Town Center Tidbits

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Busy Time of Year. . .

Hi everyone,

I don't know about you. . .but this time of the year just seems to get extremely busy very quickly! I am trying to make sure I don't forget things, so please do the same and make sure you are checking your calendar regularly as all of the springtime events get started!

Week of: April 11th-15th, 2016

Monday - Interviews after school - 3:15 - C106

Tuesday - Middle School North Coming 1:30- 5th grade - Cafeteria

Wednesday - Vertical Meeting - 3:15

Thursday - Wichita Falls Tour Group - AM
Brett Out (PM)
Katy McKinney's baby shower - 3:15

Friday -Texan Town
Therapy Dogs
PST/RTI Meetings - C106
TCE Texan Hoedown and Auction - 5:30-8:30pm

Important Reminders

Engineering Extravaganza Night

We will be having our TCE Engineering Extravaganza Night on April 21st from 5:30-7:00pm. I am attaching the stations from last year below. Please try to vary the stations up and have new challenges for the kiddos and parents! You can use some of the same materials, but definitely ensure there are problems or challenges within it, not just playing with the materials since they are familiar with our maker station materials now.

Helping Young Learners with Struggles and

State Suicide Prevention Training

Please make sure that you are watching the training we discussed in our faculty meeting. Once you have finished you need to put your certificate in my box. Also, there will be sign in sheet on Brett's office for you to sign you have completed the training as well that we have to turn in to the district. I suggest you saving a copy or printing a copy of your certificate for you to have as well.

Click here for link!

Wichita Falls Group on Thursday

Our group coming this Thursday will be here from about 8:00-11:30. It will be a large group of about 25-30 people, so once we start walking, Brett and I will probably split the group. Please make sure you have everything freshened up in classrooms and hallway displays, since we will have this group and another on coming next week. Team leaders, please email me and Brett so we will know what you will be showcasing. This is the group that is focusing a good bit on technology integration in learning! Thank you!

TCE Texan Hoedown

Please remember that our biggest fundraiser for the year is this Friday from 5:30-8:30pm. I need you to be there for an hour and a half. This can be at anytime during the event. Please make sure and thank PTO members when you see them helping to get ready for this event! It takes many people to get this all together and going!

April Birthdays

Brett Shelby- 7th

Laci Garza - 11th

Morgan Peccarelli- 22nd

Stacey Watson - 27th

Engineer of the Week

This week's engineer is: Kate Seifert

Click above or here to see video!

Resource on Structure of Thinking
I found an interesting article on creating a culture of thinking in your schools well as a structure of thinking for learners. Check out the links throughout the article watch the videos!
Might be something really beneficial that aligns nicely with problem based learning and the engineering design process.
Click here for link to the article!

Final Quotes
Even though we sometimes focus on how busy our lives can get. . .think about these quotes as well and stay focused and make time for happiness!

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Beautiful Sunshiny Day!

Week of: April 4th-8th, 2016

Monday - Wear jeans and Ranger's shirt or Ranger's colors! (to support Opening Day!)
Fire Drill/Lockdown Drill
Write From the Beginning and Beyond (see below for details)

Tuesday - Angie Out (All day)

Wednesday - Faculty Meeting - Library - 3:15 (Bond Presentation)

Thursday - Parent Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast - 7:30am
Bond Presentation with Dr. Waldrip - 6:00pm - Cafeteria
Friday - Texan Town

Important Reminders

Write From the Beginning and Beyond Tour

There is a person who the district is working with that will be walking around with me tomorrow, Monday, April 4th to look at evidence of writing around the building and seeing how we have been implementing Write From the Beginning and Beyond strategies. We will be around between 8:00-9:30am. I may ask some of you to share journals as we are walking around or writing samples of anything you have used with your kiddos showcasing the strategies. Nothing to have to be prepped for, but if you have some good examples of anchor charts or writing you did, please have handy!

TCE Parent Volunteer Breakfast

We will have our annual parent volunteer luncheon in the library on April 7th. Everyone please make sure you have each signed up for something to help support all of our parents who do so much for the school!

Click here to sign-up!

Engineering Extravaganza Night

Only two people per station please, click here to sign up!

TCE Texan Tours with Wichita Falls

We have two schools who have contacted me about bringing their staff to the building after the principals came for their visit. (Truly a compliment that the administrators want to bring their staff and are taking the funds and time to come and see the learning at TCE!)
We will have these visitors on April 14th and April 22nd!

April Birthdays

Brett Shelby- 7th

Laci Garza - 11th

Morgan Peccarelli- 22nd

Stacey Watson - 27th

Shout Outs

4th and 5th grade teachers for all of their preparation and support with our first round of STAAR testing!

Kinder-3rd grade teachers and specials teachers for keeping all of our kiddos working and quiet during our testing days!

Small group test administrators and monitors: Lauren Torti, Lori Vincenzo, Kelly Burks, Mary Kennington, KaTrina Brown, Alicia Montgomery, Kim Becker, Candace Coffee, Cathy Wilson, Lisa Hansen, and Sherri Kingsley for all of their help on testing days!

Candace Coffee for extending one more day and helping to give our kiddos STAAR who were absent during the testing days!

4th and 5th grade teachers for all of their support with the partnership DTCC group and the video production for CISD!

Casey Wagner for getting our final Texan Town catalog ready to go for Spring sessions! We appreciate you!!

Final Quotes

Thinking about the spring semester. . .this can be a time when our kiddos start getting a bit bouncy and we ourselves are getting a bit ready for the summer. Please remember, that this is time of year to buckle down, bring back that focus, and keep on trucking ahead to do whatever we can to finish the year strong with our kiddos! Remember why we do what we do and how we want others to know TCE is the best of the best in education and learning!

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone is enjoying this three day weekend and that you all have a Happy Easter! It is beautiful down here in East Texas for sure!

Week of: March 28th-April 1st, 2016

Monday - Wear sweats/jeans to get ready for two days of STAAR!

Tuesday - Wear Jeans
STAAR testing 4th grade Writing and 5th grade Math - No visitors in the building (including Ready Set Teach, parents, and volunteers)
Schlotzsky's for lunch in the lounge!

Wednesday - Wear Jeans
STAAR testing 5th grade Reading - No visitors in the building again
Chicken Express for lunch in the lounge!

Thursday - Have a Terrific Thursday!

Friday - Texan Town
TCE Social at Andy Brown right after school - if weather is nice come out and walk, run or let your kiddos play at the park!

Important Reminders

Schedule for STAAR
We will have a modified specials schedule for STAAR testing days. Also, remember that you may only have recess outside by the cafeteria loop until all testing has been completed in the building. Remember that videos through the projector should not be played for testing days (including like brainpop or youtube) and if kids are using devices with sound they need to be wearing their ear buds. Please review hallways expectations including bathroom expectations of no talking during the testing days.

Tuesday Specials:
8:30-9:30 - Kinder
9:30-10:30- 2nd grade
10:30-11:30- 3rd grade
12:00-1:00- 1st grade
1:00-2:00- 4th grade
2:00-3:00- 5th grade

Wednesday Specials:
8:30-9:30 - 4th grade
9:30-10:30 - 2nd grade
10:30-11:30 - 3rd grade
12:00- 1:00 - 1st grade
1:00-2:00- Kinder
2:00-3:00 - 5th grade

TCE Parent Volunteer Breakfast

Click here to sign-up!

Engineering Extravaganza Night

Only two people per station please, click here to sign up!

March Birthdays

Becky Garrett - 7th

Kelly Burks - 8th

Sherri Kingsley - 16th

Beth Parker - 17th

Meredith Schaaf - 20th

Megan McGraw- 26th

Lorri Brehm - 30th

April Birthdays

Brett Shelby- 7th

Laci Garza - 11th

Morgan Peccarelli- 22nd

Stacey Watson - 27th

Shout Outs

Laura Fairchild for getting all of our Kinder registration up and going for our new incoming families!

Kelly Spears for all of our her work getting STAAR testing/training ready to go for this week!

Becky Garrett for a wonderful performance by our Kindergarten friends!

Laci Garza, Ashley Martin, Coach Yaegar and our Kinder team for their help in getting our kinder friends ready to perform!

Final Quotes

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Loving This Break. . .

I hope all of you are truly enjoying yourself during this break! You all definitely deserve this time off! You have accomplished so much already this year with our campus and our kiddos and I can't wait to see where the rest of this spring will take us! I wanted to go ahead and have the blog ready to go for y'all early, so I could focus on enjoying the rest of the week too! (and working on dissertation. . .woo hoo!)

Week of: March 21st-25th, 2016

Monday - Team leader meeting - 3:15 - C106 (Jeans to start back from the week off!)

Tuesday - Shamrock Shuffle - Rescheduled (Sweats to help support our run!)
Coach Yaegar's Last Day!
Kinder Registration Starts

Wednesday - Vertical/PLC Meeting - Library - 3:15

Thursday - Jeans and TCE Spirit shirt
Texan Town Schedule
Spirit Rally - Gym - 8:30am, Kinder performs
Kelly Out (AM)

Friday - No School! (Weather Day)

Important Reminders

Flex Credit

Please make sure you are getting your flex hours (professional learning) completed and entered into Eduphoria. These must equal 18 hours. These must be completed by April 30th and entered/approved in Eduphoria by May 5th.

STAAR Testing

We will be sending home a letter when we get back to parents about reminders for STAAR testing. Also, we will be providing a staff lunch to you on Tuesday-29th and Wednesday-30th. 4th and 5th grade teachers, we are working on getting all of the STAAR snacks ready for your kiddos as well as pencils and supplies. We will let you all know this week if we will need you to help administer a small group or used as a monitor as well as we will do any final STAAR training!

March Birthdays

Becky Garrett - 7th

Kelly Burks - 8th

Sherri Kingsley - 16th

Beth Parker - 17th

Meredith Schaaf - 20th

Megan McGraw- 26th

Lorri Brehm - 30th

Shout Outs

Shout out to everyone for an amazing showing for our visitors from Wichita Falls ISD! They were blown away with the level of learning and can't wait to get back to their campuses to share with their educators!

Shout out to everyone for an incredible Open House! The parents were so complimentary of everything going on in the building! Heard great things about the technology being showcased, the learning in the hallways and in the classrooms!

Shout out to Cathy Wilson, Mary Kennington and Kim Becker for helping with our writing data dive last week!

Shout out to Coach Yaegar for the great job he has done in his long term sub for Ashley! His dedication to our kiddos and positive spirit has helped to keep TCE rolling right along in PE! Thank you!

Final Quotes

When you come back to school. . .start thinking about what kinds things you have down to help promote the power of a positive spirit with your kiddos. Think about some ways you can focus on their strengths and how you might share those with a small note, an email to parents or sharing shout outs in class.