Week 3.5

Celebrate Excellence

Sharing is Leadership

Several of our teachers have been attending G/T training provided by Region 7 this semester.  I wanted to spotlight Kallie Boxell and Saundra Morris  for sharing their learning from this training last week.  Check out their work.

TES Teachers are #Excellence4ALL

Check out some great examples of TES teachers going above and beyond to help their kids excel.

•  Regi Gray has a homework group that she stays after with school  two days a week to get caught up on their math homework
• Jackie Davis stays every Friday for an after school reading club to get her students caught up in AR
• Tamara Fite and Putu Januwati organized a  homework center where ambassadors help students (campus wide) study and complete assignments -- they both stay and help monitor

Growing Excellence (+10 for ALL) 

Reestablishing Relationships in the New Year

As you reflect over your 1st 16 weeks of school, you will reflect on the kids that you have made progress, and more than likely you will identify students that you are failing to reach.  The pathway to a student's brain is through their heart, and relationships with students are at the very heart of learning.  To help you reestablish relationships with kids when they return in January, how can we know more about these kids and how can we can make a plan based on what we learn about our kids? Here are some guiding questions to help you make a plan to jump start your January.

• What strengths does the student have?
• What difficulties did he or she have last year?
• What symptoms did the student show prior to the difficulty?
• What kind of teacher communication helps this student move forward, and what kind of communication shuts him or her down?
• What are the most critical areas in which you should provide consistency to help the student engage in the learning environment?
• What does the student need from you to help him or her build positive relationships with other students in the classroom?
• What personal, non-school-related characteristics about the student can you use to begin to build a positive relationship?

If you are struggling in building relationships with individual students, a group of kids or the class as a whole, I encourage you to reach out to your colleagues, your principal, or the best resource on your campus, your counselor.  You will be able to find at least one idea to help kids.  How important are relationships?  Check out this quote below.

"In the end it is going to be the basis of the relationship that allows the student to be vulnerable enough to engage in the learning."

Ben Johnson (2015)

 College AND Career 
Check out the projects that Trey Miller's students are doing in his digital media classes.

Congratulations to our freshmen.  Their passing rate on their report cards increased from 81% in the 1st 6 weeks to 89% in the 2nd 6 weeks.  Passing all classes in the freshman year is a strong predictor that the student will not drop out of school, and that is necessary to reach a college and career future.

 Google Me This 
Check out Cindy Haston's Smore on Technology for Assessment.

Here is a great idea to get collaborative learning happening through Google Classroom.  It includes all necessary procedures from assigning the task to turning it in.

 Upcoming Dates 

• Monday, Dec 21 - Friday, January 1 - Christmas Break
• Monday, Jan 4 - Staff Work Day (see your principal for more information)
• Monday, Jan 11 - 3rd 6 Weeks Formative Assessments Given (CLICK HERE)
• Thursday, Jan 14 - Deadline to give and enter FAs into DMAC 
• Monday, Jan 18 - MLK Jr. Holiday
• Tuesday, Jan 19 - Response to Assessment (CLICK HERE)

 What I'm Learning

• Teaching with Fear by @thenerdyteacher

• Every Classroom is a Team & Every Teacher is a Coach via +TeachThought 

Merry Christmas

Christmas is here and I would like to wish you the very merriest Christmas ever.  I'm very blessed for my wonderful family and for a wonderful district family as well.  As you leave for break, I hope you remember to enjoy the many gifts that have been bestowed upon you.

Christmas isn't Christmas without music, and as a musician I couldn't feel the spirit of Christmas without all of the songs of the season.  Aside from the every part of Handel's Messiah, my very favorite Christmas song of all time is 'Carol of the Bells'.  Instead of singing it for you, I'd like to share this awesome a capella version by Pentatonix.

Merry Christmas, and I look forward to seeing each of you in 2016.  Be thinking about your New Year's Resolution for your classroom.  If you could describe it in one word, what would it be?

  

Week 3.4

Celebrate Excellence
The Texas Legislature designated December 9 as Educational Technology Appreciation Day.  This week, we would like to recognize our tech-leaders who are pushing our district forward in the area of technology integration.  Tatum ISD is the leader in technology integration, and this week we would like to thank the leaders who make our district what it is today.

Please join me in thanking the following tech-leaders:

• Wes Boyd, TISD Technology Director, 
• Don Hill, Computer Tech
• Cindy Haston, THS MITS (Media Information and Technology Specialist)
• Veronica Wilkerson, TES MITS (Media Information and Technology Specialist)
• Cristi Whiddon, TMS MITS (Media Information and Technology Specialist)
• Jennifer Day, TPS MITS (Media Information and Technology Specialist)

           

Growing Excellence (+10 for ALL) 

TPS Kids enjoying skating this month.

With one more week until Christmas break, some kids are excited about Christmas, while others are anxious.  Some who look at their school as their home away from home will not be able to come to school for 2 weeks.  With that being said, reinforcing your relationships with kids is very important.  It helps them get closure for the 2015 year and potentially can give them hope that 2016 will be an even better year.  Don't miss this opportunity to connect with your kids on a personal level and inspire them to aspire for excellence with they return in January.

TMS Art Club brings cheer to nursing home residents, crafts and playing bingo for prizes they bought themselves!

College AND Career 
FAFSA is the Free Application for Free Student Aid and it is a very important document that EVERY student must complete at the first step to apply for virtually any scholarship.  In order to complete the application,   Please beware that completing the FAFSA doesn't cost you anything and there are scammers out there who offer services (free or paid), and their main goal is to get your social security number.

Here are some resources to help you get started.

• FAFSA Homepage
• Create a new FAFSA

Below are the deadlines for students in Texas.

2015-2016

2015-2016 Deadlines

Includes deadlines for all states.

Federal Deadline

Online applications must be submitted by midnight Central Time, June 30, 2016.
Any corrections or updates must be submitted by midnight Central Time, September 17, 2016.

State Deadline

Texas - Check with your financial aid administrator.

College Deadline
Check with the college(s) you are interested in attending. You may also want to ask your college about its definition of an application deadline - whether it is the date the college receives your FAFSA, or the date your FAFSA is processed.

 Google Me This 

THIS IS BIG!!! Export your Entire Gradebook from Google Classroom

Watch this short video on the SAMR model, the different levels of tech integration.

Upcoming Dates & Deadlines

• Fri, 12/11 - End of 3 Weeks & Deadline to submit Formative Assessments to Principal
• Fri, 12/18 - Early Release for Christmas Break
• Mon, 1/4 - Staff Work Day
• Tue, 1/5 - Students Return
• Mon, 1/11 - Thu, 1/14 - Give 3rd 6 Weeks Assessments
• Mon, 1/18 - Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
• Tue, 1/19 - Response to Assessment

What I'm Learning

• There's More to #GrowthMindset than Assuming You have It

• Google Forms: Quick Start Guide 

via @rmbyrne 5 Good Typing Instruction and Practice Sites for Kids https://t.co/1KKXbXYT0C

— Dr. Justin Tarte (@justintarte) November 15, 2015

Week 3.3

Growing Excellence (+10 for ALL) 

Our 3rd 6 weeks formative assessment is due on Friday, December 11.
 Click here for instructions.

As you work with kids, your feedback is so important to help them learn at deeper levels.  With that said, I have a question.  What kind of feedback do you give your students to help them learn at higher levels?  In order to give effective feedback, it must be about the attributes of the student's work, and it should tell them what they must do next in their learning.  The slide below by Bill Ferriter perfectly describes the results we will see when we give effective feedback to our students.

Slide by Bill Ferriter on Flickr

 College AND Career - Match the Promise
Texas has a prepaid college tuition plan, which allows families to lock in tomorrow’s tuition and required fees at Texas public colleges and universities at today’s prices.  The plan allows you to purchase tuition units to cover all or a portion of these costs and offers flexible, budget-friendly payment options.

Match the Promise also has a scholarship foundation for qualifying families.  Families can save for college by awarding matching scholarships of tuition units worth up to $1,000, and one-time grants of tuition units  worth $2,000, at today’s prices. The scholarships are open to students who meet eligibility guidelines.  Check out this flyer to get more information about this program.

Google Me This 

Congratulations to Felesha Stone for having her successful strategies for technology integration featured in an article by +WeAreTeachers.

The blog post was titled 20 Ways I Use my Interactive Flat Panel to save Time and my Sanity, and her tips are numbers 13 & 18.  In the picture above, you will see one of her students using the interactive whiteboard in independent learning.
Great job, Felesha, and thank you for sharing your strategies on a national platform.









Upcoming Dates  

• 12/7 - 12/11 - EOC Retesting
• Fri, 12/11 - End of 3 Weeks & Deadline to submit Formative Assessments to Principal
• Fri, 12/18 - Early Release for Christmas Break
• Mon, 1/4 - Staff Development Day
• Tue, 1/5 - Student Return

THS Teachers host first  TED Talks - THS Style

TEDI (Tatum Eagle Digital Innovators) talks came to THS during our last early release day.  Teachers gave short TED talk style descriptions on how technology is impacting their classrooms.  Many thanks go out to the following teachers:

• John Huffstetler, 
• Vilia Payne, 
• Scott Eppler, 
• Marvin Kilbourne, 
• Brandie Bradford, 
• Wanda Risner, 
• Paulette Brown, and 
• Kevin Grace 

Topics included Google classroom in math and physics, Flubaroo for automatic grading of quizzes, cleaning up digital collaboration using protected cells, Vocaroo and QR Codes, alternatives to standard presentations (Prezi and Pow Toon) and back-channeling using Today's Meet.  To learn more how THS teachers are using theses cool tools, make contact with Cindy Haston.





What I'm Learning

How to add Rigor to Anything via +TeachThought


Google Classroom and Google Forms Happy Together by Brad Currie

Week 3.2

Thank you, Teachers, Leaders and Staff
This week ends a 54 day stretch of school.  Since Labor Day, you have been working so hard to help the kids and as a result our kids have grown.  As you start your break, I want to encourage you to enjoy your break and get your mind fixed on friends and family as well as the many blessings God has bestowed upon us.

Here's a fun fact.  Did you know that on Thanksgiving day, the average American eat 4500 calories?  Wow, that's a lot of food. 


Growing Excellence (+10 for ALL) 
This week, I would like for you to share a strategy that you are using to make collaborative learning work for you struggling students.  Double click on the padlet below and share your strategy, and you will be eligible for a FREE DRINK from SONIC.

Created with Padlet

College AND Career - Soft Skills vs. Hard Skills

This post by The Savvy Intern highlights the importance of teaching kids the soft skills in our classrooms. The infographic below from this post was too valuable not to share.  It affirms that employers value character over skill and experience.  It shows how our students' ability to relate, interact and make smart choices is the deciding factor in whether or not students get the job first and keep the job second.

Take time to share this information with your kids when you are addressing behavioral expectations, and show them how responsible and self-directed behavior IS the real world.




Google Me This
Google Slides for Collaborative Learning by Alice Keeler


If you haven't used Plickers, you're missing out.  
Watch this video to learn how to use this cool tool


Another video tutorial on Plickers

Upcoming Dates 

• Mon - Fri, 11/23 - 11/27 - Thanksgiving Break
• 12/7 - 12/11 - EOC Retesting
• Fri, 12/11 - End of 3 Weeks & Deadline to submit Formative Assessments to Principal
• Fri, 12/18 - Early Release for Christmas Break

 What I'm Learning

New Digital Tool - Quizalize 

The Shift from Content to Purpose: A Continuum of Choice via +TeachThought

The Epitome of Never Giving Up

Hour of Code hosted by Region 7 on December 7
The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries, with participants from ages 4-104. Join the Digital Learning department December 10 for a "Day of Code" to celebrate this event and introduce students to what computer science is all about. In addition to basic coding, students will compete against age groups in coding challenges at the end of the day. Registration is limited to 10 students per campus with a total registration limit of 100 students for the event, so register early so you don't miss out!

Click here for more information or contact Cathy Nail at 903.988.6950 to register.

Week 3.1

Veterans Day

TES 5th Graders led the Pledge of Allegiance
at the Veteran's Day Program last night.

Today is Veterans Day, and I want to highlight the fantastic job that TES did last night to honor our veterans.  Special thanks go to Holly Courtney, Veronica Wilkerson, Jennifer Malone, Tamara Fite along with countless volunteers.  The kids along with the Eaglette drill team made the evening a special event. 

To celebrate our veterans from Tatum, check out this video created by Veronica Wilkerson.

Take some time today to tell your students your story about Veterans Day, and share with them how freedom isn't free.  It is bought and paid for everyday by the brave men and women who defend our country every day,

Growing Excellence (+10 for ALL) 
Some of our kids have been working hard for the 1st 12 weeks of school, and some have struggled.  With the 2nd 6 weeks behind us and the 3rd 6 weeks beginning, how we respond to repeated failure is critical to make meaningful change for our struggling students.

With that said, how do you respond to failure?  How do your kids react if their grades are low?  Will they approach failure with a fixed mindset or a growth mindset?  Knowing the answers to these questions will tell you what adjustments need to be made to ensure that failure does not repeat itself in the 3rd 6 weeks.  Please let me know if I can help you in any way help your struggling students succeed in the 3rd 6 weeks.

Here is a video on how we can transform the finality of failure into growth.

College AND Career 

Via Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

"At least 60% of jobs in Texas will require a career certificate or college degree by 2020."  This statistic by the "Jobs for the Future " illustrates that moral imperative for public education to guarantee that every student graduates with a college and career advantage.  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has set a goal for 2030 to have at least 60% of Texans ages 25-34 earn a certificate or degree.  Those Texans are in our classes right now, and we owe it to them to continuously preach the importance of college and career on a daily basis.



Google Me This 

• Adding a Classroom Hashtag to your Google Classroom

• Use Flubaroo to Grade your Quizzes on Google Forms

• Watch this video on how to use Padlet in your instruction.  Great bell ringer or exit ticket activity.

 Upcoming Dates 

• Fri, 11/13 - End of 2nd 6 Weeks & Deadline to enter 2nd FA Data into DMAC 
• Mon, 11/16 - Response to Assessment (Talk to your principal about how to complete this task.)
• Wed, 11/18 - Early Release Day (Professional Development for Teachers.  All staff see principal for specifics.)
• Mon - Fri, 11/23 - 11/27 - Thanksgiving Break
• 12/7 - 12/11 - EOC Retesting
• Fri, 12/11 - End of 3 Weeks & Deadline to submit Formative Assessments to Principal
• Fri, 12/18 - Early Release for Christmas Break

Image by @sylviaduckworth

What I'm Learning

• What Makes a Master Teacher? by George Couros

• 20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers

• 10 Alternative Assessment Strategies

20 ways to use #twitter in the classroom: via @davidsornberger #edchat #unionrxi pic.twitter.com/izXgAAUX04

— Dr. Justin Tarte (@justintarte) September 12, 2015

TES 5th Graders led the Pledge of Allegiance
at the Veteran's Day Program last night.

THS wins Financial Literacy Grant

The THS Career and Technical Education department (specifically the classes that pertain to money-management) was awarded a $2,000 Financial Literacy Grant today. The award comes after two lengthy application processes, and the money will be awarded within three weeks.

Melody Ojeda, CTE teacher and coordinator, applied for the grant to benefit the Banking and Financial Systems and Money Matters classes.  Currently, (among other projects and focus-areas) these classes include ‘simulation’ projects where each student is given a salary, budget for housing, etc., children to financially care for, monthly bills and more.  

Melody Ojeda and her finance students.

“We carry this project throughout the semester, and the students ‘draw out of a hat’ real-life scenarios that will affect their budget, savings, even their job, etc. They then have to adapt to these scenarios and adjust their budget/life accordingly,” Ojeda said.

During this project, the students learn the ‘cost of credit,’importance of savings, and major importance of planning.  They ‘shop’ for houses and cars, and have to care for their ‘children’ and family.  With this grant, Ojeda intends to enhance this project and program with technology tools and more updated books for the courses.

“So many students graduate high school not understanding how to manage a checking account,  how to manage a loan, or how the consequences of choices they make now affect them far down the line,” Ojeda said.  “My goal for these courses is for them to have a better understanding of all these things, and leave high school ready to manage their finances effectively.”

Aside from the budgeting project, these classes focus on the banking industry and how it works, loans, how to decide what bank and account to choose when the time comes, interest, the true nature of ‘credit,’ and much more.

“Students need to understand that a salary of $20,000 or $30,000 - or even $100,000 - may look big, but must be handled responsibly if it is to last.  I also want to instill that consequences of decisions they make will follow them.  Good or bad,” Ojeda said. “ If we instill in our students the importance of money-management and make them more conscious of the decisions they make, it will make for a better society as a whole.  These students will be running the country/world when we are retiring.  We need responsible future-leaders and productive citizens.”

In the end, Ojeda hopes that the students will leave these classes with knowledge, understanding and the skills to thrive after graduation.

“I don’t want them just to ‘make it,’” Ojeda said. “I want them to thrive, to prosper, and to be successful in all areas after leaving high school.”

Week 2.6

Growing Excellence (+10 for ALL) 
Aaron Pena is a principal from Midway ISD, and he sends out some very motivational quotes.  If you haven't checked out his work, he leads a Twitter chat on Tuesdays at 3:45 (#TchElite) and Sundays at 9 p.m. (#EdThink).  This week I wanted to share the tweet below that he shared last Friday.  This quote is so powerful as we will have kids that will fail next week's assessments and some that will succeed.  When kids fail a test or their formative assessment, how we build leverage our relationships with them can motivate and inspire them to not give up on their learning.

A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success. pic.twitter.com/GBs7WBazxO

— Aaron Peña (@AaronJPena) October 30, 2015

 College AND Career 
Why do we have an emphasis on College and Career?  Well, it's simple.  The more education you get, the higher wage that you can earn, and the lower employment rate you will find.  Check out this graphic from GoGrad.org of data collected by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.  A picture is worth a thousand words, and this graphic can be summed up in 1 tweet.

Your Education is Your Future!!!

Source: GoGrad.org

 Google Me This 

• Open Multiple Documents in Google Classroom by Alice Keeler

• Give Students their own Tab in Google Sheets by Alice Keeler

Hiding your Sheets is as easy as 1, 2, 3

Click the
tab you
want to hide

Click the arrow

Select "Hide Sheet"

  

To Unhide Hidden Sheets, 

• Click "View"
• Click "View Hidden Sheets"
• Select the Sheet that you want to view.

Mandy Rogers and Kim Permenter
dressed up for Halloween

 Upcoming Dates 

• Mon, 11/9 - Begin 2nd 6 Weeks Formative Assessments
• Preparing for Assessments
• Test Key Instructions and Manual Entry
• Fri, 11/13 - End of 2nd 6 Weeks & Deadline to enter 2nd FA Data into DMAC 
• Mon, 11/16 - Response to Assessment 
• Wed, 11/18 - Early Release Day (Professional Development for Teachers)
• Mon - Fri, 11/23 - 11/27 - Thanksgiving Break

What I'm Learning


Your kids would love to make podcasts, so try AudioBoom

Go to audioboom's website for education.

https://audioboom.com/about/education

You can download it from the Google Play store at 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.audioboom&hl=en

8 Pathways to Student Engagement http://t.co/kfY0LMeIlt #edchat #educhat pic.twitter.com/HfMCvR1AH6

— Lee Crockett (@leecrockett) September 7, 2015

Dual Credit Courses at THS

Dual credit is a great way for high school students to get a head start on college by taking college courses while still in high school.  At THS, students can take both academic or vocational dual credit courses.  Academic courses are general academic courses that apply to any Bachelor's degree while vocational dual credit courses apply to 2 or more vocational certification or degree pathways.


How Do Students Qualify for Dual Credit
In order to be eligible for academic dual credit courses, the student must meet the criteria under TSI (Texas Success Initiative).  Essentially, if a student takes the STAAR test in English 2 or Algebra 1 and earned a scale score of 4000, (approximately 65%), they are eligible to take dual credit courses.  If the student does not meet TSI exemption status, the student must schedule a time to go to Kilgore College or Kilgore College-Longview Center to take the test.

To qualify for dual credit vocational courses, it is recommended that the student be a junior or senior and in the 3rd or 4th year of a CTE sequence.  Some vocational dual credit courses that are technical in nature may require some evidence of academic performance on STAAR or TSI.


How Much do Dual Credit Courses Cost?
Most dual credit courses at Kilgore College cost around $225 per 3 hour course; however, Tatum ISD will pay for the student's tuition, and as long as the student passes all courses taken, the student's tuition will continue to be paid for by TISD.

Textbooks for dual credit courses are not paid for by TISD; therefore, the student will be required to purchase textbooks from the KC Bookstore or through some other vendor.  Prices vary from course to course, but a typical textbook will generally range in cost from $100 - $170.

In the long run, dual credit courses are a huge savings to students and parents, since the cost of the course and textbook at Kilgore College will be around $400 including the cost of textbooks and related costs. Furthermore, tuition at Kilgore College is much cheaper than tuition at state colleges and universities.

What Dual Credit Courses are Offered at THS?

• English 1301 and 1302  (Academic)
• College Algebra (Academic)
• College Statistics (Academic)
• US History 1301 and 1302 (Academic)
• Psychology 2301 (Academic)
• Art Apprecation 1301 (Academic)
• Government 2305 and 2306 (Academic)
• Intro to Welding (Vocational)
• DC Electric (Vocational)
• Intro to PTAC (Vocational)
• Intro to PTRT (Vocational)
• Medical Terminology (Vocational)
• Anatomy and Physiology (Vocational)

How Do I Sign Up for Dual Credit Course?

Registration begins in the spring when students enroll in courses for the following year, and the THS Counselor will give the students and parents more information about enrollment and deadlines at that time.


Why Should I Take Dual Credit Courses?
Two-thirds of today's jobs require education beyond high school.  In fact most jobs that provide a comfortable living wage require a certification, associate's degree, or bachelor's degree.  That means that kids must pursue an education beyond high school.  In addition to making a decent wage, students who earn a certification or  degree are less susceptible to unemployment.  Dual credit courses are a great head start in earning a certification or degree.


Who Do I Contact for more Information
Jo Miller - THS Counselor
Allen Koch - THS Principal
John Wink - TISD Director of Curriculum and Federal Programs