TRAFLES

Teaching & Classroom Participation

Career Shadowing

Twice a year (October & April) TAFE members are offered the opportunity to shadow a teacher in the district on any participating campus. TAFE members spend an entire school day with a district teacher, some have the opportunity to teach lessons, tutor students, and see what a day in the life of a teacher is like. The Vice President is responsible for coordinating this activity with our principal and principals and teachers throughout the district.

TAFE on Call

Throughout the school year, teachers at the high school need help in their classrooms. TAFE on Call provides a TAFE member to help them out when they need it. TAFE members will provide a flyer to the teachers through their mail box during the first week of school, providing them with information on how to request a TAFE member’s assistance. The requests will be answered by a TAFE officer, who will find a member that can assist the teacher in need.

TAKS Math & Science Camp

TAFE members will hold a Math & Science Camp to help elementary students who need help with TAKS, at a local elementary school with the lowest TAKS scores. This camp will be held for a week after school, once in the Fall and Spring. TAFE members will provide snacks to the students during the tutoring.

Recreation

TAFE Officer Social

At the end of the school year, elected officers get together to get to know each other and build trust and leadership. Officers participate in Leadership and Team Building activities and discussions. Officers also participate in swimming, games, and a cook out. Officers have the opportunity to get to know one another and build relationships and trust.

TAFE Meet & Greet

TAFE officers and current members hold a social after school during September to welcome new members and to get to know them. Ice breaker games and team building activities help to get members together and build relationships.

Thanksgiving Dinner

TAFE members hold a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner the week before Thanksgiving Break, where all members are encouraged to bring a dish and join in a feast of fun. Students are given a ticket/pass to come during their lunch to the dinner, usually held in the food lab, room 2405. The Parliamentarian is responsible for planning and coordinating with the foods and nutrition teacher to use the lab.

Spring Picnic

TAFE members get together on a Saturday in the spring (March or April) and enjoy games, food, and activities to socialize with other members.

Scrapbooking Party

TAFE members will get together on Friday, February 11, 2010 at the High School from 5-9 pm to socialize while working on our chapter scrapbook that will be submitted at the state conference. During this party, we will enjoy movies about teachers, pizza, popcorn, and drinks.

Teacher & Staff Appreciation

Teacher of the Month

Each month, we choose a teacher who has served DeSoto High School in an outstanding way. The selection process varies in method, including but not limited to TAFE member voting, faculty nomination and voting, or random drawing. The selected teacher/staff member receives a gift and certificate of appreciation from TAFE members; this occurs the last Friday of each month.

Monthly Teacher Appreciation

Each month, TAFE members show their appreciation to the entire faculty and staff by decorating the lounge and providing snacks or cake, and cards with the theme of the month or season/holiday. Some months, teachers will also receive cards or trinkets in their mail boxes.

Teacher Appreciation Week

The first week of May is Teacher Appreciation Week, during this week TAFE members will provide decorations for the teachers’ lounge, cards and apples in the teachers boxes, a drawing for a gift will be held daily for the entire week, Teacher of the Year will be selected and announced on Friday of that week and the teacher selected will be invited to the TAFE Banquet to be recognized.

New Teacher Welcome

TAFE Officers and Members will welcome new teachers to DeSoto High School with a goody bag and a welcome card, they will greet them on the first day of school and give them information about “TAFE on Call”.

TAFE & RST! Banquet

TAFE & Ready, Set, Teach! will join together for a banquet to recognize the teachers who participated in the program and also to recognize members and staff that have assisted us this year. The banquet will be held at a Beltline Center on May 19^th at 6:00pm. The banquet will be a dinner and awards ceremony.

Fund-raising

Dues

Each TAFE member will be asked to pay $15 dues for the year.

TAFE Garage Sale

In September & March TAFE members will ask teachers and staff for donations for a garage sale to be held on a Saturday morning at a location TBD, where TAFE members will sell donated items and receive donations for our treasury.

TAFE Car Wash

One Saturday in August, TAFE members will hold a car wash, at a location TBD, to raise funds for our treasury.

Talent Show

TAFE members and officers will recruit high school students beginning September 28, during lunches and with posters in the hall ways for auditions which will be held October 7 & 8, 2010 in the cafeteria after school. The talent show will be held on October 14, 2010 at 7:30 pm in the auditorium. Tickets will be sold during the lunches the week of the talent show, for $2.00, and tickets purchased at the door will be $4.00.

Penny War

TAFE members will hold a penny war, the second week of November. Each Grade Level will compete to bring the most pennies to donate to the TAFE treasury. Members will collect pennies and other coins during the lunches. The coins will collect points as follows:

Pennies = 1 pt, Dollars =100 pts, Quarters = -25 pts, Dimes = -10 pts, Nickels = -5 pts

Holiday Spectacular

TAFE will host a Holiday Spectacular which will showcase the talents of many DeSoto High School groups and students including the Hand Bells, Accapella Choir, Gospel Choir, Jazz Band, Color Guard, Step Team, ROTC Unarmed, Cheerleaders, Drama Club, Eaglette Officers, and more. This show will be held on Friday, December 17, 2010 (time TBD, per Dr. Ensley). Tickets will be sold during the lunches, the week of the program for $3.00, $2.00 of which will go to the Choir department.

Eagle Stop

The Eagle Stop will be a printing service run by TAFE members and RST! Students. The store will be housed in the FCS office, next to room 2407, open only from 7:00 – 7:24 am and during 5^th period. The Eagle Stop will printing in color and black and white to students at the following costs: $0.15/page for B&W and $0.50/page for color, picture printing is $2.00/page.

Leadership

Elected to Region Vice President School

As the Region Vice President School we are responsible for assisting in the planning and preparation of the Annual Region 10 Conference. We will work with the Region President School, Skyline High School of Dallas ISD, to host the Region Conference that will be held in November or December.

Attend Leadership Workshops

Our local TAFE President, Breyanna Knox and past president, Michael Carroll, attended the Leadership Retreat for State and Regional Officers in May 2010. Our local President, Treasurer, and Parliamentarian attended the TAFE Summer Leadership Workshop in July 2010.

Run for a State Office

Our chapter was elected to the State President office in 2009-2010, and we enjoyed serving in that capacity. Our chapter would like to run for a state office once again, we will plan our platform and campaign for a state office at the Annual State Conference in February 2011.

Help Start a TAFE Chapter at another School

Our chapter would like to assist another High School in starting a TAFE Chapter. Hillsboro High School currently does not have a TAFE Chapter, and we plan to contact their principal and Education and Training Pathway teacher(s) to assist them.

Officer Workshop

In August of each year on the Teacher Work Days before the beginning of school, elected TAFE officers will host a workshop to plan and receive training on leadership of the chapter. Past Presidents will assist in the training of the new officers.

Educational Awareness

Visit a College Campus

Ready, Set, Teach! & TAFE members will plan a field trip to a college campus; possibilities include UNT, TWU, Tarleton State University, or Sam Houston State University.

Club Week

TAFE will coordinate a “Club Week” during September to promote student awareness of available clubs and organizations on our campus and to recruit members for TAFE. During the Week prior to September 13-17, Clubs and organizations will sign up to have booth in the Cafeteria during club week to promote their club/organization. Clubs/organizations will be chosen to have a 30 second commercial on the announcements one day of the week. Clubs will be encouraged to post signs and posters in the hallways, have members wear sandwich boards in the cafeteria during lunches, and pass out flyers and brochures.

Scholarship Brochure

TAFE members will research scholarship opportunities for Education or Teaching majors and create a brochure to inform students in the Education and Training Career Pathway about these opportunities. TAFE members will provide copies to the counseling center for students interested.

College Night

TAFE members will assist the counseling department with college night by providing needed services and assistance during set up and any other assistance that the counseling department needs.

SAT & ACT Posters

TAFE members will create posters with SAT & ACT information and test dates to post in hallways and the cafeteria to inform students about the testing.

CTE Fair

TAFE members will assist the Career & Technical Education Department put on a fair at the Middle Schools to promote the new Career Pathways and courses with the students who will be soon choosing their courses for high school. Members will help distribute brochures and assist teachers in creating a student survey to find out students interests. Members will help middle school students learn about the career pathways by making presentations at the other campuses.

Service

North Texas Food Bank Canned Food Drive

TAFE Members will provide boxes for each 5^th period teacher’s classroom to collect food for the North Texas Food Bank during the month of November. Students in their 5^th period class will be competing for a Pizza party, the 5^th period class who donates the largest number of items will be rewarded the pizza party in the month of December. Food will be donated at the beginning of December to the North Texas Food Bank.

Adopt-An-Angel

Our TAFE chapter will Adopt-An-Angel through the Student Council, providing gifts to the adopted child.

Teddy Bear Drive for the Dallas Police Department

TAFE members will place receptacles at Wal-mart and other grocery stores around the area to collect teddy bears and other stuffed animals to donate to the Dallas Police Department. The boxes (receptacles) will be put out on Feb. 11 and picked up March 11. The Dallas Police Department uses these stuffed animals and teddy bears to give to children who are taken into custody when their parents are arrested.