Shakespeare, Pajamas, and Pancakes at Galindo Elementary

It is Spirit Day here at Galindo Elementary. The banner says: Success for Everyone. Whatever it Takes. That's the leadership mantra of Principal Donna Linn. She shared with me several points of pride for this Recognized campus:

•  The school has five teachers who are National Board Certified.
• 25-33% of fifth graders annually are accepted into rigorous middle school magnet programs.
• All 4th and 5th graders participate in the UT Shakespeare Program.
• Galindo is the only Title I elementary school participating in UIL activities. For the past four years, students have won ribbons in all categories and at all levels.

All I can say is, Wow!

The school is named for Ms. Emma Galindo, a leading advocate for bilingual education in the district. She was an assistant principal under Mr. Joe Dan Mills. She would be proud of what a great environment Galindo has created for all children and their families.

Parents were here this morning for the monthly Coffee Talk. About 30 parents attended to plan for next year and discuss how they can best help the school. Parent Support Specialist Diana Mayo leads this dedicated parent corps and is a "cheerleader" for the parents. She also does ESL and Galindo's Ballet Folklorico, which is the largest folklorico troupe in the district. There are more points of pride right there!

I loved the Galindo Grizzlies PAWS for Promise:
P  romise to do our personal best.
A  lways do the right thing.
W ork together for success.
S  how and receive respect.

We met Mr. O.D. Haywood, the head custodian who has been with AISD for 47 years! Now, THAT's dedication. Thank you for your long service, Mr. Haywood.

Marilyn Walston is Teacher of the Year. "She rocks the world," one of her students told me. He thanked her for not giving up on him and encouraging him to work harder. She is a 3rd grade teacher, so we sat on the carpet and had a heart-to-heart with students about their learning experience. It's evident that Galindo celebrates learning, but then, again, Galindo celebrates everything ... children teachers, parents ... but mostly their success.

Galindo has had professional learning communities since 2002. The teachers subscribe to a set of guiding questions, such as, What is it we want all students to learn?; How will we teach these essential concepts and skills?; and How will we know when each student has acquired the intended knowledge and skills? It's through a daily check on the guiding questions that teachers constantly assess their work with students.

Mariam Lee, 2nd grade Teacher of Promise, was busy planning with her team. I enjoyed talking with them about the challenges of teaching young children.Topics on their agenda included reading and writing, science, and assessment.

Jennifer Simonet was working in the spirit of the true supportive team. She had children from all the first grade classes sing a song to support the upper grades during TAKS testing. It was called "Rock the TAKS" to the tune of a Black Eyed Peas song. It was great to see the younger children supporting their older classmates in such an upbeat way. The teacher even looks like a dark haired version of Fergie - pretty and energetic! I joined in too, and not one single 1st grader laughed at my moves. Thanks, kids.

Diane Collier, the librarian, was having a half-price sale on books. This was not a fundraiser; rather, she is intent on getting books in the hands of students and parents for summer reading. Ms. Collier has 20,000 books in her collection. What is special is how she organizes her Spanish books so that all students learn to use the library in an equitable way. Parents were in the library getting library cards for the summer for their children.

Linda Checkley's life skills inclusion class was in their pajamas ... yes, it's Pajama Day for her class. The children performed for us the first scene of Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream." It was impossible to determine which students were there for inclusion, as the class instruction was seamless. Students performed their lines in old English with ease and confidence. You could tell they were really enjoying themselves. (I could spot the hams!) The kids analyzed the meaning of the parts of the play in a post-performance discussion.

The teacher proudly told us to that her class had 100% passing in both TAKS math and reading in the first administration. What made the experience even better was that Ms. Checkley and students were cooking pancakes and the sweet smell matched their sweet performance.

Our time is up at Galindo. We had a grrreat time meeting the Grizzlies. Thanks, Ms. Linn and Galindo teachers and students.