Round Rock ISD T&L Show

Join Dr. Sania Ali and Ryan Smith to learn more about the Round Rock ISD I Lead: Teacher Leadership Academy. The Academy is in the midst of recruiting its second cohort of teachers looking to focus on their leadership journey.  Learn more about the program and how to join here: https://sites.google.com/roundrockisd.org/ileadteacherleadershipacademy/home?authuser=0

This is just part one of a four-part series featuring teachers from around Round Rock ISD. We sought out teachers with a wide variety of experiences to share their learning and perspectives.  We hope you enjoy this weekly series all April long and want to especially thank the teachers involved in the conversation.

In this episode of T&L Talk, Westwood High School Band Staff, Thomas Turpin, Brittany Dacy, and Brandon Winters discuss strategies, resources, challenges and strides in student engagement from this school year that can be applied to any classroom in any year. Jager Loyde, Assistant Director of Fine Arts, moderates the conversation bringing attention to SEL and EDI in hybrid learning engagement strategies. Click here for all the resources from the episode

Join Grisham Middle School Spanish teacher Blanca Badillo as she shares her journey as an educator over the last year and how she has engaged her colleagues in professional learning. Thank you Marie Douglass, World Language Curriculum Coordinator, for leading the interview.  

Join Instructional Technology Specialist, Ryan Smosna, as he leads a conversation about using the new interactive flat panels at Hernandez middle school. Thank you Ima Richburg, Kelly Perch, and Amanda Painter for leading the learning!

Join the kindergarten team from Bluebonnet Elementary as they talk through their SEL approaches this school year. Thank you Assistant Principal Amber Velasquez for leading the interview!

Join Sunshine Parsons from Stony Point HS, and Stephanie A. Garfias from Chisholm Trail MS as they share their learning and experience with Assistant Director for Visual and Performing Arts, Tim Lowke.

Visual Arts teachers, Pam Arnold of Forest Creek ES and Michelle Dickens of Teravista ES, sit down with Tim Lowke of our Round Rock ISD Fine Arts Department to share their experiences teaching our youngest students.

This week we are learning with the technology team from Cactus Ranch Elementary. These teachers share several ways they are building student engagement as well as ways their PLCs are utilizing technology to become more collaborative and efficient. Thank you Natalie Hubert, Frances Cuevas, Crystal Bridge, Chris Ramstedt, Amy Kimsey, Kristin Hinck, and Brandie Kennedy for sharing your learning with the rest of us. Many of the tools and resources they mentioned are linked below. T&L Talk Resources

This week we are sharing two excellent professional development resources below. One gives a brief overview and then dives into some specifics around facilitating the synchronous and asynchronous portions of your teaching block. The other resource linked below shares several ideas around creating voice and choice for students as they navigate assignments and demonstrating mastery within Schoology. The presenters share some technical ideas and walk you through exactly how to set up assignments and folders in a way that allows students and teachers more personalization. Enjoy them both and we will be back with another interview/feature or Round Rock ISD teachers next week! Thought Exchange General-Distance-Learning/Success-with-Schoology-Effective-Blended-Learning-Practices Concurrent Instructional Strategies  

Join us for Part 2 of our discussion about facilitating civil discourse in classrooms throughout Round Rock ISD. Miss part 1? Check it out here: https://youtu.be/u4gVp9-IGF8

Join Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator, Jennifer Smith, as she sits down with four of our RRISD teachers as they discuss creating space in classrooms for civil discourse about current events. Thank you Brandon Purchase, Kameko Jacobs, Paul Kleiman, and Travis Hoefler for leading the learning this week. This is just part 1 of 2 so stay tuned for the rest of their conversation next week.

Round Rock ISD Professional Development Director Edie Binns sits down with three parents as they share their stories and learnings from fall 2020.

Learn with a RRISD Instructional Coach and English I team from Stony Point High School as they talk through how they support each other and engage with their students.

Time to Recharge - Ideas to help you recharge over the upcoming break! How will you spend the next 9 days? How will you reinvest in yourself? How will you recharge? Rachelle Finck, RRISD Coordinator of SEL, shared ideas for being intentional about the time you have during your break and offers suggestions for setting clear boundaries.

Join the 8th grade Science team members at Deerpark middle school as they talk through how they have adjusted their approach to teaching and assignments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Find many more resources and some sample assignments at here.

Learn with Dr. Sania Ali and Mr. Miguel Dávila as they share ways Mr. Dávila has adjusted his Dual Language Classroom instruction for a blended classroom of in-person and virtual learners.

Wells Branch Arts Integration Academy fifth-grade teachers Ms. McKnight and Ms. Kneen share what has worked, what hasn't, and what they are looking forward to as they adapt to being a teacher in 2020. 

Join the T&L Team and CD Fulkes MS teacher Michelle Oliver as we talk through her learning as she has navigated blended and virtual teaching in 2020. Listen to the end for a chance to win a copy of Connecting with Student Online by Jennifer Serravallo. 

RRISD Leadership Weekly Internal Audio version. 

This is an internal communication program for Round Rock ISD.

Join Round Rock ISD's Elementary Math Curriculum Coordinator, Brian Bushart, for a brief update following fall 2019 Texas Association of Supervisors of Math meeting. He shares information related to STAAR, instruction, and beyond.  

On this episode, we sit down with Elementary Math Curriculum Coordinator, Brian Bushart. Brian has led the direction of elementary math in Round Rock ISD for the last four years and his impact on teaching and learning for thousands of students continues to grow every day.

For the third episode of Real Talk, we welcome Commissioner Valerie Covey. Commissioner Covey has been a leader in the county in advocating for mental health services, specifically from her involvement with the Williamson County Task Force. Recently she gathered all the Williamson County School Districts for an open discussion on the mental health needs of students in the county.

Join Rebecca Van Ryn, Abigail Esparza, Taylor Flores, and Ryan Smith for an in-depth look at a recent 6th-grade arts and humanities project highlighting Latin American heroes. 

In the second episode of Real Talk we welcome two guests to discuss the importance of mental health for our Round Rock Community. Kristina Snow, Director of Leadership Development, and Maya Talamantez, senior at Round Rock High School, reflect on the Student Advisory Board tackling the issue of mental health for the 2017-2018 school year. Maya’s insights from a student’s perspective highlights the importance of not only seeking out student voice, but also listening fully to the ways in which we all can grow and learn. Want to bring Real Talk to your campus or group?  Let us know here and we will follow up with you!

Join Rachelle Finck and Dr. Amy Grosso as they discuss personal wellness and mental health topics with guests from around Round Rock Independent School District.

Join five leaders from around Round Rock ISD for a conversation about social & emotional learning, mental health, time management, and investing in yourself. 

Sit down with Round Rock ISD Coordinator of Social and Emotional Learning, Rachelle Fink, as we talk about her journey and the awesome opportunities to come for our teachers and students.

Enjoy this in-depth conversation about working through math anxiety as both a teacher and student with Round Rock ISD Instructional Coach, Gina Picha. 

Tiffanie Harrison is in her 6th year as a Career and Technology Education teacher at Round Rock High School. She teaches Marketing, Entrepreneurism, Business and runs the Dragon Print Shop. This is a wide-ranging conversation that you will want to hear all the way through.  

First, hear from Deepwood Elementary principal Reba Mussey about how her campus has implemented the Reading and Writing Project from the Teachers College this year. Then sit down with two instructional coaches, Angie House and Jessi Murdter-Atkinson about the role they play in supporting the project.