Family

At Powdersville Elementary School we are indeed a family unit. You will see us all working together, loving on, and serving each other every single day. I believe it is one of the things that makes PVES such a special place and why we are willing to go above and beyond for  each other. I hope you will take some time this week before break to reflect on your work family and what each person means to you. We are quite blessed! During this busy holiday season remember the most important thing is family. Mr. Moore and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy time with your families. Be safe if you are traveling and make time for rest and rejuvenation.

We have much to celebrate this week from PVES...

Ms. Lee and several teachers took some of our students to Clemson this past week. Students played games, had snacks, and left with some wish list items. We want to say a huge thank you to Ms. Lee for making this possible for our students. Also, thank you to the teachers who spent the evening with our students. I think the teachers had just as much fun (if not more) than the kids!

Our Literacy Night was a huge success! Thank you so much to every single staff member who played a part! This took our entire family to fill a need and make all the piece come together. Mrs. Nix did an amazing job with decorations and transforming our school with the help of the literacy committee. Thank you to Mrs. Martin for her pursuit of excellence and making literacy a focus for our school. Many parents commented that this was the best one yet! I would say it was definitely next level!

It's been a great week in Computer Lab as we celebrate Computer Science Education Week, learn more about this vast subject area, and participate in the Hour of Code. Your students excel in coding activities. Mrs. Berry shared a folder for teachers to drop in pictures and share on Seesaw. You can access the folders HERE. Thank you Mrs. Berry for always making Computer Lab next level! 

December Events
December is always a busy month in the life of a school. Mr. Moore sent out a "PVES In the Know" Newsletter this past week to all parents. Please be sure that you have shared it on Seesaw and reviewed it for your information as well. You can find the link HERE. Our chorus concert that was scheduled for Monday, December 10th will now take place on Wednesday, December 12th at PVES (not PVHS). Be on the look out for emails for specific details about events pertaining to your grade level and responsibilities. 

Early Leave Week
This week is the scheduled early leave week for teachers. Thank you for your time to meet and conference with parents. I know it was time consuming but worth it for our families. You may leave when you get your kids settled for dismissal. If you have afternoon duty, you may leave immediately following your duty. Please let Mr. Moore or Mrs. Tollison if you have questions. 

PLC Updates and Planning Days
Our third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers spent some time in last week's Live PD session creating values for their PLCs. Thank you teachers for the time and investment you made in developing these family values. Teachers, please continue to review these at the beginning of each of your PLC meetings. 

We have scheduled some ELA planning time for all three grade levels in December. You will find your date and time below. The focus during this time will be to unpack standards in order to determine essential standards for the upcoming reading unit. Mrs. Martin will also provide support and help connect Calkins units for the remainder of the year. Teachers who plan ELA will have the afternoon to create plans, assessments, etc. All teachers participating will need to bring laptops (technology), standards, and Calkins Unit Three materials. 

December 13th- Fifth Grade (all teachers) 8:00-11:30
December 17th- Fourth Grade (all teachers) 8:00-11:30 and (ELA planning only) 11:30-2:30
December 18th- Third Grade (all teachers) 8:00-11:30 and (ELA planning only) 11:30-2:30

PVES Faculty Christmas Party (12/19)

We are excited about our upcoming faculty Christmas party on Wednesday, December 19th. You will be receiving a formal invitation in your teacher box soon. As you know, we will dismiss students at 11:00 A.M. that day. After dismissal, plan to work in your rooms to get ready for the holidays. We will begin our lunch at 12:15 P.M. in the MP Room. After lunch and dessert, we have some fun games to play and some prizes! Please look over the details below:

• We are asking each person bring a heavy appetizer or finger food items to share with the group.
• We will provide all the paper products, silverware, etc.
• We will also provide trays of chicken tenders, drinks, coffee and dessert!
• Also, you are encouraged to bring a new coffee cup to participate in our coffee cup swap. Simply bring a new unwrapped coffee cup (nothing else) and be able to "shop" other cups brought in by your colleagues!

Tollison's Tidings:
We usually send out a digital Christmas card to our district office staff, fellow schools, and our parents. Teachers, if you have time this week please take a picture or quick (less than 10 second) video of your class with Christmas wishes. I am including last year's video as an example HERE. You can email me with this and I will put it all together to send out. Thank you for your help!  

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• Tuesday, December 11th- Papa John's Dollar for Dough
• Tuesday, December 11th- PVES Strings Concert (MP Room) 6:30-7:15 pm
• Wednesday, December 12th- Papa John's Dollar for Dough
• Wednesday, December 12th- Rescheduled Chorus Concert (from 12/10) at 6:30 pm at PVES (not PVHS as previously scheduled)
• Thursday, December 13th- Skate Night (Tacky Christmas theme) 6-8 pm
• Friday, December 14th- Fire Drill
• Friday, December 14th- School Improvement Council Meeting 7:20-8:00 am
• Monday, December 17th- Spelling Bee Informational Meeting 2:45 pm in Mrs. Jessica Thomas's Room
• Monday, December 17th- Jill Kallin's shower at 3:15 pm in the Media Center
• Monday, December 17th- Third Grade Performance (100 Hallway) at 6:30 at PVHS
• Tuesday, December 18th- Third Grade Performance (200 Hallway) at 6:30 at PVHS
• Wednesday, December 19th- Half Day with dismissal at 11:00 (Chorus performs at 8:10 in MP Room, Class parties at 9:15) 
• Wednesday, December 19th- Faculty Christmas Party 
• Thursday, January 3rd- Students Return 

Excellence

It's well-documented now. Powdersville Elementary School  earned an "excellent" rating on the newest school report card and an overall rating of 81. There are a variety of factors involved in the rating: test scores, student improvement, ESOL, etc. This excellent rating is to be celebrated as it is the culmination of a great deal of hard work and effort by all that make up our school community. And while we certainly want to recognize this accomplishment and celebrate, I would challenge us to approach it with a different mindset. Excellence is defined as the fact or state of excelling. In other words, it's not a singular event. We didn't just show up and become excellent. Excellence is a state of mind; an ongoing commitment to never accepting the status quo. I can promise you there is a target on our collective backs. Other schools see our success and want to replicate what we do. I hear about it and feel it in meetings at the district office or at professional development within the district. And this brings me to my final point. Let's not get caught up in the score or the report card rating itself. Let's be excellent in what we do day in and day out. Let's be excellent in our approach - true PLCs centered on the four questions, added rigor to our instruction, and improved assessment. As one football coach put it; do the common things in an uncommon way. Do not settle for "same old" and the aforementioned status quo. Excellence is indeed a mindset and we must carry this mindset with us each day as we strive for that next level.

We had enjoyed an excellent week at PVES...

As I mentioned during our Live PD session, I had the opportunity to visit Concrete and observe reading instruction in first and second grade classrooms. It was an awesome experience for me. I was highly impressed with the LC mini-lessons I observed and witnessed excellent reading instruction taking place. In many ways, I observed a schedule and practices that mirror what we expect at PVES. Coming up in July - an opportunity for third and second grade teachers to engage in peer observations and collaborate? Stay tuned. 

OLWEUS class meetings were excellent this week. Some students committed to lifting others up while other participated in some role play situations. OLWEUS is only as excellent as we set it up to be. Thanks for taking this time seriously each Monday morning and impacting, in a positive way, our culture at PVES. 

 

3rd grade students became surgeons; operating on division problems and non-fiction passages. I am convinced that our excellence is due, in part, to the way we make learning a fun experience. We challenge the norm and shift the paradigm to find new and exciting ways to engage our students. 

I put this picture in the blog to illustrate a simple, yet profound point. It doesn't matter our title or our situation. At PVES, we don't operate in a world of "your kids vs. my kids" or "that's not my job". Our excellent is obtained when we embrace all students as our own and live out #pvespride in all that we do! 

OLWEUS:

We will continue with OLWEUS class meetings on Monday, December 3rd during PRIDE Time. Please refer to our OLWEUS Lessons Folder for ideas and helpful information. As we highlighted above, it is important to truly engage students in activities, role playing, and dialogue focused on our school rules against bullying. Mrs. Tollison and I have been so impressed as we have observed in many rooms during this time. Keep up the excellent work!

Tomorrow for Olweus, the literacy committee would like for you to do something with the students that relates to How the Grinch Stole Christmas. You can teach any lesson on being kind to others and making everyone feel a part of the class. 

 "In How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, the Grinch discovers the true meaning of Christmas. He does a good deed by returning all of the gifts to the Whos in Who-ville—which makes his heart grow 3 sizes! "
Then there are heart cut outs in your box, one for each student. Please have each student to fill out an act of kindness that they are going to do or have done here at our school. Then before Thursday please have your students tape their hearts up on your grade level Grinch in the cafeteria. We are going to use this for decorations for Literacy Night.

Live PD: 

Our final Live PD event before the break is scheduled for Wednesday, December 5th, 2018. Please refer to our Live PD agenda for more information. This session is crucial to the success of our PLCs moving forward. Please be prepared to stay focused and engage your team during this time.

Literacy Night:

We are thrilled about our upcoming Literacy Night this Thursday, December 6th from 6:00-7:15. I would ask that everyone try to park in the bus circle lot and enter through the back doors there at the bus circle. This is a wonderful opportunity to engage our community and we expect a huge crowd. If you have not already, please sign up to assist us. We will also need assistance each afternoon this week to get final touches completed in preparation for this event. This will take a total team effort!


Spirit Day This Friday:
This Friday, December 7th is PVES Spirit Day. Students are encouraged to wear their House shirts and/or colors. Staff can wear blue jeans provided they wear their House shirts. As you are making plans for this week, set aside some time on Friday afternoon for our next House meetings. I think this would be a great way to end the week! Don't forget we will be selling Chic-Fil-A biscuits in the morning car line on Friday and two lucky students who wear their House shirts will be chosen to win a prize.


Moore's Musings:
These next 13 days are sure to be wild and hectic. We have events after school in the form of Literacy Night, Chorus, 3rd grade performances, and Strings. However, let's approach these days with the goal of getting every bit of teaching and learning in that we possibly can. Do not let your guard down. Ensure student safety by being at duty on time, supervise students closely at all times, and help us keep our collective focus on getting better. Excellence happens this way.


Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• You can expect our November fire drill to take place this week. We made every attempt last week, but things were crazy in the office. Thanks for your patience.
• Chorus rehearsal after school at PVHS - Tuesday, December 4th 
• Progress Report Folders Sent Home - Wednesday, December 5th 
• Live PD - Wednesday, December 5th at 3:15 PM
• PVES Literacy Night - Thursday, December 6th from 6-7:15 P.M. 
• PVES Spirit Day - Friday, December 7th

Video of the Week: Excellence

On Trust

I happy to provide a new blog for our PVES faculty and staff as it has been quite a few weeks since our last. I am hopeful everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving break with friends and family. More than anything, I hope you were able to take time to truly reflect on the many reasons you have to be thankful. I consider Thanksgiving to be a very underrated holiday and wish we could somehow bottle up that feeling of thanksgiving for use 365 days out of the year. And with that, welcome back. We have important work to accomplish together. 

An interesting and ironic paradox exists at Powdersville Elementary School. This paradox is all centered upon one word. Trust. Trust is defined as the reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc. of a person or thing. As I have reflected this weekend on our vision as a school, I have come to the conclusion that the process of building trust is both the reason for our successes and the lack of complete trust is the reason we have not realized our full potential. We can celebrate it, make excuses for it, but I consider this paradox to be true of our school. Until we are willing to confront it, strengthen it and fight to protect it, I would suspect the more things would stay the same. And, as we know in education, this is rarely a good thing. So in this blog, I challenge you to offer trust while also being trustworthy. Below, I offer a few questions and/or statements for your consideration and reflection. Our quest to build 100% complete trust, the kind of trust to take us to that "next level" begins now. 

• Can your students trust you? Do you have their best interests at heart? Do you treat them the same no matter their background or educational ability? Are you using class time in such a way that respects and values those precious minutes you have to make a difference?
• Can your colleagues trust you? Do you do your part and share the heavy load? Do you say one  thing in one setting, but do a completely different thing in another setting? Can you collaborate and even debate while maintaining a common desire to be a team and improve together?
• Are you a CAVE person (Colleague Against Virtually Everything) or are you all in for the vision we have laid out for our school? Does this show in your actions and words; not only in formal meetings but by your actions and words down the hallway, in front of parents or at the grocery store?

So many great things have taken place in our school and we are well on our way to the next level. Here are just a few from previous weeks....

Our Writer's Wall of Fame breakfast for the first nine week period was once again a huge success. I enjoy so much celebrating our students. We know writing is a "lost art" in many respects and a huge area of focus for our students. I trust our faculty and staff to spend the time and effort into planning quality writing instruction. This means modeling and conferencing with writers on a regular basis.

Fourth grade kicked off their PBL on weather forecasting and severe weather. Chris Justus from WYFF was kind enough to kick off the PBL for our students. He even promised to come back when students present. The finished product will include an actual weather forecast production created by our students. It wasn't easy to plan, but 4th grade trusted one another and made this happen. Now, the fun begins...learning!

Thanks to Mrs. McGaha for the idea to set up our white table in the cafeteria in honor of our veterans. I trust you were able to take the time to discuss Veteran's Day with your students and allow them the opportunity to hear the read aloud of America's White Table. Our students should know the many sacrifices that have been made in order for them to learn and achieve in a free country.

OLWEUS Class Meetings:
We will hold our next round of OLWEUS class meetings on Monday, November 26th during PRIDE Time. The goal is for everyone to have the first 6 lessons completed. Then, grade levels are free to plan interactive lessons that fit the needs of our students. You can find a ton of great information, , in shared folder. I would suggest read alouds, role playing and plenty of time for discussion. We should build an environment of trust so students can freely discuss concerns. A few suggested topics: playing games at recess (especially sports) in which sportsmanship and inclusion are priority, cafeteria behavior once again centered on inclusion and appropriate discussion, and expectations for group work - how to work together with all types of people. Don't forget to review our rules against bullying behaviors. This must be a common language. 



Live PD:
We will have our next Live PD sessions this Wednesday, November 28th after school at 3:15 P.M. Please view our agenda carefully and plan to attend. This will be an important one to set the stage for the remainder of the year. As a reminder, faculty and staff are asked to keep Wednesday afternoons "open" to honor our time together for Live PD. This doesn't mean we will meet every Wednesday, but does mean Wednesdays should be available when needed. Thanks!


PVES "New Best":
Our "new best" are reminded of your next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, November 28th at 11:00 A.M. For those who will need "cover", we will provide this for you. The format is different than the traditional after school meetings and lunch will be provided. Please be looking for Mrs. Tollison's email with more specific information. We look forward to meeting with our "new best" this week! 


Literacy Night:
PVES Literacy Night is scheduled for Thursday, December 6th from 6:00-7:15 P.M. Please send out communication throughout the week encouraging families to attend and send in their RSVPs. Thanks to Kelle Martin and our literacy committee for their hard work in planning this event. Lindsay Nix has been working tirelessly to create incredible art work and displays for the event. We do need YOUR help for this to be a success. It is obviously an expectation that our faculty and staff attends and serves during Literacy Night. We can't wait to enjoy "How the Grinch Stole Literacy Night" on December 6th. 


Moore's Musings:
It was indeed a true honor to inform everyone of our expected "excellent" rating on our school report card. More detail will be provided soon and there is much to explore and learn from this new school accountability system. Soon, we will be challenging some of our thoughts and methods as they pertain to PLCs. The conference we attended, which was the best conference of my professional career, provided some much needed insight and next steps for us to take back and implement at PVES. We are ready for a "reset" of sorts, and I hope you will join me in embracing the change that is needed in order for us to be next level. Trust will play a major role in this implementation and we will, simply put, challenge some of your norms and accepted roles. 

On an unrelated note, December is a busy time of year for all of us. We have Literacy Night, Chorus and Strings performances and 3rd grade Christmas performances as well. I hope you will make every attempt to attend these events as you see appropriate and support our students. As a parent and administrator, I cannot tell you how impressive it is when an event takes place and many of our faculty and staff are on hand in support. Thank you! 


Mark Your Calendar MYC):

• OLWEUS class meetings - 11/26 during PRIDE Time
• Fire Drill - 11/27
• PVES "New Best" Meeting - 11/28 at 11:00 A.M.
• Live PD - 11/28 at 3:15 P.M. 
• Christmas for Kids event at Clemson - 11/29 (see Tammy with questions)
• Progress Report Folders - 12/5 (originally scheduled for this week)
• Literacy Night - 12/6 from 6:00-7:15 P.M.

Video of the Week: Trust (Teacher Leaders Needed)

Courage to be Consistent

This job requires the courage to be consistent. Consistent is defined as acting or done in the same way over time. To be at our best, we are forced to sacrifice a great deal in our quest to consistently bring our "A game" every single day for our students. Educators are not just teachers of content. They dabble in the many other rigors of the job including public relations, encouraging, nursing, counseling and, well, you get the point. All the while expectations are other-worldly and the demands constant. Therefore, it is crucial that we focus our efforts ever-forward; striving to be a better version of ourselves each day we clock-in and go to work. This doesn't mean we are immune to struggles and bad days. In fact, on the contrary, it means we accept that those roadblocks will forever be present and choose to rise above these. No one said this type of consistency was easy to obtain. It means we must have a plan, we must be be intentional about executing that plan, and we must be on a mission.  The collective teacher efficacy we discussed at the beginning of the year, that impacts student achievement greatly, is very much based on our ability to be consistent in our daily approach to planning and carrying out quality instruction. Our school is focused on student success in many areas. We know the price we must pay to be great at what we do. We can never accept mediocrity and must always pursue consistency. To me, this is what #pvespride is truly all about. 

Another consistently positive and successful week at PVES...

In 3rd grade, students learned about multiplication using mini-pumpkins and then used the app Goose Chase to review math. Finding ways to consistently make math hands-on and fun makes a difference to our students!

Speaking of math, 4th grade students used manipulatives and various strategies to solve multiplication problems. When we are consistent vertically, we offer a powerful instructional program that yields incredible results. 

5th grade students used play dough to map out the ocean floor. Again, a consistent approach to making learning hands-on and fun makes our school second-to-none. Have something great planned or just want some peer feedback? Make sure your lesson/activity on our pineapple chart located in the office across from the teacher boxes. 

And speaking of consistency, our culture is only as strong as our expectations for students. We expect our students to be kind, well-rounded and hard working. We have to model this and certainly reward these behaviors. Our Pride Practice ceremonies were wonderful and parents were so grateful for the kind words our teachers read at the podium. Our House initiative has gotten off to a very positive start, but we must consistently teach and reward those who exemplify our expectations (practices). 

PLCs are meant to be "next level". Next level doesn't occur without hardship, confrontation, mediation and reconciliation. We continue to push through PLCs with the consistency that is required. Until the Book Fair is over, PLCs will meet in a location of your choosing. This symbolizes that a PLC is not a place or a thing; it is embedded in our culture and what we are all about at PVES. 

OLWEUS:

We will hold our next round of OLWEUS class meetings on Monday, October 29th during PRIDE Time. This week, we are focusing on Lesson 5: If we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home. You can find a ton of great information, including the lesson plan for this week, in our shared folder. Remember, grade levels should be planning lessons and areas of focus for class meetings when these first 6 lessons are completed. Make them interactive and compelling. And make them applicable for students through meaningful discussion. A quick note for 5th grade - due to the field trip this week, please plan on getting lesson 5 accomplished on Monday, November 12th.

Report Card Information:

Please do not forget to send home first nine weeks report cards on Tuesday, October 30th. Students should get the plain white copy signed by a parent and return this to school. 5th grade students going on the field trip will receive their report cards on Thursday this week. From my vantage point, parent teacher conferences have gone well so parents should not be surprised with report card information being sent home. Through Parent Portal, SeeSaw, folders, etc. we are very consistent in our approach to sending home helpful information to our parents. 

First Nine Weeks "Wall of Fame" Breakfast:

Our first Writers "Wall of Fame" breakfast will be held on Friday, November 2nd at 7:30 AM in the media center. We love to celebrate our student writers and this breakfast allows for parents to come and celebrate with us. Student work is displayed outside the media center for all to see. We will have coffee, juice and water along with tasty breakfast treats. Teachers are certainly invited to come and celebrate with the student representing their homeroom. Thanks to Mrs. Horn for coming up with this idea last year! Mrs. Horn and Mrs. Fowler work very hard to make this a wonderful event for our families. 

A Quick Blog Update:

This will be the last blog until Sunday, November 25th due to Fall Break, Spring Break, etc. Mrs. Tollison and/or Mr. Moore will be sending out a weekend email blast with important reminders during this time. Thanks for your understanding. 

Moore's Musings:

Thanks to everyone for working with our students throughout the past week or two to prepare them for our ALiCE drill. More importantly, thank you for keeping the conversation open about safety and security. We must preach a consistent message to our students about our expectations during emergency situations. Keep in mind we will have another drill during the second semester and it will be far less scripted. By Thursday of this week, please post your reflections concerning our drill using the link to our Padlet wall. If you have completed this by Thursday, Friday is a blue jean day for you and you may leave early after your duties have been completed. Dr. Pew was present during our drill and was impressed. Please remember that this drill or any other is for everyone on site. Whether or not you have a class is inconsequential. Please participate. 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• 5th grade field trip - October 29th-31st.
• OLWEUS Class Meetings (3rd and 4th) - October 29th 
• 1st 9 Weeks Report Card Sent Home - October 30th
• NO Live PD (Halloween) - October 31st 
• Sandra Goff for selected teachers - November 1st and/or 2nd
• PVES Spirit Night at Pizza House of Powdersville - November 1st from 5 PM until close. 
• Fall picture orders and money due - November 2nd 
• Fall Break (No School) - November 5th and 6th 

Video of the Week: Consistency