Bee Cave News

Happy Monday!

WOW! What a great first week back! With all of the challenges of this unprecedented start, you guys did it! It was an AMAZING week! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!

As we move into the next couple of weeks there are a few things that I want to make you aware of:

• August 25th 11:59pm is that last opportunity for families to finalize their option to do remote learning or in-person learning.
• August 26th The planning begins:

1. Placing/replacing students in the appropriate learning classes/structures
2. Leveling classes
3. Finalizing: master scheduling for in-person, lunch schedules, specials schedules, staff training on COVID protocols, Dismissal procedures, Arrival procedures, organizing classrooms (furniture), to just name a few...lol

• August 28th Teacher PD - Asynchronous Student Learning
• September 4th Teacher PD - Asynchronous Student Learning
• September 4th Faculty Meeting (virtual)
• September 7th - Student/Staff Holiday
• September 8th - Second First Day of School - Remote/In-person Learning Begins

Lots of information has been trickling down throughout the week regarding safety protocols, technology requests, and other BOY tasks and required training. To ensure that we are ready to welcome our in-person staff and students safely, we need some time together to discuss protocols. We have been given a couple of days to prepare for the start of what is to be a very unique school year on 8/28/2020 and 9/4/2020. Our students will continue to engage in learning activities asynchronously on those days AFTER 9:30 am. You will still greet your students at 7:40 am as usual and give them the curriculum expectations for the day. I will communicate this with parents in the Beehive, but please make sure you also communicate this with your parents in your newsletters and via a Schoology message. Later in the week I will be sending you the specifics of the PD for 8/28 & 9/4.

The video is just under 12 minutes long and must be shown to both in-person and remote learners. Click here for video . We want to make sure that in the event a remote learner comes back to campus at some point during the school year, they will be aware of the standard response protocol. Please include this training in your lesson plans.

• All classroom (personal or school provided) rugs need to be rolled up and stored in grade-level storage classrooms.
• Small groups can consist of no more than 2 students.
• Station work can be done at an individual student's desk with supplies, materials, and manipulatives that are assigned to a student or is disposable.
• Community areas (such as reading centers) will not be able to be utilized by students.
• Limit student movement within the classroom such as turning in assignments, materials being passed out.

The Skyward "Technology Device Request" form has been re-enabled. Moving forward all technology requests will be made through Skyward Family Access using the form. Any request that have been made up to this point has been entered into the Helpdesk.

If a parent reaches out, please refer them to Skyward.

Once all of the work order requests have been filled we will start filling requests from the Skyward "Technology Device Request" form in the order they are received.

Teachers in Lake Travis ISD are evaluated through the Texas – Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS).

Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, teachers who meet the criteria listed below may move from a formal annual T-TESS observation to the alternative Lake Travis – Teacher Evaluation and Support System (LT-TESS).

In accordance with DNA(LOCAL) and District of Innovation Plan, certain teachers are eligible for less-than-annual appraisals, LT-TESS, and shall receive a 45-minute observation every third year.

To be eligible for LT-TESS, a teacher shall:

• Be on a term contract and have taught in LTISD for at least 3 years;

• Have served at the current campus as a teacher for at least one year;

• Hold SBEC Certification;

• Be assigned in his/her certification area;

• Have no more than one “developing” score in any one dimension on their T-TESS summative evaluations;

• Have no “improvement needed” score on any T-TESS dimension;

• Not currently be on a performance improvement plan; AND

• Have written principal approval.

Eligible teachers shall receive a full T-TESS appraisal no less than once every three years.

If you feel you meet all the above criteria and want to be considered by your campus principal for eligibility of LT-TESS for 2020-21, please complete and submit this form.

Dear BCE Teachers,

Part of the legislation that came out of House Bill 3 requires all teachers who teach reading to students in grades K-3 and elementary campus administrators to go through the new Texas Reading Academy. With the start of this school year being so unprecedented, we are putting off starting this program until late September, when The Meadow’s Center will do a short training with all of us at that time. There is nothing you need to do right now, except sign up for a TEAL account (link and instructions below and attached). Once you’ve done this, forget about this for now so you can just focus on getting the school year up and running. It isn’t something you need to worry about right this minute.

Here is the direct link to sign up for your cohort (Cohort 1):

https://tealearn-utameadowscenter-ra-k3.pdx.catalog.canvaslms.com/courses/utameadows-10

Here is a little about the Texas Reading Academies:

• It takes about 60 hours online to complete.

• We will each have 11 months to complete it.

• The Reading Academy content is focused on the science of teaching reading.

• Our staff will be divided into 3 cohorts of teachers and 1 cohort of administrators.

• Each cohort will have a leader from The Meadow’s Center for support.

• You will have a few artifacts and quizzes along the way to complete.

• There is a dual-language training component for bilingual teachers.

• The following professionals will be participating:

• Elementary principals and assistants principals

• Elementary teachers in grades PK-3

• Elementary special education teachers who serve students in grades EE-3

• Reading specialists

• ESL/Bilingual specialists

• Elementary coaches

We will all be completing this training together and will be able to support each other along the way. Again, please don’t worry about this right now. Just complete the sign up and we’ll get everyone started later this fall semester.

Thank you,

Jodie

P.S. Here is an instructional video if you have trouble navigating the sign-up.

EduHero is the platform to complete required compliance trainings for all staff. District will communicate the information to log in to EduHero here to view the courses required to complete: www.eduhero.net You will choose from two different links to complete the training: New Employee or Employee Returning. These training need to be completed by October 30th.

Website: https://www.ltisdschools.org/Domain/12
Location: 14300 Hamilton Pool Road, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-533-6250
Twitter: @BCEBobcats