Welcome Back

I am thrilled to officially welcome you all to the 2016-2017 school year. I trust that everyone enjoyed a relaxing summer in which you took time to be with those you love. My wife and I enjoyed vacation complete with a ceremony renewing our marriage vows for our tenth wedding anniversary! No matter what you did or where you traveled, I certainly hope you are rested, rejuvenated, and recharged for the new year. This blog replaces the "welcome back" letter that has been traditionally sent to employees each summer. Also, we will begin to house important documents in our 2016-2017 PVES folder that Mrs. Tollison has shared with everyone. Enjoy the blog and please read carefully!

New Additions:

Let's start off by recognizing some wonderful additions to our PVES family! Make sure you take the time to introduce yourself to these wonderful people and make them feel at home. More importantly, help them with questions and concerns they may have. I have every confidence that hiring these individuals has made our team and our school better.

1.) Mr. Josh White - 4th grade math/science/social studies and is teamed with Ms. Ginny Jordan.

2.) Mrs. Bethany Crosby - 3rd grade teacher.

3.) Mrs. Jennifer Woody - 3rd grade teacher.

4.) Mrs. Amy Keel - Resource teacher.

5.) Mrs. Mary O'Shields - TMD assistant.

Orientation Nights:

4th and 5th grade orientation night is scheduled for Monday, August 8th from 6-8 PM. This is a "drop-in" style event. We will wait until just a few minutes before 6 to open doors. Those of you who have done this before know we will have a massive crowd. I would suggest you be in this building an hour before we open doors. We will make an announcement at 8:00 P.M. when it is time to conclude the event.

3rd grade orientation night is scheduled for Tuesday, August 9th beginning at 6 PM with a general meeting in our multi-purpose room. We will open doors around 5:40 P.M. to get everyone in the gym on time. 3rd grade teachers will be introduced and then allowed to slip out so they can get to their rooms to make final preparations. I will again suggest that you arrive an hour before we open doors. Again, we will make an announcement at 8:00 P.M. when the event has concluded.

For our non-homeroom teachers, please refer to this document to know where you will be serving during orientation events. If you are taking up money, you will want to arrive an hour early so Patty can discuss with you how fees will be taken and entered in PowerSchool.

Remember that this is our only attempt at making a great first impression. Be ready to establish positive relationships with our school community! Let's show our Powdersville PRIDE.

First Days of School:

I know we are all preparing for those first days of school. Many of you have been here to work in your rooms. Some of you have served our students through summer school and summer tutoring. Our hallways are being stripped and waxed as I type this blog. It will be a busy few days when you return  to work on August 10th. Please refer to this "Opening of School Calendar" for more details. This calendar will assist you and your team as you plan meetings and opportunities to work in your rooms. 

As many of you know, our "theme" for this year is college and career ready. For this reason, we are excited to announce that our first faculty meeting of the year is scheduled for Wednesday, August 10th at 8:30 A.M. on the campus of Furman University. We have secured the Garden Room at the rear of the Daniel Chapel. Parking will be available on the South side (football stadium side) of the chapel nearby.  Entry should be through the back gate (Duncan Chapel Rd) or the Timmons Arena gate. Please refer to/print the map of Furman's campus for more details. They requested that we carpool as much as possible so please consider doing so. Lunch will be provided for you on this day. After you return to Furman, from 11:30 AM-12:30 PM, lunch will be served in the PD Room (102) and tables/chairs will be set up for you to enjoy lunch there as well. 

This year, our opening meeting will focus more on our vision for the upcoming school year and beyond as well as building relationships with our teams. Much of the information concerning first of school procedures, forms, etc. will be provided to you in a flipped faculty meeting video that will be emailed to you on Thursday, August 4th. It is imperative that you take the time to watch this flipped faculty meeting prior to your orientation night. 

Now, let's update on you some great things happening at PVES over the summer...

Thanks to Mrs. Hughes, the front entrance of our school received a face-lift before students left for the summer. Students had a great time serving our school while learning some science. Thanks, Mrs. Hughes!

Ms. Lockaby, Mrs. Kallin, Ms. Wilkie, Mrs. Tollison and Mr. Moore presented at the Upstate Technology Conference at Wade Hampton High School in Greenville. I can tell you that we are way ahead in terms of technology integration compared to many schools. 

One of the reasons we continue to improve is because we have a tremendous faculty that puts in a great deal of work "after hours". Mrs. Tollison and I were so impressed to see teachers planning hard over the summer. This will pay huge dividends for our students this school year!

Our custodial staff works hard each summer waxing floors. I am intentionally not showing you the finished product because I want you to be amazed when you walk in your rooms in a few days!

Mrs. Tollison and I worked hard getting referrals and bus referrals entered in PowerSchool. Summer provides a great opportunity for us to check these sorts of things off of our "to do" list. 

Thank you to the many of you emailed colleges and universities requesting pennants. We have received many of them and those will make our building look fun and welcoming as we engage our students in discussions about college readiness! 

 Thanks to Mrs. Melton, Mrs. Wayne, and Mrs. Garrett for cleaning out our storage closet at the end of the 5th grade hallway. After purchasing some much-needed shelving, this will serve as a science/math materials storage area.

Mrs. Clary has worked hard this summer preparing for the unveiling of our new STEM lab. She even enlisted the help of her father to build our Lego wall. We also sent a team to Tri-County Technical College to take part in STEM training over the summer. It is also very appropriate to recognize Patty Ellison here. She worked many more days than expected to purchase items for the STEM lab. Her leadership in terms of the financial side of things has been tremendous. 

Thanks to Mrs. Thomas for once again ordering our school t-shirts. I think you will enjoy this year's shirt as it focuses on our connection with Powdersville and path beyond elementary school. Here is Mr. White modeling the shirt for us.

Moore's Musings:

• We have worked hard to prepare textbooks, materials, and iPads for your arrival. Our hope/plan is to have all these items in your classrooms by the time you start on August 10th.
• Speaking of iPads, we will plan to keep student iPads here at school for a couple of weeks so students can work on digital citizenship lessons, organize apps, etc. We will not have a paper student agenda this year as we will continue to use the My Homework app school-wide.
• Get ready for SeeSaw. We will use SeeSaw, the online learning journal/app this year in all grades. 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• School Decorating Day on Tuesday, August 2nd from 10 AM-12 PM. We will have several projects that need to be completed to make our school look great for our parents and students!
• 4th/5th grade orientation night - Monday, August 8th from 6-8 PM.
• 3rd grade orientation night - Tuesday, August 9th beginning at 6 PM. 
• First Day for Teachers - Wednesday, August 10th at 8:30 at Furman University 
• District Opening Meeting - Friday, August 12th at 8:15 P.M. at Palmetto High School (wear your PVES school shirt). 
• Dyslexia training for teachers - Friday, August 12th at 1:00 P.M. in the PD Room (102). 
• 3rd grade textbook training - Monday, August 15th at 10:30 AM in the PD Room (102).
• First day for students - Tuesday, August 16th.  
• Math PD Half Days on Thursday, August 25th. 

Video of the Week: