Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Week 5.2

Celebrate Excellence
Texas Public Schools Week has been a hit in Tatum.  Here are just a few hits from the week around the district.  Check out our Twitter feed or Facebook page for more great events.






 Growing Excellence (+10 for ALL) 
Spring is in the air and that means one thing, spring cleaning.  It's time to clean out the closets and garages and get the house spruced up.  While I know that spring cleaning takes a lot of work, I also know that it is well worth the effort.  It makes my spring so much more enjoyable.

Well let's apply that idea to your classroom.  What are your plans to clean out your classroom.  I'm not talking about cleaning your room or even cleaning out the drawers and closets.  I'm talking about your routines, procedures, and processes that help all kids learn at higher levels.  As you are getting ready for spring break, ask yourself these questions?
  1. Where is student behavior doing well, and what routines should continue?
  2. Where is students behavior lacking, and what do I need to change to address it?
  3. What activities promote higher levels of engagement, and how can I get more of these activities into my instruction?
  4. Where is engagement lacking, and what do I need to do differently to reengage my students?
  5. Where and how can I ramp up the rigor for high achievers?
  6. Where and how can I give more support to struggling students?
The answers to these questions will tell you what you need to address and what you need to clean out of your practice.  Why do you need to do this before break?  The answer is pretty simple.  When the students return from spring break, they will be fresh.  Upon their return, they will most open to new routines, motivational strategies and higher expectations.  They will also be more receptive to more challenging activities that require more movement, interaction and conversation, and they will more flexible than at any point in the year simply because they will have been out of the "school" routine for 11 days.  

Spring weather brings with it a desire to be more active which is why behavior often gets more exuberant than usual.   It is important to remember that without a specific plan to adjust to the "spring" behavior that will return after break, instruction has a strong chance of suffering.   Don't miss this "once a year" opportunity to do some spring cleaning in your classroom.  It may be just the thing that will meet your kids where they currently are and take them to where they need to be.  



 College AND Career 

Learn about Wanda Risner's Paxton Patterson Lab from this TNT video by Sha Matter.



 Google Me This 

CK-12 Free Textbook
Are you looking for another resource to help your kids learn?  Check out CK-12 which is a free site for you to find more tools to teach your content.  Thank you to Cindy Haston for finding and sharing this resource.

The Evolution of Technology in Sports by D'Torian Smith from the TNT class


 Upcoming Dates 

  • March 7 - 11 - Spring Break
  • March 13 - Daylight Savings Time (Spring Forward 1 Hour)
  • Wed, 3/16 - Early Release for STAAR test administrator training.  See principal for details.
  • March 15 - 18 - TELPAS Testing
  • Thu, 3/24 - Deadline to enter Mock tests & FAs into DMAC
  • Fri, 3/25 - Bad Weather Day / Good Friday
  • Tue, 3/29 - Fri, 4/1 - STAAR Testing 
    • Tue - 4 & 7 Writing, 5 & 8 Math, English 1
    • Wed - 5 & 8 Reading
    • Thu - English 2
    • Fri - Make-up Testing


 What I'm Learning


Turn Feedback into Detective Work by Bill Ferriter

Read this article on Design Thinking by John Spencer and check out his video below.  This is a great framework to push students to higher levels of rigor and embed STEM or STEAM in instruction.


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Wednesday, February 24, 2016

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

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Wednesday, February 17, 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.


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Wednesday, February 10, 2016

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
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Wednesday, February 3, 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 
  •  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

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Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Week 4.3

Celebrate Excellence
TPS custodian Vernetta Whitten volunteered to spend her days off on past Sunday & Monday to ensure that the Head Start classrooms were in tip top shape for the Head Start monitors that arrived on Tuesday January 19. This is just one example of how Mrs. Vernetta is always going above and beyond for TPS students and staff. Over the years Mrs. Vernetta has worked at several campuses, however TPS has always been "home"! TPS loves Mrs. Vernetta!
What a great idea and message from Melody Ojeda
It's that time of year again, and my graphic design and debate students will be making Valentines for chronically ill kids in hospitals and seniors in assisted living facilities.  If you would like to have your students do the same and join in on the community service opportunity, I am happy to take them with ours.  I have included a link below with more information about the program.  I will be taking ours this Friday the 29th, but the final deadline isn't until February 9th if you would like to take them to one of the drop off locations after Friday.
https://kvne.com/valentines-for-kids-and-seniors-2016/



Growing Excellence (+10 for ALL) 
This week I had the pleasure of hearing Sir Ken Robinson and George Couros speak at the TASA conference.  It is rare that you get the opportunity to heard amazing thought leaders like this, but to hear 2 in one day was mind-blowing to say the least.  What I found interesting is that the emphasis of the messages from both speakers was that creativity in schools is not only essential but critical if we want to make more kids successful in learning.

Now when I think about creativity in schools, I naturally gravitate to the mindset of more difficult and a vast change, but that was not the case in both of their keynotes.  In George's message, he drove the point home was that in order to create the schools that kids deserve, it's all about the relationships that we cultivate daily with our kids.   It's about knowing them as individuals and creating the conditions in our classrooms where we leverage our relationships with kids that inspires them to dream beyond the confines of the curriculum.

"Your job is to unleash talent!" +George 

Robinson's message was similar but his approach to making change in schools focused on how we engage and then empower kids daily.  We don't know what kids will be when they grow up and neither do they, so we must remember that our job is to create an engaging environment where kids slowly discover that for themselves.

When the rhythms of education match the rhythms of a student's learning, kids will never disengage from learning. Sir Ken Robinson
As you look at your students this week, I want to encourage you to look at them not as what they are or where they're from.  View them as what they could become and where we want them to end up.  When we look at our kids from the lens of what could be, we create empowering learning environments that change for kids, not content.


 College AND Career 

College & Career Prezi by Amy D from Mrs. Ojeda's Class



Google Me This 
Are your kids well googled?  This is how high school kids are being evaluated for college admissions and scholarships.  It's a great question to pose to kids in social media or as they begin to make their digital footprint.
Canadian Martyrs C.S.


 Upcoming Dates 
    • Monday, Feb 22 - 4th 6 Weeks Formative Assessments Given (CLICK HERE)



 What I'm Learning
Five Questions about Feedback buff.ly/1Qggi35
Embracing @Twitter for Professional Development by @dscavitto via @Edudemic http://ow.ly/XkkFI  
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Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Week 4.2

Celebrate Excellence
The Tatum High School Math Team has rolled up their sleeves and gone above and beyond to ensure that our students are successful.  With close collaboration among the team to extended tutoring sessions for students, the math team is determined to ensure that all students are not only prepared for STAAR testing but for success in College and Career.
Growing Excellence (+10 for ALL) 
Jason Cammack is a high school buddy of mine and his Instagram post below really popped out for me this morning when I got up.  The same old thinking leads to the same old results, and if we're not careful the same old results will lead back to our same old thinking.  When developing solutions to problems that we have been experiencing all year, we must ask ourselves this question. Is the problem really our result or is it our thinking?

 If we truly believe in growing kids and want to accomplish this goal of every kid increasing their performance by 10 points from last year, let's remember to look inward before we look outward.  Below are a few questions that can help us all evaluate our thinking after we look at results.

Question
Yes
No
Do we think about failure in terms of failure to grow and improve instead of the mindset of failure to pass?


Does our thinking about our response to a student’s failure to grow result in a meaningful change in the way we teach those kids who are regressing?


When a student fails to grow, do we initially reflect on our instruction and the ways it helped or didn’t help the student grow?


With respect to apathetic or disruptive students, do we think first about ways that we can change our approach to better meet the student’s deficits and how we can better connect with them?


With respect to academic deficits, do we reflect on how we teach concepts and whether or not they are truly meeting kids where they currently are in their ability?


When we don’t know what to do, do we look to our colleagues for guidance, suggestions and strategies to better meet the needs of our regressing students?



Do you have more checks in the yes column or no column?  
If you have more no's, you may be stuck in the same old thinking.  If you have more checks in the yes column, you are headed in the right direction.  The same old results are precipitated by the same old thinking.  If we truly want our students to grow, we must commit to our own growth and development first.  That will only happen when we honestly reflect on our own abilities and effectiveness.  When that happens, we will be more able to create new actions, skills and mindsets which in turn will lead to new and ultimately, better results. 
College AND Career 
Google Me This 



 Upcoming Dates 





 What I'm Learning

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