Friday, April 20, 2018

TRRFCC Character Awards: Citizenship



Congratulations to all our students that received our final character award for Citizenship. A special thanks to Randy Vivian, President & CEO, of the Victoria Chamber of Commerce and VISD TX956 Junior ROTC for presenting our citizenship awards. You make us #VISDProud!!



Thursday, March 22, 2018

TPSP Projects

The following students were district finalist for the Texas Performance Standards Project. In this project, students are evaluated on developing and implementing a research plan and presentation. The TPSP requires challenging work aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills as well as the College and Career Readiness Standards.

Ramon Salinas
1st Place
Innovation Celebration

Amry & Levi Feuerbacher
Honorable Mention
Building a Business

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Career Day

Thank you Career Day volunteers for teaching our young citizens the value of education and character in their future careers.

Dorothy O'Connor Pet Adoption Center
HEB
Museum of the Coastal Bend
Pat Kutach
Victoria County Fire
Victoria County Sheriff's Office
Victoria Symphony
Zapata Security 



Friday, March 9, 2018

Problem Solving with Dash

Conflict resolution and problem solving are interpersonal skills that will be used throughout your lifetime. Students are able to learn these skills at their level starting in kindergarten. Students learn "I-Statements" to express their feelings. We call this Heart Talk and A Bug and a Wish. Communicating your feelings and needs can help others understand the problem. With understanding comes empathy and with empathy comes change.

Heart Talk: I feel _______ when you _________, please _____________.
A Bug and a Wish: It bugs me when you ____________, I wish you would ____________.

Students used Dash robots to practice problem solving using Heart Talk and A Bug and a Wish. Students "drove" Dash around obstacles/problems that students wrote on blocks. Problems can't always be avoided and students were able to communicate their needs. When students bumped into "problems", then Dash had to use A Bug and a Wish or Heart Talk to help solve the problem.

In addition, students were able to explore coding and technology as a career option. They were excited to see all the many things they were able to do with Dash.




Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Character Awards: Fairness

Congratulations to all of our students that received Fairness Awards during the month of January. Character Counts teaches us ways that we can show fairness: Play by the rules • Take turns and share • Be open-minded; listen to others • Don’t take advantage of others • Don’t blame others carelessly • Treat all people fairly

The Honorable Ben Zeller was our special guest and speaker at Guadalupe Elementary.

JROTC TX956 students presented awards & spoke about fairness at William Wood Elementary

Friday, January 19, 2018

Breakout EDU

 


 As a district, we are working on helping students grow in their critical thinking skills and problems-solving skills. With the funding from Victoria Education Foundation, I was able to purchase four boxes for my schools. I use Breakout EDU in my counseling classroom and it has been a great opportunity for my students to learn how to work past their frustrations and use growth mindset to persevere.

Breakout EDU is a series of puzzles and clues that lead students to open a box locked with a variety of locks. I am able to create a "breakout" with the lessons that I am already teaching in the classroom including character education, career exploration, growth mindset, and emotions. Any teacher can use it in their classroom and find free "breakouts" on their website at https://platform.breakoutedu.com/

So how does Breakout EDU work in my classroom?

Students are arranged in 4 groups. Each box contains a set of "We Broke Out" signs and reflection cards. The Breakout EDU boxes are locked with various locks including a multi-directional lock, a 4 digit lock, a 4 letter lock, a 3 digit lock, and a key lock. The students are then told an engaging story about why the students have to get in the box and are given a specified time limit between 30-45 minutes. Artifacts and clues based on my counseling lessons are scattered on the table and around  the room. The students use these clues to figure out the combination of each lock. Students will have to talk with their group and test out what they know. Sometimes groups will succeed in unlocking a lock and other times they will have to regroup and continue to think differently outside the box. Each group has 2 hint cards to use during their time and they are encouraged to use it wisely. When the group "breaks out" and unlocks all of the locks they will take a picture with the "We Broke Out" signs. Reflection cards are also in the box and the class can reflect on their Breakout EDU experience. Some debriefing questions include, "How did I contribute to my group?" and "How did I use someone's individual strengths?"

Not all groups will "break out" and reflection on how to think differently next time will lead to growth in the future. (They get to take a sad picture with "We almost Broke Out" signs.)

During each Breakout EDU game, the success of "breaking out" of the box comes from collaboration and respect of each other's ideas and using the knowledge they have to solve the problems and clues around them. The timed experience creates a sense of urgency and motivates student engagement and effort for a sustained period of time. Through this innovative and engaging experience, students have a desire to succeed and accomplish their goals which is what I wish to instill in every child that comes to my classroom.

Monday, December 18, 2017

Service From the Heart

There are so many ways to help during the holidays and our Student Council has been busy.

KIXS FM needed some help putting smiles on the faces of our fellow community members facing hardships. Student Council made holiday placemats for Christ's Kitchen Community Dinner.



In addition, Student Council members and parents passed out dinner plates and drinks at the HEB Feast of Sharing. Thank you so much for the gift of your time. We really appreciate it.


Student Council members also helped Santa out this year by representing the North Pole as Storybook Elves. The students earned trips to the North Pole to read with a Storybook Elf. The kids loved hearing favorite holiday stories being read aloud to them by our school leaders. Great job Student Council!