Stay Positive!

Video of the Week: Jon Gordon- Stay Positive

I am choosing to switch things up a bit and start off this week's blog with our video of the week segment. This video is titled, Stay Positive. If you have ever read any of Jon Gordon's book you know he talks a lot about feeding the positive not the negative. We have reached the point of the school year when it is easy to let negativity creep up into our days and wear us down. It could be from a colleague's comment, a disrespectful student, an email from a parent, or a deadline presented. I myself have felt this way several times over the last two weeks. Things are busy. We have many demands on us all both professionally and personally. I do not know about you, but this spring-like weather and beautiful sunshine have been refreshing to my soul. We still have a ways to go and must continue pressing on for our students. We must remember, we have control over our own thoughts. We can decide whether we are going to remain positive during this busy season or let negativity bring us down.  So I challenge you during this demanding and often draining time of the school year to stay positive. Keep working hard and fighting negativity for the sake of our students and ourselves. 

Amazing things are happening at PVES...

These fifth graders represented our school so well at the district Jet Toy Car competition this year. Congratulations to Mrs. Thomas and her students who won the competition. We are so proud of all of our fifth graders for working hard, persisting, and continuing to learn through STEM. 

Our teachers continue to make learning exciting and fun for our students. I believe this positive approach to learning makes our students want to come to school and be engaged. Who knows what you might walk into each day in our classrooms! 

This past week our third graders participated in a TDA Half Pipe! They even got to hear from an Olympian, Sandi Morris, with a special message just for our PVES students. Thank you, third grade teachers for all your hard work. It was so much fun! 

Third graders also had visitors drop by their classrooms to share different perspectives of the people involved in the American Revolution. Students stopped what they were doing and listened as each visitor popped in and shared a monologue to provide information. What an interesting and fun way to present the standards! 

Mrs. Wayne continues to focus on her word for this year- fun! This week she transformed into DJ Wayne and her students participated in a Dance Party in math. Students danced while the music was playing. Once the music stopped all students sat down to solve a math problem. Mr. Moore and I had the opportunity to stop in and students were definitely having fun and completing some difficult math! Mr. White even joined in on the fun. Thank you, Mrs. Wayne, for adding this to our pineapple chart. Teachers, remember to add to our pineapple chart or drop by classrooms to check out the great things that are happening.

Fourth graders presented their PBL findings on severe weather to visitors in our community including WYFF 4's Chris Justus. It was very impressive to see our fourth graders' hard work on display. We are proud of all of their accomplishments and looking forward to more PBL in the future.

Math teachers participated in a cafe style Live PD session that focused on guided math. Thank you to our teachers who shared and presented. We continue to strive for excellence and develop our craft so our students can have positive learning take place.  

This past week we also celebrated our second nine week's virtues of compassion and tolerance. Our ceremonies are always such a special time to recognize our wonderful students. Parents appreciate this positive time to hear from our teachers.

Greenville Drive Reading All-Stars Program:

We are excited about the Greenville Drive Reading All-Stars Program beginning on Monday, February 12th and runs through March 16th. Information will be placed in teacher boxes to go home Monday. Please take time to encourage student participation in this program. Our goal is 100% participation. Reading between the lines; we can sign any reading log formed not signed by a parent. All students will receive a free t-shirt and voucher to the Drive game on Sunday, April 29th at 4:00 P.M. We would love to have a large group of teachers attend as well. Thanks for promoting literacy through this program! 

OLWEUS Program Continues:

Thank you to everyone for participating and supporting this bullying prevention program. Again, if we implement this with fidelity and show students we believe in changing our culture, they will buy in! Classroom meetings will occur on Monday mornings meaning our next meetings will take place during PRIDE Time on Monday, February 26th. Non-homeroom teachers will report to the room assigned to you by Mrs. Tollison unless you have spoken to us about a change. OLWEUS materials and lessons can be found in our shared folder. Homeroom teachers, if you will be out on a Monday, please make plans to do your meeting on the next day you return. If you have someone who reports to your room, you can make arrangements with them to conduct the meeting. Please feel free to take pictures and publicize this program via SeeSaw, Twitter, email blasts, etc. 

Good New Club Starts Monday! 

Good News Club will be shortened this year and is only being offered to students in 3rd grade. Mrs. Booth placed forms in third grade teacher boxes that should be sent home by Monday. Simply submit any forms brought back to school to the front office. Good News Club will be held in the PD Room on Mondays and meet on Mondays between February 26th - March 26th. 

No Running Club This Week:

There will be no Running Club Monday due to weather. Please make sure students are aware of this change. Mrs. Horn has sent out a Remind message to all those who have signed up. They will resume meeting the following Monday, weather permitting. 

Tollison's Tidings:

Please take a moment to remind students about appropriate uses of their devices, email, etc. If a student encounters something that is inappropriate, remind them of the proper steps to take such as telling a teacher or adult. Please remind them that it is not appropriate to share/show the image with classmates as this makes the situation worse and could result in serious consequences. Thank you for your help with this matter. 

Remember that elementary students are not allowed to have cell phones at school and certainly not out in class. If they do have them at school they are expected to keep them off and in the backpacks. Some parents send them for their child to have in case of an emergency or due to after-school plans. Students should not be contacting parents during the day on cell phones. Please let Mrs. Tollison or Mr. Moore know if you have any questions. 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC): 

• Good News Club starts for third graders- Monday, February 26th
• No Running Club due to weather- Monday, February 26th
• School Improvement Council Meeting- Thursday, March 1st 
• PTSO CFA Biscuit Sale- Friday, March 2nd
• Apple Classroom Training with Nicole Alford (during planning)- Monday, March 5th
• Fourth Grade Chaperone Meeting- Tuesday, March 6th at 6:00
• Progress Report Folders- Wednesday, March 7th
• PTSO Skate Night- Thursday, March 8th

Love

This word stirs up within us a myriad of thoughts and emotions. It is a powerful word and one that can be expressed a thousand and one ways. Love. Defined by dictionary.com as a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, love can be used in a variety of contexts. For me, I love Clemson football, McDonald's chicken nuggets, and vacations to the beach. On a much deeper level, I love my job and the students I serve at Powdersville Elementary School. And even so, on a much more intense level, I love my family. On this week in which we celebrate Valentine's Day, I thought it appropriate to reflect on this idea of love for our blog. As I have said many times, not everyone can do what YOU do. You have a difficult job. However, if approached with the right mindset and with a genuine love for children, it can be the most rewarding job in the world. My challenge to you this week is to put side any negativity and focus on the love you have for your students and the job you have chosen. Pour out yourself to them and teach them with a servant's heart. Make a difference. Your students love you. They need you. I am convinced that the results we will see at the end of the year and indeed our very culture are are all dependent on a single idea, but one that offers us our greatest challenge. Love. 

Love is what we do at PVES...

This week, we celebrated National School Counselor's Week at PVES. Ms. Tammy Lee serves our teachers and students with love and it was fun to be able to show our love and appreciation for her. Thank you, Ms. Lee, for all you do for our students. 

3rd grade Launch students visited the Fernbank Museum and took part in the "Geology Rocks" class and then visited the Michael C. Carlos Museum and toured the ancient Egypt exhibit. I understand they were very well behaved and had a wonderful experience. Thanks to Mrs. Leftwich for planning and providing this opportunity for her students. Field trips certainly can create a love of learning for our students!

Thanks to Mrs. Ashmore's for leading our Live PD Session last Wednesday for teachers of reading. I heard some great feedback from teachers regarding this session. Integrating reading conferences into guided reading certainly has benefits for our students. We want to create in them a sense of accountability and love for reading. Let us know if you give them a try and provide Anna with some feedback.

Our Real Men Read event was a huge success. I was impressed with the men from our community who took time out of their day to love and serve our students. Thanks to all of our teachers for opening up your classrooms for our visitors. A special "thank you" to Mrs. Kelle Martin for organizing this event and again celebrating a love for literacy in our building. 

By chance, I was able to be present when assistant superintendent, Mr. Robbie Binnicker, presented a desk name plate to Mrs. Brenna Horn for becoming national board certified. We have a solid group of a teachers in our building who have gone through this process. You certainly have to possess a love for your job and constant reflection and growth in order to achieve this status. 

Our third grade surgical teams saved their patients with text feature transplants on Friday. The PD room was transformed into an operating room as our young doctors looked through magazines to locate various types of text features. This type of experience creates a love of learning in our students. Motivation and engagement go a long way when it comes to learning! 

5th grade students enjoyed their writing celebrations today! These students shared their writing with classmates while enjoying snacks. A love for writing does not always come easy so anything we can do to promote and celebrate writing certainly makes a difference. It was also evident that these students have grown through the years as writers; proving that positive impact is made when we approach content from a grade 3 through 5 perspective. 

And finally, Mrs. Tollison and I want you to know that we have been interviewing non-stop to find the very best teachers to add to our team. On a rainy Saturday morning, I traveled to TL Hanna High School to interview for ASD1 as part of the upstate SCOUT it OUT event. I love to interview, but I am even more passionate about discovering those incredible educators out here who love teaching. More on that in a bit. 

Valentine's Day Surprise:

We love our teachers and so appreciate the hard work and dedication you put on display each day for our students. As a small "thank you" we will have lunch provided for you on Wednesday during your normal lunch period. Moe's is catering so I think you will enjoy the food! Simply bring your class toward the cafeteria and someone will be there to get them situated and monitor. You will then report to the PD Room to enjoy a much quieter lunch.  We will try to line them up for you when you come back to retrieve them. Thanks for making sure you adhere to our lunch times so everyone can enjoy this treat. In addition to lunch, please feel free to wear blue jeans on Wednesday and leave as soon as your responsibilities are completed for the day. Again, thank you for all that you do!

OLWEUS Program Continues:

Thank you to everyone for participating and supporting this bullying prevention program. Again, if we implement this with fidelity and show students we believe in changing our culture, they will buy in! Classroom meetings will occur on Monday mornings meaning our next meetings will take place during PRIDE Time on Monday, February 12th. In the event that we have a short week, like the following week, we will skip class meetings in the interest of academic focus. Non-homeroom teachers will report to the room assigned to you by Mrs. Tollison unless you have spoken to us about a change. OLWEUS materials and lessons can be found in our shared folder. This is lesson 3 and focuses on Rule #2: We Will Try to Help Students Who are Bullied. Please feel free to take pictures and publicize this program via SeeSaw, Twitter, email blasts, etc. 

Greenville Drive Reading All Stars Program:

We are excited about the Greenville Drive Reading All Stars Program beginning on Monday, February 12th and runs through March 16th. Information will be placed in teacher boxes to go home Monday. Please take time to encourage student participation in this program. The ROAR Report will highlight this program as well. Our goal is 100% participation. Reading between the lines; we can sign any reading log formed not signed by a parent. All students will receive a free t-shirt and voucher to the Drive game on Sunday, April 29th at 4:00 P.M. We would love to have a large group of teachers attend as well. Thanks for promoting literacy through this program! 

New Hires:

In a continuous effort to update everyone on our interviewing and hiring process, I am pleased to announce that we have filled three of our four openings. Let me first announce that our plan next year is to have 9 sections of 3rd and 4th grades and 8 sections of 5th grade. We did not qualify for any additional positions. However, Concrete does have very large 1st grade and K-5 classes so that growth is on the horizon. Recently, we informed 3rd and 4th grades that Anna Ashmore will be moving up to teach fourth grade next year. I am pleased to also be able to announce the following hires:

• Ms. Layne Johnson (3rd grade) - Former teacher at Concrete with an excellent reputation as a technology leader and very knowledgeable in the areas of guided reading and math. She was recently engaged to be married.
• Mrs. Stacey Scarborough (4th grade) - Teaching for 7 years; the last four of which have been spent in 4th grade. She comes highly recommended. Mrs. Scarborough brings to us PBL experience, an in-depth knowledge of reader's workshop, and positive attitude. 
• Mrs. Nicole McGaha (3rd grade) - Teaching in Greenville County at Mitchell Road Elementary School since 2007. She lives in Easley and attended Wren High School. During her time at Mitchell Road, she was named Teacher of the Year in 2016, served on the Faculty Leadership Committee there, and has an incredibly strong knowledge of the curriculum and standards in grades 3 and 4. 

I know you will help them feel welcome and part of our very special PVES family. We still have more hiring to do and certainly more vacancies could open up. We will keep you posted! 

Live PD:

There is NO Live PD session scheduled for Wednesday, February 14th. The next Live PD session is scheduled for Wednesday, February 21st. This Live PD session will offer a unique approach to professional development and the topic will be guided math. Please refer to our agenda for the session for more information. 

Running Club and Good News Club:

Thanks to Mrs. Horn for sending out information about Running Club. Running Club begins on Monday, February 12th. They are training for a 5K race to be held on April 21st. Thanks to those of you who will be assisting with this after school club. Please remember to not send students to the office to call regarding shoes or transportation after 8:10 A.M. Students should bring proper attire each Monday of Running Club and already have worked out transportation plans. Also, students who are participating will report to the multi-purpose room and be called for Running Club around 2:45 P.M. This gives our teachers time to change and transition. Click here for helpful information.

Good News Club will be shortened this year and is only being offered to students in 3rd grade. Mrs Booth placed forms in 3rd grade teacher boxes that should be sent home by Monday. Simply submit any forms brought back to school to the front office. Good News Club will be held in the PD Room on Mondays and meet on Mondays between February 26th - March 26th. 

Early Act First Knight (EAFK):

Our make-up EAFK ceremonies will be held on Wednesday, February 21st. I will post the schedule below (be flexible with times). We will send notification to the parents of these students this week. We would ask that you please follow-up to ensure they are aware. Our virtues were compassion and tolerance. 

• 12:05 - 3rd grade
• 12:50 - 4th grade
• 1:35 - 5th grade

PTSO Events:

As always, thank you for supporting our PTSO through attendance at PTSO events and getting the word out! On Tuesday, February 13th and Wednesday, February 14th we will have our Papa John's "Dollars for Dough" program. Encourage our families to eat at a local Papa Johns and return their receipts to school. Also, our Father/Daughter dance is scheduled for Friday, February 23rd from 6:30-8:30. This is always a special event for our girls and tickets are on sale now!

*Best of luck to our students participating in ASD1 Olympics and Jet Toy Car competition this week! 

Moore's Musings:

I have been impressed with our focus as we make our stretch run toward the Spring and, ultimately, testing. A reminder to wash hands regularly and wipe desks and tables frequently. We need our students and teachers at school consistently! Do not forget about the Smore newsletter we sent out that has important testing information. If you have not already sent out your grade level testing dates, please start to place that information in SeeSaw, newsletters, etc. 

Additionally, MAP Testing will take place in March. I wanted to go ahead and provide those dates to you so you can begin to prepare. Students will MAP test in the classroom on iPads. It is critical that they have their iPads at school on these days. We will discuss more details at a later date. Not only is MAP important for SLOs, but it can certainly guide your plan of action after Spring Break for those final few weeks before testing.  See dates below. 

• 3rd Grade: ELA and Math - March 19th & 20th
• 4th Grade: ELA and Math - March 21st & 22nd 
• 5th Grade: ELA and Math - March 26th & 27th 

Mark Your Calendars (MYC):

• Greenville Drive Reading All Stars Program Kick-Off - 2/12
• Running Club - 2/12 at 2:45 P.M. 
• ASD1 Olympic Games - 2/13
• Papa John's "Dollars for Dough" - 2/13 and 2/14
• Strings Group Picture - 2/14 at 8:10 A.M. in MP Room
• Teacher Appreciation Lunch - 2/14 during lunch period in PD Room 
• Treat Bags Sent Home End of Day - 2/14
• Data Day with Kelle Martin - 2/15 
• Chris Justus Visits 4th Grade - 2/15 at 10:30 A.M. 
• Snow Make-Up Day - 2/16
• Jet Toy Car Competition - 2/16 
• Comp Day - 2/19 (If you did not attend day 2 of summer academy you must submit a personal day in AESOP) 
• Progress Report Folders - 2/21
• Live PD - 2/21 at 3:15 P.M. 
• EAFK Ceremonies - 2/21 in afternoon in MP Room
• 3rd Grade to Peace Center (Kallin, Payne, Thompson, Candler) - 2/21
• 3rd Grade to Peace Center (Carey, Henderson, Jennings, Crosby, Ashmore) - 2/22
• Fire Drill - 2/23
• Father/Daughter Dance - 2/23 from 6:30-8:30 P.M. 

*Check out the calendar and provide any feedback concerning the last two weeks of school (Field Day, Year Book Day, Awards Day, etc.). 

Video of the Week: A Teacher's Love

And because you made it all the way to the end of the blog ...may you wear BLUE JEANS on Friday!

Focus

In education, we spend so much time talking data and preparing for standardized testing. This hyper-focus on results can quickly wear us down and create an unwanted climate. Now, don't get me wrong. I want our school to continue our run of excellence when it comes to test scores. Better yet, I have every expectation that our scores will improve. However, I would ask you to take testing and scores out of the equation for a moment. If high stakes testing did not exist, where would you direct your focus? My hope is that we would still say that our collective focus remained on student growth and achievement. I want to believe our culture is strong and that we are dedicated to focusing on changing for our students. If this is true, the results will change and for the better. When we focus we direct our thoughts and attention on what becomes important to us. We are able to block out the negativity and think past the initial roadblocks and chart a course toward success. When our focus is on our students, we have no desire to make excuses or give up. Our focus will propel us to new heights, new ideas and a culture of  high expectations and success. So, yes, let us prepare our students for state testing. Let us equip them through rigor and challenges in the classroom; coupled with support and encouragement. But let us focus on our higher calling ... to build relationships with children and impact them in and beyond the classroom. What's your focus?

As always, our focus this past week was on engaging and celebrating our students...

Our OLWEUS kick-off was a huge success. Thank you to everyone for participating and supporting this bullying prevention program. Again, if we implement this with fidelity and show students we believe in changing our culture, they will buy in! Classroom meetings will occur on Monday mornings meaning our next meetings will take place during PRIDE Time on Monday, February 5th. Non-homeroom teachers will report to the room assigned to you by Mrs. Tollison unless you have spoken to us about a change. OLWEUS materials and lessons can be found in our shared folder. 

#PVES students enjoyed hearing author Lauren Myracle this morning. Myracle is an American writer of young adult fiction. She has written many novels, including the three best-selling "IM" books, ttyl, ttfn and l8r, g8r. Her book Thirteen Plus One was released May 4, 2010. She is currently promoting her Upside Down Magic series. She was engaging and our students certainly kept their focus on her.  Was it not obvious that her focus was on providing the very best literature for children? Thanks to Mrs. Fowler for providing this opportunity to our students. 

Some third graders enjoyed completing a breakout session. Students have been studying rocks and minerals, but their focus was heightened with such an engaging activity. It has also been so fun to watch students enjoy our Powdersville Pizzeria and really focus on fractions. Being a school-wife endeavor has been unifying in a way and certainly the product of great planning and a ton of effort from our teachers.  

On Friday, our focus was again on our students. This time, we celebrated our student writers in our first ever Writer's Wall of Fame Breakfast. Over 70 students and family members RSVPed for the event. We appreciated Mrs. Jane Harrison's attendance and support as well. Mrs. Horn's idea was to focus on improved student writing celebrating this improvement. With a ton of help from Mrs. Fowler and Mrs. Golden, this event was such a wonderful way to celebrate our students and connect with our school community. 

There is no doubt you have seen the tape on the floors and heard the commotion in the hallways. Yes, it's that time of year again...Jet Toy Car time. Our 5th grade teachers have worked hard to make this an engaging learning experience for students. Our students remain focused on completing the various tasks at hand. Who knows? Maybe we will win the district competition this year. 

TDA Review/Training:

Please note that we have asked a few grade level representatives to attend this training and bring back their learning to share with you at the next grade level meeting.

Third Grade- Monday, February 5- 8:30-11:00

Fourth Grade- Monday, February 5- 12:00-3:00

Fifth Grade- Wednesday, Februrary 7- 8:30-11:00

Final SLO Mid-Year Conference Reminders:

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:

Our next Live PD session is Wednesday, February 7th. Please read our agenda for additional information. There is no Live PD scheduled for Wednesday, February 14th. Speaking of Valentine's Day, we have a few surprises in store for you. We will provide more information soon.  

Real Men Read Event:

Our Real Men Read event is scheduled for Thursday morning. Thanks to Mrs. Martin for organizing this event and to our Literacy Committee for locating men to participate. Men will meet in the media center to start the morning and quickly transition to classrooms. They will read aloud to students and talk a little bit about what they do and how important literacy is to them. This will take the place of PRIDE Time on Thursday. Mrs. Martin will provide a reminder/additional information soon. Thanks for welcoming these men to our school and thanking them for their efforts. 

Moore's Musings:

Mrs. Tollison and Mrs. Martin are meeting with grade levels to discuss ELA and Math standards that students did not perform well on during last year's SC-READY testing. This is a great opportunity to begin thinking about test preparations. Have you gone back to take a look at READY scores from last year and determine where your instructional focus needs to be? What are you doing about students who are under-performing? What's your plan of action to make certain students are prepared for May? These are great questions that should be tackled during consistent content-area and grade-level planning sessions. 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• OLWEUS Class Meetings - 2/5/18 during PRIDE Time
• 3rd Grade Launch Field Trip  - 2/6/18
• Live PD - 2/7/18 at 3:15 in Media Center
• Real Men Read Event - 2/8/18 - PRIDE Time
• PVES Skate Night - 2/8/18 from 6-8 PM
• Greenville Drive Reading All Stars Program - Begins 2/12
• PD Day - 2/19 - Comp Day for those who attended Summer Academy. If you did not attend, you must enter absence in absence manager of attend district PD. 
• Father/Daughter Dance - 2/23 (Tickets on Sale Now) 

Video of the Week: "One More" - Can we get just one more student to grow, to achieve, to learn?