Anchor Weekly
A newsletter for Alta Vista Staff~Week of May 13, 2019
Don't Forget! Next Week's Calendar
- STAAR Math on Monday, May 13
- STAAR Reading on Tuesday, May 14
- STAAR Science (Gr 5) on Wednesday, May 15
- Faculty Meeting on Wednesday, May 15
- 2nd Grade Market Day on Friday, May 17
- Student Leadership Meeting on Friday, May 17 at 11:00 am
Coming Up: PK/Kinder Showcase on Tuesday, May 21; Student-Led Conferences on May 21-22; Field Day on May 24
From Your Captain
We have several great family engagement activities coming up the following week. Please note that we will have many visitors on campus for these events.
I hope you will take 2 minutes from your day to watch this news story. It just goes to show how true the saying is: "No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted" (Aesop).
Conscious Discipline
Our focus for May Morning Meetings is POSITIVE ATTITUDE. This skill ties in many of the things we have already discussed; it is a good reminder as we finish the year.
Here is a link to the May Morning Meeting lessons: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZfmUwbqOp0gZyq1WOnmr9zjJlNIFXRd1wDLC2FXDK2U/edit?usp=sharing
If you have ideas for Morning Meeting themes for next school year, please share them with Mrs. Helton.
Communities In Schools
Please consider taking a moment to complete an End of Year Campus Staff Survey. Communities In Schools uses the information gathered to improve programming and services for the next school year. Please be honest and thorough with you answers; we take your feedback seriously when making changes and improvements. I appreciate you taking the time to make our program the best it can be for students at Alta Vista Elementary.
May Makerspace
Our final Makerspace is based on "The Very Impatient Caterpillar." It's a great story to reinforce animal life cycles. The project will include students creating their own butterfly feeder that they can take home. Email Mrs. Helton to reserve the cart.
If you have ideas for Makerspace projects for next year, please share them with Mrs. Helton!
Staff of the Week
Congratulations to Ms. Barnard & Ms. Noel for being the TEACHERS OF THE WEEK for assisting in the planning of an integrated Personal Financial Literacy unit in conjunction with Market Day.
Classroom Spotlight
2nd grade is working extremely hard during reading interventions, trying to make sure every student is reaching their reading goals. They are doing a great job of following the LLI lesson plans, especially when it comes to incorporating writing into the LLI lesson. Their reading journals show so much progress!
End of Year Awards
The office will provide you a certificate and brag tag for all of the awards we have been doing this year. You will just need to fill in the names. You will also need to create an award for the other students in your class that are not receiving one of these academic awards or perfect attendance.
Textbooks & Library Books
You may turn in your textbooks May 20-23. All textbooks must be turned in by May 23. This includes Teacher Editions. You will not turn in leveled readers.
The rest of End of Year Procedures will come out later in the week.
7 Sentence Stems to Motivate All Students
- I really appreciate how much you have (describe behavior or attribute that led to growth)...
- At the beginning of the year, you (insert deficiency), but now you have (insert strength).
- I like how much you have grown at...
- The best thing about your work ethic is...
- Don’t forget that you are most successful when you (insert attribute or strategy)
- I have seen your best work when you (insert best work ethic)...
- I am so proud of you this year because (insert best example of overcoming odds)...
Summer Professional Development
District & Region 12 Summer Professional Development
ESL Summer Academy
The English Learners Department will be offering a Summer ESL Academy for all Waco ISD teachers that are interested in ESL certification. This important workshop is highly recommended for emergency certified ESL Teachers and teachers on ESL waivers.
Please note: Teachers who received ESL Waivers during the 2018-2019 school-year will not be eligible for a waiver in 2019-2020. Thus, it is important that they attend this academy as it will help to prepare them for the ESL Certification exam. Please refer to the attached flyer for more information or contact the English Learners Department at 254-755-9512 if you have any questions.
PK & Kindergarten Summer Training
The following Early Childhood trainings will be offered at no cost through Region 12 this summer.
Please note: PK and Kindergarten teachers will be required to complete 15 hours of professional development in the area of Early Childhood during the 2019-2020 school year. The courses below will count towards the 15 hour requirement for the 2019-2020 school year.
PK Teachers:
• Early Childhood Conference, June 17th, Region 12, FREE, #148429
• Social Emotional Storytime, July 16th, Region 12, FREE, #167269
• I Can See This Number In How Many Ways, July 16th, Region 12, FREE, #168557
Kindergarten Teachers:
• Early Childhood Conference, June 17th, Region 12, FREE, #148429
• Social Emotional Storytime, July 16th, Region 12, FREE, #167269
• I Can See This Number In How Many Ways, July 16th, Region 12, FREE, #168557
How to register for the TransformED Early Childhood Conference:
- See the document above for Registering at Region 12 and paying with a PO #.
Reading Professional Development
The 2019-2020 school year will start out with new K-5 Literacy Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). We are excited to be entering this new phase of TEKS where listening, speaking, reading, writing and thinking will be interconnected, integrated and recursive. We will be offering the following trainings for all K-5 teachers this summer in preparation for the new year. Please see Donna Trigg if you have any questions.
“New” 2 Day Literacy Academy (Required for all K-5 Literacy teachers)
• June 11 & 12th, 2019 OR
• July 16 & 17, 2019 OR
• August 13 & 14, 2019 (back on contract)
We will be addressing the following:
• Understanding new Literacy TEKS
• Aligning resources and curriculum with the new Literacy TEKS
• Aligning instruction and assessments with the new Literacy TEKS
• Guided Reading will be offered as a choice of a beginning class or an advanced class during the Literacy Academy.
There will be something new for everyone! Please note: If you attend the Literacy Academy in June or July, you do not need to attend in August.
Repeated Trainings from 2018-2019
Sarah Waller-Units of Study, K-5
• June 13, 2019 OR
• July 18, 2019
Jeff Anderson-Patterns of Power, Grades 1-5
• July 24, 2019
• Sign-up in Eduphoria ASAP before summer spots fill up.
All Things Summer School
Summer school will be at KENDRICK ELEMENTARY due to campus construction. The dates are: Monday-Thursday, June 4-26 from 8:00 am - 1:30 pm.
If you anticipate a student needs to go to summer school, the student needs to be added to the following tentative list (PAST DUE): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dEqLaK5qnMrbjtsffdLGH-OqY7Epl0zcML37aVe6cuk/edit?usp=sharing
You need to meet with the parents of any student that is in danger of failing. Parents will also need to fill out the Summer School Application REVISED here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zqdN5xlyQxV2X3dp4139nu0GtlPOWOr8psvYG9v8XEg/edit?usp=sharing
Return completed summer school applications to Mrs. Maynard.
Here is the parent letters that you can share with the application:
Language Acquisition Summer School
n order to meet the 120-hour requirement of direct instruction for Language Acquisition Summer School, Waco ISD’s Language Acquisition Summer School will run during the following dates, days, and times:
Dates (with students): June 4th-July 2nd
Days: Monday- Thursday
Times: 8:00-3:35
Location: Bells Hill & Dean Highland
All current PK and Kindergarten LEP students will be invited. Applications and letters will be provided to parents in English and Spanish. The Bilingual Department will deliver the letters with students’ names and applicable information to campuses during the week of April 8. The letters will need to be sent home with students on April 11 per the Summer School Timeline.