February 6, Newsletter

Transcription

1 February 6, Newsletter Issue Dragon Newsletter GETTING TO KNOW OUR STAFF: TIMOTHY DAVENPORT I was born in Denver, Colorado and my family moved to Irving, Texas when I was two years old. After winning a drawing contest in kindergarten and appearing on a local television station for it I knew I would do something with art in my future. I attended Nimitz High School and then the University of Texas in Arlington where I earned a degree in illustration. After college I moved to San Francisco and worked for Anchor Brewing Company and then Monarch Worldwide Services in Los Angeles. I moved back to Texas in 2012 and am glad to be in my second year at Seagoville Middle School. I enjoy spending time with my wife, step daughter and two dogs. I also enjoy watching the Broncos, cooking and am trying to learn how to play chess from Mr. Bode. Timothy Davenport Art A Message from our Principal: Students Interventions Once we know some of our students did not master specific skills in our regular lessons, we will need to plan the interventions necessary to ensure all students have access to those skills. That extra help is provided in the form of in-class support, extended activities, small groups, differentiation, one-on-one, peer assistance, and many other ways to reach students in need of help. Other support opportunities are provided in the form of after school tutoring or Saturday Academy. We have implemented the logistics to make this an effective and efficient process. We created plans to provide interventions for students during after school hours, including Saturdays. We have allocated the funds to compensate personnel to provide the services our students need. We have facilitated data meetings to determine the SEs that need to be addressed during the interventions. We also have provided tools to determine which students will be required to attend. And last, we know we have the best educators to provide this extra help. However, students are not attending the tutoring sessions in the numbers we expect. The testing season is approaching fast and we cannot expect students academic progress to happen just doing business as usual. Let s reflect on the following: Are ALL the students (my students) who need to receive those interventions in attendance when they are required to? Do I aggressively advertise the intervention sessions every day and remind specific students who need to attend? What am I doing to make sure the students missing interventions receive the extra help? Do I need to contact parents to inform them that their child is likely to fail the test and that he/she did not attend the intervention session today?

2 February 6, Issue Are my students progressing after the intervention sessions? Do I have a system to measure the effectiveness of my interventions? Let s continue to work on Compliance-->Commitment-->Excellence. Let s Make It Happen! Get ready, be strong... Seagoville Strong! Let's Make It Happen! Newsletter Javier Chaparro, SMS Principal This section will permanently remain in our newsletter to remind our staff about our goals - 1. Quality Instruction/Student Achievement. Implement High Quality and rigorous instruction to increase overall student academic achievement: ACPs to increase in 12% compared to spring 2016 (7% on fall of 2016 and 5% on spring of 2017). STAAR passing rate will reach at least 75% in all subject areas. STAAR Advanced Level II will increase in at least 5% compared to previous year in all subject areas 2. Continuous Improvement Process. Implement Data Analysis Systems and institute a culture of feedback that fosters a continuous improvement process in all areas. Through the use of data analysis and feedback, by June 2017, our teachers will reach a proficiency level of 2.0 in the SPOT Observations indicator 2.3: Lesson Delivery: Explains instructional content clearly and cohesively. Through the use of data analysis and feedback, by June 2017, our teachers will reach a proficiency level of 2.0 in the SPOT Observations indicator 2.4: Cognitive Demand: Engages students in appropriately challenging content. 3. Climate and Culture. Create an environment that is conducive to learning by developing a culture of compliance and commitment among students, personnel, and parents. At least 80% of our staff members will complete and submit the Climate and Culture Survey. The Climate and Culture Survey will consistently improve in all 4 indicators compared to the spring 2016 survey. The Culture of Feedback and Support category will show at least 60% of positive responses on spring of 2017 survey. The Positive Culture and Environment catego ry will show at least 60% of positive responses on spring of 2017 survey. Who We Are Our Vision: Seagoville Middle School will be the premier middle school in the Dallas Independent School District.

3 Our Mission: The Seagoville Middle School Community is committed to the development of scholars through a world class education by providing college and career ready skills in a nurturing, safe, and supportive environment. Our Motto: Be All You Can Be, Let s Make It Happen! Our Core Beliefs: Our Creed: We believe all students can learn and have Stop and think, do your share Make the right choices to show you care academic success. Show respect and courtesy, and never forget Teamwork makes the dream work. honesty Set and achieve high expectations We are here to excel, We provide life skills and career skills At Seagoville Middle University Dedication to students inside and outside of We do well. classrooms

4 February 6, Issue Our Fire - Breathing Dragons We congratulate these two Seagoville Middle School Dragons. S tudents, Kat herine Garcia and KeAndre Law, are among the top readers in the district for Dallas Cowboy Brandon Carr s Count Your Minutes reading contest. These students put us closer to our vision every day. Seagoville Middle School will be the premier middle school in Dallas ISD. We are so proud of Katherine and KeAndre K eep up the great work! Proudly Wearing their yellow id badge indicating they are among the best students in the district, the following 8 th grade students sco red straight A s in their 3 rd six weeks grading period. Again, the determination and mindset of these students a re getting us closer to our vision: Lisbeth Avelar, Karen Castillo, Hiram Dunaway, Destiny Everett, Darrin Fleenor, Elver Flores, Krysta Lane, Liliana Ochoa, Jacqueline Osorio, Rene Rivas, Jennifer Ruiz, and Sebastian Vaquero. It takes pride and courage to achieve what these 8 th gr ade studen t s have, A Honor Roll. We are so proud of you guys!

5 Students Awards Asse mblies Students from the different grade levels participated in the First Semester Students Awards Ceremony. The parents of our students crème de la crème were so proud to see their children receive their well - deserved awards. Perfect attendance, A and A/B Honor Roll and other categories of excellence were awarded during these ceremonies. These students are also putting us closer to our Vision: S eagoville Middle School will be the Premier Middle S c hool in the Dall as Independent School District. Way to go! Keep it up!

6 Once again, Seagoville Middle School hosted a Coffee With the Principal event. Our parents were able to share their recommendations and concerns after being informed about our school goals, ACP results, and other important information.

7 Do you see the Potential? - Can you see the Power? Our Fire Breathing Dragons Great Pic Y all!

8 Seagoville Middle School hosted the Budget Town Hall Meeting. Parents and students had a great opportunity to experience the process of budgeting and learn about Dallas ISD s Budget. This effort is to inform the community on how tax dollars are being invested and to collect feedback from the community. Both parents and community partners engage in three different budget activities, which include : Show Me the Money educates participants where money is being spent Budget Deficit Puzzle - challenges participants to reduce funds Fantasy Wish List challenges participants to allocate money Parents had fun playing games were they earned money (play money) for their decisions and participation.

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10 The Power of Protocols- By Tina Ellis asasda Purpose: ESP PROTOCOL To help the teacher analyze/connect their own feelings and perceptions of student work with the standards (TEKS). As a result, teachers will be able to help their students achieve each standard. In addition, teachers will be able to work more collaboratively and evaluate qualities of student work. Details: Teacher presents to small group of colleagues with one acting as facilitator. Teacher brings an assignment and corresponding student work for analysis. ***The setup for this protocol resembles the Equity Protocol from last week but has a different focus. Steps: 1. Introduction: Facilitator ensures all members of the group are familiar with each other. Group norms are reviewed. (2-5 min) 2. Presentation: One team invites the other to review the exhibit. No context is given. The exhibit can include student work, video, and other artifacts. The facilitator asks the observers to infer what students are addressing and accomplishing in the work exhibited. (10 min) From The Power of Protocols: An Educator's Guide to Better Practice, p 45 JOSEPH P. MCDONALD, NANCY MOHR, ALLEN DICHTER, AND ELIZABETH CARROLL MCDONALD I Love My School

11 No Repeated Warnings We have all been in the uncomfortable position of observing ineffectual parent/child interactions in public places. What will the effective parent do? After request number one, they will find a way to put the child in timeout. Time-out lost from activities will reap huge rewards in the feature. Strong teachers, too, should provide a timely consequence after one request. Prompt Time-Out For children of all ages, the most common consequence provided by effective parents is an immediate and relatively short time-out. The middle schooler who skips his afternoon homework time will be back at that table during primetime. The teenager who is five minutes late will not be driving the car next week. Wise parents promptly administer and consistently enforce these time-outs. Because they expect children to take responsibility for changing their own behavior, parents keep the length of the timeout open. They wait until the child shows readiness to return, even after a very short time, rather than setting a time certain that must be served. Time out should never be based on an arbitrary number. Time out should only, and always, be based upon behavior. To have the child remain in time-out for an arbitrary amount of time borrows theoretically from the authoritarian paradigm which you will remember leads to resistance and rebellion. Wise parents allow re-entry from time out when the time behavior suggests he or she is ready to return. The adult is in control, but so is the child. Properly used, time-outs are as effective for teachers as they are for parents. Time to Teach: Encouragement, Empowerment, and Excellence in Every Classroom. Pp 16, 17 Time to Teach By Wayne Bollin This week s SMS role model student is Jaelon Cox, whose role model is former President Barack Obama because he never gave up on his dreams. Jaelon is an A/B honor roll student. He likes sports and enjoys playing with his friends. He likes reading and he studies hard to be commended in his STAAR assessments. He is often seen helping teachers, cleaning tables in the cafeteria, and encouraging his friends to hurry to their classes on time. We are proud of you Jaelon! The Counselors Corner - By Meshundria Lackey Social Skill Strategies for Teachers Social Problem: Dealing with social norms

12 Social norms are those things most of us take for granted such as: picking up a soda can from the floor and putting it in the garbage; holding the door open for the person behind him; saying the ABCs, not burping them; knocking on the closed bathroom door instead of bursting in; and raising his hand to ask permission, not just getting up in the middle of class to get a drink. Some of these norms can we worked on at the first of the year, and then refreshers given throughout the year. For some children, it may be a daily battle. Patience must be taken with these students. Realize that consistency is the key. Teachers may wish to enlist the assistance of the parent or older sibling to help model the desired behavior at home. -Edutopia

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