Week of May 14-18

WINK’S WEEKLY WORDS

CLICK HERE TO READ MY BLUE RIDGE COMMUNITY BLOG

Teacher Appreciation Week was a huge success, and you deserve it for all that you do for the kids.  If you get a chance please take time to thank the folks who coordinated the week for you.  Shawn Harris, Angie Lillard, Faith Jech, and Denise Avery are just a few to name.

DONUT FRET FRIDAY is tomorrow.
Please come ready for breakfast because we are providing it for you.

Also, great job to our HS staff for a smooth week of EOC testing.  I know the kids will grow in their performance.  Thank you also to our elementary and middle school staff for their hard work leading up to next week's test.  To all of you I thank you for all that you have done to prepare our students to reach their +10 goals.  Regardless of the outcomes, we have put in the work, and you are to be commended for your efforts.  Thank you for doing such a great job.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Laura Larsen whose husband, Aaron, lost his battle with cancer.  His services are set for Saturday, May 19 at 4 p.m. at Turrentine-Jackson-Morros Funeral Home Chapel at 2525 Central Expressway North in Allen.

A YouCaring account has been established by Stephanie McPherson and Erica Gudgel to help Laura with medical expenses.  If you would like to contribute, I know she would be appreciative.  As many of you know, Laura is an amazing educator who gives selflessly of herself to help others, and at this time she needs our support and our prayers.

CURRICULUM ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please read your Test Administrator Manual prior test day.  HERE is a link to your Test Administrator Training
that you had in April to review your responsibilities. Mrs. Kay and Mrs. Douglas are scheduling testing meetings with each campus. Be looking for communication from them for your required testing meeting prior to the May STAAR administrations.

The end of the year MAP testing window is currently open and closes Friday, May 18th. When planning for MAP testing, please keep in mind that STAAR testing at the Middle and Elementary Schools will take place May 14-16.

See your campus administrator with any questions regarding the scheduling of the MAP tests. Also, be on the lookout for more communication from your MAP contacts (Ashley Elder, Mary Townsend, Stacey Flanagan) regarding the completion of this last MAP assessment.

Last week, we celebrated growth in our 5th and 8th STAAR scores.  Check out how our students stacked up against Region 10.  Awesome work!

Tested Area at Standard	17-18 BRISD Students at Standard	17-18 Region 10 Students at Standard	Region +/-
5th Reading Approaches	80%	79%	+1
5th Reading Meets	46%	54%	-8
5th Reading Masters	25%	28%	-3
5th Math Approaches	95%	84%	+11
5th Math Meets	63%	58%	+5
5th Math Masters	28%	32%	-4
8th Reading Approaches	76%	77%	-1
8th Reading Meets	58%	48%	+10
8th Reading Masters	33%	27%	+6
8th Math Approaches	90%	79%	+11
8th Math Meets	73%	51%	+22
8th Math Masters	30%	16%	+14

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

We are excited to welcome Region 10 to our district May 30th for Vertical Team learning as we strengthen our understanding of TEKS Resource System, and how it can be most effectively utilized to build rigorous lessons!

The plan for the week of May 28th:

• May 29th - Using the essential SEs and the BRISD Assessment Calendar to build your Year At a Glance (YAG) for the 2018-19 school year.

• May 30th - Vertical Team learning with Region 10.

• May 31st - Working in vertical teams to refine subject level expectation documents, then begin building Lesson Plans for 2018-19.

Remember that attending May 30th and May 31st will account for 2 of the 5 professional learning days needed during the summer.

Revolutionizing Learning
Registration is now open for the Revolutionizing Learning Conference. It will be on July 24th and 25th at Royse
City High School. Please go to http://www.rlchat.com/ for more information or click here to register. You can earn
your GT hours by attending one day of RL.

Testing Announcements
Please read your Test Administrator Manual prior test day.  HERE is a link to your Test Administrator Training
that you had in April to review your responsibilities. Mrs. Kay and Mrs. Douglas are scheduling testing meetings with each campus. Be looking for communication from them for your required testing meeting prior to the May STAAR and EOC administrations.

The end of the year MAP testing window is currently open and closes Friday, May 18th. When planning for MAP testing, please keep in mind that Algebra I, Biology, and US History EOC testing will take place May 8-10, and STAAR testing at the Middle and Elementary Schools will take place May 14-16.

See your campus administrator with any questions regarding the scheduling of the MAP tests. Also, be on the lookout for more communication from your MAP contacts (Ashley Elder, Mary Townsend, Stacey Flanagan) regarding the completion of this last MAP assessment.

STAFF SHOUTOUT

Angie Lillard is an amazing lady.  Thank you to her for all that she did to organize our Athletic Banquet.  

Our Special Olympics Banquet was a huge success thanks to Mary Buchanan and Micki Smith.  Also thank you to Greg Morrison, Chellia Tallant, Nicole Gelvin, Heather Boyett, and Amanda Humphrey for helping our students have a successful year.

Our Band Banquet was a very successful thanks to the organization of David Terry and James Carpenter.  We are also very thankful for our band boosters and the work they do to support the kids.

Upcoming Events

• May 14 - ES & MS STAAR Testing Week
• May 25 - Last Day of School & Showcase Showdown
• May 26 - Graduation

See Wink's Post for more events

Are you ready for the Showcase Showdown???

SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN

Here are 10 more names winning a ticket to the Showdown

• Alise Burke
• Rene Elder
• Erin Hale
• Lynn Langwell
• Amanda Nichol
• Leslie Packard
• Lisa Reeves
• Melissa Stiney
• Jennifer Stroup
• Kenny Williams

Every week we will pull 10 names.  Find out how many tickets you will get to win the Prize is Right on
Friday, May 25 at 1:30 p.m.

Below are the folks who are making donations for the End of the Year Showcase Showdown. I hope you are
finding "usual" and "unusual" things to "Make a Deal".  

TECHNOLOGY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Be a Presenter at Revolutionizing Learning 2018
Revolutionizing Learning is looking for presenters to lead engaging and exciting sessions during RL 2018. We would
love to see BRISD educators sharing their knowledge and excellence with other educators. Anyone who presents
at Revolutionizing Learning or any other professional conference will receive an additional Flex Day. If you are
interested please go to http://www.rlchat.com/ or click here to submit a session proposal. If you would like help composing
your proposal please email melissa.stiney@brisd.net