Dedication and Volunteerism By Julie Bevrotte

 

 

I have had the honor of being the sponsor for the TWE Safety Patrol for the last two years.  Each nine weeks, 5^th grade students are given the opportunity to volunteer to participate in this school activity. With service being an integral part of our school community at Tom Wilson, we have had over seventy-five fifth grade students volunteer thus far this school year.  Each morning, these dedicated students arrive at 7:45 to prepare for the day by organizing materials for teachers, greeting students as they arrive from car rider and buses, and displaying the American and Texas Flags.  Afternoon patrollers are just as valuable.  They work to ensure that students get to dismissal locations and get home safely each afternoon.  TWE would not have the organized morning and afternoon procedures without the dedicated service of our school Safety Patrol.  From all of us at TWE, WE THANK YOU for your service to our school!

 

 

 

 

 

Meet your 2015-2016 Car Rider Teachers

 

You may have noticed some new faces this year in the morning when you are dropping off your children. Mrs. Luftop, dyslexia teacher, is at the front of the line at the first cone. Ms. Fox, GT/challenge teacher, is usually in the middle or near the end.  Mrs. Haseltine, academic support teacher, is at the end of the line. We all work with students Kinder-5^th grade and have been at TWE since it opened!  We enjoy greeting the kids each day and welcoming them to school. Depending on the day, you will also see several other staff members and Watch Dog dads.  You will also see our 5^th grade volunteer safety patrollers. Our goal is to get the students into school safely before 8:20!  However, sometimes we are shorthanded, having inclement weather, or new helpers.  We appreciate your patience, waves, and smiles!

 

Authors at Work by TWE ESOL ISSTs

Top Writing Tips for Helping our ESL Learners

                                                                                

Our ESL students are working hard to become great authors!  Here are a few tips when working on writing at home:

·         Draw and label pictures- Let your child draw a picture of what they want to write about.  This helps them gather ideas about their topic.  After drawing the picture label all of the key components in English.  This will help them get ready to write their story.

 

·         Sentence frames- Give your child sentence starters and allow them to fill in the rest of the sentence.  For example:  Tomorrow we will go to __________.

 

·         Translate key words- Have a device or dictionary readily available in the writing area, so that your child can translate unknown words.

 

·         Write about familiar topics- Your child will feel most comfortable writing about what they know.  Let them choose topics that interest them.  School is often a comfortable topic, since they are exposed to English vocabulary throughout the school day.

 

·         Use books- Books often model good writing.  Your child can use the format, topic, and vocabulary to help create their own writing.

 

·         Correct, but don’t overcorrect- Choose one important error that you would like your child to improve upon.  For example:  a verb tense, punctuation or adding a descriptive detail.

 

 The most important tip is to have fun while writing! 

5 Myths and Realities about ESL students by TWE ESOL ISSTs

Myth 1:  learning a second language is an entirely different process from learning ones native language.

Reality 1:  Learning the linguistic structure and rules of a second language occurs in much the same way as the first language developed however, learning a second language takes time and support. 

Myth 2:  Teachers should discourage students from speaking their native language as this will hinder their English language development.

Reality 2:  Using their native language facilitates cognitive and academic growth. Speaking their native language with their parents is important and should be respected and encouraged. Bilingualism is an asset to the individual and the community, and should be encouraged.

Myth 3:  Once students can speak with reasonable fluency, they can pick up the academic work.

Reality 3:  Social language called BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) is generally acquired within 2 years of emersion however, CALPS (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency Skills) take many years to develop.

Myth 4:  If the ESL teacher could take the student more often and just focus on teaching the English language to ESL students, learning in all areas would occur faster.

Reality 4:  Language is a developmental process and it takes time; consistent, cognitive development in all subject areas is just as important as hours of ESL instruction.

Classroom teachers providing comprehensible input is important to academic success and language learning.

Myth 5: Until students learn English there is no point in trying to teach them content area subjects.

Reality 5:  ESL students need to continue their content education. One of the recognized ways to learn a language is to be taught content in the target language by teachers who use good teaching practices.

 

It's All About the Brain by Taryn Fox (Challenge Teacher)

During the course to the year, Challenge (Gifted and Talented program) students study three BIG units. They are currently studying the brain. During this study the will look at the brain as an organ, and they will also study how their brain affects personality, emotions, intellect, etc. Visit the link below to find three documents that will allow your child to find out more about their personality and learning styles. Have fun!!!!!

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Ef8TwSEoUuxj_j8DoJxYqpG6iPidUlMF_k5ZMTc9XU0/edit?usp=sharing

How They Serve: TWE Cafeteria Staff by Charlotte Gilder - Asst. Principal

 

                Throughout TWE, we have many staff members who serve our students, and other staff members every day.  There are some that may come to mind more often, like our teachers, our paraprofessionals, our administrators and our office staff, however we have many others that play an important role in the daily operations of our campus. The cafeteria staff plays a crucial role in serving our students, as well as our staff members, from early in the morning until the afternoon hours, they are feverously preparing and cooking food to serve during breakfast and lunch times.  These ladies ALWAYS have a smile on their faces, and are very compassionate to our students.  We truly appreciate the service that they provide us here at TWE.  The next time that you see any of these staff members, please show them a big smile, and tell them THANK YOU!

How They Serve: TWE Custodial Staff by Charlotte Gilder

 

                We all appreciate being around neat and organized environments, and without these individuals, we would not be able to consistently keep up with the daily tasks that they do in order to keep TWE clean! These individuals work into the late evening and night hours, to assure us a fresh start each morning, as well as working throughout the day to keep the café tidy, the restrooms clean, and many other tasks to keep our learning environment a healthy one as well!!  We appreciate all of the hard work that they do for us -especially when some of the tasks that they do are ones that many of us would not want to volunteer ourselves to do.  Be sure to let them know how much you appreciate them the next time you are on campus; they are vital staff members at TWE!

How TWE Teachers Serve Others by Charlotte Gilder - Asst. Principal

 

Teachers are some of the most spectacular people I know.  Of course, we know they spend lots of their time serving the students they teach each day, but when asked if they had anytime to serve other outside of school the response was OVERWHELMING.  Take a look at the great things TWE teachers are doing in Katy and surrounding areas to build community.

·        I like to volunteer with my teenaged boys at the Beacon, which is a ministry to the homeless in Downtown Houston.  Also in the summer, the boys and I regularly volunteer at Lunches of Love.  (Mrs. Baisden, academic support teacher)

·        My church participates in Operation Christmas each year and I filled a shoebox with fun things for a child in need. It was really neat, because we were able to track our shoebox and see what part of the country our box went to! Mine went to a little girl in Cambodia J It was so fun to do something selfless for a young child so that they can have a nice Christmas! Next year, my family and I decided to start the “white envelope” tradition, where we make a donation to an organization instead of receiving gifts.. (Ms. Morgan, 3^rd grade teacher)

·        Tomorrow my kids and I are volunteering at House of Amos.  We volunteered for Cross Walk Houston and Family Point Ministries over the holidays.  We also make sack lunches once a month for a Houston shelter.  (Mrs. Shorter, art teacher)

·         I play the piano for my church every Sunday.  It is one of the highlight of my week!  (Mrs. Ross, 2^nd grade teacher)

·        I volunteer with the Junior League of Houston through our community projects. This year, I have been busy sewing diaper bags and changing pads for the Baylor Teen Health Clinic and Houston Area Women's Center, as well as making overnight bags for children spending the night at the Children's Museum of Houston. My fiancé, Philip, and I also volunteer at the Houston Food Bank with his law firm.   (Ms. Schieffer, 4^th grade teacher)

·        I volunteer at Grace Fellowship United Methodist Church with junior high and high school students. Each Sunday I help welcome junior high and high school students. I also volunteer to serve at many youth events throughout the year. This summer I volunteered for a junior high mission trip in Atlanta. We worked with meal program for senior citizens and we worked with refugees.   (Mrs. Heinold, 1^st grade teacher)

·        I volunteer at our church's Current Cupboard, handing out food to needy families in Katy.  (Mrs. Tas, kindergarten teacher)

·        Girl Scout cookie mom.  (Mrs. Artley, 5^th grade teacher)

·        I am a co-leader for my daughter’s brownie troop and a cookie manager. We do service projects like packing lunches for the downtown 3^rd ward. We made blankets for the Ronald Mc Donald house. ( Mrs. Creighton, 2^nd grade teacher)

·        We made first aid kits to donate. We donate our cookies to the Ballard House that we do not sell.

• Coaching basketball, coaching DI, volunteering at FUMC in Richmond, and making lunches for Lunches of Love.  (Ms. Fox, GT teacher)

PACKTASTIC!!!!!!!

Why Helping Others Makes Us Happy By Charlotte Gilder

 

 

We ended our week by allowing students to spend Friday, January 15 doing service projects to embrace the spirit of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.  I know we are often busy with the hustle and bustle of life, but have you thought about the many things you and your families do for others?  Well, this thought spurred me to do a little research on the benefits of volunteering or helping others.  Of course, there are so many benefits, but I will spotlight a few for you:

·        Serving others reduces stress.  When we help others our bodies release a hormone called oxytocin, which buffers stress and helps us maintain social trust and tranquility.

·        People who volunteer tend to have a higher self-esteem, psychological well-being, and happiness.   Higher self-esteem can be linked to improved health and longevity of life.

·        Research has linked youth volunteering to a higher quality of life as an adult. 

Of course, I’ve only touched the a few components of the benefits of volunteering or serving others in the blog.  However, I hope you have been motivated to get out and serve others:  “The only really happy people are those who have learned how to serve.”  Albert Schweitzer

 

 

 

 

The remaining blogs for this week will spotlight  TWE adults serving others. 

Teachers: Nurse/Caregiver/Nurturer by Jamie Brown - Asst. Principal

 

Teachers may not have gone to school to practice medicine, but they provide the first stages of medical care to students on a daily basis. They have to know what to do when a student has a broken arm, skins their knee, has a bloody nose, throws up, has an allergic reaction, has an asthma attack, has a seizure, and the list goes on and on. Until the school nurse arrives, teachers are providing the appropriate care to students and reassuring students that everything is going to be okay.

On any given day, teachers kiss an ouchy, apply a Band-Aid that may or may not really be needed, put Vaseline on chapped lips, and offer water, snacks or rest to students who may not be feeling well but don’t have a fever.

It is during these times of medical need that you can really see the bond between a student and a teacher. During emergency situations, students are comforted when they are in the presence of the teachers that they know and love.

Teachers play many important roles in the lives of children. One is not more important than another. The teachers at TWE know the influence and importance of what they do. Each teacher enters this school every day because they love what they do and they want to make a difference in student’s lives.

Thank you to all of the teachers here at TWE who put student’s first in everything they do!

 

 

 

Teachers: Lifelong Learners/Instructional Experts/Content Specialists/Implementers by Jamie Brown - Asst. Principal

 

As students and education are ever changing teachers participate in various professional learning opportunities to stay informed of best teaching practices and improve their craft. Providing a professional learning community for teachers is a top priority for our administrative team. Our teachers attend a Professional Development Rotation every two weeks lead by our instructional coaches. The topics vary based on campus, grade level team and student needs.

 

Throughout the school year teachers have opportunities to attend conferences and participate in vertical team meetings. When teachers attend conferences they bring the information back and present it to other staff members in the building. Vertical teams allow teachers to collaborate with teachers from other grade levels that teach the same content area. They talk about topics students struggle with, the best ways to teach certain topics and discuss alignment from grade level to grade level.

During the school year and over summer break, our teachers participate in book studies. After reading the book, they have conversations with their colleagues, implement new learning, and make adjustments within their classrooms as needed. In addition, various professional development sessions are provided to teachers throughout the year on and off campus.

Our teachers also participate in less formal professional development opportunities that include Twitter and Think Tanks. The teachers at TWE are continuously learning in a variety of ways. They are constantly pushing themselves to be master teachers, and they do it because they want to give their very best to the students in their class. 

 

 

 

 

Teachers: Relationship Builder/Counselor/Confidant/Cheerleader by Jamie Brown - Asst. Principal

 

Relationships are at the heart of what teachers do. There are many books, articles and videos about the importance of relationships in relation to learning. Below is a link to a TED talk Rita Pierson gave on the importance of relationships.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ted-talks-education/speaker/rita-pierson/

Teachers at TWE build relationships in a variety of ways that include: greeting students at the door each morning, talking with students at recess, conversations during reading/writing conferences, relating to students on a personal level by telling stories, sharing personal information about themselves, morning meetings, classroom community building, and the list goes on and on.

By building relationships, teachers are able to counsel students -  becoming a trusted confidant and cheerleader for students. Our teachers are there to listen and support students when they have a rough morning at home, experience loss, don’t understand a problem, are feeling self-defeated, or struggle with friendships. Not only to support in the moments of struggle and strife, but they are there to cheer students on when they complete the problem themselves successfully, have a new baby brother or sister, make a new friend, or score the winning goal during their soccer games.

Through the ups and downs teachers are there to offer an encouraging word. The relationships teachers build and cultivate on a daily basis are irreplaceable and priceless.

Teachers: Educators/Instructors/Interventionists by Jamie Brown Asst. Principal

 

 

Affective instruction always starts with affective planning. In order to ensure that we are getting the most of instruction the teachers at TWE plan collaboratively. They use their knowledge of their students, TEKs and researched based instructional strategies to plan mini-lessons, small group lessons, interventions for struggling students, pack-time activities, various station activities, and projects. They integrate other content areas and technology while offering students opportunities to lead the learning when possible.

All of these lessons and activities may be changed or adjusted based on student and classroom needs. Classrooms are filled with students of all ability levels and our teachers do a great job of filling in gaps or extending the learning for students who are ready.

After all of the lessons are given and activities are completed our teachers reflect on their effectiveness and use data from grades/tests to guide future lessons and learning. The ultimate goal of all of this hard work is student success.

 

 

Teachers: Master Multi-taskers by Jamie Brown (Asst. Principal)

 

 

This week I would like to highlight teachers and some of the many roles they play in the lives of students each and every day.

In order to fulfill these many roles, teachers have to be master multi-taskers. Some may say that teachers have to be professional plate spinners. They have all of these plates spinning in the air and they run from plate to plate trying to keep them all spinning without letting one drop.

 

The qualities and attributes that teachers must obtain to be successful mulit-taskers/plate spinners are abundant. Below you will find just a few of the attributes that describe the teachers at TWE!

Check back tomorrow to learn more about how our teachers display these qualities.

Architect Hour by Rhonda Henderson

This year we have reinforced the positive behavior we see each day on our campus by rewarding the students with Wolfpack Way Rewards. Students are rewarded for individual and class efforts to follow the Wolfpack Way by earning Leader of the Pack tickets, WOW! tickets, Class tickets, etc. One of the menu choices for rewards during the 2nd nine week period was "Architect Hour". I recently got to spend time with three boys who chose this reward. They used their time to create with Mindcraft Legos. It was rewarding to them, but I got a bonus reward for myself because I was able to hear their creative thinking as they talked, watch them cooperate and encourage each other, learn about Mindcraft, and (most importantly) get to know these boys better. I am looking forward to our next Architect Hour!!!!

We started with this:

 

 

And ended up with this!!!!! What a fun time!!!!

More Favorite Things from the Fall

Today, our re-cap of the fall continues. So here we go.....

Teachers!!!! Where could we be without them? They work so hard and also know how to have lots of fun! They impact the world like no other profession!

 

DADS! What can you say....they are PAWSOME and bring a special positive energy to our school.  Father/son night was a huge success and well - Watchdogs- our dads are the best in KISD!!!!

 

Science!!!! It was never my favorite subject when I was in school, but I love it now! Hands-on! # STEAM

 

 

A Few of Our Favorite Things

Wow! It is hard to believe that the first semester has come and gone!!!! How does the saying go? "Time flies when you're having fun!" We have great kids and they help us make great memories! Here are a few of "my favorite things" from the first semester!

 

 

 

  

We have awesome volunteers at TWE including Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. Yes - those are Mr. Wilson's hands tapping out a tune with a student! Below that are the Wilsons with two of our favorite TWE smiles (Carrie Uberecken and Marcy Woodward)!

 

 

PTA Super Heroes! School store was a blast again - who doesn't love having elves and super heroes roaming the halls of the campus?

 

 

and....more people dressed in costume roaming the halls of TWE! Character Parade! This annual tradition brings smiles each year!

 

 

 

Pirates! ARRGH! Our fourth grade musical was a huge success!

 

 

 

PACKATHON - We seem to be blessed with great weather and lots of smiles each day! The generosity of the TWE community that just keeps on giving is PACKTASTIC!

 

 

 

The 3-D printer - individual students have chosen to use Wolfpack Way reward tickets to purchase time to design and print our special items. Each grade level will use during the year to print curriculum specific items to use to enhance instruction.

 

 

 

Check back tomorrow for some more of my favorite things from the fall semester!