Educating the Whole Child

Each week Mr. Moore and I look around Powdersville Elementary to get the "theme" for the week's blog. This week it was evident that we needed to focus on the wonderful things happening as we educate the whole child. I am a firm believer that a picture is worth a thousand words. This week I will let the photos speak for themselves as we take a look into the amazing week we've experience at PVES. Take pride in being a part of a staff that looks beyond just standards and content but into the hearts of our students.

Fourth Grade LAUNCH students completed their Zoo projects and presented to parents and some other special guests from Ms. Marino's class. It is amazing watching the joy and connection between these students. Samantha (pictured below in the precious Hello Kitty shirt) taught some of the LAUNCH students signs for various animal names. 

Our garden area continues to develop. Wednesday afternoon some wonderful folks learned more about our gardens by planting some models and preparing for our students. I couldn't help but think about the excitement and anticipation our students will experience while taking ownership of the class garden. 

We continue as a school to be blessed by mentors who pour into our students. Below is a mentor (Mr. Mackey) who took the time to hang around and just chat with his mentee after the Boys of Virtue luncheon. Mr. Mackey has also taken the time to support this student when he was recognized at one of our EAFK ceremonies. Teachers and staff members can also mentor students. See Tammy Lee if you want more information of how you can get started! 

You may have noticed some nicely dressed young men in our building on Tuesday. Our Boys of Virtue program wrapped up with a lunch celebration on Tuesday. The boys were treated to a delicious lunch. They reviewed the virtues discussed throughout the program. The event concluded with several boys taking home door prizes such as Walmart gift cards, footballs, and one student won a bike! Thank you teachers for supporting this program and our students. 

Ms. Marino's class went around passing out valentines to some very special people on Tuesday. I know it can be a challenge for Ms. Marino and friends to go around and visit, but it was greatly appreciated! 

Our ESL students began their ACCESS testing this week. Thank you to all the teachers and staff members who took the time to write notes of encouragement for our friends. It was so awesome to watch their faces light up as they took the time to carefully read each note and comment. It is about the whole child!  

Thank you to our Principal who takes the time to model this well by...

 Giving a pep talk and high fives to our ESL students before their testing begins. 

 Shaking hands, greeting, and speaking with each of our Boys of Virtue...

 Investing in students through building relationships and listening. 

Another person who knows all about investing and educating the whole child is Ms. Tammy Lee. We were able to express our thanks to her for impacting student lives last week during National School Counselor Week. Thank you to all who shared in this! 

Faculty Meeting:

Our next faculty meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 21st. Please make plans to attend. We will follow the schedule below:

2:45 P.M. - All teachers currently taking the R2S class with Kelle Martin will meet for 15-20 minutes to further your coursework. 

3:10 P.M. - All faculty and staff report for our meeting. We will discuss several topics including our finalized testing schedule. 

3:45 P.M. - The Leadership Team and Literacy Team will stay after the meeting to discuss the Read 2 Succeed Reflection Tool

Greenville Drive Reading All Stars Program:

Please make sure you continue to encourage students to participate. Students basically must read 5 books in 4 weeks beginning on Monday. They can get their log signed by a parent (or you can sign them as well). Participating students will receive a free ticket voucher for a Drive game, a free t-shirt and a free book. Our school goal is 300 participating students. If we reach the school goal, Mr. Moore, Mrs. Tollison and Ms. Fowler will be spending the day on the roof dressed as the Three Little Pigs. Classes from each grade level who earn the highest percentage of participation will be rewarded with a pizza party. Make sure to get your students excited about the program! Please turn in all completed forms to Ms. Fowler as soon as you receive them. 

Literacy Night is Coming!

Our school wide Literacy Night will take place on Tuesday, February 28th from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Please make sure to communicate this with students and families. We would love to have a great turn out for this event. Look for more details to come in our next blog and on next week's Roar Report. Thank you to Mandi Moore for donating some of her PTSO money to the literacy committee. We were able to buy these books to give to students on literacy night. 

Tollison's Tidings

• Mrs. Turner sent out an email about meeting with students who are planning to audition for the Aladdin KIDS Musical. A list was attached to this email for each grade level of students who signed up to audition for Aladdin KIDS. She will meet with them at 10:30 am on Friday to give them important audition information. Please send them to the music room at 10:30 am. She will send them back asap.
• Monday, February 20th is our other comp day for summer staff development. Please make sure you have made plans to either attend a session or take a personal day if you did not earn the day in the summer. Contact Mr. Moore or Mrs. Tollison with questions. 
• Our testing schedule was revised and we will discuss this in detail at our next faculty meeting. Thank you in advance for your flexibility as we make this work for our students! Please pay special attention to the faculty meeting schedule for Tuesday. 

Mark Your Calendars (MYC):

• Garden Committee Meeting 2/16 at 3:10
• Fire Drill 2/17
• Hat Day $1 (Raising money for Aquarium)
• No students- Comp Day 2/20
• NAEP Testing for 4th Grade 2/21
• Faculty Meeting 2/21 at 3:10 (see schedule above) 
• Fourth Grade Field Trip Meeting 2/23 from 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Video of the Week

Grit

Grit is defined as a firmness of character; indomitable spirit. We talk about grit when we speak about our students. Rightfully so, in my opinion. Our students often need help discovering the grit they possess deep inside their being. As educators, we have to teach grit. We have to coax it out of our students little by little. More importantly, we must model grit. We must live it in our professional lives so that our students have a firsthand perspective of what it means to positively persevere under all sorts of circumstances and while facing a myriad of challenges. As I have mentioned many times, we have reached that point in the school year in which everything gets magnified. The "nitty gritty" of the year where we start to steer our laser-like focus on preparing students to perform at their best for testing. It's stressful. It can wear on even the strongest of teachers. And this is where grit comes into play. I challenge you to grit it out. Anyone can be negative. Anyone can make excuses. PVES is successful because our teachers have, shall I say it, PRIDE in what they do and what they still want to accomplish. Join me in gritting it out for the benefit of our students. Indeed the grit we model for our students this year will leave a lasting mark on our school and students. 

Let's take a look around PVES and see the wonderful things taking place...

Faced with the huge task of revamping our library with funds from the penny sales tax, Mrs. Fowler showed grit in getting the job done. Not only did she get the job done, but she has equipped the media center with more reading material, creative seating opportunities for students, and improved technology. It would have been easy to simply copy another school's plan to modernize the media center, but now we have a place uniquely crafted to suit our students. 

Our math teachers in all grade levels have certainly shown grit this year. Faced with a decision to improve instruction and offer more differentiated opportunities for students, math teachers worked hard to better their craft and move toward a guided math model. Thanks to leadership from Mrs. Tollison and Mrs. Preisig, our guided math meetings have paved the way to some incredible things taking place in our classrooms. Check out Mr. White with a guided math group and some 4th grade students presenting their fractions pizza. 

PBL anyone? 4th grade students (pictured above) are working on their sea turtles PBL. They are researching and completing various checkpoints along the way. Ms. Wilcox has worked with teachers on the garden PBL. We hope to have a repaired green house, a brand new tool shed in place, and vegetables ready for planting by next week! Our goal was for each grade level to plan and implement a PBL unit of study this year!

And to thank everyone for their grit and hard work, teachers were treated to a quiet(er) lunch with soup and salad on Wednesday. A huge thanks to the office ladies for making this happen. Thanks to Mrs. Fowler and Tammy Lee for covering the cafeteria. I can assure you that took some grit. We hope you enjoyed your lunch! 

National School Counseling Week:

Let's take a moment to thank Tammy Lee for the hard work she does each and everyday for our teachers and students. Her work has transformed our school in a positive way. I am grateful for her determination and leadership. I cannot think of one task I have given to her that she has not been faithful in executing it to the best of her ability. She epitomizes true grit and we are better off as a school because of her. Take the time to stop by and thank her this week as we celebrate National School Counseling Week. We appreciate you, TL!

Math P.D.:

Math teachers are reminded of math PD with Mrs. Preisig and Mrs. Tollison tomorrow (2/9/17) in the PD Room. Please be on time and make sure to bring your laptop. You will be able to learn about our newly-acquired Triumph Learning resources that Mrs. Tollison emailed you about earlier. 4th and 5th grade reading teachers, Mrs. Tollison will meet with you on Wednesday, February 15th at 3:15 P.M. in the PD Room to share with you the ELA side of Triumph Learning. Bring your laptop. 

Greenville Drive Reading All Stars Program:

On Thursday, you will pass out information to go home pertaining to the Greenville Drive Reading All Stars Program. Please make sure you encourage students to participate. Students basically must read 5 books in 4 weeks beginning on Monday. They can get their log signed by a parent (or you can sign them as well). Participating students will receive a free ticket voucher for a Drive game, a free t-shirt and a free book. Our school goal is 300 participating students. On Monday next week, please make sure you show the ROAR Report (as always) as Mrs. Tollison and Mr. Moore will have an exciting announcement about our goal for the program. Additionally, we will announce what will happen if we reach our goal and what classes can earn who have the highest percentage of participation. Make sure to tune in and get your students excited about the program! 

Valentine's Day:

Tuesday, February 14th is obviously Valentine's Day. Please remember that we do not host class parties on this day. Room mothers should bring treat bags to your room. You then will pass them out to students at the very end of the day as students leave. Please let me know if you need any clarification with this process. 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• Math P.D. in PD Room - 2/9
• District Jet Toy Car Competition (Go 5th Grade!) - 2/10
• 4th Grade Launch Zoo Presentations - 2/13 at 8:20 A.M.
• PVES Leadership Team Meeting in PD Room - 2/13 at 3:10 P.M.
• Valentine's Treat Bags Go Home End of Day - 2/14
• Boys of Virtue Luncheon in PD Room - 2/14 at 11:30 P.M.
• 4th Grade Launch Zoo Presentations - 2/15 at 8:20 A.M. 
• Middle School Band Performs for 5th Grade During Planning in MP Room - 2/15
• 4th and 5th ELA Meeting Triumph Learning in PD Room - 3:15 P.M. 
• Garden Committee Meeting - 2/16 at 3:15 P.M.
• Fire Drill - 2/17
• Hat Day - Bring $1.00 to support Charleston Aquarium - 2/17 

Video of the Week:

Leadership

Leadership can best be defined as a person who guides or directs a group. While leaders come in all shapes and sizes, let's focus on the most important leaders in our building. Our teachers. As the quote above suggests, your leadership should inspire your students to dream more, learn more, do more and become more. You are the greatest influence in the lives of your students. The relationships you build; those countless hours of molding and shaping those young people, are the very essence of what makes you a successful educator. Indeed your leadership will determine the outcome for many of the eight, nine and ten year old children in our building. This responsibility can't be taken lightly. We can't have "off days" when we only have 180 to make such a difference. Every moment counts. I am proud that we as a school are committed to doing what it takes for our students for our students. And what it will take, more than anything, is leadership.

Leadership Team:

I wanted to take a moment to provide more information about our recently-formed Leadership Team at PVES. Mrs. Tollison and I created this team with representation from various content areas, each grade level, and special education/related arts. We wanted to provide a voice for all teachers and improve feedback and communication between our administration and faculty. Most importantly, we wanted to build leadership capacity and influence in the building. Our leadership team will meet to discuss a myriad of topics designed to improve our product at PVES. Chief among their responsibilities to be be a catalyst for positive change within our school walls. These teachers are not part of a decision making body. They won't create school policy or practice. They are simply working to make PVES a better place and represent our tremendous faculty and staff. We will add new team members throughout the years to continue to build leadership capacity and influence among our teachers. We are so excited about this opportunity! 

Leading in Other Areas:

You probably don't notice it, but I sure do. Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Golden have been taking time many mornings to help serve breakfast in the cafeteria. This is not exactly a glamorous job and no one asked them to do it. They simply took the lead where they saw the need. Thanks, ladies!

Guided Math/Technology PD with Preisig:

Our next guided math PD for all math teachers will be held in the PD Room Thursday, February 9th during planning periods. Mrs. Preisig or Mrs. Tollison will send out more information soon. 

Grades and Gradebook Reminders:

It's a great time to mention a few important reminders now that we have just completed end of 9 weeks procedures. First, please make sure you get grades inputted in the computer in a timely manner. For most assignments, this would be within a week's time. Also, please make sure you choose your assessments carefully. A child's grade should, as accurately as possibly, reflect their knowledge and mastery of the content. Finally, please make sure you have enough minor and major grades as outlined by our district requirements. 

Let's take a look around PVES and ASD1 ...

January was School Board Appreciation Month. We donated a series of books and community leaders to our school's media center in honor of one of our board members, Mr. Wilson. Our school board backs our teachers and administrators so we can do our jobs and be successful. Thanks, ASD1 School Board!

Thanks to Mrs. Golden for organizing our school spelling bee. We are proud to broadcast it live online and it did not disappoint. There are always some nervous moments, but our students were good sports and enjoyed the competition. Congratulations to Connor Brooks (Lockaby/Barnhill) for being our runner up. And a huge congratulations to Ellie Horner (Horn/Gibson) for winning our school spelling bee and advancing to regional competition! 

Our 5th grade students (and teachers) have been working hard on their Jet Toy Car unit. If you haven't seen them in the hallways you certainly have heard them. And that's okay, that's the sound of learning taking place! Our school winners will advance to district competition next Friday at Spearman. Great job, 5th grade!

Thanks to your leadership our students are enjoying success throughout their school experience. PVHS celebrated their 97.1% graduation rate with us in a variety of ways over the last week. Our class of 2024 has big shoes to fill. It certainly puts things into perspective when we realize that our 180 days with students play a vital role in a child's development and culminates in graduation!

Thanks to Mrs. Turner, Mrs. Nix, and Mrs. Hildebrand for making our Talent Show one of the best we have ever had! A special thanks to the many faculty and staff who assisted that evening and then stuck around to support our students. We had a huge crowd and they did not leave disappointed. Ms. Marino once again had our teachers rocking the house with our teacher dance and Codie Hammond stole the show with his rendition of My Girl. We can't wait for next year and we will need YOUR help to make it even better. 

Our Leadership Team was challenged to work hard and make the most of our time together during our first meeting. We are blessed with a building full of potential leaders! 

Moore's Musings:

This is such a crucial time for us. With very few breaks, we are in the midst of a critical stretch of teaching and learning. Yes, it can be heavy and stressful. But our work as leaders is full of those anxious times and we are geared to take this challenge head on. However, let's take a step back next week and enjoy some peace and quiet...and soup. On Wednesday, February 8th, the office will provide delicious soup options for all faculty and staff for lunch in the PD Room. We will cover the cafeteria so simply escort your class to the cafeteria and enjoy your lunch time in the peace and quiet of the PD Room. We will send out a reminder closer to next Wednesday. I hope you enjoy the opportunity to "get away" for a few moments. Additionally, this Friday will be a blue jean day. I would ask that everyone wear their new ASD1 shirts provided by our district office. Feel free to take pictures of your grade level or team wearing their shirts and send them my way to be shared with others. Thanks!

Mark Your Calendar:

Make sure you check our shared calendar. Something was added to a day next week that you might be interested in. Thanks!

Video of the Week: