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

The E in P.R.I.D.E. stands for BE EXCELLENT. After all, that's what we are all about. Jane Harrison puts it this way: "Strive for perfection but settle for excellence." Excellent is an adjective and can be defined as "possessing outstanding quality or superior merit." Powdersville Elementary School is no stranger to excellence. We earned  an excellent absolute rating on our school report cards in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Still, we strive for something more. We are passionate about getting better. Continuous improvement. I like the quote above because it sums up quite nicely what is expected of us as educators if we are truly to raise the level of excellence in our building. Excellence, simply put, must be a habit. It is something we are and strive to be daily. 

Here is a look around PVES this week. 

Part one of Boosterthon is over. Now, we are challenged with receiving pledge money and determing how much we made. The first collection is Friday and money should be coming in Thursday and Friday this week. Please make every attempt possible to communicate to parents and get pledge money in! Mrs. Tollison and I are proud of your effort to the best of this opportunity and raise money for our school. 

Speaking of fundraising, congrats to Ms. Marino's class for raising over $5,000 in 24 hours for an updated playground. Ms. Marino has been hard at work organizing additional fundraising efforts as well as working on a Lowe's grant for an estimated $25,000. She will continue to keep us updated on their progress and how we can help! 

Have you heard about the BARK program at PVES? If not, check out the article that was shared with our media contacts:

For some students at Powdersville Elementary School, man’s best friend makes a pretty incredible reading partner as well. Thanks to the BARK (Books Are Reading Kids), a program developed by SCDogs Pet Therapy about six years ago, students are provided an opportunity to read with a trained therapy dog throughout the school year and receive some special one-on-one attention from these special animals. Tammy Lee, the guidance counselor at Powdersville Elementary School, knows this program has a positive impact on students. “This is an amazing program that promotes reading fluency while strengthening a student's self esteem as well,” Lee explained. “Michele Dickson and her lab Molly and Karen Ghizzoli and her golden retriever Annie are volunteering their time for our students. Our students are so excited and engaged in reading to their new canine friends!” According to Lee, the first session of BARK went very well and plans are being made to serve additional students when possible.

Math and science teachers enjoyed professional development on Wednesday learning more about the Discovery "techbook" and how they can use this in science. I heard a great deal of positive things about the training and look forward to seeing this tool being implemented when I visit classrooms. Great job, teachers!

Thanks to our ROAR (Reaching Others, Achieving Relationships) committee for planning our night out last week. We had a great crowd and an even better time with one another. This is what it is all about. Go ahead and mark your calendar now for October 14th. We have a pumpkin carving contest and tailgating plans in the mix. For for the whole family that you will not want to miss!

One District, One Book:
Let's really get behind the ODOB initiative that Mrs. Martin introduced to us in our faculty meeting on Tuesday. This is a district-wide event to encourage and celebrate reading. I expect PVES to be a leader in this area and that all starts with YOU.

Student Service Council:
Thank you for collecting SSC applications this past week from your homeroom. Please have elections in your class sometime between now and September 27th. Mrs. Hughes will only need the blue form from your classroom representative and runner up; not from all who applied.  Please try to have these to Mrs. Hughes by the end of the day on September 27th so we can go ahead and start SSC.  Thanks so much for your help! And thanks to Mrs. Hughes for leading this opportunity for our students. 

SLO Much Fun!:
SLO Final meetings have gone very well. Thanks to all for being prepared. If you have not already, please sign up for a time slot on Sign up Genius. This applies to anyone who was a teacher here last year and created an SLO. Please have a hard copy of your spreadsheet(s) available. Begin thinking about your SLO for this year (especially after we have data meetings) and watch the training videos in Enrich.  Keep in mind that the focus of the SLO process is not on creating an environment where you manipulate your overall score, but rather creating an attitude of continuous improvement and perfecting your craft as an educator. 

Are You Smarter Than?:
In our faculty meeting on Tuesday, we discussed a great deal of information. Specifically, we discussed our parent night events coming up on October 3rd for 3rd and 4th grades and October 5th for 5th grade. Refer to this information to ensure that we are consistent in our approach. You are free to begin advertising for this event. We expect a huge crowd and a lot of fun and learning! Remember:

• Everyone reports to and stays in their homeroom for the event. 
• No homework should be assigned on the evening of our grade level event.
• We will provide instructions and materials for the quick STEM activity and the feedback form.

Support our Book Fair:

The Book Fair begins with a teacher reception on Thursday, September 22nd after school in the media center. Mrs. Fowler is sure to have some yummy treats for us all. The Book Fair will remain open for students from Friday, September 23rd-Tuesday, October 4th and will be open before and after our "Are You Smarter Than" events. Thanks, Mrs. Fowler!

Friday Fun:
Remember that we will unveil test score/data on Friday during planning periods. We will have a few drinks, coffee, and snacks on hand. This is an opportunity for us to simply begin the process of discovering what our data says about us. And how we can use this data to get better each and everyday. We will then meet after school on Tuesday, September 27th in the PD Room to look at Enrich and NWEA and show you how you can use these websites to access information and use this information to inform instruction. Only homeroom teachers, SPED and GT teachers will attend. 

Moore's Musings:

• PRIDE Time intervention block continues to take shape. Remember that this is a focused and intensive block for continuous improvement. Students should arrive to intervention groups on time (by 8:10 A.M.) after announcements. All students are involved in some way whether it be through small groups in reading or math or reading to self time. This is not a time to send students to run errands or use the restroom. The office staff will do our very best to not interrupt this valuable time. Let's make a difference with PRIDE Time! 
• If you have not joined PTSO and paid hospitality dues, please do so ASAP. I don't have to remind you of the important roles our PTSO and hospitality teams play in our school. Thanks for supporting them. And if you have joined both, please feel free to wear jeans on Friday and leave early (after your students are safely in the MP Room or Cafeteria for dismissal). 
• Monday, September 26th is a professional development day. Emails were sent out by district office staff this week informing you of your opportunities. Please make sure you have signed up in PD Express. I expect a huge crowd of PVES teachers Cedar Grove and know you will engage in collaboration to get better! 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• Teacher reception for Book Fair in Media Center after school - Thursday, September 23rd
• F&P levels due on Friday, September 23rd
• First Boosterthon Count - Friday, September 23rd
• Professional Development Day - Monday, September 26th
• Faculty Meeting for All Who Use Data - Tuesday, September 27th in the PD Room. 
• One District, One Book Kickoff on Wednesday, September 28th
• Fall MAP Testing Window Closes - Friday, September 30th.
• 5th grade dance at PVES - Friday, September 30th from 6-7:30 P.M.

*As always, please check our shared calendar for many more important dates and let us know if we need to add/edit anything. 

Video of the Week: Excellence: