Whatever It Takes

I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for the way you welcomed me back from maternity leave. You all have been so kind and thoughtful. My first day back as many of you can imagine was filled with mixed emotions as I left my sweet baby. Some folks have asked if I am glad to be back. My response is yes! Working with such a wonderful group of people who love and care for one another is such a blessing. It was so special to see students' smiling faces as they greeted me with "Mrs. Tollison, you're back!" All of this makes my job so great and it is why I love coming to work every day. Yes, it is difficult to leave my precious baby girl and I do not put her down once I get home. However, I am blessed to work with such a special group of people. So thank you for being you! 

The theme this week is whatever it takes. Mr. Moore and I would like to thank you for stepping up and going above and beyond. This time of testing can be full of stress and anxiety for both teachers and students. There is also a great need for flexibility. You all have handled all of this very well. No matter how much preparation or planning we do as an office staff things still come up and adjustments must be made. You have embraced those adjustments and made this week a success by doing whatever it takes. Below are some people we wanted to recognize.  

Doing Whatever It Takes During Duty

Friday's car duty included a lightening strike and torrential down pour. All of our folks outside were soaked from head to toe. This included Mrs. Putnam who was willing to cover for Mrs. Martin, Ms. Rita, Mr. Moore, and Mrs. Clary. Thank you all for doing whatever it takes including withstanding the terrible weather to ensure that our students remained safe during dismissal. (Note: Mrs. Clary was calling numbers and was completely soaked due to a hole in her umbrella. She is not pictured below but definitely left Friday afternoon drenched.)   

Mrs. Putnam doing chain duty for Mrs. Martin

Mr. Moore walks a student to the car

Mrs. Rita bundled in her raincoat and doing chain duty 

As most of you know that Coach Thompson's mother has been in the hospital. Many of you have asked about her and sent messages of encouragement to him. On Tuesday he needed someone to cover his morning duty at the crosswalk and Mrs. Fulbright answered the call. She was willing to cover his duty, but Mrs. Clary decided to help Mrs. Fulbright. Mrs. Clary realized that Mrs. Fulbright needed to prepare for homeroom on a testing day and volunteered to do duty instead. 

It is this kind of care and concern for one another that makes PVES such a special place to work. We all care about one another and are willing to do whatever it takes to help our colleagues. 

Mrs. Clary smiles and greets our students at the crosswalk

PVES Students' Perfect Performance

Annie was a hit for sure! The students did an excellent job and we had a packed crowd for the performance. Thank you to so many of our teachers for coming out to support Mrs. Turner and our talented students. A special thank you to Mrs. Turner for all her hard work and planning to make this night such a huge success. We also wanted to thank Mrs. Golden and her student teacher for stepping up to assist Mrs. Turner as well. Below are a few pictures from the evening. 

Early Act First Knight
Ms. Lee sent out an email about EAFK for the fourth nine weeks. The words for this nine weeks include friendliness and service. Due to testing Ms. Lee will work on recording a lesson for you to share with your students. Please continue to go over these words with your students. Our final EAFK ceremony will be held on May 17th.

Testing Update
Thank you to everyone for doing such a great job during testing. Things have been very smooth with check in and check out. We had to adjust lunch times and you all handled it beautifully. We will be wrapping up our final SC Ready testing session with Math for third and fourth grade on Thursday. Fifth grade will finish SC Ready ELA Session 2 on Friday. They will finish with math next week. Thank you for continuing to closely monitor and supervise your students in the hallways for the remainder of this week and the next. Remember that PASS Testing will be two days (May 11th-12th) for fourth and fifth graders. Look for a related arts schedule and more details in the upcoming blogs. 

Sweet Treats for a Great Week

As a way to celebrate our awesome teachers, we would like to offer you an opportunity to eat lunch in the PD Room on Friday and wear your blue jeans. You will adhere to your regular lunch time, but enjoy the peace and quiet away from the cafeteria. Someone will meet your class in the hallway near the computer lab and escort them to the cafeteria. We will then deliver your class to you from the cafeteria at the same location when your lunch is over. 

While you are responsible for providing your own lunch this day, the office is providing some sweet treats. We will have a variety of desserts ready for you in the PD Room to enjoy. Included in this assortment of goodies are a few treats from Brick Street Cafe. 

We have the best faculty and staff! We want you to know how proud we are of you and our school!

Tollison Tidings:

• Remember we have the Bookfair with us this week and next. Students will be able to visit when they go to related arts in the library instead of computer lab. 
• Jessica Preisig will be holding her Tech PD on May 3rd in the PD Room. Bring your iPad and come ready to have FUN! 
• We will have a faculty meeting on Tuesday, May 17th.

Mark Your Calendar:

There are too many events and activities to list. Please, please check our shared calendar for events. Ask Mr. Moore or Mrs. Tollison if you need clarification.

This time of year most of us make the endless "to-do lists." Instead of a video this week I am leaving you with this....

PVES Staff: You are awesome and doing great work! Thank you for doing whatever it takes.

Perspective

I am guilty as charged. Many of you have heard me count down the days until the end of the year. It's hard not to be excited about it. I don't blame you if you are counting down as well. Still, as I reflected on my ongoing countdown, I was challenged with a simple (but powerful) thought: What if we approached these last few weeks with a different perspective? What if we considered that these last few weeks are our last opportunities to make a difference in the lives of our special students? Maybe we wouldn't wish our lives away. Maybe we wouldn't be in a hurry to get things accomplished on our "to do" lists. Maybe, instead, we would slow down and focus on those remaining precious moments we have with our students. Our challenge is to do just that. Let's be patient with our students and with one another. Let's make a difference while others are simply making excuses. Perspective is a powerful tool in the hands of a caring and willing educator.

Next Wednesday, April 27th is Administrative Professional's Day. We are BLESSED with two wonderful administrative professionals in our front office. Patty Ellison has been at PVES since day one. Her ability to work through the financial/budget issues that arise each week has saved us on many an occasion. She handles report cards, a myriad of reports and many more tasks that are too numerous to list. Lisa Booth is the first face many of our visitors see when they walk through the front doors of PVES. She greets everyone with a smile and creates a favorable first impression of our school. They both answer hundreds of phone calls each week; some of a serious nature and some that are very entertaining. Simply put, these ladies make sure this school runs smoothly and can experience success. I am truly indebted to them for their hard work and dedication. We love you both!

Congratulations to our 5th grade olympians for their wonderful showing at the ASD1 Olympic Games held at Spearman Elementary School last week. Our students brought home 6 gold medals and 2 silver medals. I know Coach Thompson is proud of his kids. We certainly are too, Coach!

It's been awesome to see the creative and fun ways in which our students have been preparing for testing. 4th grade students were working hard to "Crack the Code" while 3rd and 5th grade students enjoyed some review time. Let's remember to find additional creative ways to keep our students engaged throughout the last nine weeks of school! Great job, everyone!

Testing Update:
I have been thoroughly impressed by our fifth grade teachers and students who began online testing this week. Testing has gone smoothly and it is obvious our students were well prepared. Thanks to Tammy Lee for fighting through a serious sinus infection to get testing materials organized and ready for all of you. Please look over your TAM and testing materials provided to you during training this week. Also, please make sure you have reviewed the related arts schedule as there has been some confusion/questions related to this schedule. Do not hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or concerns going forward. It is better to be safe than sorry. We will have peppermints for each classroom. Take advantage of our final few days to engage your students in well planned and engaging review.

IEP Meetings:
It's IEP season! A huge "thank you" to Ms. Marino, Mrs. Redmon, Mrs. Merritt and Mrs. Freeman for the MANY hours they spend developing IEPs and then holding meetings. Teachers, please remember that you are an important member of the IEP team. Listen carefully to classroom and testing accommodations for your student(s). Be an active and valuable member of the team to help develop the most impactful IEP possible for those students. Please make sure you are on time for these meetings. Thanks!

Supervision:
I have stressed supervision lately and for good reason. This is typically the time of year where schedules are different incidents can occur if we are not careful. Please make sure you stress the following of classroom and school rules with your students. Please make sure you can lay eyes on your students at all times. This includes hallway travel, recess time, and lunch. Be proactive in handling issues before they get out of hand. We simply cannot let our collective guard down this time of year.


Moore's Musings:

• Awards Day thoughts. It is my humble opinion that our Awards Day programs are in need of some change. Simply put, I would like to suggest that we focus on fewer awards during the ceremony in the MP Room. Then, after the ceremony we dismiss parents back to the rooms for a small, more intimate classroom ceremony before parents have the ability to sign their student out from the classroom. Perhaps we recognize all our A/B honor roll students in the classroom while recognizing the "All As, All Year" students in the actual ceremony. There are several other awards that we could give out in the classroom as well to help with this. Obviously, we would want grade levels to be consistent. Please feel free to share thoughts, ideas, and comments with me at your earliest convenience. 
• Take a glance at the calendar for May. Things get busy. Thank you in advance for your patience and willingness to be flexible. 
• Finally, 5th grade already has a field trip planned and on the calendar for next year. Thanks, ladies! 3rd and 4th grade teams, please have some ideas in mind for next year. We do not need to wait until the school year gets started before making some decisions about field trips. Please let me know if you want to discuss options! 

Mark Your Calendars (MYC):

• Annie Kids Performance - Thursday, April 21st at 6:30 P.M.
• Yellow student placement cards are due to the office by 4:00 P.M. on Friday, April 22nd. Please make sure you followed the directions provided. Thanks!
• You can wear blue jeans on Friday, April 22nd.
• Contracts are due signed to the office by Monday, April 25th.
• SC READY ELA Day 1 - Tuesday, April 26th
• Administrative Professionals Day on Wednesday, April 27th.
• SC READY ELA Day 2 - Wednesday, April 27th.
• SC READY Math - Thursday, April 28th.
• Book Fair Begins - Friday, April 29th.
• 4th/5th grade PASS Training - Monday, May 2nd in PD Room. 
• Technology PD During Planning with Preisig - Tuesday, May 3rd in PD Room.

Video of the Week:

Pressure

It's that time of year. You can feel it. There are two months left of school. Those two months will be filled with a whirlwind of successes and failures. And pressure. Pressure to prepare our students for standardized testing. Pressure complete a lengthy list of end-of-year tasks. Pressure to make the most of these final 8 weeks with our students. 

Pressure is a funny thing. As we endure moments of pressure, the potential for greatness increases. A proverbial lump of coal can turn into a precious diamond. That is the expectation for educators this time of year. Our teachers are up to the challenge! Do not let the negativity creep in and ruin those moments. Fight the urge to let pressure whittle your emotions to the point where you feel defeated. Lean on one another and YOUR abilities and expertise to turn pressure into greatness. 

Two months will fly by for us. The countdown is on. For our students, we have arrived at a most crucial juncture. Make the most of this time for them. Enjoy what you get to do for a living. Use the pressure to your advantage and create diamonds that shine brighter than the sun. I can't wait to see what you can accomplish! 

On Friday, March 18th our wonderful fifth grade teachers and a group of hard-working parents put on a "glow dance" as a fundraiser for 5th grade. We had a huge crowd as you can see from the pictures above. If you have never attended a 5th grade dance, do yourself a favor and attend next year's adventure. I honestly enjoy it every year. It's great to see the interaction among our teachers and students. 

Also on Friday, Mach 18th we enjoyed our 3rd 9 Weeks EAFK ceremonies. It certainly is incredible to hear the beautifully-written tributes by our teachers. These are moments that our students being recognized will forever remember. It's a great opportunity to paint our school in a positive light as well. Thanks to Tammy Lee for visiting classrooms to discuss the virtues. Thanks to Lindsay Nix for creating our EAFK program. And thanks to Randy, Stacey,  Lindsay, Michelle, Kelle, Deb, and Tammy for helping us with set-up for the event! 

Kelle Martin and Mr. Moore worked with 5th grade students in the computer lab in an effort to familiarize them with online testing tools and procedures. It is incredible when you think about the possibility of testing 600 plus students online next school year. Thanks to Kelle for preparing our students to do their best!

Mrs. Leftwich organized a wonderful learning experience for her 5th grade Launch students. They visited Charleston and enjoyed wonderful weather and exceptional learning opportunities.

4th grade teachers ventured to Atlanta with their students. They visited the aquarium and loved every minute. Students enjoyed the dolphin show and many educational sessions. Field trips are wonderful opportunities for our students to venture out beyond the walls of our school and experience things they may never again have an opportunity to see or hear again.

How cool was I Heart Arts Day on March 25th? A huge "thank you" to Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Nix for working tirelessly to prepare for this event. Our students benefit from experiences such as these. Many students, while performing adequately in the academic arena, also excel in the arts. Teachers enjoyed being able to eat lunch outside. Also, we are so thankful for the many artists who visited our school and worked with our students. I can't wait to see what we have in store for next year's #IHeartArts Day!

Our honey bees have arrived! Thanks to Bee Well Honey & Natural Marketfor getting us started. As part of a problem based learning (PBL) unit of study, ‪#‎PVES‬ third graders have been discovering the impact of our declining honey bee population. This is real-world learning and our students have loved every minute. Great job third grade teachers and students! May 16th is "Bee Day' at PVES and we will have many visitors in our building to celebrate the hard work that has been accomplished. 

There is something special about the Special Olympics. For the first time, I was able to attend the event held this year at Southern Weslyan University.  It leaves quite the impression and holds a special place in your heart. I was proud of our teachers and our students for participating. The creed for the Special Olympics is one to commit to memory: "Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

Yellow Cards:
On Monday, April 11th all home room teachers will receive yellow cards (formally known as green cards). Attached to the cards will be specific directions for completion of the class placement process to be completed as a grade-level collaborative effort for 3rd and 4th grade teachers. They will be due on Friday, April 22nd. We are starting this process early in hopes of being able to spend quality time making sure special education/resource needs are considered and that the best possible placements are made for classes and teachers for next year. Please let me know if you have any questions.

SC READY or Not:
Parent letters regarding testing will be placed in teacher boxes on Monday next week. These need to be sent home on Monday. SC READY is slated to begin for grade 5 on Tuesday, April 19th. For three weeks, we will have 5th grade classes in our two computer labs taking SC READY online. Obviously, grades 3 and 4 join in on the fun on April 26th-April 28th. SC READY training has been scheduled. Please refer to our shared calendar for the training you are required to attend. Ms. Lee will also email everyone with a reminder for training.  Speaking of Ms. Lee, she is working hard to make sense of all this and present valuable information to us. Keep in mind that due to changes in schedule and a new test, we will experience some changes in the way we schedule related arts/planning. I will address this in more detail when we meet for training, but I wanted to provide you with a sneak peek of our proposed schedules for testing. Please see below:

• Copy of 5th Grade Schedule for Online Testing
• Copy of 5th Grade Related Arts Schedule During Testing
• Copy of Related Arts Schedule for All During Testing

Moore's Musings:

It's IEP season. Please be patient and flexible as Mrs. Redmon, Mrs. Merritt, Mrs. Freeman schedule and hold IEP meetings. Their plates are full, to say the least, but they are working hard to make sure the needs of special education students are met and that we develop a good plan for all students. I am so appreciative for these ladies and the challenges that meet head on day in and day out. When you are a part of an IEP meeting, please come prepared with valuable information and observations to share with team. (Friday is a blue jean day - thanks for reading) Be an active participant so we can develop the most appropriate plan for students for next year. Speaking of resource, I have offered our open resource position to Mrs. Amy Keel. Amy has completed her student teaching and worked as a long-term sub at Hunt Meadows Elementary School. She goes before the board this month. She will visit our school in May and spend some time with Mrs. Freeman. 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

There are too many events and activities to list. Please, please check our shared calendar for events. Ask me if you need clarification. Take note of testing meetings/trainings. We are also excited about our Annie Kids production to be held on Thursday, April 21st.

"In The Know" Video:

Don't Crack Under Pressure: Motivational