Wink’s Weekly Words
I had the best time last week with the BRMS teachers in a Lunch and Learn led by Roma Morgan with Gayla Brummett, Mary Townsend, Sarah Hall, and Judy Phifer. The topic was Google Cast and how it works. The greatest part of the session was how Roma incorporated exploration with the tool into our learning. It led to laughter and excitement as we found things we need to do and things we need to watch out for as well. While this was just a 20 minute segment of time, it was POWERFUL. It reminded me that learning is not what we do in 45 minutes or even in a day. It’s what we do with 5-15 minutes. It’s how we optimize our time. It’s how we find the relevance in what we need to learn.
This week, I encourage you to chase excellence by inviting exploration, collaboration and laughter into your classroom. It will accelerate student learning.
Blue Ridge Fall Festival - Sat, 10/21
The BR Fall Festival is set for Saturday, October 21 from 8 - 4. This event is going to have tons of fun events including a Zombie Run, Pony Rides, Inflatable Bounce Houses/Obstacle Courses in the Gym, and lots of food, vendors, etc.
VOLUNTEERS - If you would like to help out by working the event, please email or call Shawn Harris to let her know.
FREE T-SHIRT - If you volunteer, you will get a cool BR Fall Festival T-Shirt.
Amy’s Announcements
- Textbook Committee - I need a few teachers who will serve on our District Textbook Committee, which will help me evaluate potential adoptions. If you’re willing to serve, please let me know. It won’t require much time. I would appreciate it greatly.
- C4B4Me for Technology/Program Support - Just as we ask our students to C4B4Me, here’s our C4B4Me for staff!
- To make a request in Eduphoria HelpDesk:
- It looks a little different after some configuring was done.
- Below are the screenshots.
- Choose the department.
2. Under the Technology department, choose the category for your need. It will route to the appropriate person who can handle your request.
- Eduphoria - Appraise/Strive/Workshop
- If you go into Eduphoria, you’ll notice that the Appraise icon has disappeared. Appraise is now part of an application called “Strive.” Stive will eventually also house Workshop.
- Strive will combine Appraise and Workshop encompassing goal-setting, professional development, and evaluation.
MAP Resources - As you begin looking at MAP data, a couple of good reports to start with are:
- Learning Continuum
- Student Profile Report
Feel free to access all the reports you wish.
Staff Shoutout
A BIG thank you to Melissa Stiney for moderating our first #BRISDLearns Twitter Chat of the 1718 school year. See the Storify of all tweets here: https://storify.com/ahopkins/brisdlearns-twitter-chat-9-25-2017
Be sure to join in next month!
Technology Announcements
- Internet/Fiber - The district is in the process of converting to fiber. When this process is complete, it will more than triple our bandwidth, making our internet much faster. The work is scheduled to be completed by the first of November. We’re excited to see how this positively impacts our staff and students!
Business Office Announcements
- Six Weeks Attendance checks will be issued on Tuesday, October 10th.
- Food service balances may NOT exceed $30 per employee and per employee’s student. Please make sure you are keeping an eye on your account so this does not become an issue.
- Regarding student meals: General Operating will pay for approved student meals beyond District. General Operating will not pay for any student meals for practice events. Activity account funds may be used with prior approval and available funds.
Special Programs Announcements
- Follow BRISD Dyslexia Therapy on FB
Upcoming Events (next 3 weeks)
See Mr. Wink’s blog for sports & community events.
- 9/25 - 9/29 - 1st Formative Assessments Given
- Fri, Sep 29 - End of 6 Weeks Grading Period (Eligibility Check)
- Mon, Oct 2 - School Holiday for Texas State Fair
