The R in P.R.I.D.E.



The R in our P.R.I.D.E acronym stands for respect. Our video of the week in the last blog challenged us to consider how we speak to our students. As the quote above suggests, I believe that respect is indeed the secret in education. If we expect our students to act with integrity and remain positive in the face of adversity, then we must certainly expect the same of our teachers as professionals. Furthermore, we must expect our teachers and staff to work as a team and be selfless in our daily interactions. I have been impressed thus far with our "family" atmosphere and willingness to show respect to one another and our students. I believe this is what makes PVES so special and separates us from other schools. Let us never forget the R in PRIDE. 

Boosterthon:

Please do not forget that Boosterthon begins on Tuesday, September 6th with our pep rally held in the MP Room at 1:30 P.M. We will make an announcement when it is time to come to the pep rally. At 3:15 P.M. on the 6th, plan to meet in the PD Room so our Boosterthon team and go over the program with us. I will go ahead and tell you that "team huddles" are part of the valuable part of the program. From 9/7 - 9/14, please plan to follow the proposed "team huddle" schedule below. Third grade teachers, we can discuss alternatives if you have any suggestions. Your attendance for the "team huddles" is important. 

5th grade: 9:20-9:40 A.M.

4th grade: 1:30-1:50 P.M.

3rd grade: 10:15-10:30 A.M. (team 1) and 12:10-12:25 P.M. (team 2) 

On Thursday, Sept 15th we will celebrate the culmination of our fundraising efforts with the Golden Rule Rally in the MP Room. Each grade level will enjoy a celebration in the MP Room on this day. Please see the schedule below.

3rd grade: 12:15 P.M.

4th grade: 1:00 P.M.

5th grade: 1:45 P.M.

This is our one and only major fundraiser for the year. As I have mentioned before, your buy-in will make our break our ability to reach our goal of $20,000. You will receive 10% of your profits to spend in your classroom this school year. Thanks in advance for your patience and positive attitude throughout this event. Just think, we will be DONE with Boosterthon by mid-September and ready to spend the money we raise on our students and classrooms! 

MAP Testing:

MAP testing continues until the Fall window closes on September 30th . We have gotten off to a great start this week so thanks to those of you who have signed up already! Please review the following:

• MAP testing "cheat sheet" for teachers
• MAP testing calendar for sign-ups

Technology:

Teachers, please make sure students are using DreamBox for math. I know math teachers discussed using DreamBox for stations in guided math, but it would also be wise to send home login information home with students for individualized homework and practice. Also, don't forget about the science "techbook" as a tool for planning and instruction. Check out the graphic below that should assist teachers with tech program login. 

Standards and Support Documents:

Teachers, did you know that support documents are now available for SC College and Career Readiness Standards. Please bookmark this website as it will be invaluable for you as you plan with your grade level teams. Also, we discussed in our opening meeting, don't forget to refer to the Profile of a SC Graduate and pinpoint knowledge, skills, and life/career characteristics you plan to address. 

And now let's take a glance at some great things happening at PVES. By the way, thanks to everyone who tweets out the awesome things happening in your classroom. Twitter is such a powerful tool in education! 

Congratulations again to Ms. Wilcox! Her nearly $17,000 grant was funded by Michelin North America. We have big plans and we can't wait to share them with you as it involves everyone in our building ... a true school community effort! We will wait to share more when we discuss innovation next week, but mark your calendar for Tuesday, September 13th. On this afternoon, we will celebrate this wonderful opportunity and hear from Ms. Wilcox some additional details about the project! 

Our PVES Patrols began work this week. They certainly serve an important purpose in keeping our car line moving efficiently. Did you know they are also charged with greeting students and parents? This is certainly respect in action each and every morning! 

4th grade students demonstrated their knowledge of native american cultures with tableaus! Thanks to Mr. White for sharing these pictures.

One evening last week, I was still at school for a Launch parent meeting and a light was still on in an otherwise dark hallway. It was Ms. Lockaby scheming a way to get her students to better understand rounding. The next day...a number line in the hallway! I certainly love the outside the box thinking that happens on a daily basis in our school. 

Thanks again to all math teachers for your time and attention in the guided math PD. Mrs. Tollison and Mrs. Preisig did a phenomenal job preparing a hands-on and meaningful  professional development for you. Guided math just makes sense, and I have enjoyed being in math classrooms to see it in action! 

And here it is in action! Stations, small groups, and even some individual attention ... this is what makes the guided math model a wise practice. Math teachers are able to teach students based on their skill level and reach all students. I respect our teachers for trying something new, never settling for the status quo, and always trying to get better!

And well, there is car duty. It's been hot to say the least. Our last two afternoon dismissals have been awesome as students and teachers work together and learn our process. Sometimes, we just have to give them that extra push. Right, Mrs. Melton? 

Moore's Musings:

Intervention block begins on Tuesday, September 6th. Please remember that students who will be receiving pull-out intervention should leave their homeroom by 8:05 AM so they can begin intervention at 8:10 AM. We will send out a list of groups before we leave on Friday afternoon. Please take full advantage of this intervention block. This is not a study hall or extra planning. Rather, it is a focused and intensive time for us to get better. Continuous improvement is the key!

***Friday is a blue jean day. However, please wear a college shirt with your jeans. Let's celebrate our college and career ready theme by celebrating the colleges and universities we attended! Make sure you take a moment to talk to your class about the college you attended and why you are wearing your shirt. Thanks! 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC): As always, please check our shared calendar!

• No school on Labor Day - Monday, September 5th. 
• Begin PRIDE Time - Intervention Block - Tuesday, September 6th
• Begin sending iPads home with students - Tuesday, September 6th
• Boosterthon 'kickoff" event for Golden Rule Rally - Tuesday, September 6th at 1:30 in the MP Room 
• Faculty meeting - Tuesday, September 6th at 3:15 in the PD Room
• Next Guided Math PD in PD Room - Thursday, September 8th
• Good News Club Begins - Monday, September 12th 
• Grant Celebration - Tuesday, September 13th at 3:15 P.M. in the PD Room

Video of the Week: 

Respect is powerful and fragile. Do we show respect even when we are frustrated or upset? 

The P in P.R.I.D.E.

The "P" in PRIDE stands for purpose. Think about your purpose for a moment. Your purpose is closely connected to your heart. Your passion. Why do you do what you do? As we unveiled our new P.R.I.D.E. acronym to teachers and students, we discussed our purpose and the importance of having a sense of urgency to get better everyday. I can think of no greater purpose than touching the lives of the over 620 students at Powdersville Elementary School. Teachers make a difference. You make a difference. Mrs. Tollison and I have been so impressed with our faculty and staff as we have enjoyed such a wonderful start to the school year. Thank you for going the extra mile to not only define your purpose, but also live your purpose.

Busy Is a Way of Life:

For teachers, busy is a way of life. It's what we do. Mrs. Tollison and I appreciate your time and attention during our faculty meeting this week. Much of what we would typically cover in our blog was covered during the meeting. Please make sure you take the time to review our presentation and the helpful links within the presentation we shared. Please let us know if you have any questions. 

Cafeteria:

Thank you for the tremendous improvement we have seen in the cafeteria. As I reflected on this, I was worried that we had possibly overemphasized this point. However, I was reminded that how we treat the "little things" reveals our true culture and commitment to get better everyday. Please continue to remind your students to take pride in their school through picking up trash in the cafeteria. Also, please make sure that you line your students up at the trash cans before allowing them to throw away trays and line up at the double doors. This helps avoid a mad dash to the trash cans and simply makes things more orderly. Review this video if you need a reminder!

Classroom Observations:

Mrs. Tollison and I have enjoyed visiting classrooms this week. We took your feedback, and what we know to be best practices in leadership, and made a commitment to be dedicated to being in your classrooms. For the near future, we will send you an email with feedback after we visit. At some point, we will transition to an actual observation form and send that to you when completed. Please know that visiting classrooms helps us stay connected to our teachers and students. It also allows us to offer input/suggestions to teachers when necessary and collect/share the awesome things happening in your classrooms. As you and our students get used to our entering and leaving rooms, please make every effort to simply ignore us. Encourage your students to do the same. When we enter the room, we will try to find a place out of the way to observe. However, don't be surprised if we walk around the room and even engage a few students in conversation about their learning. 

Now, let's take a look at some of the great things happening at PVES ...

We met at Furman to kick off our college and career ready theme. What a beautiful campus and a great way to start things off! We were reminded by Furman professors that we need to build curiosity among our students. I'm not sure what this picture tells us. I think it means we get along well and have a sense of humor. We might be a little crazy too. 

Tammy Lee represented our school very well as she accepted the ToY award at Palmetto High School during our district opening meeting. Mrs. Lee and I enjoyed our ToY luncheon later that day. Great job, TL!

Our first day of school went so well. Mrs. Tollison and I met with each grade level and discussed our expectations for the school year. Thanks to our incredible staff for making the first day quite the impressionable one (and in a very good way). 

PVES teachers are determined to make a difference. How about Mrs. Redmon doing a little therapy in the health room. And Mrs. Golden showed up to support some of her students at a football game ... on a Saturday. Awesome stuff. 

Thanks to our Powdersville Patriot U10 football team for serving our school by opening car doors last week. This is true community at its finest. How can we continue to build community? 

Planning is important. Mrs. Tollison visited 3rd grade classrooms this week and was impressed with the consistency of approach and instruction as she went from room-to-room. No, they are not "cookie-cutter" classrooms, but it is evident that they plan well together. The expectation is that you plan with your team...your whole team. Put all those wonderful minds to work together and make great things happen in your classroom. We look forward to visiting some of your planning sessions soon. 

Moore's Musings:

• Remember that WTLP will be shown on Mondays beginning soon. Thanks to Ms. Jordan for leading this effort. It is expected that you will show the WTLP recording each Monday as it will "frontload" your week. Additionally, I hope everyone is making sure that your classrooms are focused on announcements each morning. We are trying to make this short and sweet, but effective. 
• Thanks to our ROAR team for planning some fun events this year. ROAR stands for "reaching others, achieving relationships" and we intend to do just that. I do hope you will try to participate in these events. Our first adventure is coming up soon so fill out the RSVP here and scope out our events.  
• Our fire drill is next Wednesday, August 31st at 10 AM. Please take a moment to review procedures with your class prior to the drill. We do record details of each drill in the office including how long it takes for us to evacuate and account for everyone. Remember to take your class roll, red/green signals, and walkie (if you have one). We should get evacuation maps out soon to those of you who do not have one in your room. 
• I am excited about guided math PD this year. Math teachers, your first session is tomorrow (Thursday). Mrs. Tollison and Mrs. Preisig have worked hard in preparation for you. They will share some effective strategies to use in your guided math classroom while focusing on the basic structure of guided math. 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC): 

• Blue jean day - Friday, August 26th. 
• Fall MAP begins on Monday, August 29th. Sign up for times via the link in our faculty meeting google slides presentation. 
• Fire Drill - Wednesday, August 31st at 10 AM.
• No school on Labor Day - Monday, September 5th. 
• Begin PRIDE Time - Intervention Block - Tuesday, September 6th
• Begin sending iPads home with students - Tuesday, September 6th
• Boosterthon 'kickoff" event for Golden Rule Rally - Tuesday, September 6th at 1:30 in the MP Room 
• Faculty meeting - Tuesday, September 6th at 3:15 in the PD Room
• As always, please check our shared calendar for additional dates

Video of the Week: If our purpose is to make a difference in the lives of our students, we need to be careful how we speak to them!