Lion's Lore

Hello RLT!



On Wednesday evening, we held an open informational meeting in the auditorium regarding AYP. We offered parents, students and community members and explanation of both the AEIS (State) and AYP (Federal) rating systems. The agenda opened with the many celebrations for the academic rigor that has led to National Merit Scholarships, 3 campus academies, over 1100 students in advanced courses, and Turner placing first in the district in 2008 Newsweek Magazine’s roster of top high schools in the nation. Following the celebrations, we spoke candidly about the differences in the two rating systems and assuaged the fear and curiosity of what it means to miss AYP.

The response was one of support and a sense of urgency to share the conversation with the community. The conversation led to genuine parent interest regarding the plan to address the needs of our LEP students, communication with the student body, and educating the community about the accountability systems.

Lastly, the parents were truly complimentary about the teachers of RLT. They know you all are doing great things for their kids. Keep up the good work!

MINDSET MINUTE:
Brain research is not only buzzword these days, but becoming essential to the business of education. See the chart (link) to learn more about Mindset. S:\mindset

DIGITAL COFFEE:
In the spirit of having a Growth Mindset, at R.L. Turner we are doing our very best to GO GREEN! AMAT will soon start featuring the GO GREEN Minute on Announcements shown during 5th period. Even though it’s the week of Halloween, don’t let the video clip below scare you! Everybody has to start somewhere! Let’s GO GREEN Lions!

YouTube or TeacherTube
Title: Going Green Debate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ-zGUXrPkg

Have a great weekend,

Lance

Lion's Lore

Hello RLT!

On Monday evening, the district hosted the annual Service Recognition Dinner for individuals who have served for ten or more years in the district. We had 19 individuals recognized for their service in CFB (a total of 295 years served in the district). Wow!

We would like to express our appreciation to the following individuals for their years of service in our district.

10 years Pam Binford, Grace Carrillo, Chen Chin, Lori Dumerer, Claudia Halman, Eric Hill, Raul Martinez, Monica Reaves, Sophorn Sath, Rick Staskus & Bob Sweat

15 years Christy Myers, Janet Nienhiser, & Mansoureh Tehrani

20 years Kay North

25 years Tracy Gandee & Hen Thoa

30 years Vince Cowdrey

35 years Buddy Reyes

Thank you all for making a difference!

Lion's Lore

Hello RLT!


Our mindset this week focuses on supporting our CFB community. The Educational Foundation Employee Giving Campaign has begun! Every year, RLT leads the way in contributions in C-FB. Many of our teachers and students have benefited over the years from grants and scholarships awarded through the C-FB Educational Foundation. You can make a contribution in several ways: a monthly payroll deduction amount, a direct one-time contribution (check or cash), or a one-time contribution by Visa or MasterCard. Forms will be in your boxes today that explain the details. Contributions can be turned in to Cathy Burton in the main office. Everyone who contributes is eligible to win prizes through weekly drawings, and we are offering some special incentives to those who make a contribution.


Last year, our campus became the first high school in C-FB history to have 100% participation. We hope you will consider making a contribution this year, and help the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Educational Foundation continue to enrich the lives of teachers and students in our school community. Thanks to Vince Cowdrey for serving as our Foundation Rep!



R.L. Turner individual incentives for contributing $5 or more:

• Jeans for one week!


• Weekly drawings!

Department incentives:

• Each department that has 100% participation receives breakfast!


• An additional week of jeans when your department reaches 100%!

AND NOW...

This week's video brought to you by your very own Millennials in the AMAT Studios, to be shown district-wide! Please watch to learn more about the CFB Educational Foundation.

S:\Educational Foundation

Have a great weekend,

Lance

Lion's Lore

Hello RLT!

We would like to welcome Tim Stone to R.L. Turner. Tim will work in METSA as an English teacher. Additionally, we would like everyone to know he is an RLT graduate, from the Class of 2004. Welcome Tim!

As you know, one of our campus goals is to increase our attendance rate for the 2008-2009 school year. Even though our tardy numbers have increased, our attendance data has improved from last year . We feel our hall monitors have greatly impacted the number of students leaving campus due to being tardy.

The following represents the first six weeks attendance data.

• 9th Grade 95%
• 10th Grade 95%
• 11th Grade 96%
• 12th Grade 96%
• Overall data 95.6%

Lastly, we have seen our referral numbers drop below last year’s total. Certainly we are at the early stages of the year; however, when looking at the number of referrals over the past three years, we continue to improve. S:\discipline data

Digital Coffee:

No more Old School: A cry from the millennials:
Let me use the www. Whatever, Whenever, Wherever.
Please see the clip below and consider new ways to engage your students.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-ZVCjfWf8

Mindset Minute:

Consider the video above and the use of white boards-- how can you get immediate feedback to and from your students? Consider using the whiteboards for instant feedback on yes/no, math problems, chalk talk, or practically any idea. This is immediate engagement with your students.


Get some rest…you all deserve a break.

Lance

Lion's Lore

Hello RLT!

First, we would like to recognize our Pride of the Lion’s recipients. We know there are many more to recognize so keep the recommendations coming.

Pride of the Lions for October:
Ampero Weng, Paula Turner, Tyrone Larkins, Kevin Loeffler, Sherri Wilcox, Brandon Walters, Sandy Burkhart, Amanda Opipare and Joe Guerrero.

Instructional Tip of the Week:
As we conclude this first six weeks, we have processed our classroom walkthroughs this year in an effort to look for patterns in instruction across the building. We want to continue this dialogue throughout the year.

Patterns for celebration:
Learning goals posted in most classrooms
Student engagement
Students working collaboratively
Alignment of learning goal and activity

Patterns for growth:
More teacher talk than student talk
Critical thinking and conceptual understanding

James Hattie remarked that incredible student growth can occur when students receive “dollops of feedback.” To provide feedback, the students must be talking, performing, doing, and writing. “Feedback matches specific descriptions and suggestions with a particular student’s work. It is just-in-time, just-for-me information delivered when and where it can do the most good.”

We think the link below from Susan Brookhart’s How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students is a good reminder about different ways we can use and deliver feedback to students.




S:\Blog Stuff\Feedback



Digital Coffee
As the six weeks comes to a close, don't get bogged down in details, remember there is always a solution and we are here to support you in every way. Thank you for all you do! Watch this for a funny reminder!

S:\AMAT\Details.wmv




Mindset Minute
Please be open to extending your tutorial times to students who are involved in extra curricular activities. Not only are they trying to maintain or get their grades up, but some might be trying to gain back eligibility. Understanding the content is the purpose of our teaching.



Beat Smith!


Have a great weekend,
Lance