
My message is to enjoy the messages from our students and our staff, through thoughts captured on the No One Eats Alone Notes and our Staff Spotlights.
Enjoy the sentiments from our students when asked, "At ARMS, how do we make sure EVERYONE feels like they belong?"
It was very special to have people from the community come into our HOME and see and experience our students shining and see who we see every day, fantastic young people!
Enjoy the sense of team, gratitude, and respect that we feel for one another here at ARMS as you read through the Spotlights.
Enjoy the much deserved extended time off!
Have an INSPIRED Week!
F. Taylor
TG2 Spotlight
Spotlight on 6th Grade & ARMS Trailbalzers (TEAM)
Ms. Coley writes:
At this time I would like to take the opportunity to say thanks to the entire Ann Richards faculty and staff for your continuous support to our counseling department. I would also like to say a very special shout out to ALL of the Super Sensational Sixth Grade Teachers and Mrs. Davis for always supporting me as the 6th Grade Counselor and for their dedication to students both academically and socially! Thanks, YOU ROCK!!!
From: Mrs. Coley
Special Shout Out goes to the Ann Richards MS Administrative Trailblazers and the front office staff from the Counseling Department for celebrating us during National School Counselors Week! We would also like to say a very special shout out to Ms. Taylor for taking time out to attend the CREST (Counselors Reinforcing Excellence in Texas) Luncheon with us! It meant so much to each of us! Thanks Ms. Taylor for your continuous support. You Rock!!!
From: The Counselors
Spotlight on Ms. Horne (Team)
Ms. Horne is the epitome of the word TEAM. When I ask her to test in the Gym during ACP she accepted the job with a smile. Every day she picked up her basket with an average of 85 books, at least double everyone else. She never complained. And let me add did a FANTASTIC job. Now TELPAS is here. Again she has stepped up and become a Rater when she didn't have to. Thank you Ms. Horne for making my job easier.
Spotlight on Ms. Salazar & Ms. Jeffereson (Growth & Team)
Ms. Brown writes:
I would like to give a huge shout out to the magnificent six grade math team! Your hard work and dedication to our students shows how passionate you are about what you do. You are always willing to learn and contribute great ideas to make sure our students are excelling in mathematics. I am happy to have awesome team mates like you! You guys rock!!!
Spotlight on 6A (Team)
The 6A teachers monitored their students during lunch today and ate with them as well. They ensured that their students demonstrated excellent behavior and truly understood the message set forth by the “No one eats alone” lunch campaign.
Spotlight on Ms. Nix (Team)
I want to spotlight Ms. Nix for TEAM work. She is always encouraging us to work together and keeping us motivated to help each other out. She keeps a positive attitude and helps us do the same. We have had a lot of people having to be out lately, and she has built a team that looks out for each other and takes care of each other. It is nice knowing that she has our backs too.
Spotlight on 8A - Ms. Pounders, Ms. Remeike, Ms. Perez, and Ms. Husband (TG2)
These teachers are committed to perfecting their teacher practice and making each day for POD A educational, safe, and fun for each student. I am honored to be a part of such a good group of people.
Spotlight on Counselors & Ms. Rivera
Thank you for supporting our students and staff as we raise awareness of social isolation and how we can be more supportive in creating an environment of belonging.
Ranger News
ARMS REMINDERS
IF a student is given permission to leave class, for a worthy reason, decided by the teacher the following must be followed:
- NO student EVER in the hallway without a pass. Must have the following:
--Date
--Time
--Room Number
--Teacher Signature
--Location (e.g. Nurse/Main Office/Attendance), - No exception
- Be mindful of the time, DO NOT send a student out of class the FIRST 10 minutes or LAST 10 Minutes of class.
Use your professional judgement if a student is released from instructional time. If it is an emergency, please act accordingly. If you have any questions please call the front office.
STILL SEARCHING FOR ....ARMS Uniform Closet Make Over
We have many lightly worn uniform shirts that were donated by our students (thank you Ms. French ;-) and we desperately need to properly arrange our uniform closet. To properly set up our closet, I am asking Ranger staff members to please donate the following:
- Coat hangers (wire or plastic, whatever you have extra of :-)
- Iron
- Ironing board
I would like us to be able to provide for our students who may need a uniform shirt for the day to have a clean, wrinkle free, shirt to wear. Thank you in advance and I greatly appreciate anything that you are willing to give.
Staff Breakfast
Cookie Bake Off
ARMS UPDATES
Be on the Look Out: Revised Dismissal Procedure
The rational behind the change is:
refining the process students use to leave the building to help us, the adults, monitor and facilitate the clearing of the campus in a more effective manner.
We have worked very hard managing our discipline problems in the building and we are currently facing problems after school that are negatively impacting our progress. We do not want this to undermine what great work is being done at ARMS, nor give a perception that is not true of the many wonderful things that happen here everyday.
READ: Outside Agencies
ARMS Polling Station
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.
Why Some Children Grow Up to Be Creative and Others Don’t
In this New York Times article, Adam Grant (Wharton School, University of
Pennsylvania) says that exceptionally precocious children rarely become adult innovators who change the world. Out of more than 2,000 finalists in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search (once called the “Super Bowl of science”) from 1942 to 1994, only eight ended up winning Nobel Prizes. The reason isn’t that they’re nerds, lacking the social and emotional skills to function in the post-school world.
The true explanation, says Grant, is that these child prodigies often perform within a narrow range and don’t learn how to cut loose and get creative. “They strive to earn the approval of their parents and the admiration of their teachers,” he says. “But as they perform in Carnegie Hall and become chess champions, something unexpected happens: Practice makes perfect, but it doesn’t make new… They become doctors who heal their patients without fighting to fix the broken medical system or lawyers who defend clients on unfair charges but do not try to transform the laws themselves.” In the words of William Deresiewicz in his recent study of elite universities, they become “excellent sheep.”
So how can parents and teachers raise children who are truly innovative? “Creativity may be hard to nurture, but it’s easy to thwart,” says Grant. One study found that the parents of children who grew up to be creative had fewer rules – one or none. They tended to emphasize moral values and developing an ethical code over following rules. As a result, their children learned to think for themselves, to sort out their own values, and discover what really interested them. These parents encouraged excellence and achievement, but they also told their children to find “joy in work,” and this seems to have put them on the road to being creative adults.
It’s true that spending lots of time developing talent and expertise (10,000 hours, according to the idea popularized by Malcolm Gladwell) is important, but Grant introduces three caveats. First, hours and hours of practice can get people into a rut and make them less adaptive to changing conditions. Second, motivation is the key to being willing to put in so many hours practicing the violin or working to solve mathematical problems. The wellspring has to be the person’s passion, which often emerges spontaneously at a young age and is best nurtured by teachers who make the activity enjoyable. Third, studies have shown that creativity seems to be most common in people who have a broad range of interests. “Evidence shows that creative contributions depend on the breadth, not just depth, of our knowledge and experience,” says Grant.
Creative adults who contribute the most significant innovations to the world aren’t just experts in their field – they tend to also be lovers of poetry, dancing, arts and crafts, magic, or other unrelated fields. Einstein, who played the violin from the age of five and fell in love with Mozart sonatas as a teenager, said, “The theory of relativity occurred to me by intuition, and music is the driving force behind this innovation.”
“Hear that, Tiger Moms and Lombardi Dads?” Grant concludes. “You can’t program a child to become creative. Try to engineer a certain kind of success, and the best you’ll get is an ambitious robot. If you want your children to bring original ideas into the world, you need to let them pursue their passions, not yours.”
“How to Raise a Creative Child” by Adam Grant in The New York Times, January 31, 2016,
http://nyti.ms/1SEcPO6ARMS Events
Weekly Events 2/15-19
Presidents' Day Holiday
Tuesday, February 16
Common Assessments
Wednesday, February 17
Common Assessments
7th Grade Free Dress Day
Coffee with the principal - 8:45-9:20 - Library
Thursday, February 18
POD Action (AP)
2nd & 3rd Period Black History Dance Performance
Ignite Academy 4:30-5:30 p.m. - Library
6pm Black History Dance Performance (Family Performance)
Friday, February 19
End of the 4th Six Weeks
Saturday, February 20
Reading & Math Saturday School
On The Horizon....
Monday, February 22
Trailblazer Meeting 4:30-5:30
Tuesday, February 23
Staff Meeting/TELPAS 4:30 - Library
Thursday, February 25
Free Dress - Highest CA Average
Empower Team Meeting - 7:30 - Parent Conference Center
Friday, February 26
Cookie Bake Off
Core Meeting 9;30-10:00 - Conference room 127
Saturday, February 27
Science Saturday School
Welcome Back- Mrs. Jenkins!!
Lawson's Choir Students Practice How to Read Music
No One Eats Alone @ ARMS
Channel 8 & DISD Interview our Rangers!
Shoutout for all hands on DECK (Wednesday)
Thanks!
Cassandra Chapa
GT Host ARMS Venetian Inspired Valentine's Day Dance!!
Also major kudos to ARMS Staff Chaperones - Ms. Dela Rosa, Ms. Jefferson, Ms. Ward, Ms. Remeike, Ms. Horne, Ms. Beales, Ms. Jones, Officer Mourne, Ms. Ham, and Ms. Rivera, and our wonderful PTO for selling refreshments.
Rangers on the Dance Floor!
Mrs. Davis Modeling Dance Moves!
Brandon Davis Jr. first Dance!!
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