Pow Wow Principal's Press 8/26

This past week we've had multiple opportunities to "reframe" the idea of what VBE is all about. The Family Engagement night was incredible. The stations tied to academics and brain research, the movie, the flash mob. WOW. Thank you to all who helped plan and implement our first School-wide unit. The Tunnel of Hope brought our community and families into our school. We know we can't transform this on our own.

However, Some of the community, the nay-sayers, the negative; will want to focus on the past. They will want to label the school and dismiss it's potential. They WANT to see it fail.

There are some among us that are still waiting for negative experiences. Some are even "asking" for them by seeking out the negative whenever they can. The good news is.. that's less than 2% of what we are experiencing.

98% WANT to see us succeed.
98% WANT to see us change lives of our students.
98% KNOW we CAN do it.
98% deflect negative comments and re-state everything in a POSITIVE and pro-active, student-centered mindset.

Thank you to the 98%. Thank. You.
When we do it, it's because of you.

This is a collective accountable environment. We hold each other to it and we will do it together. This may mean we #failforward together, this may mean we plan something that goes horribly wrong (together), this may mean we implement something that has glitches (that we will work out together), and sometimes it may mean that we literally just vent and cry... together... the difference is... we then FIND SOLUTIONS AND MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER.

The kids deserve the smiles.
The kids deserve the respect.
The kids deserve our very best.
The kids deserve to be in classrooms that we would want our own kids in.

The simple question is, would you want your own child at VBE?

Stay positive, deflect the positivity goblins, and seek action to improve.

Please make sure you are up and monitoring students during Teacher-Directed PE.
This is imperative to keep our school safe. Picking a "focus sport" and making it competitive against other classes is a great way to keep the students engaged and make the time meaningful.

http://www.people.com/article/texas-teacher-no-homework-policy

http://shawncornally.com/wordpress/?p=673

The below image is something the District is printing out. We are told it will be here before open house Tuesday. However, I uploaded it Spanish and English to the Wigwam in case you want to share it electronically with parents.

Please make sure you are here at 5:00 on Tuesday night for Open House.
Do not begin your first session until 5:30
Start your session with the video below from Deb Berg.
At 6:00 please release the families. It is encouraged that you put together a power point or prezi so it does not become a conference. Feel free to share your expectations, the standards and curriculum, and your behavior system (class dojo..etc)

Please encourage our families to download our APP. Maybe even offer wampums for the families that show they have that done. Encourage them to join facebook too. We share a lot of information on there about our academics.

Please pass out the enrichment flyers that will be in your mailboxes. This will tell all of our little Indians about the exciting things we are offering at VBE.

Finally, Please make sure they are getting our School Messenger calls on Sunday night at 6:30 pm. If not, have them call the front office to get their phone numbers updated on FOCUS.

One huge concern that we have that carries over from last year is people calling out last minute. We know emergencies happen, but some of the absences are pre-planned. Help us!!!! Please PLEASE try to get your absences in AESOP as soon as you know you will be absent. It leaves the morning chaotic when we are busy getting classes covered instead of focusing on the students and a successful start to their day.

We depend on everyone. every day. no exceptions.

The ISN power point has been uploaded to the WIGWAM. Coaches have been trained and will be available to do PD on the ISN during your planning. Please just reach out if you want/need it. :) These are one of the best tools to move your students forward AND give evidence for evaluations of how you are monitoring students for the desired effect for the learning goal and tracking student progress... two very important elements in Domain 1.

RTI is beginning on Monday, August 29th. On Friday, we will be practicing our transitions and reviewing our expectations and procedures for intervention and enrichment time.

Please consider the following:

*Students should log in to iStation during computer rotations.

*Each student will be receiving a reading reflection ISN to assist to encourage accountable independent reading.

*Teachers can pull enrichment and remediation lessons from iStation to assist with their small groups.

We realize that all of our materials and programs are not here yet and we appreciate your flexibility and positivity with this process.

Please let Ms. Van Brimmer or Ms. Fredrickson know if you have any questions or concerns.