Rowing in the Same Direction

As a young girl I went away to summer camp each year.  When I became an
older camper, one of the activities I could try out for was war canoe.  I know
it sounds strange if you were not a camper at my summer camp, but stick
with me.  It was a big deal to be chosen.  

After tryouts, decisions were made and a team was created.  The team
consisted of 11 girls; a stern and 5 bows made up our boat.  We worked
every day for almost a month to prepare for the big race.  The race took
place during Round Up.  Round Up was sort of a showcase for campers
to share some of their accomplishments to their parents.  

From the first day of war canoe we knew we were a part of something special.  
There were expectations communicated and commitments made.  We
worked every day to be a better team.  We practiced on land and in the
boat.  We had to listen to our stern; our leader as she made calls to “stroke.”  
We had to learn how to work in sync...as one instead of 10 separate people.  
We had to work equally hard to maintain balance of the boat or we would flip,
which did happen in the early days of practice.  We were bruised after
practices, but those bruises were badges of honor, knowing we worked
hard for our team.  On the day of the race, we had to trust each other, rely
on each other and not give up. Our parents were on the banks of the
Guadalupe River,  as was the entire camp watching as 22 campers put
their heart and muscle into the race.  The 22 of us in the boats knew we had
the support of more than just the 10 others in the boat, but that of our parents
and other campers.

I share this story because it is similar to the hard work and commitment
our staff puts in each and every day of the school year to support our
students and each other.  The vision and mission is shared.  We decided
collectively on our goals and focus areas.  Expectations are communicated
and revisited as the year progresses.  Commitments are made. Occasionally,  
adjustments are made to balance our boat.  We practice, evaluate, adjust,
change, learn and grow through hard work and practice.  We may even
get bruised every now and then.  Our commitment to our students and each
other is one of growth and progress.
We are committed to challenging one another to grow as learners in a
community of respect and acceptance.  We also want to empower
our students with tools to grow through nurturing relationships and
innovative experiences.  

This work is not easy and at times it can feel overwhelming.  We are
committed to the whole student, not just the academics side of a student.  
However, we need some mutual commitments from our Colt families.  
We want you to cheer “from the banks of FM 967” and we want you
to grab a paddle to help us row in the same direction; strengthening
our team and ultimately helping our students achieve.  Teamwork is
desired.  Communication is necessary.  Our students deserve our best!  

Reflections

With all of the hustle and bustle this time of year it is important to stop, celebrate, share and cheer.  2017 has come to an end and a new year filled with 365 days of possibilities is here.  

Carpenter Hill has been focusing on growth, not only in our students, but in our staff as well.  As we read, talk, observe, analyze and discuss all that is going on around our campus we ponder what else can we do or what haven’t we tried yet to improve our instructional delivery, growth in our relationships with others, to break down our standards and truly understand what the students need to do to demonstrate mastery of the content, and work together as a school community for the benefit of our students.  We meet regularly in various groups to discuss and reflect on our actions and those of our students. Talking is one thing and putting those thoughts into action is another thing all together.  

I am thankful I work with a staff that is willing to try new things.  To approach our work in a different manner in order to reach our students and push them to new heights.  We are all growing in our understanding that mistakes will happen and to not give up.  More and more conversations take place surrounding intentional grouping, accountability for all, students setting goals for themselves, incorporating a reflection component to lessons, and how to use technology in meaningful ways.  

We have data to support the growth our students are making in math, which is a focus for our campus.  Our students recently completed interim assessments and we will disaggregate that data and determine our next steps.  We will also look at our Developmental Reading Assessment results and create a plan to meet the needs of all of our students, not just the students that are struggling.  We are committed to our students’ growth.  We are student-driven and data informed.  We need data sets to determine our next steps to helping our students continue to learn and grow.

I am grateful for the community I work with and serve.  We have common purpose, commitment and vision.  We will continue to improve.  We will keep asking questions and seeking answers.  We will challenge one another in respectful ways.  We will support one another as we try new things.  Our students matter.  Our teachers and staff matter.  Our families matter.  Working together is critical.  I recently read “great teams consist of players who keep pulling on the same end of the rope no matter what.”  Here’s to 2018 and continued growth, adventure, laughter, knowledge and cheer.

Thankful

It is that time of year when the holidays are all around us.  We are reminded of the blessings and gratitude we feel for the people in our lives.  I am so grateful for the Carpenter Hill Colts and  every person that is a part of our school community.  

Our students have engaged in a gratitude project throughout the month of November.   The idea sparked and has grown into something much bigger.  At the top and bottom of the stairs are materials to write a note to someone in the building to share your gratitude.  This idea has continued into the month of December in the form of gratitude Christmas cards.  In addition, this project has extended beyond our four walls.  All of our first through fifth grade students created a Christmas card for a young man who is in the hospital.  I was overwhelmed by the care and warmth extended by our students.  They do not know this young man, but they know he is in the hospital during this time of year.  It melts my heart to see the outpouring of love our students have for others.  

Colts (and their families) are working hard to stay healthy and attend school every day.  We know that attendance matters.  We miss our students when they are away.  We continue to strive for 97% and better each week.  Even with holiday plans and illness entering the school we had 96.97% attendance last week.  We want our students present to grow their brains and continue to share their knowledge and understanding with others.  

We are working hard to finish the semester strong.  When visiting classrooms students are all abuzz with excitement and eager to share their learning and knowledge. Whether they are working on Dreambox, talking about geometry, writing in their journals (and adding a detailed picture), playing soccer, practicing for a holiday performance, coding, or meeting with their teacher in small groups they want to share their experiences.  Our teachers continue planning engaging lessons.  Students are actively involved in their learning.

Our students continue to grow in math.  We are tracking student progress with our resources Formative Loop and Dreambox.  We know math can be difficult and that practice and persistence are necessary.  Our students, teachers and families are committed to the task.  Our students have mastered 16, 565 math skills in Formative Loop, which averages to approximately 31 skills per student.  Wow!!  Our students continue growing in their math numeracy in Dreambox too.  I am thankful for hard workers.

“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” around Carpenter Hill as holiday decorations or winter scenes fill our hallways.  Next week we will have a few dress up days for our students and staff to participate in should they choose.  With all of this fun we still have valuable assessments to complete to gauge progress.  

I am so thankful to be a part of this school.  What an amazing experience!  We have a community filled with hard working, good people desiring to make a difference for the students at Carpenter Hill. Blessings to everyone this season.

All my best,

Debbie

Celebrate...good times...come on!

There is a lot to celebrate at Carpenter Hill!   This year, we have been sharing about our growth on the morning announcements and during our staff PLCs as we continue our focus on math fact fluency and writing.  Another factor impacting our growth besides our planning, instructional delivery, talented teachers and hard working students, is our positive attendance data.  Because our students are present and excited to come to school each day, our campus earned the highest attendance rating for the first 9 weeks.  WooHoo!!  We know and believe attendance matters, but we can’t do it without your support, so thank you.  We have also shown an improvement in our attendance rating since last school year, which is equally exciting.  Not only are our students present, but we have 12 staff members with perfect attendance.  

Each week our students in grades 1-5 take Formative Loop assessments.  Our students are practicing their math facts to increase their automaticity.  Automaticity shows up in our second grade TEKS under number and operations and has shown to be an area we need to grow in at CHES.  The second grade standard 2.4 states, “The student applies mathematical process standards to develop and use strategies and methods for whole number computations in order to solve addition and subtraction problems with efficiency and accuracy.”  In a nutshell, automaticity can be defined as executing a basic fact with speed and accuracy with little or no conscious effort.  Assessing students on math facts in isolation will not necessarily help students achieve automaticity; however, it does provide valuable information that allows our teachers to create additional strategies and targeted support to help our students based on individual needs. Targeted support comes in many forms such as games, flashcards, partner work, and time with the teacher. Overall, our desire is to grow independent learners.

Our students are involved in monitoring their progress of Formative Loop skills mastered.  We have some exciting data sets to share.  Our students have mastered 13,780 skills so far this year, which averages to about 26 skills per student and it is only November. This is significantly greater than last year at this time.  In addition to the growing skills mastered, our students and teachers have verbalized the improvement and ease of acquisition of newly introduced math as a result of truly understanding previously taught concepts.

Dreambox is another resource we are using with our students to track and monitor growth in math.  Hays CISD has purchased the program for our K-2 students and our most recent fundraiser, the Colt Stampede, is purchasing the program for our 3rd - 5th grade students.  We have seen a 17% growth since we began using this program this school year.  Teachers are able to set students on a path based upon student need, previously taught content, or upcoming content.  Our students have already completed 14, 437 lessons.  Our students love it!  The program is engaging and sophisticated.  

Both of these resources are supporting the work our classroom teachers are doing for our students in the classroom.  Our most recent interim assessment data for our 2nd - 5th grade students supports that statement.  Each grade level showed growth from last year to this year from 3% - 44% gains on passing the assessment.  We are also monitoring the percentage of students mastering the content, which also had gains.  Most grade levels saw an increase in the number of students mastering the content from 4% to 21%.  This is exciting news!!!  

Our students are writing all around our school.  Writing is displayed in our hallways and in classrooms.  Our students are writing in math, science, social studies, english and just because.  It is exciting to see our students’ taking risks in their writing.  When you are on campus I invite you on a tour of our hallways, and check out our students’ writing.

We are committed to challenging ourselves and our students to grow as learners in a community of respect.  We want to empower students with the tools to grow through nurturing relationships and innovative educational experiences.  

Celebrate...good times...come on!  

Off to a Healthy Start

Our Colts are off to a healthy start this school year.  Colts are running laps on our track, choosing a healthy snack midday, participating in Go Noodle movement breaks, talking about emotional wellness during class meetings and/or guidance lessons and spending 2 days a week in physical education class all in an effort for a more balanced, healthy lifestyle.  Our students have engaged in 30, 905 minutes of Go Noodle during late August and September.  

In an effort to communicate aspects of our wellness plan information will be highlighted throughout the school year. Information has been sent home to families about some changes regarding our nutrition guidelines.  We do have some exempt days such as class parties.  During these exempt days additional foods may be served; however, we will consistently be mindful of food allergies some of our students have in each class and avoid those foods.

Our 3rd through 5th grade students are practicing aspects of the Fitnessgram.  They are supporting one another as they count curl ups, push ups and measure flexibility with their trunk and limbs.  

Our Colt Stampede is coming up on October 13th. Our students will run/walk laps during their Specials time.  Pledges will be made ahead of time and donations collected.  This is our big school fundraiser.  Family members are welcome to join us on Friday to participate with their student.

Some other school-wide physical activity events on our calendar this school year are:

School Walk for Diabetes

5th grade Track Day

Field Day

Some healthy tips:

Drink lots of water

Take the stairs when possible

Choose Go foods and not Whoa foods.

Consider joining us for some of our school-wide physical activity events. Support all of us as we continue to explore and participate in healthy lifestyle choices.

New teammates

We continue to grow at Carpenter Hill.  We have added some new staff to our team in the last 3 weeks..  Please welcome:

Ashley Scasta - Special Education paraprofessional

Peyton Perez - 1st grade teacher

Tanya Spain - Attendance Clerk

It is great to have our team complete!  Looking forward to building on the strength already here at CHES.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

We have been talking about respect at Carpenter Hill.  What does it look like and sound like?  Each morning on our announcements we say the Carpenter Hill Pledge.  It is as follows:

I am a Carpenter Hill Colt

I will respect myself, others and property

I will strive for my personal best everyday

We have been sharing the importance of what those words mean.  We are encouraging students to mean what they say when they say these words each day.  It is a collective effort to reinforce manners and respect.

Unfortunately we have needed to address some ways in which our students are showing disrespect to our school property.  Partner with us as we continue providing examples of what it means to be respectful, what it looks like and sounds like.  We have talked about the power of words.