Town Center Tidbits : Let's Hear it for the Three Day Weekend!

Thank you so much to everyone for the amazing job you have done with parent conferences this week, today and for any you are doing next week! I appreciate the dedication you have to communicating with our families and ensuring we are working together to provide the best education possible for each kiddo! And. . .let's hear it for our three day weekend!!

Week of: October 10th-14th

Monday- No School!

Tuesday - Angie Out (AM) Kelly Out (all day)

DEIC Meeting after school - admin bldg.

PTO Meeting - 6:00pm - Library

Wednesday - Real School Garden - during day for M/S

Jeans Day! (with any College, football or Coppell shirt)

Vertical Meeting - 3:15 - Library to start then break up in groups (Kemp's room and Natherson's room)

Thursday - AM Tours 7:45-10:00 and PM Tours 12:30-2:00

Brett Out (PM)

*District rep (Adam) will be taking pictures for our campus iBook of learners, classrooms, educators, etc.

Friday - Jeans day!

Angie Out (all day)

Spirit Rally - 8:30 (2nd grade performs)

RTI/PST Meetings - C106

*Contractors coming to start work on track

Important Reminders and Updates!

Visitors Coming this Week!!

Please make sure and notice that we will be having two tour groups coming through this week! We have an AM and PM group (both of which have about 20-30 people in them). Team leaders-please let me know what your grade a brief overview of what you will be working on during the visiting times! These groups are from Wichita Falls and Mansfield ISD and are wanting to see our learning environment, STEM in action and digital learning. These will be the only tours for October and then we will have some more in November!

Exciting News About MacBooks for Educators!!

We will have a delivery of macbook airs coming to our campus on October 19th! We are so excited to have these as you will be able to us this and take it home each day! Tina, Leigh Ann and the technology department will be having more info on this for you soon! But, I wanted to send out the happy news!

Education Foundation Grants

Make sure and check out the email Brad sent out about Ed Foundation Grants! They are currently accepting grants and it will close on October 17th at 4:30pm!

For details and the link to apply, please visit www.coppellisdef.com.

You can also find tips and tricks for writing a grant application on the website.

Tutoring for this Year

We will all be working with our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade teachers to help support our learners with tutoring this year! This includes everyone who can help tutor including Kinder-2nd and specialists positions. We are using funds to help pay you for extra time again this year and Laura can help you with the forms. Click on the following Google Doc, so 3rd, 4th and 5th grade educators will know who to contact for support and setting up schedules!
Click here to sign-up by this
next Friday, October 14th!

Teacher of the Year for TCE 2016-2017
It's that time of year to begin our nominations for this year's TCE Teacher of the Year! Deadline to turn in is October 28th!
Click here to view TOY presentation
When nominating a Teacher of the Year, please make sure that you visit with me to let me know who you have nominated, so I can verify all info with Brad Hunt.
Thank you!
Click here to nominate a TCE teacher!

Super Teacher

Please make sure and nominate our TCE teachers!!

Deadline for the first round is October 14. If you aren't aware about what the Super Teacher award is, your team leader can fill you in! Please try to nominate someone on our TCE team, so we can recognize the amazing learning happening!

Click here to nominate a Super Teacher!

Book Study

Just a quick reminder that we are working on reading our 1st Book study of the year, The Innovator's Mindset. I need you to have read to the first page of Part III, through page 119 by Wednesday, October 19th.

Bullying Video

There is one more compliance video training that the district has just added. It is our bullying overview training and is located in the compliance video courses in Schoology.

Here is the access code you will need:

QP9KN-Q9WWW

Log into Schoology; select "Compliance Trainings 2016-17" for the campus and input the access code for the campus.

This needs to be completed by October 14th per the district.

Join the Coppell Gifted Association

Candace sent out an email about CGA and I wanted to send one more reminder out in my blog! See the following and you can join until October 12th!

The Coppell Gifted Association is a group facilitated by parent and community members to help support the gifted learners and all educators in Coppell. They run summer and winter camps for the gifted learners and provide scholarships to teachers to attend trainings. As a member you will be able to receive free admission to CGA speaker events, receive CGA members only communications, and be eligible to receive CGA scholarship opportunities for approved training. One of those is the TAGT conference, which is actually being held in Dallas this year! For more info on CGA or the TAGT conference touch base with Candace!

Click here to sign up to join CGA!

TCE Track

I have some more exciting news. . .our TCE track is going to be worked on starting October 14th! We are thrilled about this as we have been needing all of the areas fixed and repaired! Until everything is totally completed, which should be around November 1st, we will not be able to use the area inside or around the track for recess or P.E.

From the Desk of BS….# 7

Finding Your Sanctuary

Making your way in the world today,

Takes everything you’ve got.

Taking a break from all your worries

Sure would help a lot.

Wouldn’t you like to get away?

For those of you that don’t recognize these lyrics, it’s the theme song from an older sitcom called Cheers, also the local bar… where everybody knows your name. It was a local place where all of your problems could be solved and you felt like you could unwind, relax, and take a load off for a while to detached from your world.

After completing the first 7 weeks of school we have been bogged down with meetings, after school events, planning, getting to know your students, getting to know each other, parent teacher conferences, etc. It’s finally time for a well-deserved break and that is what we get this Monday. Enjoy your time away with family, friends, and go to where everybody knows your name.

If you feel obliged to read, here are some links on how to truly relax and how important it is to our health and happiness:

http://theteachersdigest.com/7-ways-to-relax-on-your-off-days/

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/rest-the-antidote-for-discouragement-karine-veldhoen

Feel free to join in on some fun and share how you find your sanctuary to #tcerelaxes. Go out and Do Life this weekend. I mean we do have Texas Ranger playoff games, TX vs. OU, and a Dallas Cowboys game to watch!

Thanks again for all you do!

Shout Outs!

Rachel, Thank you so much for sharing the awesome iStation video that you created. You did such an outstanding job of explaining our assessment. We appreciate you! -5th Grade

Kasey, Thank you so much for sharing your math video for conferences! You did such a great job of explaining the assessments. We appreciate you! -5th Grade

Becky, Thank you for helping to orchestrate having the Dallas Opera come and visit our school! It was such a great experience for our kids and we appreciate you!

Kristan and Lisa, Thank you for helping to serve on the district System Safeguards committee! Your input is valued and greatly appreciated!

Shout out to Katie Tonemah and Megan McGraw for being so flexible in a moments notice this week! You all are wonderful and I'm so thankful for you both!

Mary Kennington! You are a MLI Rockstar! Thank you for our very informative training this week and everything you are doing for our learners!

Thank you to everyone who "encouraged and prepared" our 3rd-5th grade learners for the Dallas Opera performance! The touring company was quite pleased with Town Center and our audience etiquette! Bravo!

Tina, thank you for using your magical powers to complete the playlist for the second grade music program!

Lisa Hansen,

Thank you so much for helping with our Spanish-speaking parent conference this week. We don't know how we would have done it without you being there! Love, Meredith and Renee

Lisa Laughlin, I never see you without a smile even while you are chasing kiddos around! I am so impressed by you daily with your grace and patience that you use with your sweet students and the kids in their homerooms. You kindness is noticed often. Thank you for all you do!!

Congratulations Renee on your engagement! We are all so happy for you during this exciting time in your life!