Welcome to our Decatur HS Weekly Staff Newsletter. This newsletter is a weekly communication providing campus information and updates for the upcoming week. Staff are asked and encouraged to review this newsletter each week to stay informed. Welcome to the tenth week of this school year and the second half of the fall semester. We have another busy week upcoming at DHS, including the October 14th Student Holiday/Staff PD Day on Monday, 2nd Six Weeks Progress Reports (PR2), PSAT Test on 10/16, and our "Pink Out" Pep Rally on Friday. Please see the following updates and information for this week, Week #10, October 14th - October 18th. Thank you and let's have a great week #10!

-There are no DHS Staff Birthdays listed for this upcoming week. If that is an error, please let Mr. Mogan and Mrs. DuBois know asap!

*DISD Soaring Eagle:

The Soaring Eagle Recognition is back this school year. It recognizes employees that go above and beyond the normal expectations of their job. Nominations are done by peers and recognized on a monthly basis. One teacher and one support staff from each campus will be recognized each month. Please see the email from DISD Communications from 8/21 for more information. The link to the nomination form is below:

https://www.decaturisd.us/SoaringEagle

-DISD Soaring Eagle: Congratulations to the DHS Soaring Eagle Recipients:

--Teacher: Audrey Micinski (Science Department)

--Non-Teacher: Peggy Moore (Front Office)

*DHS Employees of the Month: Congratulations to the DHS September Employees of the Month:

-Teacher: Melissa McCoy (English Department)

-Non-Teacher: Lyndsay Hickey (Office Staff)

*Shout-Outs:

-Shout-out to our Choir Program and Mr. Yurasek for their performance at the All Region Choir Auditions last week. Multiple students advanced to the pre-Area round and are members of the Region 2 All Region Choir. Congratulations!

-The Eagles Football Team won its district opener on Friday night beating WF Hirschi. The Eagles face Springtown this Friday, 10/18, at 7pm at Eagle Stadium.

-Shout-out to the our Lady Eagles Volleyball Team for defeating Springtown last Tuesday night at home. They begin the second half of district play this Tuesday @ Krum. Come out and support our ladies this week!

-Shout-out and good luck to our Decatur XC Team as they prepare for the District XC Meet this Thursday, 10/17 at Joe Wheeler Park.

Please thank and support these students and directors/coaches for all they do for our school and community!

*If your team, group, organization has any recognitions or "shout-outs" you would included in the weekly newsletter, please email Mr. Mogan.

We are at the beginning of Week #9; remember to key in on knowing your student's strengths & areas of growth, and how to grow them!

*Remember DHS Staff can access key information online via the DHS Staff Hub.

Campus Admin continues formal walkthroughs the week of October 14th. Each week, we will focus specifically on one T-TESS Domain during our walks. This week, we will be focusing on Domain 3: Environment. Your T-TESS Appraiser should have/be wrapping up T-TESS Goal-Setting Conferences and walkthroughs will continue and formal observations may begin later this semester.

*Collaboration is one of our highest priority instructional focuses this year through our PLC's. Identifying what we want OUR students to learn is one of the critical questions in the collaborative planning process. Remember to post the "We will..." and "I will..." statements in your classrooms so your students know exactly what the learning expectations are each lesson/class.

*Instructional Focuses for 2019-20:

1) Knowing our students - their learning strengths and areas of struggle (PLC Essential Questions 1 & 2)

2) Closing the Gaps on all our students (PLC Essential Questions 3 & 4)

--Please utilize the links for Lead4Ward and TX.schools.gov located in the DHS Staff Hub

*we continue to enforce and count tardies to classes at the bells each period moving forward. We are also addressing student dress code issues. Staff are expected to assist by enforcing the dress code and attendance policies consistently each day. Thank you for your help!

*all visitors to DHS must check-in the front office and have a visitor's badge visible at all times. Do not allow visitors, including former students, in your classrooms during the class periods without campus administrator approval.

*please assist campus admin in clearing out the building each day at ~3:55pm when the announcement is made for students to exit the building; your assistance in doing a quick check of the hallways, stairwells, etc... is appreciated so students aren't remaining in the building unsupervised after school hours

-please remember to take attendance each period, each day (3rd period is the official attendance period)

-thank you for being diligent in reporting to and covering your assigned duty stations

-please remember to assist with helping to supervise during passing periods by standing just outside your classrooms doors to monitor the students as they transition to and from classes

It's Week #10:

-Are you involved or committed to making our organization better?

-Are you involved or committed to making your team/department better?

-Are you involved or committed to making your classroom a place for all our students to succeed?

Have a great week!

Thank you for all you do!

Sheila, Larry, Debbie, Marzia, Kaci, & Chris