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