Hero

We have many heroes in our building!

I am so proud of all that we continue to accomplish as a school! Our teachers continue to improve their trade through professional development and collaboration with one another. Our students are actively engaged in the classroom and learning. When you are able to look past some of the "mess" with which all teachers are inevitably confronted, it is really gratifying to walk down the hallway and hear teachers teaching away and students growing as learners. Just remember that when things get hectic and chaos ensues ... our kids are learning thanks to you!

Don't Forget:
As we mentioned at the beginning of the year, there are several changes that we are asking you to keep in mind this year. First of all, no students should be sent to the office after 7:50 A.M. to call for homework or iPad. They certainly can call if they forgot their lunch. Secondly, Tuesdays are dedicated to faculty meetings. Please do not schedule after school conferences or appointments on faculty meeting days. Also, make sure you adhere to our scheduled lunch and recess times. This affects everyone else in the building. Finally, please make every attempt to be on duty at 7:20 A.M. as our doors are opened and students enter the building at that time. I very much appreciate those of you who greet your students at your classroom door in a positive manner each day. Thanks!

GBEs and SLOs:
Everyone should be working on your GBE or SLO documents. We will ask each group to meet with us for the first 10-15 minutes of your planning on Thursday, October 29th to "turn in" your completed GBE form or SLO final and growth templates. Mrs. Tollison, Ms. Wilcox, Mrs. Martin and I have been trained on SLOs and can provide assistance if needed. This is a year of practice and trial and error so do your best but know we will support you!

PVES "New Best":
On Monday, October 19th at 3:15 P.M., we will meet with any teachers who give grades and have parent conferences to discuss end-of-nine-week procedures and grades/comments. Mrs. Tollison will email everyone who needs to attend a reminder and anything you may need to bring.

Let's explore some of the many reasons we have so much #pvespride ...

Mrs. Carey manned the media center on Wednesday this week when Mrs. Fowler was at technology training. No one asked her to step in...she just did it because it needed to be done. This speaks volumes about her and is symbolic of why we can be the best school (not #50) in the state. We are willing to go the extra mile. When we see something that needs to be done, we do it. No need to complain or fret. Just do the best we can and make it happen. Awesome!

Wait, that's not Mrs. Fowler!

Math teachers are exploring the use of math stations and better ways to use their large block of time. Students in 4th grade were enjoying the stations. This again speaks to our ability to change and adapt...to see that a problem exists or a better way exists and find what works. These students LOVED learning in math!

Mrs. Fulbright "getting on their level"

Yep, math is cool!

Our faculty and staff engaged in great conversation about "who we are and what we are all about" and created some fabulous mission statements. This is just the beginning, but it was awesome to hear "us" talk about where "we" are headed as a school. Thanks for taking our time together seriously and staying focused on making us better! In case you were wondering, we have no assigned everyone to a school committee for the AdvancED process. You can see them here.

3rd, 4th, 5th grade teachers ... TMD and nurse too!

Rick Chapman keeping the group on task

Speaking of our faculty meeting, I must extend a huge "thank you" to Mrs. Thomas, Mrs. Barnhill, and Ms. Powell for sharing their learning with us during our faculty meeting. I made a Furman Consortium folder in our shared teacher folder and dropped their presentation in there. Mrs. Tollison and I believe strongly in developing teacher leaders in our building. We also place a high priority on professional development and collaboration. We hope many of you will attend conferences and professional development opportunities. Just be prepared to share with the rest of us!

Teachers teaching teachers

Thanks to Mrs. Martin for dropping some guided reading truth on us this week. Our time spent with her was very helpful and pointed us in the right direction and created additional questions. Guided reading is simply the right thing to do. Call it what you want, but teaching kids at their level and meeting with readers in a small group setting is effective. The book room is open and available for all to use. Please remember to email your guided reading schedule to Mrs. Martin as soon as possible. Also, if you have not already, please email and let her know when she can come to assist you with your guided reading needs.

Great group discussion and learning

Field trip to the book room

The school store is now open for business. We have some wonderful students who run the school store for us each morning. Do not forget to encourage your students to stop by and visit the school store. I stopped by yesterday and asked for a hamburger and fries. Unfortunately, they were unable to complete my order.

Open for business

Moore's Musings:

• Field trip plans anyone? It would be great to hear from each grade level as to what your field trip plans, if any, are for this school year. Parents are asking! 
• Afternoon car rider dismissal is going smoothly. Switching to names has worked very well. If you have a student who works in your room after school, please make sure they are sent to the pick up area in time so we don't have to locate them during dismissal. 
• Thanks to our related arts teachers for their hard work. We will "spotlight" them in future blogs, but I walked down the hallway this week and glanced in rooms and just listened. Our students love our related arts periods and benefit from these opportunities! 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• Earthquake drill on 10/15 at 10:15 A.M. Drop, cover and hold on! 
• PVES "New Best" Meeting on 10/19 at 3:15 P.M. in the PD Room. 
• Digital Playground on 10/20 from 3:15-3:50 P.M. in the media center.
• Set up stage for EAFK on 10/21 at 3:15 P.M. 
• EAFK Ceremonies on 10/23 in the MP Room. 

Thanks for being a hero to a student or staff member this year. Your job is so vital and so important. Keep pushing!