Whatever It Takes - Part 2

 

In some ways, it feels like we started this school year ages ago. In some respects, it has flown by faster than any year I have experienced. In August, we set forth a goal to do "whatever it takes" for one another and for our students. Our resolve will continue to be tested as we continue this pursuit.  In reality, we enter the most crucial stage of the year. From January to March is a mostly uninterrupted stretch in which our students will grow academically and master essential content. Furthermore, our students will benefit from our ability to continue to foster caring and positive relationships. The latter paves the way for the former and this is when the magic happens. I challenge you to be consistent, be positive, and be a difference maker. Through the challenges and storms that are sure to come, do whatever it takes because that is in our DNA. This is who we are and the best is yet to come. We have to believe this, live this and want this. Together, for the kids, and for one another...whatever it takes. 

Before Christmas Break, we hope you felt the love from our PTSO and from our School Admin...

Thank you to our PTSO for the food, the fun, and the prizes. Our board's #1 priority has been supporting students and teachers through a variety of ways including purchases and luncheons/treats. We are blessed to enjoy their support. 

Before the break, we had over 30 individuals spend 3-4 hours on a Saturday at school as part of Beautification Day. To me, this was the epitome of #pvespride and everyone worked so hard. As we will discuss later in the blog, we must continue to take good care of our playground and materials. 

Pride Practice Lesson:

On Monday, January 4th, all home rooms should use this slides presentation to engage students in reflection and conversation about being respectful. Specifically, we want to focus on being respectful on the playground and in the restroom. You can use the notes provided in the notes section to guide the lesson. We want students to leave the playground in great shape when recess is over. We would also like for students to leave restrooms clean and orderly. This will be accomplished if all teachers have high expectations for these areas. 

Thriving Thursday Info:

We will start back with Thriving Thursday on Thursday, January 7th. However, grade levels should not plan to discuss specific data or plans. We will use this time to provide feedback to grade levels as it pertains to PLC implementation. We want to continue to adjust and improve in specific areas so we utilize this PLC framework to the fullest extent. There is plenty of room for growth. 

Virtual Meetings:

We will have a required virtual faculty meeting on Wednesday, January 6th immediately after dismissal. We will send the link out that afternoon. We want to touch base with everyone on a few important issues and make sure we are all on the same page heading into the start 2021. Additionally, "new best" teachers will stay on the virtual meeting while we discuss our bullying prevention program, OLWEUS, so you can be prepared as we plan to kick this off on Monday, January 11th. 

Data Meetings:

We will have grade level data meetings in January to discuss Winter MAP scores, F&P and any other data/concerns with grade levels. We will meet in the PD Room after school and plan to take no more than an hour (2:30-3:30 PM). Make necessary schedule arrangements so you can attend. 

• 5th Grade - Tuesday, January 12th
• 4th Grade - Wednesday, January 13th
• 3rd Grade - Tuesday, January 19th

Conferring Book Study:

Thanks to Mrs. Martin for once again leading our conferring book study. She will continue to provide specific information in email form. We have a large group of teachers participating. We encourage you to continue to learn more about what true conferring looks like and how to best implement these best practices in your reading classroom. We continue to evolve in terms of our ELA instruction and innovation is needed. 

• Monday, January 11th
• Monday, January 25th
• Monday, February 1st 

End of 2nd 9 Weeks Timeline:

Can you believe it? The 2nd of the 2nd nine week period and the hallway point of the school year arrives on Thursday, January 21st. Please note our timeline below. As a reminder, you should have already met with all parents back in October/November. Any concerns, both academically or socially-emotional/behavior, should be formally communicated ASAP. There should be no surprises. Your thoughtful and precise comments on report cards is required and helpful. 

• Grades due in gradebook by end of school day on Monday, January 25th.
• Paperless grade verifications are due by end of day on Tuesday, January 26th. Patty will communicate with teachers if any problems surface. 
• 2nd 9 Weeks Report cards will be emailed to parents after school on Friday, January 29th. 

OLWEUS Begins:

I believe it is very important for us to begin our OLWEUS class meetings/lessons on Mondays each week. Beginning on Monday, January 11th, classrooms will use PRIDE Time to engage students in lessons and discussion focused on bullying prevention. We want to continue providing a climate and culture of positive relationships, mutual respect, and selfless action. OLWEUS is the vehicle by which we can have healthy dialogue related to bullying behaviors and areas of concern in our classrooms. No, you won't be able to have students come to the carpet and circle up, but the impactful discussions can still take place. The teachers guides this and ultimately makes it successful. Please note: Tuesday-Friday PRIDE Time is still an intentional time for remediation and intervention. 

Use our OLWEUS folder for ideas and resources. The first 6 lessons are scripted for you and should be followed. We want these school-wide rules/expectations to be a common language in all areas of the school. After the first 6 lessons, OLWEUS becomes highly individualized based on the classroom. Boys taking football too seriously and not getting along? Sounds like a great time to talk about sportsmanship. Girls spreading rumors and being unkind to one another? Now is the time to discuss lifting others up and being a good friend. Thank you for making program a difference maker for our students. Remember, when students feel safe and appreciated, they are more likely to learn and grow academically at at a higher rate. 

PTSO Information:

• Friday, January 8th - Spirit Day (Wear your House colors/shirts)
• Wednesday, January 13th & Thursday, January 14th - Papa John's "Dollars for Dough" Spirit Nights 
• Friday, January 29th - Fund Friday: Wacky Tacky Day (Bring $1.00 and dress tacky)

Moore's Musings:

Please forgive me for yet another mention concerning masks and social distancing. However, with positive cases skyrocketing in SC, we must continue to be dedicated to providing the safest and cleanest environment possible in our building. Please take time to discuss your expectations with students in regard to wearing masks appropriately and social-distancing. Again, students will rise to the level of your expectation. We don't want to be mean or ugly about it. We don't want to scare students. We want them to know we care and why we are requiring these protocol to be followed. Please remember to update your seating charts in plenty of time for related arts teachers to take note and adjust. I want us to be in school all year, and while I do not know what the future holds, I want to be confident that we did everything we could to stay in school. 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• Progress Report Folders - 1/13, 1/27, 2/10
• No School (MLK Day) - 1/18
• Fire Drill - 1/20
• Class Pictures - 1/27

Video of the Week: Whatever It Takes 

Have you ever actually read the lyrics? If not, take a moment and be inspired. 

FundRAISEr

Each year, our school participates in a PTSO Fundraiser in order to secure funds to support our classrooms. We usually enjoy much success, and with that success, are able to use monies from our fundraiser to purchase materials and celebrate teachers. With your help, we will once again do a wonderful job raising funds for our school that ultimately are poured back into the classrooms. Please spend time each day encouraging students to participate and celebrating when your class reaches a milestone. You are driving this bus! 

In the blog today, we focus on the word raise and the implications of the work we do each and every day. When we raise we move to a higher position; elevate. Indeed, this has become commonplace at PVES. Our school community understands and expects that we will never reach for the status quo. We are constantly growing, learning and improving. Through effective communication and collaboration efforts, we raise our expectations and thrive in all conditions. This doesn't mean we don't fail. We do. This doesn't mean we don't get worn out. We do. This simply means we recognize the importance of our work and its impact on our students. We also must understand and model these traits for one another. Do you elevate those around you? When we collectively raise the level of our work and elevate those around us, we become stronger and more equipped to live out our mission. 

We've made it to October! Can you believe it? Remain hopeful, diligent, and raise the bar for yourself and your students...

We are so thankful for our PTSO for supporting us in many ways. They truly elevate our school and ability to serve our students. Leo the Lion made an appearance this week to kick off the fundraiser. And it is awesome to see our teachers participating in spirit nights each month!

Speaking of elevating - elevating our instructional program is always a priority. Integrating content across the curriculum and in multiple formats is so effective. Students in Coach Whitham's class played hockey, but with a math twist! 

One more "thank you" to our custodial staff. We enjoyed recognizing them on Custodian Appreciation Day last week. We have certainly asked them to raise the bar in terms of cleaning and sanitizing. Together, we have worked hard to keep our school clean, safe and healthy! 

SLO/GBE Update:

As a reminder, SLO/GBE information should be directly typed into SCLead no later than Friday, October 9th. After this has been entered, Mrs. Tollison/Mr. Moore and the faculty member will need to sign off at the bottom of the screen Preliminary Conference Signatures. You should be working toward your goal this semester with the expectation of meeting your requirements before we leave for Christmas Break. Mrs. Kendall Place has sent invitations for our summative conferences for each employee. Mrs. Tollison and Mr. Moore will check in with everyone in November as part of our mid-course conferences. Basically, we are squeezing the process into one semester. Let us know if you have any questions. 

Live PD Follow-Up:

We are so thankful for Kelle Martin and all of our teacher leaders who presented last Wednesday during our virtual Live PD session. We heard some great information that inspired us to take new learning back to our classrooms and use it! You can click here to find our session menu that includes links to the presentations that were used during Live PD. We have reviewed the great feedback many of you provided in the form you completed at the end of the session. In response to the feedback, we would like to mention the following:

• We will be sending out information soon regarding our next conferring book study. This is NOT REQUIRED but highly recommended if you want to grow in your conferring skills. 
• The expectation is that you do meet consistently in guided reading groups with your below grade level readers. We agreed to this when we met to review data a few weeks ago. 
• Mrs. Martin will be reaching out to all homeroom teachers soon with a date that she plans to stop by and check in with you regarding your ELA block/schedule. Specifically, she wants to be of any assistance in the area of ensuring that you do have a workable schedule that allows you to meet with all students each week. 

Fall Parent Conferences:

Mr. Moore sent out information last week regarding conference day on October 19th. Please let me us know if you have any questions. Don't forget to use this template to organize the information you want to share with parents. Patty Ellison sent out this survey form regarding October 19th so please take to fill this out. Thank you for building positive relationships with students and and ensuring that our parents are well informed and play a vital role in the education of our students! 

Fall Fundraiser:

Thanks for helping us kick off our Fall Fundraiser on Friday. Our "Sponsor a Day" fundraiser will end on October 16th. There is not much expected of teachers other than to encourage your students daily to participate and have fun with the program. PTSO will keep you updated on class and school progress via the bulletin board outside the main office. They will coordinate with the home room teacher when your class reaches a goal. We are certainly taking a risk with a fundraiser like this, but with with such a risk often comes great reward! 

• Explanation
• Fundraiser Calendar
• School-Wide Prizes
• Additional Prizes
• Classroom Prizes

Moore's Musings:

Can you believe it? There are only 17 more days in the first nine week period. I am thankful for the sacrifices of so many that have enabled our students to return to school. Our community needed us, and as always, you did not disappoint. I am blessed to be your principal and work with each of you. In some buildings, the leader as high expectations but struggles to convince the staff to have the same. In other buildings, the opposite is true. Teachers have high expectations but often become frustrated at leadership who do not provide a clear vision. Together, PVES continues to thrive and elevate our game to offer the very best for our students. Stay the course, follow our protocols and procedures, and hang on tight. There is no place I would rather be! #pvespride 

Mark Your Calendar:

• PVES Spirit Night at Pizza House of Powdersville - 10/8
• SLO/GBE information entered into SCLead and signed - 10/9
• RTI Team Meeting - During Day on 10/12
• Powdersville PLAY football game at Dolly Cooper - 10/12 at 6:30 P.M. (community event)

Video of the Week: Fall Fundraiser at PVES

Routine

 

By this point and time in the school year, educators have practiced routines and procedures with students to death. We do so because we know that our students learn best when instructional time is maximized and there is an existing and reliable structure to the way our classrooms are run. I would encourage you to continue to implement and rehearse these routines. As our superintendent told me last Friday while he was bragging on our school, "You guys have a fine-tuned machine here!"

However, there is another element to the topic of this blog, and one that I hope challenges you. Routine, when used as an adjective, is defined as performed as part of a regular procedure rather than for a special reason. The E in PRIDE stands for BE EXCELLENT. Excellence is expected at PVES. We go above and beyond to make sure our students learn at high levels. This is the norm at PVES. Dare I say, this is routine at our school. Now, this is not the case in many other places. Whether it's in the depth of our conversations during Thriving Thursday or inherent in the innovative efforts we see in the classroom, the routine at PVES is indeed excellence! We don't need a special reason or circumstance in our pursuit of excellence. 

Last week was a busy one, and the "routine" we on display at #PVES...

When the routine becomes fun and inspiring, all students benefit. A little Rodeo Rounding in third grade caught everyone's attention. And props to our VLA teachers who don't let an empty physical classroom lessen their enthusiasm! 

A huge "shout out" to one of our local churches for supplying food and monies to support our students who are in need. One of the routine experiences at PVES has become our ability to partner with our local community. Thanks to Ms. Lee for leading this effort. 

It takes everyone to make routine our pursuit of excellence. Thanks to Mrs. Martin for working with teachers to provide strategies for PRIDE Time. Ms. Lee will be coming around on Fridays with our recycling crew to ensure we continue to take care of our environment, while freeing up some space in our classrooms! And yes, they even let Mr. Moore teach around here. Thanks to Mrs. Leftwich for the invitation to speak to her gifted and talented students. 

A new routine was introduced this year. Fund Friday involves one Friday a month in which students can support our PTSO by bringing in a dollar. Thanks to our teachers for participating in Hat Day as well. Our PTSO, under the leadership of Julie Williamson, is dedicated to supporting our teachers during this challenging year. Each month, they have a special blessing planned for us. The "Woo Hoo Wagon" was so appreciated this past Friday! 

Each fall, we raise money for our school during a two-to-three week stretch in October as part of our PTSO Fall Fundraiser. And each year, Mrs. Tollison and Mr. Moore are subjected to all sorts of punishment in order to fire up our students about raising these funds. We will be kicking off the fundraiser on Friday this week with a video and an announcement. As always, we need your help in motivating students and making this effort a success. We routinely raise $20,000-$30,000 during our Fall Fundraiser!

Live PD This Wednesday:

We are excited to provide a professional development opportunity for all homeroom teachers, SPED and GT teachers this Wednesday, September 30th from 2:45-3:30ish P.M. This PD will take place via Zoom and links with directions will be provided this week. Please register in Performance Matters so you can get an hour of credit toward your transcript for recertification. Several of our very own will be leading the session entitled: Homegrown Institute Reading Implementation (#10244). Thanks to Mrs. Martin for organizing this opportunity to make us better!

Custodian Appreciation Day:

This Friday, October 2nd we will celebrate our custodial staff as part of Custodian Appreciation Day. Hospitality (have you joined?) helps us recognize our staff with a gift card. However, please make it a point to share a kind word with our custodial staff this week. I would also ask that everyone provide a quick moment for our students to write "thank you" cards to the custodian that services your classroom. Please present these to the assigned custodian on Friday. 

PTSO and Fall Fundraiser Information:

• Friday, October 2nd is our first Spirit Day of the new school year. Everyone is encouraged to wear House shirts and/or colors. Like last year, students who wear their House shirts/colors can write their names on slips of paper and these can be submitted to the front office for a drawing at the end of the day. 
• Our PTSO Fall Fundraiser Kick-Off is also this Friday, October 2nd. PTSO will have a video for home room to view after announcements. We will mention it during announcements each school day afterward to provide updates and celebrate individual class and whole school accomplishments. Obviously, this year we cannot do a "Fun Run" so we have opted to participate in a "Sponsor a Day" Fundraiser Calendar. Students will collect pledges based on the date on the calendar. For example, if grandmother wants to sponsor Saturday, October 24th then she would donate $24.00 to our PTSO. A person can sponsor multiple days. We want to advertise this as a simple/easy way to help our school raise funds. There is no wrapping paper or cookies - no hassle. Stay tuned...

Moore's Musings:

Mrs. Tollison and I look forward to getting into classrooms starting this week. We will be using WeClimb/Master Teacher for walk-through observations. You will receive an email with any pertinent feedback. Please make sure you take the information from our data meetings and collaborative time (PLCs) and have a plan for Pride Time. Mrs. Tollison and Mrs. Martin are available for any scheduling issues as they pertain to your Guided Math/Guided Reading blocks. Remember, get in good habits and make these routine. On a related note, please discuss with your students how to react when a visitor enters your classroom. Some classrooms have a greeter who greets a visitor and explains what they are currently doing in the classroom. When we pop in and out for walk-throughs, we might ask students questions and walk around. We are not there to distract your students. Make sure your students are aware of our expectations. 

Mark Your Calendar:

• Weekly folders send home on 9/30
• Live PD on 9/30 at 2:45 P.M. (after dismissal)
• Wendy's Spirit Night - 10/1
• Spirit Day - 10/2 (Wear House colors/shirts)
• Fall Fundraiser Kick-Off - 10/2 (Show video after announcements)
• Office Staff Meeting - 10/2 at 9:00 A.M.
• Custodial Meeting - 10/2 at 10:00 P.M.
• PTSO Board Meeting - 10/2 at 1:00 P.M.

Video of the Week: Make Kindness Routine

School United

Our House theme is "Houses Divided, School UNITED" and we enjoyed a wonderful week which culminated in our House sorting ceremonies. Let's explore the term united for a moment. According to dictionary.com, united means joined together for a common purpose and/or joined by common feelings. In a world that becomes more divisive by the second, I implore all of us to remain united for the sake of our culture and, most importantly, our students. There exists plenty of political, social, and otherwise worldly pitfalls aimed at distracting us and even dividing us. Let us remember that we must remain steadfast and laser-focused on building positive relationships with our school community and to do whatever it takes for all students to learn at high levels. Through teamwork and effective collaboration, we will thrive while others survive. While others allow themselves to be divided, we will remain steadfast in our vision to become that much more united for the cause. This is #pvespride. 

We work hard and we go home tired, but we continue to do whatever it takes...

Even through the rain brought to us by a tropical depression, our "do whatever it takes" mentality is adopted by all in our PVES family. A stalled car in the morning drop-off line was no match for Coach Whitham and custodian Russell Hanks. When we remain united in the most difficult of circumstances, everyone gets to see the power of our culture. 

In order for all of our students to experience success, it takes all of us doing our jobs at a high level to truly make the magic happen. Mrs. Freeman takes a group of students on a sensory walk each morning. These students need and rely upon these moments. When classroom teacher and resource teacher are united by the common belief that struggling learners deserve every opportunity to be successful, we see growth and surpass expectations. 

We have been told "no" a lot this year due to COVID restrictions and protocol. However, I am so impressed with how often our staff simply finds a way to make learning fun and engaging for our learners. We don't settle at PVES. Students using twizzlers in math? Yes! A place value song set to the tune of The Adams Family? Of course! We must remain united in our belief that we can overcome these obstacles and provide those much needed learning opportunities for our students. 

House sorting ceremonies were so much fun to observe on Friday. Thanks to everyone for bringing the enthusiasm and getting our students excited. Leo the Lion made an appearance in several classrooms. We are now selling House t-shirts and masks. Please send any order forms and money to the PTSO box as you receive them. We are also now ready to begin rewarding House points for positive behaviors that display any of our Pride Practices. We are using Class Dojo once again to keep up with the points. Mrs. Tollison will add any new staff to Class Dojo so all staff and reward points. Good luck to all Houses!

MAP/Data Meetings:

First of all, thanks to Tammy Lee for making our PD Room a much more pleasant place to meet. She worked very hard to make it look nice for all of us! Mrs. Tollison, Mrs. Martin, and I enjoyed meeting with home room teachers in regard to MAP data and expectations for the 20-21 school year. Please refer to our agenda with helpful links and information. Don't forget to provide information in the notes section of the student data sheets as to your specific plan for making sure you "see" each student and provide one-on-one or small group instruction for them. We will continue to pinpoint specific areas  of strength and weakness and collaborate to create a plan of action for all students to learn at high levels throughout the year. Please contact Mrs. Tollison, Mrs. Martin, or Mr. Moore and let us know how we can assist you!

PLC Feedback:

We completed another week's worth of collaborative team time and would like to provide some feedback for all of our teams. While the facilitator helps guide our time, it is the responsibility of all to ensure this time is used effectively and efficiently. I look forward to seeing our growth in these areas. Please read through our thoughts after week two of collaborative meetings:

• All major content areas, specifically Reading, Writing and Math, should be represented during collaborative team time. 
• Your time should be spent wisely and always focused on one of the four main questions of a PLC. Please review these and know them like the back of your hand. 
• There should be very little, if any time, left over at the end of your session. As we start collecting additional data and get into heavier content, this should not be an issue. 
• Specifically, what should you be doing during this time? 
• Reviewing essential standards for upcoming units to determine if any changes need to be made and to ensure understanding of the "end in mind" for all teachers. 
• Ensuring these essentials are written as "I can" statements in such a way that parents and students understand.
• Creating and discussing Common Formative Assessments that will be used in the future. All teachers, not just those responsible for planning that particular content, should be involved in this. If rubrics ae involved, make sure everyone has said rubric and has gone over it carefully.
• Review data from Common Formative Assessments. This means actually having data to bring to meetings. We often fall into the trap of thinking we need to bring a big test or quiz. However, you could bring a quick "exit ticket", samples of student writing, and other informal means of assessment to discuss. These are often more important and meaningful to us as educators. 
• Develop a plan of action, based on data discussion and best practices, for students who have not yet mastered the material and those who already have (remediation and enrichment). Walk out with a plan. 

Evaluations/SLO:

October 1st is the recommended date for SLO/GBE information to be placed in SCLead.org. Mrs. Tollison and I will be sending out some final suggestions/information early this week. Please view this video for assistance with typing your SLO/GBE in SCLead.org. We do expect to move 100%  SCLead this year; meaning you will not turn in a hard copy of anything. Home room teachers, we discussed using Reflex data and focusing on fact fluency. Non-homeroom teachers should be thinking about an area of focus for a semester and how they can positively impact student performance in this area. Goals-Based teachers, we are waiting to hear from Mrs. Brady as to whether or not we can also do just a semester GBE or if it has to be the full year. We will touch base with all GBE staff this week with more details. I will email documents to you for you to use as rough drafts. 

Fund Friday:

This Friday, September 25th is our first Fund Friday of the year. Students can wear a hat if they bring $1.00 to donate to PTSO. You do not need to count of receipt any of this money. With such a challenging budget year, we built in one Fund Friday a month to help with PTSO expenses this year. We will be releasing a special "In the Know" newsletter this week with all sorts of PTSO-related information so please take time to read this. 

Moore's Musings:

It has been wonderful seeing our PVES Pals program in action already. Thanks to those Pals who have already blessed a colleague at school. Please see Jessica Thomas if you have any questions or concerns regarding this program. 

As a reminder, please remember that home room teachers should be in the classroom by 7:30 AM. If we have a sub, we may need those teachers around that classroom to help "cover" until the sub arrives. 

Please continue to keep up the GREAT work during dismissal. This process has improved tremendously thanks to all involved!

Finally, please continue to take social distancing and mask wearing seriously. Expect the same from your students. Our goal is to make it face-to-face all year!

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• Tropical Smoothie Cafe PVES Spirit Night - 9/23
• Fund Friday/Hat Day - 9/25
• PTSO Teacher Snack Cart - 9/25
• Weekly Folders - 9/30
• Virtual Live PD - 9/30
• Wendy's PVES Spirit Night - 10/1
• SLO/GBE Due Date in SCLead - 10/1
• Fall Fundraiser Kickoff - 10/2
• PVES Spirit Day (Wear Your House Colors) - 10/2
• School Custodian Appreciation Day - 10/2

Video of the Week: United We Stand (funny)