Family

As educators, we live in a world marked by dichotomy. Strangely enough, our jobs are both rewarding and energy-zapping. There is no job more important or fruitful and no job more challenging. The expectations, the test scores, and the day-to-day roadblocks will always be there. I would argue even moreso in today's world of education. Quite frankly, it's easy to feel run over. Tired. Defeated. As I take that short walk to my car at the end of the day, I cross an invisible barrier between work and home. While crossing that line today, after what has been an emotional day for various reasons, I was reminded of what I tell prospective teachers when they interview. That our PVES family is unique. The family atmosphere is what makes PVES a special place. It's about the people. So, let's rejoice that we have family here. Perhaps not related by blood, but rather by a common longing to educate our young people and make our community a better place. And let us not forget those of us in our midst, the many of us, who come to this building needing our family. May we always be present, kind, and forgiving to our family. 

ALiCE:

Thanks to the many of you who attended our ALiCE training this week. There was some great discussion. It seems like each time we hold this training, we come out with more questions than answers. And that's a good thing. We must always be thinking through various scenarios and how we would respond in the event that our school experienced the horror and tragedy of an active intruder event. Please take time to review our Safety and Drills shared folder. In it you will find the ALiCE presentation you will want to use when you discuss this topic with your students in preparation for intruder drill on Friday, October 28th. We will be sending a letter home to parents next week with additional information about ALiCE and safety and security at our school. We will discuss this in more detail at our next faculty meeting. 

One District, One Book:

Thank you for supporting our ODOB initiative these past few days. It has been great to see the pictures on social media. We need to celebrate the joy of reading and model this every chance we get with our students. Friday is the day for us to celebrate the final day of ODOB and finishing the book. On Friday, our students will receive a fudgesicle in the cafeteria during lunch. Classrooms will also be paired up so students can discuss The Chocolate Touch. Mrs. Martin will be sharing more specific information soon.

Partner Teachers:

Woody-Thomas

Thompson-Marino

Payne-Golden

Kallin-Wayne

Crosby-Wilkie

Ashmore-Hughes

Carey-Fulbright

Hildebrand-Barnhill

Jennings-Jordan

Lockaby-Gibson

Moore-Melton

Odom-Garrett

White-Wilcox

End of 9 Weeks:

Yes, the end of the 9 week period is next week. Wednesday, October 19th to be exact. Grades will be due by 4:00 P.M. on Wednesday, October 26th. Verifications will be printed and placed in your box on Thursday, October 27th. Please have all necessary changes made in Power Teacher and sign/return your verification sheets to the office before you leave on Friday, October 28th. Patty will print report cards early the next week. You are free to give parents their copy of the report card on conference day on Friday, November 4th. Report cards will be sent home on Wednesday, November 9th for all students whose parent did not have a scheduled conference on November 4th. 

Speaking of Conference Day:

Conference Day is truly a wonderful opportunity to connect with parents and unify toward the common goal of assisting our students. Please consider the following when conferencing:

• Share report card, latest MAP data, and SC READY/SCPASS (if scores are no longer embargoed by conference day)
• Use the format of "two wows and a wish" when meeting with parents. Focus on the positive, but share a SPECIFIC area where you want that student to work hard and grow. 
• Have student work samples available. This may be accomplished using SeeSaw on the iPad.
• Have chairs in the hallway for parents who have to wait.
• Send a copy of your conference schedule so the office is aware of who is to be in the building. 

Reading PD:

Don't forget our reading PD scheduled for next Tuesday, October 18th for grade 3 and Thursday, October 20th for grades 4 and 5. Mrs. Tollison has arranged for substitutes to cover all necessary classrooms. Please refer to her previous emails this week and be reminded that subs are at a premium next week. Thank you. 

Two Birds, One Stone:

Next Wednesday, October 19th we will take part in an earthquake drill and fire drill back-to-back. Both drills are required. At 9:50ish, we will make an announcement that we are about to begin our earthquake drill. We will ring the bell to single the start of our drill. We will then make an announcement when the drill is over. This should signal all students to report back to their classrooms. Approximately 2-3 minutes later, we will begin our fire drill procedures. Please remember to take your walkie (if you have one) and a class roll and red/green signal cards. Please refer to this manual if you have questions about the earthquake drill. Basically, we will use the Drop Cover and Hold On method. This includes dropping to the floor (to prevent falling), making yourself as small a target as possible, and protecting your head, neck and chest by taking cover under a sturdy desk or table or near an interior wall, covering your head your hands and arms. Please let us know if you have questions or concerns. 

As always, our PVES family has been busy ...

Our EAFK ceremonies went very well. Thanks to Coach for having our stage set up and ready to go. Mrs. Nix is working on a new backdrop for us and also takes care of the trifold program for each ceremony. Teachers, you did a phenomenal job expressing in words why each child was chosen. Thanks to Tammy Lee for leading this program for us and making it meaningful for our students.

5th grade has enjoyed wonderful weather and an awesome experience on their field trip to Camp Thunderbird in North Carolina. I think Mrs. Garrett said it best when she said "Field trips are not for the weak." They certainly are NOT for the weak, but they make our instructional program stronger. Don't forget to use our Field Trip Checklist form to assist you in planning your field trips in the future. 

Congratulations to Mrs. Barnhill and Mrs. Martin. They were observed in a team teaching scenario by our district reading coaches and Jennifer Brown from the state department. Mrs. Barnhill's commitment to learning new things and perfecting her craft is greatly appreciated. Mrs. Martin is an excellent resource used by many in our building. She is an email away if you needed help in your ELA classroom. 

Guided math PD last week offered some small group attention and helped math teachers as they continue to tweak guided math to meet the needs of their students. I was encouraged by the many questions and comments during the sessions. It's obvious our math teachers are really thinking through this. Congratulations to Mrs. Tollison who presented guided math to teachers at Hunt Meadows. I heard she did a wonderful job. She and Mrs. Preisig are also just an email away if you have questions or need support!  

Speaking of guided math, it has been awesome to see everyone's methodology and approach to guided math. We are excited about getting teachers in other classrooms to observe and continue the great discussion that has already begun. Great work!

Our 4th grade scientists enjoyed making and experimenting with weather tools. I suppose a hurricane haunting nearby didn't hurt matters. This is hands-on learning and meaningful experience for our students! 

Moore's Musings:

1.) Don't forget about our SLO training with Christie Shealy on Monday, October 17th at 3:10 in the PD Room. Please bring your laptop, copy of last year's SLO and any information you have already worked on for this year. 

2.) Have you signed up for our next R.O.A.R. event? The PVES Tailgate will be held on Friday, October 14th. We have 18 staff members and a total of 42 staff and family members signed up so far. Please consider attending. Sign up now! Speaking of Friday ... it needs to be a blue jean day. 

3.) Skate Night is Tuesday, October 18th from 6-8 PM at the Skate Place. We need teachers and staff to attend. If you are able to come, you will earn a blue jean day the next school day. Email me if you plan to come! 

4.) We will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week on 10/24-10/28. Help us teach our students to say NO to drugs. With the help of Coach Thompson and Tammy Lee, we will provide more information next week. 

Mark Your Calendar:

There are some important dates coming up. Check our shared calendar for the latest! 

Videos of the Week: