Creativity

I couldn't help but think about creativity when preparing to write this blog today. PVES has always been a safe place to try new things, stretch the limits, and shift paradigms. Our teachers know that times change, students and their circumstances change, and thus, our approach to learning often changes. Creativity, as defined by dictionary.com, is the ability to transcend the traditional. However, the definition includes creating meaningful new ideas. This is so true in education. There are some things we do quite well that have been occurring in our building since it opened back in 2002. The old adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" certainly applies. However, if we are passionate about our students and truly want to do what it takes to reach them, we obviously have to apply a creative approach to education. School transformations, problem-based learning units, and flexible seating are just a few ways our tremendous faculty and staff have dabbled in creativity recently. Our challenge is to continue; push on. Reach our students, demand their attention and effort, and stir within them an innate desire to learn. That's quite the challenge, but we have never backed down from those in the past. And creativity will allow us to meet those challenges head-on.

Don't forget that F.A.I.L. stands for "FIRST ATTEMPTS IN LEARNING."

Another week gone by and more wonderful things taking place at PVES...

Walk the hallways and you will be interested to find the many ways our students are engaged in creativity. Whether it be inquiry-based, hands-on, or involving technology, our students really demand from us to be immersed in creative experiences in order to learn. 

Friday was another artifact of evidence to show that PVES teachers are dedicated, student-focused, and creative. Powdersville Pizzeria is now open for business! We are thankful for Mrs. Wayne's vision and a group of dedicated teacher leaders who brought this concept to real life. Our students were engaged and moved to learn. That is powerful stuff. 

Codie Hammond and I wanted to tell everyone "thank you" for making this year's version of the Talent Show a huge success. The teacher performance was well-received and creative (Mr. White - we were indeed entertained) and our students did a phenomenal job showing off their many creative talents. So many people served our school in a variety of ways to make this happen. This is not the norm in many buildings, but it sure is here. 

Monday is the kick-off of our OLWEUS Bullying Prevention Program:

On Friday last week, most of our students completed the OLWEUS student survey. On Monday, all home rooms will watch the kick-off video and engage in your first class meeting. As a reminder, each Monday morning during PRIDE Time we are dedicated to engaging students in discussion, lessons, etc. centered on bullying prevention. Through rich dialogue and discussion, our students will be armed with the ability to identify bullying behaviors and what steps to take to handle these situations. Your class should meet in a circle and take this time seriously. A huge "thank you" to our leadership team and our team chair, Mrs. Barnhill, for helping us with this adventure. If everyone will approach this opportunity as a means to improve our culture and climate, I have no doubt that it will lead to improved student achievement. Remember, we have school-wide rules for bullying and a common approach to dealing with those incidents. Please see the resources below:

• OLWEUS Shared Folder with Lessons and Info
• OLWEUS "Kick-Off" Video to Be Shown Monday Morning
• You should be able to complete this first meeting, with video kick-off included, by the end of PRIDE Time. 
• Related arts and specialty area teachers will be assigned a classroom. Mrs. Tollison will be emailing those teachers to inform them of their placement. They are there to work with the classroom teacher and students to help the program run smoothly. 

Report Cards:

2nd 9 weeks report cards go home at the end of the day on Monday. Students are encouraged to bring a copy of the report card back to school signed by a parent. Please be reminded that if you have any students you feel like need to be considered for retention, you must notify parents soon and also let Mrs. Tollison and I know of your concerns. 3rd grade teachers are tracking students who are in danger of being retained according to state law (Read 2 Succeed) and know it is important to continuously communicate progress to parents. 

SLO Mid-Year Conference:

It's that time of year again. I need to meet briefly with any and all teachers who have an SLO. The purpose of this meeting is to check on student progress as related to the teacher SLO for the 17-18 school year. It would be appropriate to bring any data and or/concerns to this meeting. We can log in to Enrich and refer to the information you have entered. If you do not have access to Enrich, bring a paper copy or email a copy to us for the meeting. You can sign up for a time by clicking on this link to register for a conference slot. 

Live PD:

We do have Live PD sessions for teachers and staff on Wednesday, January 31st. These are make-up sessions due to inclement weather cancellations earlier in the month. Please refer to the Live PD agenda for additional information. Thank you for your attendance and participation in these very important sessions. 

Moore's Musings:

As always, we remain dedicated to being as transparent as possible when it comes to decision-making and personnel movement. I emailed the faculty and staff to let them know of changes in the making for next year in terms of teacher movement. We have already begin the process of filling the 4 homeroom positions that were made available due to this movement. We have received well over 40 applications (not counting those processed by the district office that were not sent our way) and will be interviewing candidates over the next few weeks. As always, we want to find instructionally sound teachers who fit our culture. Please know how special you have made PVES. There are so many applicants who want to join our team. This is because they know that a special culture has been developed through the years here and want to join our teachers in an effort to truly be the best. Word travels about your abilities, folks. Be very proud. 

Mark Your Calendar:

• 1/29 - Report Cards Issued
• 1/30 - Reflex Math Webinar in Computer Lab from 8:30-11:30 A.M.
• 1/30 - Wilcox Shower in Media Center after school
• 1/31 - ELA MAP Test for Grade 3 - 8:30 A.M. start time using iPads in classroom 
• 1/31 - Live PD Sessions after school 
• 2/1 - Furman Consortium on Guided Math from 8:30 A.M.-12:00 P.M.
• 2/1 - 3rd/4th Grade author visit - 9:00-9:45 in MP Room 
• 2/2 - Chic-Fil-A biscuit sale in morning car line
• 2/2 - Writer's Wall of Fame Breakfast in Media Center beginning at 7:25 A.M. 

Video of the Week: Schools on Trial 

Limits

Limits. Do you truly know your limitations? How about those of your students? I feel confident in answer for you. Probably not. This is not a negative statement or indictment of failure. I can say the same about myself as a person and as an educator. Limits are defined as the final, utmost, or furthest boundary or point as to extent, amount, continuance, etc. I can think of no better example of a profession in which this word, limit, can do so much harm. On the other hand, it is a word that propelled many great educators and schools to heights they could have never imagined! So where do you find yourself on the spectrum of limitation. Speaking specifically about your professional dreams and aspirations, reflect for a moment. It is well documented that PVES is a wonderful place of learning; filled with incredible educators and special students. However, we know that schools that are stagnant will not remain successful. It is our nature to stretch the limits. It is our culture to shift the paradigm and not be afraid to change. As we reach this crucial stretch before state testing, I would ask you to consider the "limits" of your students. Are we accepting less than adequate work and effort from them? How do we discuss and maintain those high expectations for our students so that they reach their potential? As a team, we should not let limits stop us from doing what is best for our students. We should smile in the face of adversity and push through; knowing our limits have yet to be discovered. 

Here's what's happening around PVES...

Did I time this blog perfectly or what? Speaking of testing the boundaries and knowing no limits, Mrs. Wayne and Mrs. Barnhill attended the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia recently. The author of The Essential 55 knows a thing or two about approaching things differently and possessing a "no excuses" attitude toward student success. We hope to hear from these two teacher about their experience in the near future! 

When we know no limits and expect the best, it is amazing what our students can accomplish. Whether it be students using Legos to experiment with perimeter and area, playing "Go Fish" with multi-step equations, or preparing to present your research from the severe weather PBL, I am so impressed with the outside the box thinking and willingness to stretch the limits for our students! 

If we expect our students to meet our high expectations and truly work to their limits, we must inspire them. Our whole school transformation with fractions is one way to make this happen. As students based by the decorations, they became excited and inquisitive ... two characteristics you want from your students if learning is to take place. Thanks to everyone for chipping in and making this a reality. 

Congratulations to Ethan Underwood, 5th grader, for winning our school spelling bee. A huge thank you to Mrs. Golden for organizing our spelling bee and making it a wonderful event for our students. Thanks to Mrs. Thomas for being a judge. We were amazed at how much our students prepared for this event and really stretched their limits to perform well.

Talent Show Week:

This is the week! The PVES Talent Show is Thursday, January 25th from 6-8 P.M. at the PVHS auditorium. Mrs. Turner has provided each class with ticket information. Please advertise this event throughout the week so we can have a huge crowd. Remember, we use these funds to pay for our I Heart Arts Day later in the year. Thanks to those of you who have volunteered to make this event a huge success. Our first and final rehearsal is Tuesday after school at the high school. 

End of 9 Weeks Reminders:

We will have officially reached the end of the 9 week period on Monday, January 22nd. Grades are due on January 24th by 8 AM and verifications will be printed that day. Please check these carefully and make necessary changes ASAP. Report cards will be printed the following day, giving you that afternoon and Friday to prepare report card envelopes to go home on Monday, January 29th. Please make sure your comments accurately reflect the student's progress in that content areas. 

March for Babies:

I am excited to announce our district's involvement in the March for Babies fundraiser. At this time, premature birth impacts around 380,000 babies in the United States alone. The march itself will be held on Saturday, April 28th. However, you do not have to attend the march to participate in the fundraiser. Click on our school link and join our PVES team. If you join our team, you can wear blue jeans on Friday. We will be offering more incentives along the way! Make sure  you get the message out and raise as much money as you can for this wonderful cause. 

OLWEUS Kick-Off and First Class Meetings:

On Friday, January 26th during PRIDE Time, your students will complete a survey related to our OLWEUS program. This is important data that we are required to collect. We will attempt to have our OLWEUS, bullying prevention program, kick-off on Monday, January 29th. Before Monday, you will receive a video from us that you will show to your students to "kick off" the program. After the video, you will engage your class in your first ever class meeting! You can find OLWEUS information, including a lesson plan for each of the first 6 meetings, by accessing this Google folder. Remember, we have decided to give up one day a week (Mondays) to meet with our classes and engage them in learning about how we can prevent bullying. We want to make our school-wide rules against bullying very clear to all students and engage students in dialogue about how we can deal with such behaviors. This class meeting time can transform your class climate and remove one less roadblock to learning. Related arts and specialty area teachers, we will assign you a classroom(s) to visit each Monday to be a part of this experience and support our home room teachers and students. 

PVES Writing Wall of Fame:
We need your student writing for the PVES Writing Wall of Fame by Wednesday, January 24th. We will send invitations to our breakfast to all parents of those students whose writing was selected on Friday this week. If you need a refresher, refer to the information below emailed to you by Mrs. Horn a few weeks ago. Thanks for promoting writing and celebrating our talented students!

What you need to do:

1. Teach some pretty awesome writing. :)

2. Choose a writing piece as a grade level that you would like to use for submission. 

3. Select the top 3 pieces for your homeroom. 

4. Trade those top pieces with a peer and let them choose a top paper for your class. (This step is optional.) 

5. Put the winning paper in my box at the end of the nine weeks with your name written on the back. Please make sure the student's name is written somewhere on the front under the title. (I will send a reminder email.) 

I will then put them all up on the hallway display. You will receive an invitation to give to your winner and their family shortly after for a "Writer's Breakfast" where they can read and share their writing with their parents and other winners from the school in the library. 

Moore's Musings:

• We have talked a great deal about test preparation lately. Please refer to the Smore sent to us from Jane Harrison and make sure we are doing everything in our power to prepare our students (and parents) for this experience. We want to continue our tradition of excellence! Additionally, you are free to inform parents of testing dates and do so more than once as we close in on May. Be thinking about how you will need to prepare your classroom for testing. More than anything, building your students up through high expectations, robust learning experiences and encouragement. We can do this! 

Mark Your Calendar:

• Sandra Goff PD - Monday, January 22nd 
• Talent Show Rehearsal at PVHS - Tuesday, January 23rd from 2:35-5:00 P.M. 
• Grades due by 8 AM - Wednesday, January 24th 
• Verifications printed - Wednesday, January 24th 
• Progress report folders - Wednesday, January 24th 
• Report cards printed - Thursday, January 25th 
• Class pictures in media center - Thursday, January 25th (morning) 
• PVES Talent Show at PVHS auditorium - Thursday, January 25th from 6-8 P.M. 
• Powdersville Pizzeria Fractions Kickoff - Friday, January 26th 
• OLWEUS student surveys - Friday, January 26th during PRIDE Time. 
• Report cards sent home - Monday, January 29th 
• OLWEUS Kickoff - Monday, January 29th 

*There will be no Live PD this Wednesday due to grades being due. Our next scheduled Live PD event is January 31st with Mrs. Alford. This is the Live PD event originally scheduled for last week before the winter weather. 

Video of the Week: 4 Minutes

Resolution

The new year brings with it a sense of newness; a fresh start. Many of us take stock of what we have gained and what we have lost in the past year. Then, we transition our thoughts to what we want to achieve throughout he upcoming year. I am a firm believer in goal setting; both for our students and for professional educators. Many of us set personal resolutions for the new year. Let me challenge you to do so. However, let me also challenge you to set a professional goal. Ask yourself where you can improve, do a better job, make more of a positive impact...and resolve to reach your goal! I like one of the definitions provided by dictionary.com for resolution: a decision or a determination. In order for you to achieve your resolutions, you must resolve to do those things you set out to do. You must make the decision and then be determined to accomplish those goals. A final thought from me would be to consider the new year from your students point-of-view. Many of them have never been taught the importance of having resolutions and goals. With this new year, a fresh start, let us not hold the issues of the past against our students. It's a new year filled with incredible opportunities for growth, learning and next steps. Together, as a team, we will accomplish so much in the face of adversity and challenges. Let us resolve to be better educators than we were last year. Let us make the decision  to make a difference and be determined in our journey to reach our goals. 

So much has happened...

Remember the craziness surrounding the weeks leading up to Christmas break? It seems like ages ago to me, but we resolved the make the most of a stressful time period. We enjoyed our faculty Christmas party and performances while managing to smile (most days anyway). 

The fundraiser has officially concluded. We raised a significant amount of money for our school. I am thankful for our PTSO for supporting us in many ways and making this fundraiser run smoothly. We resolved to celebrate with our students and celebrate we did. From the party bus and Chic-Fil-A with students all the way to the glow party, we celebrated the hard work of our students throughout the fundraiser. 

Thanks to Kelle Martin and Nancy Hughes for allowing our student service council to deliver Christmas card, made during Literacy Night, to residents of Oakview Park Assisted Living. We resolve to make a difference in the lives of our students, but also in our community. Great job!

We resolve to continue to make our building safer for students and adults alike. A handful of us were trained in CPR before the break. It was quite the enjoyable experience thanks to Nurse Jamie! 

Safety and Security:

By now, you are all aware of our changes with afternoon dismissal. No one should be picking students up at the double doors after school. They need to go through the car line like everyone else. If they have a middle school student, they can go through our line and then park in our overflow lot to walk over and get their middle school child. Additionally, all cars must display their car name tags. If you are a caller and someone does not have one to display, direct them to park in a spot and check their child out from the main office. Things went very smoothly today with this process and should only improve provided we are all on the same page. 

Live PD:

Our next Live PD session is this Wednesday, January 10th. Please refer to our agenda for important details and information. It is important that you are able to log in to Ellevation to participate in the training. Please see below:

Logging in the first time or you forgot your password:Link: https://login.ellevationeducation.com/Click unable to log-in/forgot my password. Type in using the OLD E-MAIL format to retrieve information. @anderson1.k12.sc.usDepending on if you have logged in previously, you will either send yourself another invitation or have a link e-mailed to you. E-mail Melissa Thomas if you can't log in and she will get it fixed.

Professional Development Day:

School is closed on Monday, January 15th for MLK Day. Tuesday, January 16th is a professional development day. Please be reminded that we will meet in the MP Room from 8:30 - 10:30 A.M. to continue our professional learning using Ellevation. This training is a continuation of what we begin in our Live PD sessions this week. However, only home room and SPED teachers need to attend. Anyone who works with an LLI group with meet with Kelle Martin in the Art room during this time. Immediately following our training, I would like to meet with our OLWEUS team (Leadership Team) for about 20-30 minutes concerning our kickoff event. Don't forget that we will have a food truck on site at one of the campuses. Additionally, you can attend a free health screening or sign up for a free screening at he mobile mammography bus. See Nurse Jamie for details. 

EAFK Ceremony:

Our next EAFK ceremonies will be held on Wednesday, January 17th, 2018. We will call grade levels to the MP Room when ready. Here is our tentative schedule:

3rd grade: 12:05

4th grade: 12:50

5th grade: 1:40

At the beginning of each ceremony, I will define the virtues so you do not have to do that in your narrative of your student.  Indeed our goal is for the ceremony to be heartfelt and to honor each student; however, we do have to be cognizant of our time schedule.  As you are writing your narratives, please keep in mind the time factor. 

Moore's Musings:

Plan. And plan well. As we hit this crucial portion of the school year, please make sure you are planning consistently with your team. Have you mapped out your units to ensure you cover key material prior to testing? How will you engage students in test prep as we near that time of year? Are you fully engaged in guided math/reading? Are you using the standards, support documents and your own test data to make informed decisions? Yes, plan and plan well. 

Also, thank to everyone for your support of the PVES Talent Show. I was so impressed to see so many teachers and staff sign up to serve in a variety of ways. Don't forget that we use funds from this event to pay for our I Heart Arts Day in the Spring! You can review the sign-up form here.

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• Papa Johns "Dollars for Dough" - 1/9 & 1/10
• 3rd grade meetings during planning - 1/10
• Progress report folders - 1/10
• Student Service Council Meeting - 1/11 after school 
• Chic Fil A biscuit sales - 1/12
• Letter of Intent Due by 8:45 A.M. - 1/12
• Spelling Bee at 9:00 A.M. - 1/12
• MLK Day - No School - 1/15
• Professional Development Day - 1/16
• EAFK Ceremonies - 1/17
• End of 2nd 9 Weeks - 1/18
• Talent Show Rehearsal from 2:45-4:45 - 1/18
• PVES Skate Night from 6-8 P.M. - 1/18 (Wear Pajamas) 
• Mid-year F&P leveling due - 1/19

Video of the Week: