September 10 - Ms. Mitchell's Kindergarten

Family is a word that often comes to mind when I think about Morton Ranch Elementary. Whether it is about the amazing staff we have at our school or the students, it truly is a family at the ranch. Nothing makes my heart more full than seeing my students reflecting that same attitude just three weeks into the school year.

At the end of our second week of school, we found out that one of our classmates was moving to another school. When it was time for him to leave us, the kids began saying goodbye and hugging our friend L. What was originally individual hugs, turned into one big group hug without hesitation! These little Mavericks acted as if they were one large family of siblings.

During week three, we welcomed a new friend to our class and this same attitude carried through as he got settled into a new routine. Every child wanted to share their crayons, show him around, and assist him in any way possible. We also welcomed some friends from Mrs. Luna’s class into our room to learn how to comment on a KidBlog post. Not only did we teach our new friends, but our new friends taught us.

I think that Lilo said it best, “’Ohana’ means family. Family means no one gets left behind.” Five and six year olds exemplify the meaning of family. I can’t wait to see what adventures are in store for our family this year!

Ms. Katie Mitchell

September 9 - Mrs. Casillas in our Library

The Magic of Checkers

My goal this year is to provide new experiences in the library. I sent out a plea to the MRE staff for a variety of items. Mrs. Spiares donated a checkers game to the library and little did I realize the magic this game contained. The game board sat quietly the first week of school even though intermediate grades came in for a quick check outs (the books outshined the game). It did attract the interest from a few students who asked about it, but due to the quick schedule students were not able to experience its magic. That is until the second week of school.

At first a student quietly asked about the game, could he play? Could he play now? Could he play when he came to the library? At that moment I know this game was going to be something special! Oh the conversation that has taken place around this table. Its talk of rules, strategy, suggestions, teaching, sharing stories about playing with family, collaboration, oh I could go on and on.

Yes, I have had to approach the table when needed but mostly as the “official” to decide if a particular move can be done. The version played in the library is what I labeled “Classic Checkers” no solders, no bomb movements, no bounce or swing across moves only Classic Checkers moves. Once we discussed good sportsmanship but overall what I have witnesses is teamwork, sharing and learning. For instance, after a highly competitive game one group shook hands and said well done all without being reminded or told to do that! That’s the magic of this game!

Some students have never played checkers and in these instances a classmate quickly comes forward saying “I’ll teach them!” We have a Watch Dog Grandpa who has really enjoyed sitting/standing around this table to play, listen, observe and pass along guidance. I suggested helping to monitor the game table to another volunteer Dad who quickly looked up rules to our classic game. He enjoyed learning & teaching kids that day!

Sometimes it’s a quiet game sometimes it louder. One teacher asked what my rules at this table were: only 4 students at a time? What was the expected voice level? I glanced over to the lively conversation at the game table. I looked back to her and responded “Let’s just see what happens”. The magic of checkers; it’s in the MRE library.

Mrs. Nidia Casillas

September 4, 2015 - Mrs. Dismuke's Second Grade

No matter what grade I have taught, I have always placed upmost importance in developing a school family. As part of any "family" there are various roles - the bottom line being that everyone contributes to make it all work. That's why I have always made classroom jobs an integral part of our classroom. 

Frequently when introducing new activities, my littles and I talk about their job and my job. I cannot do my job if they aren't doing theirs. They cannot do their job of becoming the best learners they can be if I'm not doing my job. We need each other. We make each other better. We make life even more rich by doing it with each other.

I shared the various jobs the first week of school, but when I announced on Monday that we were beginning our own jobs the excitement was unreal. Immediately students were calling dibs on the job of their choice, knowing that they would eventually rotate through them all. For me, it makes the classroom run much more smoothly, taking the "little things" off my plate. For them, it gives them the buy-in to take their part in the school family.

For them, they love assuming the role of an electrician, SmartBoard manager, door holder, calendar helper, horticulturist, office manager, meteorologist, photographer, Twitter manager, veterinarian, personal assistant, lunch helper, among many others. They never see it as a chore, joyfully doing all of these things, perhaps never genuinely knowing how much they really are helping.

For me, I never have to turn off the lights, hold a door, check the weather, water the plant, feed Alvin the fish, answer a telephone call, pick up red folders, keep up with our Go Bag, worry about the lunches making it down, or sharpening pencils. 

For us, we might have only spent ten days together, but this group of 22 individuals has quickly become a family.

Mrs. Christina Dismuke

September 1, 2015 - Mrs. Flores' Bilingual Kindergarten

The new school year is back in full swing, and my new students are excited as can be. Their eagerness to learn makes the long and grueling hours I spend working at the beginning of each new school year worth it. Their positive attitudes are contagious; from the second I wake up I feel energized and ready for a full day of teaching! This group of kids are as special as each and every single student that has been in my classrooms through my teaching career. From the first time they enter our classroom, we become a Kindergarten family. We all give and receive love, care, respect, and support.

I always tell my students that they can learn so much from the simplest things in life. Today I experienced how a Kindergarten student can channel his creativity and make a difference in the world. One of my students approached me while I was drinking a bottle of water and asked “Mrs. Flores, please do not throw away the cap when your finish the water. I would like to collect as many as I can so that my grandmother can take them to Monterrey, Mexico to help children like us, but who suffer from cancer”. I was speechless when I heard him asking all of his classmates to do the same. He came back to talk to me and asked if I could tell my family and friends because he wants to collect a 100 or 1,000!

The day went on and I was still awestruck by his selflessness, not to mention his initiative to present and implement a project that can have a positive impact on the lives of many. Sometimes, we adults underestimate the abilities of our youngsters. Witnessing this initiative from my Kinder student this year has given us the drive to help those who are less fortunate than us in our community. We have decided that this year, our class will participate in a couple of projects that will benefit the members of our community. I am so lucky to have such bright young minds in my class this year. I just love my students!

Mrs. Marjorie Flores

First Week - August 2015

How does one measure a great week? Well, we just completed our first week at Morton Ranch Elementary and by all accounts it was fantastic!

Our students enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting many new friends. Students all over our campus were helping each other learn routines and procedures. There is something special about learners helping learners! A campus just isn't complete during the summer months without students' smiles, laughs and questions. Welcome back, Mavericks! 

Our school has grown by one classroom in each grade level this year. With growth arrives many new families and several opportunities to embrace change! Our students have a Grab-and-Go breakfast opportunity located by the front office. No longer must students venture from the buses to the cafeteria to eat breakfast. They can "grab" breakfast and "go" directly to their classrooms to eat. Let's maximize our instructional time!

Our families engaged in two parent rallies this week to begin the volunteering adventure - Mommies & Mavericks and Watch Dads Of Great Students (Watch D.O.G.S.). Many of our previous volunteers are back in force. We are just thrilled to see so many of our new parents ready to help our students and staff make MRE simply the best this year! Please join the fun by registering for one of these extraordinary clubs. Check your Tuesday folder for all the details. You will be glad you did!

Not only did we have excitement for our students and parents, our educators are pretty excited about Mrs. Christina Dismuke's news! One of our Second Grade Teachers was chosen as one of the three state of Texas finalists for Elementary Teacher of Texas! She will head to Austin, Texas during September for an interview and reception. We received word about this honor during her Region IV Teacher of the Year reception held at our school on the first day of school! To say we are thrilled would be an understatement! We simply LOVE Mrs. Christina Dismuke and think she has hung the moon for students, parents, and educators!

Our first week assembly would not be complete without a special birthday wish to Morton Ranch Elementary. Our school turned eight years old this year! We sang happy birthday and all learners enjoyed cupcakes. Our administrators shared a special rap about the meaning of MAVS and ALL IN! Our lead learners might just have some hidden talents.

We plan to share moments and build our MRE story. Please check back often as we share our reflections and celebrations with you. Follow the conversation on Twitter with #mreALLin each and every day. Can't wait to see what the rest of the school year brings!

Mrs. Kelley Carr

Learning Matters

Twitter has many opportunities to expand our thinking. The latest #Edchat asked an important question...what are important characteristics of a 21st Century Educator? Many ideas were shared by participants on this topic. I believe that our educators must be connected to other teachers/students and encourage risk taking by modeling questions/"what if" thinking. Our students are depending on this modeling for their learning.

My hope as an Assistant Principal at Morton Ranch Elementary is that our students (PreK-5th Grade) were modeled risk taking by the many educators in our building. We want our students to question daily in all subject areas! We want our students to take risks in their learning on a daily basis. We want ALL our learners to grow in their thinking and in their collaboration skills. Basically we want students to make at least a year's growth as a learner.

When you ask educators at MRE why they teach, we know you will hear the idea that they teach because of our amazing MRE students! We love our kids and are so blessed to learn each and every day with them. Families, thank you for sharing your awesome learners with us daily during 2014-2015! We can't wait to experience more learning in 2015-2016...see you in August!

Loved, Appreciated, and Supported

As an Assistant Principal, it never ceases to amaze me just how many things I think about each day. Each day I am blessed to work with students, teachers, and parents. Each group has different needs, ideas, and questions. While I love working with all three parties, it's not uncommon in one day to think about: student success, teacher success, campus progress, changes coming, new ideas, parental support, strength of our PTA, district and state testing, teacher needs, classroom management, instructional coaching, professional learning, campus needs, cafeteria needs, team building, new hires, and so much more. But one question I always go back to is: Do our teachers feel loved, appreciated, and supported? 

It's hard being human...as much as I wish I could be...I'm just not perfect. Not even close. I make mistakes daily, I change my mind, and there is no way there is enough time to meet everyone's need, but I do my very best daily. My hope is that each teacher at Morton Ranch Elementary knows this: I love him/her. I support him/her. I appreciate all he/she does for our students.

So to each of our amazing educators...let me say this.

I love you. I love the support you give our MRE students on a daily basis. I love your passion, your willingness to change, and your willingness to take risks. I love that you learn from your mistakes, model lifelong learning, and support your team no matter what. I love that you don't come to work for money, but to change one life at a time. I love that you never give up, never make excuses, and always try to improve your craft. I love that you correct my mistakes, challenge me to be the best leader I can be, and always amaze me when I walk through your classroom door. I love your heart. I love your desire. Most of all I love that even though you leave exhausted at the end of the day...you come back the next day ready to roll!

I appreciate you. Don't think I don't notice your car is still here when I leave at 6:00pm or arrive at 6:45am. I see you staying late and coming early. I see you jumping on Twitter chats to learn from other educators across the world. I see you updating your webpage. Please know this...what you do each day is noticed and appreciated more than I could ever express. I appreciate the time you put in...the tears, the frustrations, the triumphs. I appreciate how you help our students, parents, and teams. I appreciate how you handle discipline problems, work to solve problems, and carry the burden of others when you can. I appreciate how you always greet students at your door in the morning, welcome new students into your learning environment, and eat with your students in the cafeteria when needed. I appreciate your willingness to follow my lead, even when it might seem a bit crazy. But most of all, I appreciate you being you and choosing a profession that is often thankless.

I am here for you - you have my support and I will catch you when you fall. I am here to encourage you, watch as you take risks, make mistakes, and model what true learning looks like for our students. I am behind you 100 percent, even when you're not perfect...because I would never expect you to be and neither do our students. I'm here to listen, help, and offer a shoulder or pep talk. I'm here every hour of the day/night and I'm here to serve you. It's YOU who is making the difference for our students, families, and community. I am here to celebrate your successes both big and small. I'm your biggest cheerleader and I am so very proud of you!

Our MRE staff members change lives. You make a difference each day. You provide hope and build character. You give kids the power to make better choices for their lives. You are amazing...and it's to each and every educator I say...from the bottom of my heart...thank you!

Sincerely,
Kelley