December 4th

Welcome to the December edition of the PL Lighthouse! 
This monthly email blast and webpage has been designed to serve much like a lighthouse, to serve as a way forward and help in navigating through the busy school year. Nothing else speaks of safety in the face of adversity and challenge quite like the lighthouse. 

Introducing our New Personalized Learning Coordinator 

Michael Strange
​Mike was born and raised in Arlington, Texas, where he was first in his family to go to college, attending Dallas Baptist University.  Since 2003, he taught middle school and high school science, as well as coached soccer.  Mike returned to Dallas ISD in the administration role a few years ago to help teachers leverage technology for a more student-centered approach.  Outside of work, Mike finds himself chauffeuring his two kiddos around the metroplex and finishing projects at the house with his wife, Erin.

MAP Testing Updates
The Middle of the Year testing window opens January 7th and closes January 31st. For 2nd grade testing, please make sure that students take the 2-5 Growth assessment instead of the K-2 Growth assessment [this is to help align to district-wide implementation and data reporting. 

If you have any questions or need support with testing, check out the MTSS site at www.dallasisd.org/mtss and be on the lookout for a future WAIP memo for updates. 

SOCIAL MEDIA TAKEOVER

Interested in spotlighting your campus in a new way? 
Click here if you're interested in participating or want more information.

Winter PL Department Newsletter 
The PL Department is bringing back our quarterly email newsletter to internal and external stakeholders to share the latest news with our schools and department. If you have any engagement opportunities that you'd like use to include, email Kristen [[email protected]] by January 14th with details on what to include. 

​If you've read this far and catch this note, send Kristen an email now. The first five schools to claim this, will win an extra holiday treat this month!

Updates to District Travel Procedures
The District's Procurement office just released new guidelines for submitting an advance to receive travel funds before a trip. Dallas ISD no longer issues travel advances directly to travelers for hotels or transportation. Now, all travel requests are processed and paid through ARTA Travel directly to the vendor including air, car, and hotel.
 
To book travel arrangements, complete the form here and email it to [email protected] . The travel agency will book requests and send a quote to you including all applicable charges, fees, and taxes. The booking fees are not included in the quote.
 
After receiving the quote from ARTA, please update/submit your advance request through Oracle and ask your supervisor to review it promptly since quotes are valid for only 24 hours and must be approved and confirmed in that time.
 
If you have already made your purchases, you can submit a reimbursement when you return.

Questions? Reach out to Vanessa or Kristen! 

Spring 2020 Conferences 
Looking for opportunities to learn more about personalized learning this spring? Check out Getting Smart's article on 31 Can't Miss  Education Conferences in 2020 [note, not all are personalized learning related]. A few team favorites we've attended in the past:

• TCEA, February 3-7 in Austin, TX
• SXSW EDU, March 9-12 in Austin, TX
• Deeper Learning Conference, March 25-27 in San Diego, CA 
• Blended and Personalized Learning Conference, April 2-4 in Providence, Rhode Island
• Personalized Learning Summit, May 13-15 in Austin, TX

Reminder for Campus Quarterbacks: If you and your campus are in good standing, the PL department will cover registration and travel for you to attend one conference during the 2019-2020 school year. Please reach out to your PL Team Coach if you're interested in attending a spring conference.