Message From Our Principal
Dear Family,
I would like to dedicate this newsletter to the teacher, the professional, the friend, Steve Overstreet. Steve, you will be greatly missed; thank you for your support and friendship. May your soul rest in peace.
This is my last message from the principal. As you already know, due to a new career opportunity, I have decided to resign my principal’s position here at Seagoville Middle School.
I have enjoyed working with each one of you, always thinking of you as a human being who deserves respect and support. I would like to say thank you to all the teachers from every department for always being there in the front lines; for the passion displayed when delivering those lessons; thank you for not giving up on any student. Thank you for being the best.
I also want to extend my gratitude to our athletics teams and coaches, special education team, front office staff, custodial services, hall monitors, teacher assistants, clerks, and every individual that is always there to help our students succeed socially and academically.
Last, but not least, I want to say thank you to Dallas Independent School District for having given the opportunity for me to learn, grow, and contribute. I appreciate the investment DISD did for fourteen years in countless hours of professional development and hands-on experience opportunities for me to grow and further advance my career in education.
Thank you for having pushed me up to the different levels: classroom teacher, academic coordinator, assistant principal at middle and high school levels, principal at Seagoville HS in a summer program, and principal for two and a half years at Seagoville Middle School.
There is no doubt in my mind that Seagoville Middle School will soar to be the premier middle school in Dallas ISD in the near future. I will regret not being part of this success, but I will be celebrating with you when that time comes.
My last Dragon day will be my contractual end date, June 26, 2018.
Love you all!
In Memory: Steve Overstreet
As many of you know, Mr. Overstreet passed this weekend. He will be greatly missed.
Originally Posted Jan. 22, 2018:
I was born at Fort Jackson army base in South Carolina and grew up as an Army Brat. I spent most of my life growing up at various Army Bases around the world. My parents retired and we moved to Texas where I went to high school. On graduation, I joined the US Navy for the next 24 years. While on active duty I earned my BS in Aviation and later my Masters in Human Resources. After leaving the navy I went in the private sector in Human Resources and risk management. In 2006, I came back to Texas. I decided to try teaching as my third career at the urging of a longtime family friend. I have taught high school and middle school. I spend time working on my old cars and motorcycles or painting miniature soldiers from all time periods and nations of the world as well as reading. I have lived in Germany, France, Japan, Korea, Kenya, New Zealand and Australia and have visited over 100 other countries for various time frames.
Summer Self-Care for Teachers: How to Relax, Recover, and Prepare for Fall
The last day of school is always bittersweet: Saying goodbye to students can be tough, but usually teachers are so exhausted when summer comes around that they need some time to recover. As you prepare to close up shop for the summer, consider these five summertime tips for relaxing, recovering and preparing for fall.
Before you go: Take note
You don’t have to plan everything for next year before summer break, but make notes of major schedule changes, units or individual activities that can be improved or that went particularly well, and create a fall to-do list.
Many of these critiques or changes are fresh in your mind in April or May — when you have little energy or time to modify them — but fade into the background by August. Without a list, the work required to recapture necessary lesson changes eats up precious fall prep time. A good set of notes and goals before you leave will make for an easier August. It also allows you to set one or two distinct summertime goals and keep them separate from your fall-prep workload.
Take care of you
Hectic school year schedules mean that a variety of personal necessities get set aside, often including teachers’ own health and wellness. Whether you schedule annual eye or physical appointments or develop healthy habits that can last through the school year, take some time to take stock of your physical needs. A more open summer schedule is an opportunity to do the things you’ve put off.
Better yet, get out and play. Long days of teaching, planning, and grading get in the way of a nature hike or a game of disc golf, but summer break is just the time to engage in this kind of fun. Remember: Teachers need recess as much as the kids, so take advantage of the time in front of you. Rec centers and community education programs often offer short classes in the summer. Consider shedding the teacher role and becoming a student in something fun.
Fill the well
Being an educator is mentally as well as physically exhausting. In addition to taking care of your physical self, take time to fill your mental well. For some, this means continued pedagogical training, research, and professional development, but for others it means reading a good book in the sun.
Don’t just fill your summer to-do list with tasks put off during the school year — make sure to give yourself break time to fill that intellectual well. Between podcasts, YouTube channels, and summer book lists, there is a wealth of intellectual exploration at the ready. Giving yourself time to be a curious student of the world will pay off when you return to the classroom. And besides, students will love to hear stories about what you discovered over the summer.
Get ahead
Many teachers do professional development over the summer because there’s so little time for it during the jam-packed school year. In her article “12 Low-Cost Professional Development Ideas for Summer Break,” Kim Haynes outlines a variety of ways to expand your professional development, both for personal and professional benefit.
Whether it’s formal through your district or a university or through informal online tweetchats and message boards, participating in professional development can help recharge you over summer break. Ensuring that you are surrounded by people who also love to teach and armed with new ideas to implement in the fall, these conferences, workshops and social media discussions can really help reignite the passion for teaching when you’re feeling the most burnt out.
Shut down, unplug, reboot
Teaching is a calling, not just a profession, which makes it difficult to step away. To fight exhaustion and burnout, consider trying to step out of the teacher mindset entirely for a short while. Whether that be through a vacation, technology break, or some good fiction, this doesn’t have to last for the entire summer. Even a week or two of total cut-off from the teaching life will help recharge your excitement and energy for fall.
Getting away from computers, email, and your daily school-year habits can be tough, but it will help you reconnect with yourself and your family. Take the time to nap, sleep in and enjoy the benefits of your vacation. Before you know it, you’ll be back in the classroom going over to-do lists and getting ready for another meaningful school year.
(https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/lifestyle/summer-self-care-teachers/)
