The Falcon Files

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Falcon Family,

I want to take a moment to acknowledge something that I know many of us are feeling: this work is hard.

Culture shifts don’t happen overnight. They require us to change habits, raise expectations, hold one another accountable, learn new ways of doing things, and sometimes keep showing up when we are tired, frustrated, or wondering if what we are doing is making a difference.

I see you. I hear you. And I appreciate you.

I see the teacher who is working to reset expectations in the classroom every single day.

I see the staff member who is exhausted but still greets students with a smile.

I see the person who may not agree with every change but continues to show up, contribute, and do what is best for our students.

I see the small victories that may not make it into an email or announcement—the student who responded differently today, the hallway that was a little calmer, the class that transitioned more smoothly, the colleague who stepped in to help, and the relationship that is slowly being built.

Those things matter. They are evidence that the work is working.

At the same time, I want to encourage us not to allow our weariness to cause us to retreat from the work. The culture we want at Royal Junior High will not simply happen because we hope for it. We have to build it—together, intentionally, consistently, and sometimes one student, one classroom, and one day at a time.

There will be moments when it feels uncomfortable. There will be setbacks. There will be days when we have to reset and try again. But we cannot confuse difficult with impossible.

Our students need consistency. They need structure. They need high expectations. They need adults who believe in them enough to hold the line while also loving and supporting them through it. And we need each other.

So, as we continue this journey, give yourself and your colleagues some grace—but don’t give up the ground we have gained. Keep reinforcing expectations. Keep building relationships. Keep supporting one another. Keep communicating. Keep celebrating progress. And when something isn’t working, let’s work together to make it better rather than abandoning the goal.

Remember what it means for us to Take FLIGHT:

Focus on Excellence.
Lead with Integrity.
Inspire Others.
Grow Every Day.
Honor Our Community.
Take Responsibility.

Right now, those words are more than a theme. They are our charge.

We are building something together. The culture we want tomorrow is being shaped by what we consistently do today.

This work is hard and exhausting. That I know. I also know that YOU and OUR STUDENTS are worth the fight. Currently, I have submitted requests for new furniture for you all, additional whiteboards, laptops for those without them, additional instructional resources, additional staff so that we can lower class sizes, and rewards to incentivize Falcons. If there is something that you believe would make a difference, please don't assume that I know and am ignoring it. Share your idea with me, please. I will continue to go to battle for you because I want to implement systems to empower you and your work.

Thank you for continuing to show up. Thank you for caring enough to be frustrated when things aren’t where we want them to be. Thank you for the conversations, the effort, the teamwork, the resets, and the perseverance.

We may not be where we want to be yet, but we are not where we started.

Keep going, Falcon Family. Keep believing. Keep building. Keep taking FLIGHT.

Our students are worth the work—and so is the campus we are becoming.

With appreciation and belief in our team on our way to the top,

Dr. Felecia Carrington
Proud Principal

PROGRESS REPORT GRADES

Please double-check that your grades are ready to be pulled in Skyward for your students. Take a look at the grading email that Dr. Carrington sent this week for more details.

BOY Assessments

Core teachers, please continue to test your students in MAP and DMAC. We realize that we have faced our share of technical difficulties. They have been reported to the district level staff. If you have students that are not populating, please continue to assess your students.

Open House Prep

Please get ahead of the game in preparation for Open House next week. Classrooms should be inviting. Student work should be displayed. Hallway bulletin boards should be complete.

Advisory This Week

1. Introduce empathy using the CKH Resources

• Log into CKH
• Click Resources in the top left
• Click Leadworthy Character Lessons
• Find a video on empathy that you can play for your students
• Choose a few activities around empathy that you can do with your students this week.

2. Utilize advisory to get students into the education platforms available: IXL and SummitK12 (EB students).

T-TESS and Non-Evaluative Feedback and Process

Feedback is an essential part of growth. Anticipate the receipt of feedback using both the informal campus walkthrough and the T-TESS document.

ACTION REQUIRED: GOAL-SETTING

The district requires: Teacher Goal Setting, Self-Assessment and Professional Development (GPSD)

Part 1 (Due 9/25/26)

○ 1 Professional Goal AND

○ 1 Student Growth Goal

Please log into D-MAC to begin this work. You should develop your Student Growth Goal in collaboration with your grade level content team.

WHITE OUT FRIDAY

In support of being #RoyalStrong, we will support the high school are certain dress themed days as we did this past Friday for REDOUT. This Friday is White Out. Please wear white on Friday. Also, let's remind our students so they can participate.

INSTRUCTIONAL NON-NEGOTIABLES

The below constitutes the look-fors that will be reflected in your feedback both informally and formally. It is expected that the Learning Intention, Success Criteria, Do Now and Daily Agenda are posted daily on your board (whiteboard or chalkboard). Creating a slide on your screen is not considered sufficient. Please also post your daily schedule outside your classroom door. Finally, please remember to follow the components of the Fundamental 5.

• Learning Intention - TEKS based learning target written in student-friendly language.
• Success Criteria - Specific, measurable standards used to determine if a goal, project, or lesson has been successfully achieved.
• Do Now at the start of the period
• Daily Agenda - denotes what students will do from the beginning to the end of the period, should provide guidance for students to minimize lost instructional time.
• Daily schedule outside door.
• Fundamental 5 adherence is evident.

PLC and Planning

PLC and Planning meetings continue. Please bring the pre-work that the coaches have shared with you.

We will meet after school on Wednesday. Please come to the meeting with a charged laptop.

Agenda Items will include information on Emergent Bilingual documentation, PASS system support changes and more.

Please be on time and ready to engage.

Falcons, please find the attached Counselor's Connection from Ms. Boutte attached below.

Thank you for this new addition, Ms. Boutte!

All Staff at the Door and in the Halls During Transition - All staff should be at the door and in the halls for transitions. Once there, there should be a chorus of adult voices guiding students. Please greet your students and initiate the CKH Check In process every period. Please do not assume that the next adult will say something.

Active Monitoring - When in the halls and on duty, there should be multiple adult voices heard and it should be evident that you are interacting with the students. Many hands make light work. If we are all aligned, the students will respond and over time, less redirection will be needed. Please trust the process.

10/10 Rule - The goal of this rule is to protect instruction and strengthen safety. There should be zero movement in the first and last 10 minutes of each period. No means no. If we are consistent, our students will get the message.

Hall Pass Protocol - Students released from your class must have a pass in their hand. This pass should indicate their origin, destination and the time. This is a non-negotiable, even for a quick errand.

Student Supervision - It is considered a serious concern to leave students unattended. Please avoid doing so at all costs. It only takes a moment for a serious situation to take place. Please work within your team to support one another or call for assistance in emergency.

Tardy Sweeps - Sweeps will return this week. When you hear the announcement, please close your door. Teachers who are on conference, please assist with "sweeping" the students to the cafeteria.

Sign In/Out - Thank you to all who have followed this with fidelity. Follow up communication will be sent to staff who are missing from the sign in. Please remember that this is one of the areas monitored and addressed in your end of year evaluation. Thank you, in advance, for following this practice.

Lesson Plan Submission - Please remember that your lesson plans are due on Monday by 7:00 a.m. Utilize the new lesson plan form that was sent by Dr. Carrington this week.

Absence Submission - It is essential that your absence is entered in Red Rover as soon as possible or before 6:00 a.m. Please give your team a chance for a substitute to be located. If you know in advance of your absence, it is expected that assignments are ready and prepared. Please communicate the work plans to your team leader.

CKH Components - Social Contract and Good Things

By now, all social contracts should be up. Please remember to also implement Good Things to build a positive culture in your classroom.

Remember, RJH is going big for grants this year!

By September 11, I'm asking the following teams to submit a grant application to Dr. Carrington for review:

• 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade
• ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies Departments
• CTE
• Athletics
• SPED
• Counseling

Individual grants go up to $1500. Campus/Dept. grants go up to $5000.

Please remember that anything instructional has to be tied to a specific TEKS.

Apply here: https://form.jotform.com/261824477145058

All applications must be submitted through the online application, and principal approval is required prior to submission. All of the above teams, please submit your proposal for review by September 11, 2026.

Effective 8/31, the support schedule below will be implemented. All affected staff, please remember that these documents are dynamic and may change to meet student needs.

If you are a teacher or paraprofessional listed, please ensure that you are following given expectations for documenting student supports in accordance with the law, district policy and campus expectations.

Thank you for ensuring that ALL MEANS ALL at RJH.

Remember, this google calendar is available to you. Please bookmark the link for a current view of events on campus.

This will be a busy month with multiple events on campus. Please save the dates to your calendar so that you can be prepared for success.

Happy birthday to all the Falcons below. It's your time to shine! We wish you an amazing birthday month. We hope that all your dreams come true.

9/3, Alexis Harrison

9/8, Ilse Esqueda

9/13, Jayla Laday

9/16, Kevin Mason

9/18, Taylor Duncan

9/25, Amaris Cross

9/30, Ebony Burns

Please bring me ideas to make this time period special for our staff and students. It's essential that we celebrate all Falcons.

To make our campus successful, it will take us all doing our part. A great way to do so is through the work of committees. All staff will be asked to join 1 campus committee. Each committee will have a purpose that supports the campus as a whole. Here are the current committees available below. If you have others that you would like to suggest, please see Dr. Carrington. We will discuss and sign up in our first staff meeting.

• Campus Improvement Committee - will focus on Campus Improvement Goals
• Attendance Committee - focused on ensuring strong attendance for all students and staff through programming, rewards and intervention.
• Sunshine/Hospitality - focused on creating programs, activities and support for staff members
• Positive Behavior/Incentives - focused on student behavior programs, activities and rewards
• Wellness - Promote staff/student wellness
• Culture and Pride - Build a positive staff and student culture
• Family Engagement - Strengthen school-family partnerships

Hot off the presses, enjoy our Favorite Things list. Take note of the likes and birthdays of your team and others and get about the business of "seeing" other Falcons and making their day. Let's go!

Please reference the below resources for T-TESS, if needed.

Lesson plans are due by 7:00 a.m. on Monday. Please post your lesson plans for the week if you have not done so already. Teachers, if you need to join the classroom to post, you can do so at the link below.

Please see the links below if needed for building information. Please Dr. Carrington know if there are other specific quick links that you'd like to see added here.