6COLT CONNECTION JANUARY 7, 2019 Issue 11

Colt Connection

January 7, 2019

“If there’s teaching

going on, but the

students aren’t learning,

is it really teaching?”

WE ARE GOING TO RELENTLESSLY CHASE PERFECTION

Happy new year everybody!

Welcome to 2019 and welcome to the third quarter of the 2018-2019 school year. It is my sincere hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday season. I hope that you were able to spend lots of time with those you love most. I also hope that you were able to get some rest, sleep late and recharge after all of our hard work over the first half of the year.

I hope that all of you are as excited as I am to get to back to work. I look forward to catching up with you tomorrow and seeing all of our kids bright and early Tuesday morning. Let’s set a goal for Tuesday morning to greet every single child that walks through our doors with a smile and a hello. I can guarantee you that many of our kids are super excited to see you and get back into routine. Let’s make sure everyone feels welcome and loved.

Tuesday is also a great day to take some time and review your expectations, procedures and routines. You worked very hard since August to establish an effective structure. Dedicate time to get that structure back in place. Students cannot learn effectively if they are not in a positive learning environment.

Monday we have a planning day. Please see the schedule for the day below. You will notice that the majority of the time will be in your classrooms. Please use this time to work on report cards and prepare for a great week of curriculum for our kids.

When you get a moment, please read the article I shared below. It is a great tool for reflection and self-growth with a new year upon us.

Have a great week everybody and THRIVE!!!!

The OAR: the energy you bring to life, family, relationships, work ethic – the only thing that actually moves the boat.

The Boat: the sacrifice, what are you willing to give up for something that you don’t have. You may want things but are you willing to give up other things to get it?

The Compass: direction of your life. Who do you surround yourself with?

Page 1

PrinciPal’s Message

COLT CONNECTION JANUARY 7, 2019 | Issue 2

What’s Your Teacher Reputation?

Finding out how students and colleagues perceive you is the first step to presenting your ideal self.

I recently collaborated with a leadership coach in my efforts to be more effective in my new position as director of a charter school. One of the first things she did was ask me to describe my brand. “My what?” I responded. She explained that a brand is what you’re known for and how people perceive you.

I hadn’t really considered this before. Because I hesitated in my response, she had me ask my colleagues, and even family and friends, to describe me with one word. I was pleased by some of the responses, while other responses led me to vow to make changes so that how I perceived myself was more aligned to what I presented to others.

In our teaching, we project our brand to our students every day. Teachers are often described by students with one word—as being a teacher who is tough, strict, easy, or nice. We garner a reputation based on how we present ourselves and the learning, how we interact with students, and how we manage our classrooms. New teachers discover right away that if they present a brand of “relaxed” or “easygoing,” managing student behavior can sometimes become problematic.

SURVEY STUDENTS AND COLLEAGUES

We are sometimes surprised to discover how students perceive us. What do you do if you’re not satisfied with the way you’re perceived by others—students or colleagues? How might you address this? The initial step in this self-exploration journey is to identify the reputation you currently have.

Asking all students directly may not give you the answer you want because of your supervisory role with them—some may

give the answer they think you want to hear. Consider creating an anonymous survey that asks some questions about the class routines and curriculum, and include a couple questions about yourself.

You can also ask or survey selected students who you think will be totally honest with you. Also ask your colleagues and overseeing administrator to describe you with one word. Scary as this may be, you’ll want as many responses as you can get in order to be able to make a valid analysis.

SET PERSONAL GROWTH GOALS

When I looked at the results from my informal surveying of others, patterns emerged and I realized that some people’s perceptions of me were starkly different from how I perceived myself. I realized that only a few people—family and friends—knew me well enough to identify my true brand. I made the determination that I needed to take some steps to convey who I truly am to the staff and faculty who I support. So how do I get that message out?

Find people who you consider to have the type of reputation you want and model what they do. These could be master teachers on your campus or in your district. Be active in networking at meetings and conferences, and stay in touch with those people that have the qualities you’re seeking. Find a mentor. Also, participate online and read educational articles, magazines, and books. Authors and bloggers are usually very willing to collaborate with you.

Be consistent in living up to your reputation. It’s easy to fall back into old habits, so changing actions and behaviors is a

continual effort. If you want to be known as the teacher that inspires learning, you know that you have to up your game with relevant material and provide realistic reasons for students to learn and be engaged.

Share your self-description in your introductions, syllabus, and elevator speeches, and strive to live up to it. Remember that you’re not what degrees you have, nor your position or title. Think about what others experience in your presence and the results of your influence. As the saying goes, people may forget your words but not how you made them feel.

Engage your colleagues in helping you change how others perceive you. Ask them to help you be true to your ideal, and if you’re out of alignment, ask that they gently remind you of your goal. If you tend to gravitate toward making critical comments but want to make constructive ones during faculty meetings, for example, ask that colleague who knows you well to give you a little nudge as a reminder.

Be reflective and frequently evaluate your progress on changing your reputation. Every week, ask yourself, “How did I show up? In what ways did I represent my ideal self?”

In his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey asks that his readers consider that they have finished their lives and are privileged to witness their own funeral and eulogy. What will your friends, coworkers, supervisors, and students say about your teaching and your leadership? What do you want them to say? If the answers to those two questions differ, it’s never too late to work on aligning the two.

By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail

COLT CONNECTION JANUARY 7, 2019 | Issue 3

Week of 1/7-1/11

Monday Tuesday

Teacher Planning Day (Schedule Below) THRIVE!

10:00 Faculty Meeting North Cafe

PD: Standards Based Instruction for K-3 PD: Faculty Meeting for anyone not in attendance Monday

2:15

12:00 K-3 iReady in South Media

1:30 4-8 iReady in Rm. 121

Wednesday Thursday

THRIVE! Happy Birthday Mrs. Quintanilla

8:00

Girls Assemblies – Schedule from Castillo and Arnold Weight of Words Filed Trip, Grade 6

Lesson Study South Campus, Email from Boyce

2:15 PLC’s: 4-5 ELA, 4-5 Math, Specials, ESE, Guidance Team Meetings: K-3

PLC’s: Grades K-1 Team Meetings: 4-8

2:15

ESE Parent Night 5:30

Friday Saturday/Sunday

Happy Birthday Mrs. Cheeseman

2:15 PD: BSA Science Workshop for all impacted staff – Email will come from Arnold

6:00 Crossing Blue Bridges

Time Audience Topic Location 7:30 All Staff Sign in Front Office Office

7:30 All Staff Work in Classrooms and Offices N/A

10:00 6-8 Faculty Report Cards Due N/A

10:00 All Faculty Faculty Meeting North Cafe

11:00 All Staff Lunch N/A

12:00 K-3 Faculty iReady Workshop South Media

4-8 Faculty Work in Classrooms N/A

1:30 4-8 Faculty iReady Workshop Rm. 121

K-3 Faculty Work in Classrooms N/A

3:00 All Staff Sign Out in Front Office Office

COLT CONNECTION JANUARY 7, 2019 | Issue 4

Week of 1/14-1/18

Monday Tuesday

Happy Birthday L. Alexander Happy Birthday Crystal

8:30 SEAS Performance for K-2 BSA Science Day 1

2:15

PD: BSA Science Workshop for all impacted staff – Email will come from Arnold

CANA and ELO Camp

Faculty Council Meeting

PD: Behavior Strategies Documentation for K-3 in South Media ELO Camp

2:15

Wednesday Thursday

THRIVE! Happy Birthday Mrs. Cohen

BSA Science Day 2 Fire Drill 8:30

Lesson Study South Campus

2:15

PLC’s: 6-8 Math, 6-8, ELA, 6-8 Sci , 6-8 SS

Team Meetings: K-3

PLC’s: Grades 2-3

Team Meetings: 4-8

2:15

Friday Saturday/Sunday

Happy Birthday Mr. Van

Happy Birthday Ms. Capote

COLT CONNECTION JANUARY 7, 2019 | Issue 5

Report cards are due for grades 6-8, Monday, 1/7, at 10:00. Report cards for K-5 are due on Friday, 1/11.

All Honor Roll names are due to Ms. Brinson by Friday, 1/11. It is imperative that teachers verify their

report cards and honor roll list for accuracy prior to submitting.

For all faculty, K-8, who are off campus Monday, 1/7, there will be a faculty meeting on Tuesday, 1/8, at

2:15 in Ms. Hodge’s room (114 North).

Please join me in welcoming back Ms. Stephanie Kujawa. Ms. Kujawa has officially rejoined our family

taking over for Ms. Mercado in 5th grade ELA. We are very excited to have her back.

This year we will only be taking the BSA for science in grades 5 and 8. This will take place Tuesday, 1/15

and Wednesday, 1/16.

Over the last few weeks your AP’s have shared some new, specific classroom expectations for your lesson

planning and classroom instruction. At this time you should be implementing these new expectations with

fidelity. If you have any questions about what you need to do or just need help to improve, please reach out

to your AP and/or coach.

BAS Assessment Period 2 has already started. Please make sure that you are scheduling appropriately,

posting your schedules and maintaining high quality instruction.

Staff parking continues to be an important topic. I completely understand that these new expectations come

along with some inconvenience. Please understand that this is an extremely important issue and that my

expectation is the all staff members park in the lots that I have assigned. If you need to leave early, contact

the front office and they will request a safety team member to open the gates for you.

COLT CONNECTION JANUARY 7, 2019 | Issue 6

Our after school tutoring programs are off to an incredible start. They are every Monday and Tuesday until

4:30. Do you know which of your students have been invited to these programs? If not, please reach out to

your coach. Please make it a priority to constantly remind these students as well as communicate with their

parents. These programs will help improve learning gains with our lowest quartile and bubble students.

They will go a long way in helping us become an “A” school!

Teachers in grades 1 through grades 3, let's continue to implement Walk-to-Read with fidelity so we could

better meet the learning needs of our students who are receiving interventions through the RtI process.

Teachers ensure that your students are practicing their iReady Reading and Math lessons for at least 45

minutes per week. This will assist with students working on their areas of weakness.

Reading for pleasure is a very important part of a child’s academic journey. We need you to please make

reading a priority and get kids to the library. Most will not go unless you take them there and help them

check out books that meet their interests and ability.

Teachers, please make sure your daily schedules are clearly visible in your classrooms, Common Board

Configurations are consistent across the grade level, and centers are clearly labeled.

Please collect used picture calendars from family, friends, and coworkers for art class. Send them Mrs.

Alvarado Rm 191 (North).

COLT CONNECTION JANUARY 7, 2019 | Issue 7

From Ms. Chandra Fitzpatrick:

Jessica Mendez - keeping me informed with parent concerns and looking out for me

Ms. Andrew's- holding down single point for a week

Security (Beals, Green and Ochoa) for always being ready (they stay ready, so they don't have

to get ready)

From Ms. Raquel Wilmot:

I would like to thank the Gulfstream Family who contributed time, cards, calls, a thought,

hugs, a written note, weekly texts, cash, their presence last week - at a time when my heart

was snapped in two. No amount of words can describe what this feeling of support means

when you are in this situation.

Thank you to the 8th grade team for rowing the boat upstream and against the current -

Poulos, Hodge, Cornacchio, Calderon. Your support over the past few weeks and weeks to

come is appreciated. Love and hugs.

Thank you to Mrs. Coleman for ensuring that lesson plans were in my room and my students

had something to do. Idle hands are certainly the devil's work.

From Mr. Pappas:

Thank you Mrs. Ronnan for buying all of the Ice Cream at our Holiday Luncheon

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our staff Holiday Party at Brus Room. It was a

great turn out and it seemed like everyone had a really great time. I am so glad we were able

to spend quality time together, off campus, before we headed out for vacation.

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the services for Raven Hope. I am certain that

her family really appreciated our support during that extremely difficult time. A special thank

you to Mr. Woulfe for an amazing, heart felt, speech that day.

Thank you to Mr. Tabacco and Ms. Lamb for a fantastic holiday show.

Thank you to our Cool Colt Aftercare staff for a wonderful holiday performance.

COLT CONNECTION JANUARY 7, 2019 | Issue 8

Thank you to Ms. Brinson and GLOW for working with Park Trails Elementary to donate over

150 gifts to our families and for making it a beautiful event.

Thank you to Mrs. Conner for bringing Rachel’s Challenge to our school.

Congratulations to Mr. Green and Ms. Saraceno for great basketball seasons. Good luck and

continued success to Coach Stuart and Ms. Mason for volleyball.

Thank you to Ms. S. Alexander for her tireless efforts in getting RTI organized, K-8, this year.

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