We Can Do This!

In most cases, our blog focuses around a central idea, word, or theme. However, there is no "deeper" meaning behind our blog this week. I'll break tendency here and do my best to encourage you with a simpler message: WE CAN DO THIS! I think we are all aware that we need to make great use of every second we have remaining with our students, but there is nothing wrong with celebrating a much-deserved Spring Break. And we are almost there! Five (5) days to go. Let's make this five fun-filled days tempered with patience and kindness. Let's remember our goal to work as a team and "rise up" against those forces aiming to slow us down. We have some wonderful things planned for this week and several surprises in store. Read more below!

As always, there are wonderful things taking place in our school!

Our 3rd 9 Weeks EAFK ceremonies went well. Sir Cass, the story teller, wowed our students and parents with tales of courage and determination. Thanks to Ms. Lee for her leadership in ensuring that our students receive character education through this program. Thank you to our teachers for some kind and heartfelt words about our students!

Our Monday class meetings were spent reviewing our school rules against bullying: 1.) We will not bully others, 2.) We will help students who are bullied, 3.) We will include students who are left out, and 4.) If we know that someone is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home. Class meetings, as part of our OLWEUS program, enable students to build community and have a safe environment to talk through issues at school.

5th grade students enjoyed a review of grammar standards through safari-themed stations in ELA. Our students are so engaged when we take the time and effort to make learning fun! 

The majority of 3rd and 4th grade have completed MAP testing. I was so happy to see our students meeting goals and working hard. Our teachers have done a remarkable job getting students motivated to test. I believe it is important for our students to know what it feels like to set a goal, work hard to achieve said goal and then celebrate when they reach it! 5th grade, you are up next!  

We aren't competitive or anything, are we? Live PD this week focused on the environment domain of the Teacher 4.0 rubric. I was so impressed at how engaged our teachers were on a Wednesday afternoon after along day. Congratulations to those who won blue jean passes as part of our activities! 

OLWEUS:

We will have OLWEUS class meetings on Monday, March 26th during PRIDE Time for all grade levels. The topic of this week's time together will be digital citizenship/digital footprint. Thanks to Jill Kristie Berry and Jill Kallin for helping us get the lesson content together for our next two lessons. The importance of using technology appropriately cannot be overstated and we must engage our students in conversation about this topic. We will discuss cyber-bullying the Monday we return from break. Remember, we will gradually release the responsibility of OLWEUS class meetings over to you. Class meetings will be held every Monday during PRIDE Time when we have a full week of school. Grade levels should work together to identify lesson/topics/read-alouds. At the most basic level, this time can be used for in-depth discussion pertaining to our rules against bullying and  specific examples that have taken place at school. Thank you for making this a powerful time that will strengthen our school culture!

MAP Testing:

5th grade students will take ELA MAP on March 26th and MATH MAP on March 27th. It should be our goal to have everyone tested before we leave for Spring Break. Remember, we will use our LIVE PD time on April 11th to discuss MAP scores and our next steps. Please let us know if you have any questions regarding MAP testing. Due to 5th grade testing in the morning on Monday and Tuesday this week, we will flip flop our related arts periods for 5th and 4th grades (4th grade - morning related arts, 5th grade afternoon related arts). Please note we had to tinker with the times for 5th grade in the afternoon to accommodate for lunch. 

Related 8:45-9:30 - Barnhill, Moore, Odom, White

Related 9:30-10:15 - Heath Hughes Jordan Williams

Related 1:05 - 1:45 - Garrett, Gibson, Melton, Wayne

Related 1:45-2:25 - Grier, Golden, Horn, Thomas, Wilcox

Door Codes:

As we work to improve safety and security in our building, please remember that your door code is for you ONLY. We have had 3 instances now where door codes have been used by students (from our school and middle school). This is obviously not safe. We would highly recommend that you do not share your code with anyone. Simply stop by and see Mrs. Tollison or Mr. Moore and we can provide your door access code for you. Thank you for your help with this. 

Battle of The Books:

Our "Battle of the Books" school competition will be held on Wednesday, March 28th beginning at 9 AM. and ending around 10:30 A.M. Mrs. Fowler will send out information regarding instructions for participants. Coach Thompson and Mrs. Turner assist Mrs. Fowler with the event, so classes that have PD or Music during that time frame on Wednesday should report to the MP Room. Additionally, you are invited to bring your class or, better yet, allow your class to view the event on the SmartBoard using this link. 

PVES "I Heart Arts" Day:

We are so excited about our upcoming "I Heart Arts" Day on Thursday, March 29th. First of all, we need to stop and thank Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Nix for their hard work in planning this event. It is not easy! This day is meant to be fun for all. Lunch is provided for teachers on this day thanks to Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Nix. That's a nice added bonus. Check out this shared folder for more information about this day including your schedule! Additionally, don't forget to complete the lunch count form for Arts Day (already in your teacher box) and return it to Mrs. Turner by Tuesday so we can provide an accurate count to the cafeteria staff. Finally, during the lunch/recess block on "I Heart Arts" Day, students will go through the lunch line and be escorted back to class by the person covering your class. We will be showing a movie during this lunch/recess block (no outside recess). I would suggest logging into your teacher computer using the student login (username-pvesstudent, password-PVESs1) so the person covering your class can access the computer if it times out. Please click on this link to bring up the movie being down during this time period and have this up on your screen for the person covering your class. 

Friday, March 30th:

Friday will certainly be a day to be celebrated as it marks the arrival of Spring Break once the day is completed successfully. Friday is also a busy day!

• Our 3rd 9 Weeks Writer's "Wall of Fame" breakfast will be held in the media center beginning at 7:20 A.M. Feel free to drop in and celebrate our awesome student writers with us!
• Yearbook orders are due on Friday. Please send out communication to parents and encourage them to purchase a yearbook! 
• Class parties are scheduled for 1:40 P.M. We may let parents down a minute or two earlier depending on how things are going. Please encourage room mothers to drop items off before or after school prior to Friday. We will provide sign-out sheets for classroom teacher so parents can sign students out from the classroom. Please be vigilant and ensure the safety of our students during the class parties! 

Flipped Faculty Meeting:

In lieu of another faculty meeting before Spring Break, we will provide a "flipped" training video for the Planning Domain of the Teacher 4.0 Rubric. This means NO Live PD on Wednesday. Instead, please make sure you are part of our Teachers at PVES Google Classroom (I have invited our new teachers via email). I have added an assignment entitled Teacher 4.0 Flipped in Google Classroom. You will click on the video and view the flipped meeting. There are several questions you will be asked throughout the video. Thank you for watching! The due date for this assignment is posted as April 21st. 

Moore's Musings:

And now the good stuff! Please complete the Teacher Survey via the state department website. Our SIDN number is 0401062. After you complete the teacher survey, I hope you enjoy the following this week:

• Blue jeans all week. Yes, five days of blue jeans!
• Leave early all week. If you do not have duty or scheduled responsibilities, please feel free to leave after your students are taken care of at the end of each day you do not have duty/scheduled responsibilities!
• If one luncheon isn't enough to show our appreciation, let's add another one. On Wednesday, March 28th we will cover the cafeteria for you during your regularly scheduled lunch period. Teachers will report to the media center and enjoy lunch catered by Chicken Salad Chick! Simply drop your students off at the cafeteria and pick them up at the end of your lunch period. 
• As if I needed to announce this...Spring Break is next week! There is no school Monday, April 2nd - Friday, April 6th. We will see everyone back on Monday, April 9th. Please take care of yourself and be ready to come back ready to work hard and make a difference! When we return, we will have 23 days before 3rd grade begins testing! 

Video of the Week: Perfect Video for This Time of Year: