Thomas Jefferson Tribune
"WE ARE IN IT TO WIN IT!"
WEEK OF OCTOBER 30-NOVEMBER 3
THOMAS JEFFERSON FEEDER PRIORITY PLAN
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION
CAMPUS CLIMATE AND CULTURE
MISSION, VISION & CORE VALUES
MISSION:
The TJ Feeder schools embrace high quality learning opportunities which honor the unique strengths and diverse needs of all Scholars.
VISION:
The TJ feeder schools will be the premier feeder to attract and educate all Scholars to positively impact our community and world.
CORE VALUES:
Innovation, Collaboration, Excellence and Integrity
A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR..........
Patriot Leaders,
I have had the opportunity to visit with many of you regarding your PLC's and closing the feedback loop with your teachers within my campus visits. As we continue this process throughout the year, I will continue to probe you on how you connect high leverage strategies and the impact those strategies has on student academic achievement. Also, what impact do your PLC's play on your campuses? What is the system for monitoring the PLC's to ensure that they are effective on your campuses? How are you and the administrative team at closing the feedback loop on each of your campuses with fidelity? Are you closely monitoring the teacher implementation of the feedback provided? It is my hope that you have capitalized on the opportunity to not only review relevant data, make adjustments, but also identify measurable teacher actions to move the work forward on your campuses and to support student success. As you approach your common assessment week, monitor your systems for testing, accommodations for scholars according to scholar needs and ensure that modifications are also in place according to their IEP's.
My overall impressions:
STRENGTHS:
- Campuses are regularly analyzing student report cards and potential failure reports to target interventions for students.
ALL campuses have consistent tracking of student data.
ALL campuses have PLC's on their campuses.
Most campuses have developed a system for identifying students who have a high failure rate and providing specific ways to support struggling scholars.
UPGRADES:
- Carefully monitor the implementation of I-Station, Achieve 3000, DOL's and common assessment data to support RTI efforts.
Ensure that teacher actions are measurable and tightly connected to identified areas of opportunity given from spot observations.
Teachers should consistently review report card grades, common assessment data and ensure consistency with instructional observations.
NEXT STEPS:
- How can administrators ensure teachers are assigning grades that are a true reflection of student mastery and performance?
How have administrators engaged teachers in conversations about grading policy, expectations, and alignment?
How productive are your PLC's? Include protocols? Include teacher 'action plans? Are the activities the scholars are asked to produce in class, aligned to the standard taught in class?
- What administrative actions will you take in order to ensure Good First Rigorous Instruction and positive mindset is occurring on your campuses?
As we are introduced to our last Habit, Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw, Stephen Covey states that Habit 7 is about looking after yourself. You are the greatest asset you have and we have to learn to take time to look after ourselves. Stephen Covey suggests we pay attention to four areas in our lives:
- Physical: Exercise, Nutrition, Stress Management
- Spiritual: Value Clarification and Commitment, Study and Meditation
- Mental: Reading, Visualizing, Planning, Writing
- Social/Emotional: Service, Empathy, Synergy, Intrinsic Security
When we work with someone who has experienced extreme stress to the point of 'breakdown' we often find that their lives have been narrowly focused on work and home. They go to work (often working overtime) and go home simply to eat and sleep so they can go to work again! Is this you? The most important thing you can start doing now is looking after yourself by focusing on the four areas above. Stephen Covey tells the story of meeting someone who has been sawing down a tree for more than 5 hours. When you suggest that they take a break and sharpen their saw so the job might go faster they tell you they don't have time to sharpen the saw because they're too busy sawing! It's so easy to get caught up in the demands of life, or even developing the Habits, that we forget to look after ourselves. In reality it's very unlikely that anyone else is going to step in and do it for you. Covey writes "We are the instruments of our own performance, and to be effective, we need to recognize the importance of taking time regularly to sharpen the saw in all four ways".
All four dimensions of renewal are thoroughly investigated and Stephen Covey ends this chapter with a discussion about the importance of renewal in our lives, and thinking of this as an upward spiral of growth, change, and continuous improvement.
Personal and Professional Change
Stephen Covey provides a useful diagram in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People illustrating how the seven habits work together. (See below ED Message)
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is a powerful book containing effective principles for personal change and for leading change in organizations. The big question is, what change will you make personally and professional to impact your campuses?
Here's to another WONDERFUL week of teaching and learning!
THE TJ FEEDER IS IN IT TO WIN IT!
Ms. Torres
Thomas Jefferson Executive Director
DIAGRAM OF HOW THE 7 HABITS WORK TOGETHER!
THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE
Monday, October 30, 2017
- Last day for Central Staff to complete the Compliance Video Training
- Common Assessment #2 Window opens
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
ED Think Tank Meeting @ 7:45 a.m.-Ms. Torres
Mandatory Accountability Data Template Training REDO- w/Mrs. Luellen @ Joe May 10:00 a.m. (Each campus may bring up to 4 individuals who can support the campus- the 4 includes the principal!)
New Principal Meeting w/ED @ Joe May Elementary 11:00-11:45
New AP Principal Meeting w/ED@ Joe May Elementary 11:45-1:00
Leadership Team Meeting @ 9400 NCX 2nd floor -1:30 p.m.-Ms. Torres
Medrano Campus visit w/AF's @ 1:30 p.m.
APPROVED POSITIONS & SIGNED JOB DESCRIPTIONS due today in Virtual Notebook
TRAVEL GUIDANCE (OUT-OF STATE/FIELD TRIPS)
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
- Thomas Jefferson Calibration Walk @ W. T White @ 9:30 a.m.-Mrs. Massey
- Tom Field Campus Visit w/ED
- AF/CIC Training @ Medrano MS-11:00-1:30
- Stephen Foster Campus Visit w/Ed and AF's
Thursday, November 2, 2017
- Cigarroa Campus visit w/ED and AF's
- Burnet Campus Visit w/ED and AF's
DTR Application Deadline based on 2016-17 TEI Scorecard
Friday, November 3, 2017
- Cary Campus visit w/ED and AF's
- ED and AF Planning Day
- KFFL Market Day for Literacy 10:30-1:30 @ Northwood Country Club-Ms. Torres
- Last day of Common Assessment Window-2nd Six weeks
NATIONAL RED RIBBON WEEK-OCTOBER 23-31
The 2017 National Red Ribbon Week theme: Your Future Is Key, So Stay Drug Free™.
The theme was created by Iris Yu, a student at Solon Middle School in Solon, Ohio.
The National Family Partnership organized the first Nationwide Red Ribbon Campaign. NFP provides drug awareness by sponsoring the annual National Red Ribbon Campaign™. Since its beginning in 1985, the Red Ribbon has touched the lives of millions of people around the world. In response to the murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena, angered parents and youth in communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction cause by drugs in America.
Enrique (Kiki) Camarena was a Drug Enforcement Administration Agent who was tortured and killed in Mexico in 1985. When he decided to join the US Drug Enforcement Administration, his mother tried to talk him out of it. "I'm only one person", he told her, "but I want to make a difference."
On Feb. 7, 1985, the 37-year-old Camarena left his office to meet his wife for lunch. Five men appeared at the agent's side and shoved him in a car. One month later, Camarena's body was found. He had been tortured to death.
In honor of Camarena's memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin. Parents, sick of the destruction of alcohol and other drugs, had begun forming coalitions. Some of these new coalitions took Camarena as their model and embraced his belief that one person can make a difference. These coalitions also adopted the symbol of Camarena's memory, the red ribbon.
In 1988, NFP sponsored the first National Red Ribbon Celebration. Today, the Red Ribbon serves as a catalyst to mobilize communities to educate youth and encourage participation in drug prevention activities. Since that time, the campaign has reached millions of U.S. children and families. The National Family Partnership (NFP) and its network of individuals and organizations continue to deliver his message of hope to millions of people every year, through the National Red Ribbon Campaign.
Annual Policy and Compliance Acknowledgement for Principals
For any discrepancies on the report such as employees that no longer report to you or have left the District, notify the HCM talent partner for your campus. The employee will continue to appear on the report until Oracle has been updated.
The report sent to principals will include all employees assigned to the campus which will include employees from Custodial Services and Food & Child Nutrition Services.
Employees must be logged into the District network to access the web-based application located at http://PolicyAcknowledgement.dallasisd.org. The application cannot be accessed remotely.
If employees are unable to log into the application using their EAD user name or password, please have them contact the IT Service Desk at (972) 925-5630.
For more information about the annual acknowledgement process, please visit www.dallasisd.org/HCMPolicy or send an email to Dpolicies@dallasisd.org.
'UNITED TO LEARN' FULL NETWORK MEETINGS
"HUDDLE UP FOR GIVING!"
2017 United Way giving campaign kicks off Novemeber 1st!
Dallas ISD's Annual United Way Employee Giving Campaign kicks off November 1, and everyone's help is needed to reach the goal. Superintendent Hinojosa has set a challenge goal of $80,00 to support United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. The campaign runs from November 1st through December 15, 2017, and all departments and campuses are encouraged to have 100% participation.
Show your support of the United Way Employee Giving Campaign by donning your favorite pair of jeans. Participations is encouraged with a minimum donation of $5 per Jean Day and $15 for Jean week. Employees can make donations in three ways. Oracle, eWay, and check/cash. Additional information to follow in coming weeks!
Jean Days
- Friday, Nov 3
- Friday, Nov 10
- Friday, Nov 17
- Friday, Dec 1
DIFFERENTIATED MATH STATION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR GRADES 3-5
The STEM Department would like to cordially invite you to theElementary Math Professional Development session entitled Differentiated Math Centers. They are hosting three sessions, one for each grade level (Grades 3-5). The training will be held at George W. Truett Elementary School in their Library located at 1811 Gross Rd, Dallas, TX 75228.
The following schedule details the dates and grade levels.
- GRADE 3: Monday, October 30, 2017 at 3:45 to 4:45 p.m.
- GRADE 4: Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at 3:45 to 4:45 p.m.
- GRADE 5: Thursday, November 2, 2017 at 3:45 to 4:45 p.m.
Participants in this session will receive one Differentiated Math Center Kit to incorporate in their math lesson cycle. The Differentiated Math Center Kit is property of Dallas Independent School District and will remain on the assigned campus at the close of each academic year.
Please sign up on SchoolNet with activity number 1000009781 for the Differentiated Math Centers professional development training.
Take advantage of this opportunity!
THOMAS JEFFERSON EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL P-TECH
TSI UPDATED PERCENTAGES FOR TJ ECHS P-TECH
THOMAS JEFFERSON FEEDER PATTERN KUDOS
Media Specialists Collaborative PD Day
ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS LEARNING WALK AT NANCY MOSELEY
CARY MIDDLE SCHOOL CAFETERIA GETS A MAKE OVER
CIC's Enjoyed a Day With Mathematical Discourse and Mathematical Tasks
CARY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS MEETS THEIR GOAL !
PLEASE CLICK TESTING LINK BELOW
UPCOMING DATES & REMINDERS
NOVEMBER
6-First Day of Secondary Staff Audits
10-Drill Log for the Fall Semester is due TODAY via email submission to the Office of Emergency Management
10-Technology update due today by COB
16- Timberline Elementary Campus visit for The Leader in Me- in Grapevine/Colleyville ISD-8:00-10:00 a.m.
DECEMBER
5-Math AF TOT for CIC Content Training
7-Reading AF TOT for CIC Content Training
15-Last day of Secondary Staff Audits
JANUARY
30-Math AF TOT for CIC Content Training
FEBRUARY
1-Reading AF TOT for CIC Content Training
23-Title I Requisitions due today
MARCH
9-Drill log for the Spring Semester is due TODAY via email submission to the Office of Emergency Management
27-Math AF TOT for CIC Content Training
29-Reading AF TOT for CIC Content Training
MARSHALL MEMO #708
In this article in AMLE Magazine, Anita Stewart McCafferty (University of Southern Maine) says she realized several years ago that in her middle-school and university teaching, she was asking lots of What, Why, How come, and So what questions but rarely What if…? Looking at the four types of prompts teachers can potentially use, it was the fourth that she was not using:
Mastery prompts – What? Who? When? Where? Students are asked to:
Recall important facts and details;
Summarize key ideas;
Remember and describe key content and skills.
Understanding prompts – Why? How? Students are asked to:
Ask questions;
Use logic, reason, debate, and inquiry to explore ideas;
Focus on concepts, big ideas, and generalizations.
Interpersonal prompts – How so? So what? Students are asked to:
React to, empathize, reflect on, and explore feelings;
Learn about things that affect people’s lives;
Make personal connections to the content.
Self-expressive prompts – What if? Students are asked to:
Make connections and associations;
Think divergently;
Imagine and create;
Think metaphorically;
Generate possible solutions.
By not using this last kind of prompt, McCafferty says, “I clearly missed opportunities for my self-expressive learners to share their unique ways of thinking about and linking concepts and ideas, and just as important, I missed ongoing opportunities to help all students develop their metaphoric thinking skills across varied content and curricula.”
So McCafferty became an apostle of metaphoric thinking, which she believes opens students’ and educators’ minds to unseen connections and deeper thinking and writing. She recommends starting small, for example, asking students to think of an object that reminds them of a quality and why. Students jot their thoughts, share them with a partner, and then she calls on every student to see what they’ve come up with. As an exit ticket, McCafferty suggests: Was today’s work session more like a soccer match, watching a beautiful sunset, riding a bike, writing a poem, climbing a mountain, or playing a video game? Please explain your thinking. “Without exception,” she says, “every time I have engaged learners in this type of thinking task, an emotional reaction occurs in the learning environment. ‘Oh, that’s so clever.’ ‘I never would have made that connection.’” Students come up with all kinds of associations and are fascinated with what other classmates come up with.
Here’s a more tactile approach that McCafferty began using with many of her classes and presentations. She dumps out the contents of two baskets and lets students or adult participants look at the objects – for example, a flashlight, bow, pliers, paint brush, squishy ball, ribbon, coins, locket, dongle, keys, elastics, chopsticks, decorative balls, yarn, hammer, tweezers, bandages, battery-operated candle, perfume, lip balm, floss, batteries, random toys, baseball, puzzle pieces, dice, marbles, variety of student artwork, small containers, watch, alarm clock, timer, sticky notes, printed out quotes and pictures, mirror, magnifying glass, whistle, seeds, screwdriver, duct tape, pom-poms. She then asks everyone to pick an object that best connects to the topic of the day (leadership, for example) and explain why.
“Their responses are stunning and insightful,” says McCafferty. “They articulate how ‘hard’ the task is and how it stretches their thinking. They are delighted by their peers’ responses… This is divergent thinking about how unlikely items or ideas are similar. Comparative thinking is often a precursor to evaluative thinking and decision-making. Self-expressive questions and tasks push learners into deeper thinking beyond surface recall or surface level analysis, asking them to imagine or create something new.”
“So go ahead,” urges McCafferty. “Grab a basket or a recyclable shopping bag and begin filling it with an eclectic assortment of items or photos. Present it to your learners with an invitation for them to think metaphorically. Be prepared to be awed by their insightful responses.”
THOMAS JEFFERSON SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
- Thomas Jefferson High School: Principal, Sandi Massey
- Francisco Medrano Middle School : Principal, Theresa Sigurdson
- Edward Cary Middle School: Principal, Ben Dickerson
- David G. Burnet Elementary: Principal, Sonia Loskot
- Leonides Cigarroa Elementary : Principal, Douglas Burak
- Tom W. Field Elementary: Principal, Shondula Whitfield
- Stephen C. Foster Elementary: Principal, Irma De La Guardia
- Joe May Elementary: Principal, Israel Rivera
- K.B. Polk Elementary: Principal, Misty Rathermund
- Julian T. Saldivar: Principal, Chaundra Macklin
- Walnut Hill Elementary: Principal, Robert 'Chase'McLaurin
- Sudie Williams Elementary: Principal, Michael Jackson
Thomas Jefferson High School
Franscisco Medrano Middle School
Edward Cary Middle School
David G. Burnet Elementary
Leonides Cigarroa Elementary
Tom W. Field Elementary
Stephen C. Foster Elementary
Joe May Elementary
K. B. Polk Elementary
Julian T. Saldivar Elementary
Walnut Hill Elementary
Sudie L. Williams Elementary
Marelenise Phillips-Roberts
Ashley Campos
Erica Rosas
Trustee Edwin Flores District 1
Trustee Marshall District 2
Trustee Miguel Solis District 8
DISD GOALS
- All students will exhibit Satisfactory or above performance on State assessments. Students below Satisfactory performance will demonstrate more than one year of academic growth
- Dallas ISD schools will be the primary choice for families in the district
- The achievement gap by race, ethnicity and social economic status will be no greater than 10 percentage points on all academic measures
- 95% of students will graduate. Of the graduates, 90% have qualifying scores for community college, college, military, or industry certification
- 95% of entering kindergarten students are school-ready on a multidimensional assessment
- All students will participate in at least one extracurricular or co-curricular activity each year.