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