Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Week 3.2

Thank you, Teachers, Leaders and Staff
Wild Turkey, Bird, Close Up, PortraitThis 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.





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.

Soft Skills Versus Hard Skills
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 

 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.

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Wednesday, November 11, 2015

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 
60x30TX Strategic Plan
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 
  • 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




TES 5th Graders led the Pledge of Allegiance
at the Veteran's Day Program last night.
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Friday, November 6, 2015

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.”
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Thursday, November 5, 2015

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.



 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 

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 






What I'm Learning


Your kids would love to make podcasts, so try AudioBoom

Go to audioboom's website for education.

You can download it from the Google Play store at 

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