Lovett Notes
A Newsletter for Lovett Staff
Calendar Updates
Monday October 16
8:30 am Student Council Speeches; MPR
Mixed Bag Fundraiser Kicks Off
Tuesday October 17
Kinder Planning Day; Data Room
Wednesday October 18
1st Grade Planning Day; Data Room
Sped Meeting with Dr. Whittenberg; Science Lab
3:20 pm Student Council Meeting; Library
Thursday October 19
2nd Grade Planning Day; Data Room
Lovett Restaurant Night at Mia’s Table
Sped Meeting with Dr. Whittenberg; Science Lab
9:00 am Magnet Tour
3:30 pm New Teacher Meeting; Lounge
3:30 pm SDMC Meeting; Data Room
Friday October 20
IFL Training; Computer Lab
Saturday October 21
11:00 am Fall Carnival
General Updates
- Afternoon Checkout update: we've started a new procedures for parents checking out in the afternoon. We are now using the Raptor system which allows the checkout to be documented online. Parents must show an ID. We are still working out the kinks and will keep you updated if anything changes.
- When inputting absences into One Source if the absence is HISD business you must put into the notes what the HISD business is. If this is not there the absence will not be approved
- Please make sure that you are inputting your absence in AESOP and also into One Source.
- Professional Development: If you are signing up for professional development that takes places during the school week, this must be approved by an administrator. Please connect with your appraiser for approval before inputting into One Source.
Teaching with Intention: Going Beyond What Works: Knowing How, When and Why it Works
One of my favorite reads from this summer titled Simply Better(remember my Tina Turner song), took me back to the my first years of teaching. My mentor teacher was a 75 year old veteran teacher who was full of spunk. She would question me over and over about the curriculum and then question me over and over about the activities that I selected to effectively relay the curriculum to my students. At times she would watch me teach and she would say, "great lesson, but that's not what kids need to know or how they need to know it." She was tough!! I hated it and loved it at the same time!
Teaching with intention starts first and foremost with knowing your curriculum. You must know exactly what the standards(TEKS) are asking kids to do and at what level. If you neglect this, no amount of activities or experiences will get kids to where they need to be at the level they need to be. My push to you all this year is to teach with intention:
1. Know your curriculum! Know all the in's and outs, the what's important and what's not. Know the level at which your students need to learn and be able to apply the skill
2. Step outside your comfort zone. If you've always taught something a certain way, evaluate if its the most effective way to teach it or to teach it to your current group of students. If it is not, don't hang on to that strategy or method just because you are comfortable with it.
3. Move beyond the worksheet! Worksheets have a place in learning, but they can become a crutch both for teachers and for learners. The preparers of the worksheet have no knowledge of your students, their interest and what excites them about learning. Make your learning activities authentic.
4. If you don't know...ask somebody! You have amazing colleagues all around you, ask them, use their resources, ask them for advice and for feedback. However, the trick is..do something with what they offer. If you don't like the feedback, is it your ego or maybe fear of trying something new?
Teaching with intention or in my case leading with intention takes a great deal of reflection on where you currently are. I dare you to reflect, to learn, to be better! I know you can, I believe in you and the superpower that comes with being a teacher! You've got this!