April’s Heart Health Factor is Start! Walking

From The American Heart Association...

April 6th is National Start! Walking Day. Take the opportunity to start your exercise program by taking some time to walk either at work during lunch or at home with the family. Walking is a great way to start exercising in the spring for those who are not already following a daily exercise regimen. Don’t get caught up in how far, how fast or how long you walk for – just walk as much as you can. Start off with what you can do and enjoy the great spring weather we have right now.

The benefits of regular exercise cannot be understated. Regular exercise helps with weight management, stress relief, improved blood circulation, muscle and bone strength and so much more. It also has been proven to reduce the risk of serious diseases including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer. The health benefits far outweigh any excuse you can create for not exercising.

Did you know that people who are regularly physically active are less likely to be injured than people who are not regularly physically active?

What are you waiting for? Get moving!

For more information check out these websites:

http://www.startwalkingnow.org/
http://www.choosetomove.org/
http://www.walkinginfo.org/

Related: Mansfield ISD supports American Heart Association's 'Go Red' Campaign
Did you know: The Mansfield ISD has raised over $73,000 this year for the American Heart Association through 'Go Red' t-shirt sales and the Jump Rope for Heart program at schools.

Brockett AP named 'Assistant Principal of the Year'

Congratulations to Deborah Mabry, from Janet Brockett Elementary, for being named the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association District 11 Assistant Principal of the Year.

TEPSA receives nominations and these nominees provide their philosophy, resume, and accomplishments to the district officers. The recipient is selected based on their merit and accomplishments.

Congratulations, Deborah.



Pictured above (l-r) are Mrs. Rachel Williams, Brockett PTA President, Mrs. Deborah Mabry, assistant prinicipal and Mr. Chuck Roe, principal. The photo was taken during the March Board Meeting after Mrs. Mabry was comended for her TEPSA Assistant Principal of the Year Award.

Professional Development: Ron Clark Academy Staff Trip

Mansfield ISD sent a representative from each school on a professional development road trip to the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia on March 23-26, 2011. The trip was designed to let teachers from across the District experience and learn from educators at this innovative learning environment in the hopes that much of the same passion, lessons, and ideas would be brought back and shared with others. Ron Clark was the keynote speaker at the MISD Staff Convocation in August that kicked-off the 2010-11 school year.

The following are the reflections on the trip from Caty Skinner, 3rd grade teacher from Perry Elementary, who went on the trip:
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One of my favorite memories of my childhood involves a family vacation to Disney World taken the summer before my senior year of high school. Feeling somewhat old for Disney, I attempted to put on a smile in order to ensure that my five younger siblings not only had a good time, but were able to truly believe in the magic. As we approached the gates of the Magic Kingdom, I prepared myself for a day of babysitting. However, upon entering the park, something stopped me in my tracks.

It was Ariel, my favorite Disney princess.

It was as if time had reversed and I was five again. My heart skipped a beat, and sure enough, I found myself not only walking, but skipping toward the line to get the autograph of my childhood idol.

Why am I mentioning this completely unrelated snapshot of my life in this blog entry? Because the magic that I felt upon entering Disney World pales in comparison to the complete and total culture shock that occurs within the walls of the Ron Clark Academy.

Cover via AmazonI read The Essential 55 in college and have always had the utmost respect and admiration for Ron Clark. He is my educational “celebrity crush,” so to speak. After hearing him speak with the passion and commitment he demonstrated at the MISD convocation, I felt inspired to carry the torch into my classroom, teaching my students to not only be intelligent people, but to be kind and generous individuals. The opportunity to not only meet Ron Clark, but to be a guest at RCA, observe classes of various grade levels, interact with many members of the staff, and basically be embraced as part of the RCA family has not only made me a better educator, but I truly believe it has given me motivation to become a better human being.

As our charter bus full of excited MISD employees pulled up to the school, we received an unexpected surprise. There was a receiving line leading into the library of the school. A student greeted us by smiling, shaking our hands, and welcoming us into the school. A few teachers, including Ron Clark, were outside as well, shaking hands and giving hugs to each teacher as he or she entered the building. As I entered the door into the library, I felt that same stirring in my heart that I had several years ago. Students lined both sides of the doorway, hugging me and telling me how glad they were to see me, and what an honor it was to have our district visit their school.

Did I mention that there was a trampoline in the middle of the library floor with a bungee harness attached to the walls?

Immediately, we felt permission to truly embrace the opportunity given to us. Many teachers, including myself, took a turn on the trampoline, trying to project ourselves high enough to touch the ceiling as we waited for the school day to begin. Students filled the room, singing songs and dancing with both teachers and each other. The RCA staff interacted with the students constantly, evenly dispersed throughout the room; nowhere in the library did anyone see a group of teachers secluding themselves from the students. We were welcomed with open arms and given an extremely flexible itinerary, which, let’s face it; we are teachers. We are used to this!

Our two day visit to the Ron Clark Academy included a variety of workshops as well as several observations of not only Mr. Clark, but also several other teachers. We had the opportunity to see how the teachers embrace and balance the two extremes of fun and structure. On one hand, every lesson I observed was engaging and rigorous. Students were excited about learning, and would have opportunities to play games, use advanced educational technology, and even stand on their desks and sing songs or chant. Each classroom had a drum, and boy, did they use it! However, the craziness and excitement were matched heavily with extremely high standards and discipline. Just as Ron Clark demonstrates in his book The Essential 55, it is a mission of the school to help students improve their character. Each boy and girl maintained eye contact with his or her teacher at all times, encouraged each other to act accordingly and to perform the work correctly, and demonstrated an understanding of social excellence that I rarely see in adults, let alone 11 year old children.

One of my favorite portions of the visit was the 20 minutes I spent eating lunch with one of the 5th grade girls. She invited me to her lunch table, and I was more than happy to oblige. It became obvious throughout our conversation that she considered the students and faculty of RCA to be her family. Articulating herself extremely well, she demonstrated an appreciation for her education with the maturity of someone who feels supported, loved, and confident in her own ability. The “family feel” is not a forced relationship; there is truly something special that fosters these kinds of connections, which many of us believe to be the culture of the school. My question, and mission of the trip, became very clear: “How do we, as teachers, create a culture in our schools that both excite and motivate students yet hold them accountable to truly achieving their best, both academically and morally?”

On the bus ride back (which was, consequently, far less eventful than the bus ride TO Georgia), we had the opportunity to collaborate in attempt to pinpoint what the magic pill was, so to speak. However, each of us found that we had each been inspired by different aspects of the trip.

Stephanie Gow, an 8th grade Language Arts teacher at Wester Middle School, connected with the RCA philosophy of We have no time for fear!

“I heard that saying several times,” Gow says, “and it was evident. The school was filled with HOPE.”

As an educator, I will admit that this is something that I think we struggle with, whether it is a fear of being scrutinized for personal teaching style, fear of inadequacy, or just a lack of confidence.

Katie Anderson, a 3rd grade teacher at Tarver Rendon Elementary, shared that she was inspired to shuck the fear, so to speak, and BELIEVE:

“I BELIEVE in my students. I BELIEVE in their parents. I BELIEVE in the community around us. I BELIEVE in our district. I BELIEVE in our teachers and staff. I BELIEVE in my ability to reach every child. I BELIEVE that with a positive attitude, engaging lessons, high levels of energy, music, and parent/community support our students will be able to receive the very best education!”

On fire and ready to change the world, we spent the remaining hours of the bus ride singing songs, banging on pretend drums, and engineering ways in which we all can lead our students into greatness.

After returning to school on Monday, I can already see and feel a change taking place in our classrooms. My inbox has been flooded with emails from my colleagues sharing examples of creative lessons, songs, raps, and motivational ideas. The line “Slide Certified Teacher!” has been added to many email signatures. A wiki has been created in which teachers can post and share ideas and strategies learned from the trip….to me, this is equally inspiring.

The beautiful thing is that none of us will ever be Ron Clark, nor should we be. When my students come to school, they do not expect Mr. Clark to greet them at the door. It is Ms. Skinner who will give them a high five, who will talk to them about their weekend, who will laugh at her own corny jokes, and who will do anything in her power to create an environment where her kids feel safe, loved, and supported to achieve beyond their greatest expectations. This experience has been life changing for me; I have been provided with tools that, combined with my own unique personality and passions, will create in me an unstoppable force that can change the face of education, one 3rd grader at a time.

I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had and cannot wait to see how the excitement will continue to spread. Ron Clark Academy believes that there is absolutely no limit to what teachers and students can achieve together. As I continue my career in education, I am confident that this will become more and more true than it already is, forever bettering the culture of education in Mansfield ISD.

See the complete photo gallery from the trip.

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Did you go on this staff road trip? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks.

Mansfield ISD supports American Heart Association's 'Go Red' Campaign

Mansfield ISD teachers and staff participated in the American Heart Association 'Go Red' Campaign. During the month of February, staff members showed their support by buying 'Go Red' T-Shirts and were able to wear the shirts and jeans on Mondays and Fridays. The district raised over $13,700 for the American Heart Association through this t-shirt drive.

From the American Heart Association:

"Donations to Go Red For Women help support our efforts to educate women and to fund breakthrough research by the American Heart Association that helps ensure women are represented in clinical studies.

Since 2004, through its fundraising efforts, Go Red For Women has contributed almost $44 million to women-focused research and has provided additional funds to life-saving educational programs and tools for physicians." 

Principals' Fitness Challenge 6 Winner

Congratulations to principal Elizabeth Hostin and her staff from Martha Reid Elementary for winning the sixth challenge in the Methodist Mansfield Medical Center's Principals' Fitness Challenge.

Challenge 6 was entitled, Portion Distortion. Hostin and her staff have become proficient in reading food labels, sharing healthy home-cooked meals, and bringing fresh fruit and vegetables to school. Plus, increased exercise and group encouragement helped lead them to first place.

From the challenge: Restaurant portions are nearly twice the size they were a few decades ago. Some restaurants provide enough food for at least two meals at once. This is a problem because research suggests that people will eat more when more food is in front of them. Large portions have been blamed for the increase in obesity in the United States. The key to reaching or maintaining a healthy weight is portion control.

Portion distortion — Seek out quality over quantity. Taste and savor every bite!

1. When eating out, box up half of your meal before you begin eating
2. When eating at home, read your labels to see what a single portion should be and eat only that amount
3. When eating at home, use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate

Elizabeth Hostin and her staff also won Challenge #2. Congratulations Martha Reid Elementary.

Morris Elementary Valentines Day Gifts for Assisted Living Facility

On Valentine’s Day, D.P. Morris Elemetanry staff members delivered “Care Cans” filled with lots of goodies to the residents at the Sterling House of Mansfield.

Staff Bad Weather Make-up Days Update

After careful consideration of all options, the Mansfield Independent School District will permit all employees to work 15 minutes longer each day beginning Tuesday, February 22 and ending Friday, June 3 to make-up the bad weather days that were not built into the District calendar

• This will allow all employees to make-up the time without requiring the use of leave, the use of Presidents Day (February 21) or Spring Holiday (April 22).
• If there are extenuating circumstances such as daycare issues or other commitments, supervisors have the flexibility to work with those individuals to make-up the time before the workday begins or through individual proposals.
• If an employee would rather use his/her available leave days and not work the extra 15 minutes each day – that is an option and should to be noted in the comment section of the Absence from Duty Form.
• The student day will not be extended 15 minutes and daily schedules will not change. The District will ask for a waiver for 3 of the 5 days of instruction missed due to school closure.
• As stated on our District calendar, days 1 and 2 of the bad weather days missed will be made up on May 30 and June 3.
• Teachers last instructional day will be Friday, June 3 and the teacher workday will be Monday, June 6.  Teachers are not required to work on June 7 and 8 as previously communicated.
• Employees who work more than a 187 day contract will begin summer hours as scheduled on Monday, June 6.  

Principals' Fitness Challenge 5 Winner

Congratulations to principal Dr. Tammy Rountree and her staff from Cora Spencer Elementary for winning the fifth challenge in the Methodist Mansfield Medical Center's Principals' Fitness Challenge.

 

Challenge 5 was entitled, Fitness on the go. Dr. Rountree and her staff discovered creative ways to incorporate physical activity into their day, and every bit of effort really added up.

 

From the challenge: "Your day is filled with opportunities to get moving. Make every minute count. Every bit of physical activity makes a difference, even if it's just a matter of walking a little further while running an errand. When you need to talk to a co-worker, walk to their office or desk rather than e-mailing or calling them. Stand, don't sit! Standing up burns more calories than sitting. When walking to and from work – or at any time in your day – walk briskly."

 

Easy ideas to try:

1. Park in the furthest parking spot from your school (or from a business on the weekends)
2. Grab a partner and take a full lap around the outside of your school (or an equivalent distance on the weekend)
3. Park in the furthest parking spot from any business you go to (may substitute an extra lap around your school if you don't plan on running any errands after work)

What would you add? What are some easy ideas for fitness on the go?

Elementary teacher is a real Ironman

We love hearing about cool staff news like this from Reid Elementary:

"One of our 4th grade teachers, Mary Costa (pictured at right) is now an official Ironman. She completed the Ironman at Panama Beach in Florida on Saturday, November 6, 2010. In order to be an Ironman, you must complete the entire race in under 17 hours. She completed it in 13 hours and 41 minutes. The first part of the race was a 2.4 mile ocean swim, the second part was a 112 mile bike race and the last part was the marathon run of 26.2 miles. There were 3000 participants in the race and she finished 1663. In her division of women ages 40 – 44 she finished 64th.

Mary has completed 28 marathons over the years. She completed 12 triathlons this past year to prepare herself for the Ironman.

The faculty and students at Martha Reid supported her and encouraged her as she was preparing and she said that knowing they were all thinking about her helped her get through it when it got tough."

Thanks to Reid Elementary for sharing the news.

If you have any interesting staff stories, share them with Communications via our News Tip form or call 817-299-6345 or just e-mail info[at]misdmail.org.

Principals' Fitness Challenge 4 Winner

Congratulations to principal Chuck Roe and his staff from Janet Brockett Elementary for winning the fourth challenge in the Methodist Mansfield Medical Center's Principals' Fitness Challenge.

Challenge 4 was entitled, Eating smart for busy people.

Mr. Roe successfully motivated his 63 teachers to eat smarter by providing healthy snacks, offering ongoing encouragement, and fostering teamwork.

From the Challenge:
"Eating smart for busy people. Small changes can add up to long term weight loss.

1. Start everyday with a healthy breakfast — whole grains, fruit or protein — within 2 hours of waking up 
2. Eat a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack of fruit and/or protein
3. No fried food

Make the most of your snacks. If carefully chosen, snacks can fill in nutritional gaps and boost energy without causing weight gain worries.

Principals' Fitness Challenge 3 Winner

Congratulations to principal Christie Alfred and the staff from Worley Middle School for winning the third challenge in the Methodist Mansfield Medical Center's Principals' Fitness Challenge.

Challenge 3 was entitled, Move a little, lose a lot.

Alfred motivated her staff by appointing team leaders who encouraged teachers to participate in the challenge, sending friendly reminders to keep moving and deeming Wednesday “jeans day” — all in the spirit of fun, healthy competition.

Christie Alfred’s leadership abilities extend well beyond the Principals’ Fitness Challenge. She was recently promoted to Frontier High School/Ben Barber Career Tech Academy.

Make physical activity a regular part of your day. Choose activities that you enjoy and can do regularly.

Check out the challenges as they're posted and get some additional tips for healthy living.

Go Red for Mansfield ISD (T-shirt)

MISD will support the American Heart Association through a Go Red for Mansfield ISD t-shirt promotion/fundraiser. We’re selling Go Red t-shirts for $15. (Proceeds benefiting the AHA.)

Staff members are invited to wear these shirts along with jeans on Mondays in February for American Heart Month.

Get the AHA Go Red for Mansfield ISD t-shirt order form flyer.

Each campus and department has an assigned collection person to receive the forms and cash/checks. The deadline for ordering the t-shirts is Friday, January 14, 2011.

Principals' Fitness Challenge 2 Winner

Congratulations to principal Elizabeth Hostin and her staff from Martha Reid Elementary for winning the second challenge in the Methodist Mansfield Medical Center's Principals' Fitness Challenge.

Challenge 2 was entitled, Rethink your drink . . . Reduce your soda intake

Hostin and the school's staff successfully completed Challenge Two by replacing their sodas with unsweetened tea and implementing an iced water hydration station donated by the schools' PTA. Encouragement also came from Mary Costa, Martha Reid Elementary School's health mentor (she just completed her first Ironman®), who motivated everyone to get moving.

From the challenge: "Regular soda adds empty calories. Some research also indicates that drinks with artificial sweeteners (i.e. diet soda) may increase cravings and lead to higher daily calorie intake.

Instead of sugary drinks and diet soda, try water every day and add a slice of lemon or lime, or even fresh mint to your water for a boost of flavor. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger and could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80 percent of sufferers. Lack of water is the number one trigger of daytime fatigue. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily will hydrate your body. Thirst is sometimes mistaken as hunger!"

Check out the challenges as they're posted and get some additional tips for healthy living.

Education Foundation Spring Grants Deadline January 14

Just a quick reminder that the MISD Education Foundation Spring Grant appliaction deadline is Friday, January 14, 2011. Get more information from the Foundation. Get the Spring Grant Application (PDF).

Special Grants:

Think Big Grant - $10,000
Awarded in fall and spring
All subject areas and all grade levels can apply
Must be submitted by at least a grade level/dept. or above

Battle of the Nines Grant - $5,000
This grant is focused on community service
Must be submitted by at least a grade level/dept. or above
Awarded each spring

Mansfield Sunrise Rotary Grant - $5,000
This grant is focused on special needs
Must be submitted by at least a grade level/dept. or above
Awarded in spring

Meredith Hatch Memorial Grant  -$5,000
This grant is focused on elementary physical education
Must impact entire school
Awarded in spring

Chesapeake Energy Math & Science Grant  -$5,000
All grade levels can apply
Awarded once a year – fall or spring
Must be submitted by at least a grade level/dept. or above

Principals' Fitness Challenge 1 Winner

Congratulations to principal Scott Shafer from Brooks Wester Middle School for winning the first challenge in the Methodist Mansfield Medical Center's Principals' Fitness Challenge.

Challenge 1 was entitled, Walking for better health . . . Walk 10,000 steps everyday.

Shafer is a former athletic trainer and is known for his competitive spirit. He won the challenge by motivating his teachers to walk the minimum amount of steps. If they walked the minimum they could wear jeans for week. His strategy worked and all 66 teachers walked the minimum amount of steps.

Check out the challenges as they're posted and get some additional tips for healthy living.