Spruce Scoop
Joy. Hope. Resilience.
Week of February 3, 2020
GRADE BOOK POLICY REMINDER
Teacher Level Scholar Infractions
No Fly List Update
- 24 scholars were removed from the original list!!
- 21 scholars were added
- Communication will be emailed soon regarding the updates
Below is a picture of a former "no fly list" scholar's completed attendance contract.
Tardy Sweep(s) - Week of Feb. 3rd
Tardy Sweeps:
Monday, February 3rd, 3rd to 4th transition
Thursday, February 6th, 6th to 7th transition
TARDY SWEEP PROCEDURES AND NEW STUDENT CONSEQUENCE POLICY
At the end of these transition periods please lock your doors at the tardy bell and do not allow students in who do not have the tardy/detention pass. When they return to class with the pass, please allow them back in and mark them tardy in attendance.
Please share with your students the consequence for getting caught in tardy sweeps starting this six weeks:
- Each Tardy Sweep, the student's name and ID# will be collected and
- they will be sent with a pass back to class.
- On the 3rd time (and any time after) they are caught in a tardy sweep during the six weeks, they will be assigned a full day of ISS to serve.
College Access Support Opportunities for Spruce Teachers
Information in regards to pay will be forthcoming from Mrs. Fisher on Monday.
AM Tardy Slips Week of 2/3/2020
End of Day Procedures
- At dismissal, walk all of your students to the A or C stairwell or Early College exit (see below)
- All students must exit the building and re-enter through the auditorium door
- If you are leading an after school activity, please pick up your students by 4:45 in the auditorium
- Teachers on dismissal duty will ensure all students leave the auditorium WITH a staff member
1st Floor Dismissal
2nd/3rd Floor Dismissal
4th Six Weeks Calendar
- Staff meetings (Tuesdays or Wednesdays, once a month)
- Sporting Events
- Fine & Performing Events
- Campus Wide Events
- Testing Days & Campus Testing Meetings
Staff meetings are subject to change. The goals is to communicate monthly staff meetings via the calendar and to have one a month.
February A, B, C Day Schedule
All Spruce Staff Members are encouraged to wear Red! Take pictures of your teams, selfies, of us being Red for Heart Health Day.
It is important that we recognize ALL the Excellence in Teaching occurring in all of areas of our academic programs. The highlights are on a weekly rotation throughout the year. Each content/department will be highlighted on a weekly basis.
Small Groups in Mathematics
Small group learning is a great way to connect with students and create a tutoring-like environment during class time. Thanks to being one-to-one with computers, we are seeing more small-group instruction in math classes.
In Pre-Calculus, Ms. Gladney pulled a small group to lead a mini lesson on the Law of Sines and Law of Cosines. Students benefited greatly from her explanations.
Strategic Learning Small Group with Ms. Reed
Pre-Calculus Small Group with Ms. Gladney
AGMO & CUBES in ELAR
Upgrading Teaching Practices in ELAR
Ms. Shelstead continued to upgrade her practices during a coaching conference by outlining scholar roles for collaborative work.
Catch a Timberwolf Staff member being ELITE in their 20 Square Feet, Joyful, Hopeful, Resilient, SEL Champion, or simply did or said something that was the spotlight of your day/week!
Thank you for taking a moment to highlight your fellow staff member! You made someone's day!!
Spotlight on Ms. King
Shout-out to Ms. King who has taken it upon herself to create assignments for the geometry class that does not have a teacher (room 335). She is even grading their work! Thank you, Ms. King, for putting ALL students first.
Spotlight on Mr. Beane
I'd like to spotlight Mr. Beane. He has a multi-faceted personality and is the kind of co-worker you look forward to seeing on a daily basis. He has also done so much to stabilize our department over the past two years, in particular when we had a desperate need for someone who could instill some order in the classroom next door last year.
Spotlight on Mr. Chavez & Ms. Reed
Ms. Rudd writes:
Spotlight: Mr. Chavez for being such a TEAM PLAYER and always doing what is best for kids!
I got pulled for an ARD that was going to take the entire period. I asked Mr. Chavez if he wouldn’t mind covering my class so they didn’t miss a full period of instruction! He happily jumped in and made sure all scholars were successful during the class! I am so thankful for his willingness to always give his time and make sure we keep student success at the forefront of everything we do!
Spotlight: Ms. Reed for going above and beyond to help the Algebra 1 students
If you walk into Ms. Reed’s classroom you would have NO IDEA it was her first year teaching! She has students in stations, having meaningful math discourse, and completing critical thinking tasks. She is such an ASSET to the algebra 1 team. On top of that, she gave up some of her class time to ensure all students could finish MAP testing and so we could see where students are growing and may need more support. I CANNOT express how grateful I am to have Ms. Reed on the Algebra 1 team!!
Spotlight on Ms. Curtis
Ms. Cavanaugh writes:
She is great to contact parents and she helps keep students motivated.
She will be missed in the Special Education department, but, will
be quite helpful with her medical background as our new, nurse’s
assistant. Best of luck to you, Ms. Curtis!
Spotlight on Mr. Hunter & Mr. Holland
Mr. Holland and Mr. Hunter have done amazing work planning content, listening to students and leading by example with the Young Men of Distinction. They have been working behind the scenes to secure sponsors for organization shirts and to align support from the Dallas Mavericks G-League team the Texas Legends. They are Spruce Strong and I want to thank them for their work. Young Men of Distinction meet the 2nd Wednesday of the month from 4:30 - 5:30 in Room 218, with the support of other campus leaders.
Tardy Sweep 3rd Floor Team~ Those that Walk Together, Bring Joy Together :-)
Soccer Girls fight hard against Sunset!!
Hopes & Pearls Gala ~ Spruce Dancers Engage the Audience
UIL Solo & Ensemble Highlights!
Also, 2 performers received the larger gold medal for Outstanding Performers! Stephanie Villa and Deshaun Peoples!
These students work very hard to compete at a high level and be a model of consistency!
Please congratulate them when you see them this week! Next stop, region UIL on Feb 22nd!
Maverick Excellence Academic Scholarships
Acceptance Letters Cover the Lockers :-)!
Spruce Leadership Temporary Organization Chart
Staff Parking in Rear
MANDATORY CLOCK IN
- Monitors & Parking Attendant: 7:30 am
- Administrators: 7:50 am
- Clerks: 8:00 am
- Teacher Assistants: Ranger 7:30, 8:00, or 8:15
- Teachers: 8:15 am
8:20 AM Duty Begins
Please be at duty post ready to go a couple minutes early so that doors are opened at 8:20am. Teamwork makes the Dream Work!!
Tardy AM Procedure (Amended for 'C' Days)
Rear Entrance - ALL DAYS (9:00 am to 9:20 am)
- Our late door entrance, rear of campus/upperclassmen entrance, is open from 9:00 to 9:20 am.
- Scholars will be given a colored tardy pass (see picture ABOVE) with the time/date written on it by late door check in monitors (Rubio/McWhorter/Espinoza). We need this process to be fast and will only involve the monitor putting the time/date on the slip and sending scholars off to class. Students may pick up breakfast but they have the time/date stamped on their pass and are to move quickly to class (5-7 minutes).
- The late door (upperclassmen entrance) is closed at 9:20 am.
Front Door Entrance - A/B DAYS (9:21 am to 9:40 am)
- Scholars that arrive after 9:20 am enter through the front of the building and check in with Ms. Edison.
- Between 9:21 am and 9:40 am scholars will receive the colored tardy pass from Ms. Edison or designated staff member when she is absent.
- If a scholar arrives after 9:40 am they will sign into the Late to School Log and be escorted to ISS for the remainder of the period.
Front Door Entrance - C DAYS (9:21 am to 9:48 am)
- Scholars that arrive after 9:20 am enter through the front of the building and check in with Ms. Edison.
- Between 9:21 am and 9:48 am scholars will sign into the Late to School Log and be escorted to ISS for the remainder of the period.
Teacher Moves:
- Every student that has arrived late should be allowed into class and still be marked tardy in attendance by you the teacher.
- Every* student should have a pass and show their teacher their pass upon entrance into class. ( * See exception below)
- Teachers should check the time on the pass against the time the student arrives in class to make sure it is reasonable. If not, teacher should follow-up accordingly with appropriate student interventions such as student conference, parent contact, etc.
- No teacher hallway passes allowed before 9:45 am. There are some scholars in the halls with hallway passes, please let's NOT slip on this expectation.
* exception - Keep in mind tardy passes will not begin being issued until 9 am. That means students arriving just minutes before 9 am will not be getting a pass yet will probably still be tardy to class. Please allow some leeway with students within the first 5 - 10 minutes of class time each day for not having a pass depending on what time they actually come through the metal detectors. This is a great opportunity to have a conversation with your student about not arriving at the last minute to school and being caught in this awkward situation of being asked for a pass and not having one.
Monthly Fire Drills
BEFORE THE DRILL:
· Review the e-mailed evacuation map for your floor;
· Review the e-mailed color-coded buddy system and find your buddy teacher/staff member; and
· Print a copy of the attendance rosters.
DURING THE DRILL:
· Use the proper stairway/exit,
· Exit the building quickly and orderly with students,
· Take attendance and ensure that all students are present once outside,
· Communicate to your buddy and person in charge of your stairwell if a student is missing, and
· Wait for the bell to ring before re-entering the building.
AFTER THE DRILL:
· Use the proper stairway/re-entry point,
· Enter the building quickly and orderly with class,
· Report DIRECTLY back to class with students,
· Take attendance and ensure that all your students returned to class, and
· Reset class and resume teaching and learning.
H. Grady Spruce High School
Located in the heart of the Pleasant Grove region of Dallas, Texas, H. Grady Spruce High School serves a diverse population of students and their families. Our neighborhood maintains a strong tradition of community, hard work, and pride. Families have made Pleasant Grove their home for generations, and many of our students can claim a legacy of Spruce alumnae that go back to the founding of the school.
H. Grady Spruce High School was built in 1963, replacing Rylie High School. The school is named for Henry Grady Spruce, a native of Omen, Texas, who earned degrees from Southern Methodist University and the University of Chicago. He devoted much of his 35-year YMCA career to youth, including 25 years as director of the Dallas YMCA's Camp Crockett near Granbury.
Email: frataylor@dallasisd.org
Website: https://www.dallasisd.org/spruce
Location: 9733 Old Seagoville Road, Dallas, TX, USA
Phone: 972-892-5500