THE STALLION STAR
January 17, 2016
Got 9 Minutes?
IN THE NEWS...
NO TUTORING THIS WEEK
Please check with your classes early in the morning and make sure they are aware that there is no tutoring on Tuesday. Please call ahead to confirm students have a way home at 3PM. TEACHERS, if your student is a late pickup due to not calling ahead about tutoring, the student will remain with you until 4PM.
LESSON AND SMALL GROUP/TUTORING PLANS
Reminder that weekly lesson plans are to be posted by Thursday and finalized no later than Friday.
Small group and tutoring plans are expected to be intentional and expected to address the TEKS found needing reinforcement in our most recent data. Please have small group and tutoring lesson plans clearly delineated in your weekly lesson plans and include the TEKS that your plans will be addressing, along with the STUDENTS/STUDENT GROUPS (names) being included. Central personnel will review select lesson plans each week, therefore it will be essential that plans are clear, concise and posted on time.
PLEASE COMMUNICATE if you run into any conflicts to post your weekly plans on time so we are informed!
GLIMs
The focus this week will be discussing recent formative assessments and how specific students are progressing with your reteach. Please also BRING 1-2 specific stem questions (STAAR-like questions) that you not just have students practice, but that you walk students through and RETEACH the analysis of the question.
LATE PICK-UP STUDENTS AFTER SCHOOL
Please be considerate for the staff who stay with kids who are picked up late by at least doing these three things: 1.) signing them in the Late Pick Up Binder, 2.) contacting the parent and then 3.) listing the status of the parent phone call in the binder.
A few extra notes that would be helpful:
1. If in the early minutes (before 3:15 - during the flood of chaos), a parent happens to show up and the student was already signed into the book, please write in the book that the parent showed up plus write the time the student was picked up. This will eliminate us looking for students who were signed in but are no longer in the office. Yes, when we see students signed in as late pick-up but don't notice them there, we do look for them.
2. Also... if a parent is unable to be reached or a voice mail is left with the parent, please LEAVE THE CONTACT NUMBER in the status space of the sign-in. This will expedite us following up with checking on the parent later - especially if and when it gets late.
3. Please make sure the time students are picked up is written in the sign in binder and parents should sign students out, especially after 3:15 -- this helps us address repeat offenders. We can and do address the frequent late pickups - however we need documentation! And it does make an impact when we know HOW LATE or HOW FREQUENT parents are picking up students late.
PLEASE HELPS US IMPROVE THE LATE PICK-UP PROCEDURES. Please remember that paraprofessionals are required to clock in and out with specific time limits. If we are unable to improve the process, teachers will need to stay with students.
DUTIES
Morning duties -- begin at 7:20 AM
Reporting in the morning -- 7:45 AM!!!!
Start of School duty - hallway and doorway duty for ALL staff -- 7:50 AM -- Please greet your students at your door! There seems to be a strong correlation between the teachers being intentional at setting the day first thing in the morning by greeting their students and their classroom community!! We notice that the teachers that tend to be sitting at their computers or are scrolling through their cell phones at their horseshoe table while kids are arriving to class are the classrooms with less community dynamics -- every little bit pays off dividends!
DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
Before break, we received a lot of feedback from STAFF AND STUDENTS that our dismissal procedures, especially in the hallways, got too lax and generally too dangerous. Please review and refine your procedures with your students. Please do not SEND students into the hallways or SEND students down the hallways without proper supervision. Any incidents that occur during dismissal time will be investigated, starting with if proper supervision was provided.
ATTENDANCE
Attendance must be taken by 9:30!! For those departments that have afternoon classes, the deadline to take attendance is 1:00PM!!
ERO TRANSCRIPTS
Please remember to turn in your current Professional Development transcripts that you can retrieve straight from ERO. Carlene now has the folder in her office and is checking your names off as you turn in -- if you turned in last week, you are good. Thursday, January 21st is the deadline for all professionals.
SUBSTITUTES
As discussed at our staff meeting, it is extremely important that ALL teachers and paras that have direct contact with students are requesting for a substitute when submitting a sick OR personal day. This expectation most importantly applies to Special Ed and ESL teachers, and paraprofessionals that work directly with students. The district provides opportunities for substitutes to fill such positions, and although these positions are less likely to fill than others, it is our professional responsibility to ensure we are doing our due diligence to prevent lapses in services provided to students and follow district procedures that are available. If the position is unfilled, we can at least state that we followed procedures and did what we could to prevent a lapse in services.
This expectation would also mean that schedules and plans would need to be available for when/if a substitute picks up the job - teachers and paras who see small groups or follow a very specific schedule, please make sure there is a schedule readily available.
Teachers who work directly with paraprofessionals, please make sure that the message is clearly communicated.
CHANGES TO PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Another follow up to our staff meeting: please remember that if you need to have any changes to your professional responsibilities (arrive late, leave early, etc.), we welcome and appreciate you seeking arrangements for coverage, however please make sure you REQUEST the approval from Mike and Rachel -- this is best in the form of an email or in person. While you may notify Carlene, she is not aware of all the operational impacts of our campus and can not be held responsible for approving or disapproving such requests.
BREAKFAST AND READING CORRAL
* ACTIVE MONITORING is extremely important in both morning duty areas.
* From 7:20-7:40, WITH ADULT PERMISSION and RELEASE, students may go to the gym after they have finished breakfast. After 7:40, NO STUDENTS SHOULD BE RELEASED FROM THE CAFETERIA.
* Students may be RELEASED from the gym and cafeteria at 7:50 with ADULT PERMISSION -- it is not a free-for-all --- STUDENTS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO BE RELEASED in an orderly manner to prevent mass-chaos.
* The expectation for students in the READING CORRAL should be SILENCE. Students should be reading a book or may work on homework SILENTLY. Joy Tribble will work on having books available for students who do not have a book to read -- however it should be a "PICK a book and sit down" philosophy -- not a "FIND a book..." We don't want to have several students filing through shelves or bins to search for a book to read. Get a book and go -- if they don't like the book they have, then recommend they bring a book they like next time.
PARENT "REALITY CHECK"/SCC CONFERENCES
Before break, during our data meetings, teachers submitted names of students that needed to have an SCC or a "REALITY CHECK" meeting with the parent. These are the "your child is in danger of failing/being retained, if his/her efforts, attitude, behavior, work habits, or all of the above don't improve" meetings. Meeting invites have been emailed to those teachers that these conferences apply to.
For these meetings, we need you to come prepared with the student's UPDATED tracking sheet and grades – most recent data of all assessments (MOY and Unit tests) and measures (IStation, SRI, etc.). Also, please come prepared with things students can work on from home – have IDs and passwords so students can access programs from home (iStation, Think Through Math, Edline, etc.). It is not surprising that most parents are not aware of these resources.
Please be prepared to be straightforward and to the point with the parent as we need the meeting to be effective yet efficient with time. We also advise that the student be present -- especially in grades 3-6. It truly is a TEAM meeting and the student is very much responsible and should be a part of the meeting.
MEALS AND CLOTHES
Please be looking out for students/families who may be needing some extra resources for food and clothing. As Joy shared, we have a network who provides backpack meals on the weekends to families who demonstrate a need for more resources. If you think you have a student or family who would even slightly benefit from this resource, please submit the name to Joy or Veronica, and they can look into whether or not the family would qualify.
Also, with the cold weather, please take a close look at how students are arriving to school -- do they have the appropriate clothing? We also have donations and/or resources for students who are not properly clothed -- please take a deep look at how your kids are dressed. Look out for thin shirts or t-shirts, worn shoes or sandals with socks, lack of coats or hats/gloves.
SUBMISSIONS TO THE STALLION STAR
Anyone is welcome to submit entries to our weekly staff newsletter. Please email any submission requests to Carlene by the Thursday before publishing.
WHAT DOES DIFFERENTIATION MEAN TO YOU??
* Differentiation means scaffolding lessons to meet the individual learner needs. Giving each student the tools they need to be successful. -Dye
* Tailoring to meet the needs of the students using different methods and forms of teaching. -Brown
* To use my instruction to meet the vast needs and levels of students. -Rowe
* Differentiation means that you develop your lessons to accommodate the different needs of the students in your room. Teaching the lesson so that the majority of your students get it in a way that they are able to comprehend and learn what is being taught. -Tribble
SUPPORT THE 21 DAY CHALLENGE!!
1. The purpose and message to students is extremely important to make healthier decisions!
2. Healthier students in body = healthier students in mind!
3. Support our fellow colleagues - who support us in so many ways - in pursuing their professional goals.
4. Promote our campus to participate in district-wide initiatives! We would love to have strong participation rates - this is an area we can be successful in if we promote it!
THE CLASS AT EACH GRADE LEVEL WHO HAS THE HIGHEST PARTICIPATION RATE WILL RECEIVE A SPECIAL "GET FIT PARTY" - complete with fun PE game stations and healthy snacks!! GET YOUR KIDS PSYCHED!
KUDOS GOES TO!
*THE FOLLOWING WHO RESPONDED TO THE EMERGENCY NEEDS OF OUR CAMPUS!! -- First grade, ILT, Fourth grade, Sixth grade, and more!
* SARAH HOWERY AND VERA LITTLETON - Many staff may not realize that we are looking for a new aide in the DP classroom. It's been a long couple weeks for these teammates as we continue to search for a new paraprofessional. Please give them extra words of support, Starbucks, whatever it takes to help them get through their days! :-) Thank you to those of you who have checked in with them and even given them some extra helping hands when you've had a couple minutes - even a bathroom break goes a long way!!
SOUL FOOD COOK-OFF!
ACE Family,
The Climate Committee is exited to invite you to our annual Soul Food Cook Off!!!!
The early sign up sheet is available on the counter by the mail boxes..
The choices are: appetizers, side dishes; main dish; desserts.
Please participate! Here at ACE, we love to share our favorite recipes with teachers, staff, and guests from Central Administration. Our guests will be judges and prizes will be given for each category. No pressure!!!
If cooking is not your cup of tea, you can also purchase special/ favorite dish your family loves.
If this is not an option either and you want to attend, we are collecting $5 from those of you who will not cook in order to purchase plates, cups, napkins, drinks, and prizes.
Would love to see as many of you participating as possible. Happy cooking!
Friday, Feb 5, 2016, 10:30 AM
12600 Audelia Road, Dallas, TX, United States
DUTY TIME
January 18-22
Reed - Student Entrance @ 7:20 (Stop students to breakfast at 7:50-Give stop sign to last student.)
Holt - Gym - Reading Corral @ 7:20 - Release students one grade level at a time at 7:50
Gandy - Gym - Reading Corral @ 7:20 - Release students one grade level at a time at 7:50
Cafe -- 2 teachers monitoring cafeteria, 1 teacher in food line
Newman - Cafeteria @ 7:20 - monitoring students - release tables at 7:50 one at a time
Blanton - Cafeteria @ 7:20 - monitoring students - release tables at 7:50 one at a time
Anderson- Expedite Food Line
Afternoon Duty: Gandy (cones- stand by front cones @ 2:45 to let daycare buses and vans through); Evangelista & Anderson (daycare)
January 25-29
Dye - Student Entrance @ 7:20 (Stop students to breakfast at 7:50-Give stop sign to last student.)
Clayton - Gym - Reading Corral @ 7:20 - Release students one grade level at a time at 7:50
Woodruff (Colson) - Gym - Reading Corral @ 7:20 - Release students one grade level at a time at 7:50
Cafe -- 2 teachers monitoring cafeteria, 1 teacher in food line
Coleman - Cafeteria @ 7:20 - monitoring students - release tables at 7:50 one at a time
Hill - Cafeteria @ 7:20 - monitoring students - release tables at 7:50 one at a time
Harris - Expedite Food Line
Afternoon Duty: Anderson (cones- stand by front cones @ 2:45 to let daycare buses and vans through); Farmer and Clayton (daycare)
UPCOMING DATES:
- January 18 - MLK DAY - No Students/No Staff
- January 21 - GLIMS
- January 26 - PROGRESS REPORTS GO HOME - GRADES UTD in FOCUS
- January 26 -- 4th grade SIM (Writing)
- January 28 - GLIMS/STAFF MEETING
- February 2 -- 5th grade SIM (Math)
- February 5 - SOUL FOOD COOK OFF
- February 3 -- 5th grade SIM (Reading)
- February 4 - GRADE POSTING WINDOW OPENS
- February 9 - DRAFT REPORT CARDS DUE
- February 15 -- Staff Development Day - No Students
- February 15 -- TELPAS Writing Collection begins
- February 16 -- REPORT CARDS GO HOME!
AUDELIA CREEK ELEMENTARY
Email: rachel.sanjose@risd.org
Website: http://www.edline.net/pages/Audelia_Creek_Elementary
Location: 12600 Audelia Road, Dallas, TX, United States
Phone: 469-593-2900