Week 5.1

Celebrate Excellence
Are you following Tatum ISD on Twitter or Facebook?
If you haven't checked out the happenings in Tatum ISD in the past month, you are missing out on the why we are all about Excellence for All.  

Veronica Wilkerson give background
information on Harmony Hill Community

• TES students have been learning all about the history of Tatum, Mayflower and Harmony Hill.
• Kindergarten students have been to the Discovery Science Place
• Both of our basketball teams are in the playoffs
• Our Bass Fishing teams are competing around East Texas
• Melissa Waddell was chose to coach in the FCA All-Star Softball Game 
• Our FFA members represented Tatum at the Texas Capitol for National FFA Week.

There are too many great things going on to list, so I encourage you to follow Tatum ISD and celebrate the Excellence that is happening for every kid, every day.

Growing Excellence (+10 for ALL) 
We have all seen at least one example in our lifetime of a person who overcame tremendous obstacles to discover unbelievable success.  Can you see that person?  Do you remember their personality?  As you ponder that person's tremendous accomplishments, you may be thinking to yourself.

• What made them beat the odds?  
• How did they succeed?
• What do they have in them that others don't?  

The answer to this question may be that they put the GROW in their Growth Mindset through both their daily actions as well as their mental fortitude.

Putting the GROW in Growth Mindset
If we want all kids to grow, we need to first define what that looks like and second how we can help all kids develop the skills that will help them grow into the success that is deep inside them.

Goals that Grow
These people don't just have a long term goal.  They set daily and weekly goals for themselves that help them grow toward their goal.  They track their progress toward reaching their long-term goal and reflect on their daily efforts.

Source www.reddeergrowboys.ca

Resiliency
These anomalies have never heard the word, quit.  They look failure in the eye and say, "You may won today, but you haven't beat me."  If they get knocked down 7 times, they will stand up 8 times.

Order
There is an unbelievable discipline to these people.  They have a routine to their daily lives that is abnormal.  That is why they succeed.  They do things that ordinary people can do but won't.

Wins & What's Next
Successful people on the grow don't win or lose.  They win and what's next.  In other words, they celebrate their successes and determine what they need to do next to stay on their path of excellence.


This week, help your students see the growth in their learning.

 College AND Career 
Check out what John Daniels is teaching kids in his Engineering classes.  Special credit goes to Kyle Ellison in Mrs. Haston's TNT class for making this video.

 Google Me This 

Texas Gateway 
Project Share has expanded to Texas Gateway, an online resource by TEA.  This website has tons of activities and resources that are searchable by subject and TEKS.  It is too cool not to check out.

How has Google Classroom improved learning at THS?  
Special credit goes to Masciel Sanchez in Mrs. Haston's TNT class for making this video.

 Upcoming Dates 


 What I'm Learning
Are YOU Using ESPN's E:60 Content in Your Classroom? (You Should Be.) by Bill Ferriter

10 reasons failure is important @sylviaduckworth @gcouros @KimPollishuke #edchat #growthmindset pic.twitter.com/Py4mtnVDJG

— CTQ (@teachingquality) February 15, 2016

Week 4.6

Celebrate Excellence

Cristi Whiddon has students going STEM-crazy in her library.  Every day during lunch, TMS students can go to the library to experiment with different technology projects including robotics.  The picture below shows a group of 8th graders constructing their GoPiGo Robot cars.  They will program them using Raspbian software which works seamlessly with Raspberry Pi!  We are so proud of Cristi and our TMS students for unleashing their talent and creativity through STEM.

Today is Digital Learning Day (#DLDay).  

Share out your cool strategies for digital learning in your classroom on Twitter or email them to me or your principal to share out today. 

Growing Excellence (+10 for ALL) 

Kristin Lacy (TES 5th grade math teacher) is coaching her students to grow in their learning by using a friendly math competition.  "Game Week" allows students to demonstrate their competitive spirit in an academic and rewarding environment.  Her students bring this competitive spirit to class each day whether they know it or not, and Kristin is taking full advantage of it.   


To leverage the excitement for competition, Lacy made transformed a typical academic review into a full fledged competition where the students own their own results.  She wants all students to be able to work at their maximum capacity so that they will achieve academic growth.  Competition is a way to measure success while promoting confidence in their personal ability while yet challenging each other.  “Game Week” has been a very successful tool in the classroom and will be used again in the near future.

The Rules of the Game Week

The students have 10 questions a day where they compete against a partner.

• 10 questions are in a bag and the students pull out the questions (so no one knows which question is next)
• The person who pulled out the question is working it to get the point but their partner is working it also in hopes that the other gets it wrong so they can “steal” the point. 
• To get a point:
• Have to show strategies
• Have the right answer
• Complete the question with in 4-5 minutes
• To steal a point - 
• If the first partner is stalled out on a question or the time has expired the other partner must get the correct answer.
• The second partner will guide the first partner through the strategies to answer the question. (the partner who helped teach the concept gets the point)

To get more info on Game Week, email Kristin Lacy or contact her at TES.

College AND Career 

Texas Tuition Promise Fund
Are you looking for an affordable way to save for a child's higher education? TheTexas Tuition Promise Fund® could be the answer for your child or someone you know. There's no better time to discover the program or begin saving, but don't delay because the Texas Tuition Promise Fund is only open for this enrollment period through Feb. 29, 2016. (Enrollment for newborns is open through July 31, 2016)


Google Me This 

4 Updates to Google Forms You’re Going to Love

Restricting Access to Google Forms with these Two Options

Check out what the Vilia Payne's Robotics class is all about.  This video was created by Jason Turner in Cindy Haston's TNT class.

Upcoming Dates 

• Mon - Thu, Feb. 22 - 25  4th 6 Weeks Formative Assessments Given (CLICK HERE)
• Fri, Feb 26 - 
• Ensure all data is in DMAC Begin Response to Assessment (CLICK HERE)
• End of 4th 6 Weeks
• Mon - Fri, Feb 29 - Mar 4 - Texas Public Schools Week
• Mon, Feb 29 - Beginning of 5th 6 Weeks
• March 7 - 11 - Spring Break

What I'm Learning

Check out Cindy Haston's TNT class as they spotlight Jalan Horne and his journey as a Tatum Eagle basketball standout.  Video was created by Tia Mitchell.  

Congratulations to both the Eagle and Lady Eagle basketball teams for making the playoffs.

Week 4.5

Celebrate Excellence
Tanya Moore has been working so hard to make TMS a great place for kids.  Her art club brightens up the school with student work.  Her MTM group has created school videos and board appreciation videos, and the MTM group is also working this spring to complete the yearbook.  She will also expose her kids to careers this semester by taking them on field trips to digital media and news station studios.  Above and beyond is what excellence is all about.  Thank you Tanya for going the extra mile for kids.

Great job to Christy Lister and her work with Jump Rope for Heart.  This year, she led TPS to raise $7955.78 which almost doubled the goal they had this year.  As an incentive to pump up the kids, Mrs. Carr and Coach Lister will be turned into an ice-cream sundae.  Great job, Christy!


Growing Excellence (+10 for ALL) 

When kids don't win the big competition, do they never try again?  When they don't get selected for the leading role or as captain of the team, do they see that as a reason to stop or drop out?  More importantly, when kids fail a test, do they see themselves as a bad math student or a poor reader?  

Well, it depends.

When we experience failure or rejection, we always have two choices.  We can see failure as a NO and let it stop us in our tracks, or we can see it as a NOT YET.  NOT YET means we have more work to do.  It means we're not quite there, but furthermore, it means that we're also not at the place we were yesterday.  If we want kids to believe in themselves as learners, we must teach them how to respond in the face of adversity.  We must teach them that they are a work in progress, and NOT YET is a powerful mental tool that can shape them into the person they were born to become.  Growth can't happen with a NO, but it always will with a NOT YET.

Failure is not fatal, but our response to it can be.  This week, let's teach all kids how to turn their NO's into NOT YETs.  Not only will you see a change in their performance as learners, you will also see a change in their confidence and self-esteem.

 College AND Career 

For the 3rd 6 Weeks, Belinda Matlock's theatre students learned about the various jobs associated with the design and construction of puppets in today's modern theatre.  (See picture to the right).

In Melinda Qualls, health science classes studied several medical careers that included pharmacy tech and nursing.  Students were asked to create a presentation over one career that interested them.  Here is  Google Slide presentation that Kierra K. created on a career as a neonatal nurse.  Also, we are so appreciative that Erin Jones, pharmacist at B&B, spoke to our pharmacy tech students.


 Google Me This 

Restrict Access to Google Forms with these Two Options

Attach An Email to Your Google Calendar Event

 Upcoming Dates 

• Mon, Feb. 15 - Begin Collecting Writing Samples for TELPAS
• Wed, Feb. 17 - Digital Learning Day:  
• Tweet out the digital learning in your class to the #DLDay Hashtag
• Mon - Thu, Feb. 22 - 25  4th 6 Weeks Formative Assessments Given (CLICK HERE)
• Fri, Feb 26 - 
• Ensure all data is in DMAC Begin Response to Assessment (CLICK HERE)
• End of 4th 6 Weeks
• Mon - Fri, Feb 29 - Mar 4 - Texas Public Schools Week
• Mon, Feb 29 - Beginning of 5th 6 Weeks
• March 7 - 11 - Spring Break

 What I'm Learning

8 ways teachers can talk less and get kids talking more

WHAT ARE THOSE?
WHAT ARE THOSE? Devon BeckWEBSITE: www.devonbeck365.comInstagram/Twitter @devonbeck365 Facebook: D E V O N B E C K
Posted by Devon Beck on Thursday, January 28, 2016

Week 4.4

Celebrate Excellence
This week is Counselor Appreciation Week, and we would like to take time to show appreciation for our counselors and the great work that they do to help students, teachers, parents and administrators.  They do so much in meeting the social, emotional and academic needs of our kids.  

Please join me in thanking Sabrena Socha (TPS), Tamara Fite (TES), Meagan Kiefer (TMS) and Jo Miller (THS) for their hard work, dedication and commitment to Tatum ISD. 

Counselors do so much behind the scenes to make our schools successful.  From making schedules to building intervention systems, counselors set teachers and kids up for success.  By counseling students through difficulties to talking through problems with parents and teachers, counselors open their ears and hearts to help those in need.  Our schools would be very different if we didn't have these great ladies in them.  Take time today to think about all that our great counselors do to make Excellence for All a reality.







Growing Excellence (+10 for ALL) 

Melody Ojeda's students are
getting ready to spread the love with
Valentine's Card to the community!

Learning of any kind always begins with a sense of belonging.  If kids are in a classroom where they don't feel accepted by their peers or feel like they belong, chances are that they won't engage in the learning.  In fact, odds are that they'll choose counterproductive behaviors that will make them less inclined to learn. But if kids feel welcomed and valued by their teacher and their peers, there is a strong likelihood that they'll take risks in learning.

Since it is February, and Valentine's Day and Random Acts of Kindness Week (RAK) are coming up next week, let's take time to ensure that our students feel the love when they enter the classroom.  In other words, let's not miss an opportunity to embody the spirit of RAK in our classrooms.  Here are a few ideas to help kids feel a sense of belonging in your classroom.

• Acknowledge - When kids walk through the door, a high-five and a hello with a smile go a long way.
• Acceptance - When kids struggle with behavior, make sure they know and hear that you accept them as an individual, but not their behavior.
• Patience -  If kids can't seem to learn a concept, make sure they see, hear and feel your patience with their progress, no matter how slow it is.
• Celebration - Pump them up for how far they've come, not how far they have to go.

Kids don't care about learning until they know that they're accepted.  This February, don't miss your chance to strengthen your students' love of learning by letting them know how much they are loved and by creating an environment that fosters a sense of belonging and acceptance in every child.

If you want further evidence of why this is important, watch the video at the bottom.

 College AND Career 
The fine arts  do so much to prepare kids for the real world.  Whether it's preparing pieces of art for a competition or rehearsing for hours to compete in One Act Play, band, or choir, students are receiving a first class education about the work ethic needed to thrive in the real world that they will be inheriting soon.

This week, I would like to highlight our choir students for their work at UIL Solo and Ensemble Contest this past week.  Congratulations to Ramiah Mitchell for making a 1 on a Class 1 solo, which qualifies her to go to the Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest in Austin this June.  In middle school congratulations to Skylar Thacker, Makayla Calhoun and Paige Hall for earning a 1 on their solos as well.  Great job to Donna Toon for her work in preparing the kids for success.

Google Me This - Digital Learning Day (2/17)
Schools around the world are joining together on Wednesday, February 17 to celebrate Digital Learning Day (Click Here).  Since Digital Learning is an every day occurrence at TISD, I want to encourage you to share out the great work that you are doing to enhance learning with technology.  If you want to tweet out your tech excellence on February 17, please use the #DLDay hashtag.




Upcoming Dates 

• Friday, Feb 5 - End of 3 Weeks and  Deadline to Submit 3 Week Formative Assessments (CLICK HERE) 

•  Week of Feb 8 - Random Acts of Kindness Week 

• Wed, Feb 17 - Digital Learning Day #DLDay
• Monday, Feb 22 - 4th 6 Weeks Formative Assessments Given (CLICK HERE)

 What I'm Learning

Make a #BadDayGood