A Normal Monday

The day began a little hectic. Two teachers called in sick so I had to move quickly to ensure their rooms were covered. Once they were covered I had to shift my focus to the instruction for the week. This week I plan to visit 3rd-4th grade. I will start with 4th grade Math, since math is one of our weakest areas. Last week we gave our first benchmark assessment and judging from the results turned in, math continues to be a challenge for us.

The TEKS our teachers will focus on include; 4.8 & 9. The students are expected to identify and describe lines, shapes, and solids using formal geometric language. Also, describe shapes and solids in terms of vertices, edges, and faces.

As I am visiting classrooms, I can gauge our teachers level planning by the content being taught. I have been pleased thus far since all our teachers are focusing on the same objectives. Each teacher adds their own creativity to the lesson, but the students are being taught the same subject matter.

Overall, the first 6 weeks have progressed rather smoothly, but we still have work to do to teach our children to be competitors at the highest level.

Principal's Reflections

Greetings...
My name is Mateen Diop and I am the principal at Hirsch ES. Hirsch is a medium size elementary school in the San Antonio ISD. This is my first year as principal and I must say that I am excited. We are 6 weeks into the first 9 week semester and our teachers are working hard.

It is our goal to teach children to be competitors at the highest level. To be the best in all that they desire. We know the importance of TAKS (Texas Assessment Knowledge and Skills) and we are working to raise our scores from last year. If you visit the Great Schools Website you can find a little more information about our scores and demographic data; http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/browse_school/tx/6011.

This week my focus is on Math. The unit of study is geometry and spatial reasoning. Students will be taught proficiency in (TEK 5.7), generates geometric definitions using critical attributes. (TEK 5.9) Recognize the connection between ordered pairs of numbers and locations of points on a plane.

Our teachers are working very hard to deliver all the content that is needed. They plan together weekly and that planning is evident as I visit classrooms. I can say that when I visit the same grade levels, they are teaching the same content in their own creative ways.

This week we will test our 3-5th grade students on Math. Our Instructional Coordinator will create tests which will allow us to more closely identify those areas where we need to focus.