Great Expectations

Expectation. As educators, we know the word well. Our community has very high expectations for our school. We have even higher expectations for ourselves. And for our students, well, how much they can succeed is often determined by the level of expectation we set in our classrooms. Expectations can be defined as the act or state of looking forward to or anticipating. In other words, there is a futuristic meaning behind the word. Our expectations are for something yet to occur. However, what we do in the present often determines what will truly take place in the future. I like another definition for the word that I came across: the degree of probability that something will occur. To put it in educational terms, the degree to which our students will succeed based on our plan, our influence, and our positive interactions. Do your students know what you expect from them in all areas of the school? The hallways, the cafeteria, and/or the restrooms? If not there, how about in the classrooms? Do they know you expect them to be focused and engaged? Is there any doubt as to whether or not they are going to learn the material or that you are going to let them fail? We must set the bar high for our students and then pave the way for them to reach our very high expectations. This should be done by being specific in what you expect and offering a clear path to reach those goals. No excuses. Our students will rise to the level of expectation set by the teacher. You are the single greatest influence in the classroom.

Mrs. Young Announces Retirement

Mrs. Young has officially announced that she will retire at the end of this school year. She told me not to post her picture, but I had I just had to do so. Sorry, Mrs. Young. Mrs. Young has faithfully served our school as computer lab manager and as our school technologist. I have grown to respect Mrs. Young's "get it done" attitude. Whenever there was a situation with technology that needed to be handled or fixed, she would work diligently to find the answer. Even this year, she has worked incredibly hard to get three computer labs up and running for testing. She has headed up our recycling program for many years and filled in whenever needed in a variety of ways. Mrs. Young, we will miss you but please know we are very happy for you.

Student Profile Cards:
On Monday, student profile cards (yellow cards) will be placed in 3rd and 4th grade teacher boxes. 3rd and 4th grade members of our leadership team (Payne, Woody, Moore, Barnhill) will discuss thoughts and expectations with their grade level teams prior to grade levels beginning the process of completing yellow cards and building classes for next year. This is to ensure consistency throughout the process. Yellow cards and completed class rosters are due by Friday, March 24th at 4:30 P.M. That gives everyone two solid weeks to complete the task; collaborating to build the best classes possible. It also means this is taken care of before testing!

Picture Days:
Spring pictures days are coming up next week. On Tuesday, March 14th 4th and 5th grade students will have pictures made. The following day on Wednesday, March 15th 3rd grade students and Ms. Marino's students will have pictures made. We will call students by home room. Please line them up tallest to shortest and be prompt. We will name a location soon. Thank you for your flexibility on these days!

Faculty Meeting:
Our next faculty meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 14th in the PD Room. Mrs. Martin will lead us in Read 2 Succeed professional development at 2:45 P.M. We will then meet as a faculty at 3:10 P.M. This structure worked well last time so we will stick with it.

Sandra Goff:
We are excited to have Sandra Goff work with our math teachers on Thursday, March 16th. Mrs. Tollison has found subs for all math teachers for the full day. We will focus on fractions from a vertical planning perspective. Teachers, you will need to bring fraction tiles or strips and your SC standards. Let's make the most of this opportunity!

Reading All Stars:
We certainly have a large number of reading all stars in our building. Don't forget to encourage your students to read 5 books and turn in their completed reading log to the library in order to increase our participation in the Greenville Drive Reading All Stars program. We want as many students to participate as possible. DOn't stop now! We will make an official announcement on the ROAR Report on Monday, March 20th as to whether or not we reached our school goal. The program ends on March 17th.

Let's take a look around our school the past week or so...

Mrs. Tollison and I had the opportunity to attend a job fair at North Greenville University and speak to perspective teachers. We were proud to represent ASD1. We want you to know how many candidates speak highly of our district and that is due, in large part, to our wonderful teachers in ASD1 who have created a culture of excellence through high expectations.

Our EAFK ceremonies went very smoothly. Thanks to our teachers for their very sweet remarks about our special students. I am proud of our students for their great behavior during these events. There is no doubt that taking the time to speak to your classes about your expectations for behavior made quite a difference.

Speaking of special students, Codie was not able to receive his recognition due to be absent on Friday. However, Ms. Marino made sure he was not forgotten. Her expectation is that her students will always be included. We had a great time awarding Codie's medal to him in the classroom this week.

We had the largest crowd ever for our PTSO Father-Daughter Dance on Friday night. Over 360 people attended. Mrs. Schumpert and Mrs. Cree work so hard in leading our PTSO. They have high expectations in terms of supporting our school and our teachers. Make sure you thank them!

Thanks to our ELA teachers who worked hard during our second vertical teaming session. We spent time outlining our expectations for writing block. It appears as though all grade levels employ a writing workshop/guided writing approach. It looks like we still have some room to improve, in terms of consistency, in how we approach grammar/spelling.

Thanks for reading the blog. You can wear blue jeans on Friday!

Moore's Musings:

MAP testing is now underway. Please make sure you have signed your class up for several sessions to ensure that testing is completed prior to Spring Break. Additionally, all labs should have openings if you want to get your students in there to get them used to the SC-READY tools and allow them to "practice" so they are used to the labs they will be testing in. Remember, our focus should be high expectations for our students in terms of doing our very best to prepare for testing. 

Mark Your Calendar:

Please refer to our shared calendar to stay up-to-date. We have a busy calendar the next few months. 

Video of the Week: