We Can Do This!

In most cases, our blog focuses around a central idea, word, or theme. However, there is no "deeper" meaning behind our blog this week. I'll break tendency here and do my best to encourage you with a simpler message: WE CAN DO THIS! I think we are all aware that we need to make great use of every second we have remaining with our students, but there is nothing wrong with celebrating a much-deserved Spring Break. And we are almost there! Five (5) days to go. Let's make this five fun-filled days tempered with patience and kindness. Let's remember our goal to work as a team and "rise up" against those forces aiming to slow us down. We have some wonderful things planned for this week and several surprises in store. Read more below!

As always, there are wonderful things taking place in our school!

Our 3rd 9 Weeks EAFK ceremonies went well. Sir Cass, the story teller, wowed our students and parents with tales of courage and determination. Thanks to Ms. Lee for her leadership in ensuring that our students receive character education through this program. Thank you to our teachers for some kind and heartfelt words about our students!

Our Monday class meetings were spent reviewing our school rules against bullying: 1.) We will not bully others, 2.) We will help students who are bullied, 3.) We will include students who are left out, and 4.) If we know that someone is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home. Class meetings, as part of our OLWEUS program, enable students to build community and have a safe environment to talk through issues at school.

5th grade students enjoyed a review of grammar standards through safari-themed stations in ELA. Our students are so engaged when we take the time and effort to make learning fun! 

The majority of 3rd and 4th grade have completed MAP testing. I was so happy to see our students meeting goals and working hard. Our teachers have done a remarkable job getting students motivated to test. I believe it is important for our students to know what it feels like to set a goal, work hard to achieve said goal and then celebrate when they reach it! 5th grade, you are up next!  

We aren't competitive or anything, are we? Live PD this week focused on the environment domain of the Teacher 4.0 rubric. I was so impressed at how engaged our teachers were on a Wednesday afternoon after along day. Congratulations to those who won blue jean passes as part of our activities! 

OLWEUS:

We will have OLWEUS class meetings on Monday, March 26th during PRIDE Time for all grade levels. The topic of this week's time together will be digital citizenship/digital footprint. Thanks to Jill Kristie Berry and Jill Kallin for helping us get the lesson content together for our next two lessons. The importance of using technology appropriately cannot be overstated and we must engage our students in conversation about this topic. We will discuss cyber-bullying the Monday we return from break. Remember, we will gradually release the responsibility of OLWEUS class meetings over to you. Class meetings will be held every Monday during PRIDE Time when we have a full week of school. Grade levels should work together to identify lesson/topics/read-alouds. At the most basic level, this time can be used for in-depth discussion pertaining to our rules against bullying and  specific examples that have taken place at school. Thank you for making this a powerful time that will strengthen our school culture!

MAP Testing:

5th grade students will take ELA MAP on March 26th and MATH MAP on March 27th. It should be our goal to have everyone tested before we leave for Spring Break. Remember, we will use our LIVE PD time on April 11th to discuss MAP scores and our next steps. Please let us know if you have any questions regarding MAP testing. Due to 5th grade testing in the morning on Monday and Tuesday this week, we will flip flop our related arts periods for 5th and 4th grades (4th grade - morning related arts, 5th grade afternoon related arts). Please note we had to tinker with the times for 5th grade in the afternoon to accommodate for lunch. 

Related 8:45-9:30 - Barnhill, Moore, Odom, White

Related 9:30-10:15 - Heath Hughes Jordan Williams

Related 1:05 - 1:45 - Garrett, Gibson, Melton, Wayne

Related 1:45-2:25 - Grier, Golden, Horn, Thomas, Wilcox

Door Codes:

As we work to improve safety and security in our building, please remember that your door code is for you ONLY. We have had 3 instances now where door codes have been used by students (from our school and middle school). This is obviously not safe. We would highly recommend that you do not share your code with anyone. Simply stop by and see Mrs. Tollison or Mr. Moore and we can provide your door access code for you. Thank you for your help with this. 

Battle of The Books:

Our "Battle of the Books" school competition will be held on Wednesday, March 28th beginning at 9 AM. and ending around 10:30 A.M. Mrs. Fowler will send out information regarding instructions for participants. Coach Thompson and Mrs. Turner assist Mrs. Fowler with the event, so classes that have PD or Music during that time frame on Wednesday should report to the MP Room. Additionally, you are invited to bring your class or, better yet, allow your class to view the event on the SmartBoard using this link. 

PVES "I Heart Arts" Day:

We are so excited about our upcoming "I Heart Arts" Day on Thursday, March 29th. First of all, we need to stop and thank Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Nix for their hard work in planning this event. It is not easy! This day is meant to be fun for all. Lunch is provided for teachers on this day thanks to Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Nix. That's a nice added bonus. Check out this shared folder for more information about this day including your schedule! Additionally, don't forget to complete the lunch count form for Arts Day (already in your teacher box) and return it to Mrs. Turner by Tuesday so we can provide an accurate count to the cafeteria staff. Finally, during the lunch/recess block on "I Heart Arts" Day, students will go through the lunch line and be escorted back to class by the person covering your class. We will be showing a movie during this lunch/recess block (no outside recess). I would suggest logging into your teacher computer using the student login (username-pvesstudent, password-PVESs1) so the person covering your class can access the computer if it times out. Please click on this link to bring up the movie being down during this time period and have this up on your screen for the person covering your class. 

Friday, March 30th:

Friday will certainly be a day to be celebrated as it marks the arrival of Spring Break once the day is completed successfully. Friday is also a busy day!

• Our 3rd 9 Weeks Writer's "Wall of Fame" breakfast will be held in the media center beginning at 7:20 A.M. Feel free to drop in and celebrate our awesome student writers with us!
• Yearbook orders are due on Friday. Please send out communication to parents and encourage them to purchase a yearbook! 
• Class parties are scheduled for 1:40 P.M. We may let parents down a minute or two earlier depending on how things are going. Please encourage room mothers to drop items off before or after school prior to Friday. We will provide sign-out sheets for classroom teacher so parents can sign students out from the classroom. Please be vigilant and ensure the safety of our students during the class parties! 

Flipped Faculty Meeting:

In lieu of another faculty meeting before Spring Break, we will provide a "flipped" training video for the Planning Domain of the Teacher 4.0 Rubric. This means NO Live PD on Wednesday. Instead, please make sure you are part of our Teachers at PVES Google Classroom (I have invited our new teachers via email). I have added an assignment entitled Teacher 4.0 Flipped in Google Classroom. You will click on the video and view the flipped meeting. There are several questions you will be asked throughout the video. Thank you for watching! The due date for this assignment is posted as April 21st. 

Moore's Musings:

And now the good stuff! Please complete the Teacher Survey via the state department website. Our SIDN number is 0401062. After you complete the teacher survey, I hope you enjoy the following this week:

• Blue jeans all week. Yes, five days of blue jeans!
• Leave early all week. If you do not have duty or scheduled responsibilities, please feel free to leave after your students are taken care of at the end of each day you do not have duty/scheduled responsibilities!
• If one luncheon isn't enough to show our appreciation, let's add another one. On Wednesday, March 28th we will cover the cafeteria for you during your regularly scheduled lunch period. Teachers will report to the media center and enjoy lunch catered by Chicken Salad Chick! Simply drop your students off at the cafeteria and pick them up at the end of your lunch period. 
• As if I needed to announce this...Spring Break is next week! There is no school Monday, April 2nd - Friday, April 6th. We will see everyone back on Monday, April 9th. Please take care of yourself and be ready to come back ready to work hard and make a difference! When we return, we will have 23 days before 3rd grade begins testing! 

Video of the Week: Perfect Video for This Time of Year:

Rise

This time of year is stress-filled and chaotic for teachers and students. We will soon be at the height of test preparation while managing a very busy calendar. This balancing act takes it toll on a school. Only a building with a strong culture can withstand the constant barrage of expectations and demands. My challenge to all of us in wake of our yearly pursuit of high test scores and improvement: Rise up. Dictionary.com defines rising as the act of getting up after calling or being thrown down. We are continuously knocked down; only to be expected to pick ourselves up dust ourselves off. What an incredible message we can send to the students in our classrooms! In the face of adversity and difficult circumstances, we can rise. Rise with positive attitudes, teamwork, and determination (The D in PRIDE). Perhaps we are ordinary people with great challenges as the graphic above suggests, but together we will rise to new heights. So, when that parent just wants to be difficult, that student just doesn't get it, and that day just won't seem to end ... remember to rise. It's what we do at PVES and it is what makes us different.

There are such great things happening at PVES ...

It was wonderful to see our school celebrate the culmination of our Powdersville Pizzeria and fraction units of study. These school and classroom transformations are made possible by many of you who go that extra mile and are evidence of our willingness to rise up for our students. 

Some teachers get here early and work with students before the bell rings. Others spend their planning period working with students from another grade level by listening to their TDA presentations and providing feedback to them. Regardless, I would challenge you to consider how you rise up to meet the needs in our building each day. 

Our PTSO has been tremendous for us this year and the Mother/Son event this week was further evidence of their "rising up" for our school community. We are made stronger when our community comes together for the purpose of loving our school and our students. 

Reading coaches and Jennifer Brown observed our third grade teachers and then offered them feedback this week. Then, all teacher of reading met with Kelle Martin to continue setting goals for some of our readers who need that extra push. Both are examples of our teachers willing to rise by being lifelong learners and having the desire to get better. 

The 4th grade field trip to Charleston was a huge success. This took a great deal of planning and effort by the 4th grade team, but the results are obvious. Our students benefit when we rise up and give them opportunities they have never received before. 

Early Act First Knight Ceremonies:

Our Early Act First Knight ceremonies for the 3rd 9 week period will be held on Monday, March 19th. Our goal is to recognize and celebrate our students by reading their accolades and asking them to come to the stage to be greeted by the knight. I will recognize our guests and read the definition for each virtue. Our virtues for this nine week period are courage and determination. The schedule for Monday is as follows:

• 12:05 P.M. - Grade 3
• 12:50 P.M. - Grade 4
• 1:35 P.M. - Grade 5

MAP Testing:

Spring MAP Testing begins this week. Please refer to our MAP help/info sheet and the student goal setting sheet for assistance. It is imperative that our students understand the need to take their time and do their best work. We will use the data collected from MAP, not only for SLOs, but to assist us in planning for our test testing preparations. Please proceed with PRIDE Time during your scheduled MAP sessions and start testing by 8:45 A.M. I would suggest 10:15 as a logical stop time (1 1/2 hours), but you can ultimately decide for your class. The MAP login was sent out as a "webclip" for NWEA MAP some weeks ago by our technology staff. However, you can also locate the log in by using this link. Pop-ups will need to be allowed (Go to Settings>Safari>Block Pop-ups - Turn this toggle switch off). 4th grade and 5th grade teachers, please decide on a day to keep iPads at school and notify parents through clear communication. While iPads are at school, make sure parents are still connected to the classroom and send iPads home as soon as testing has been completed. 

• 3/19 - 3rd ELA
• 3/20 - 3rd Math
• 3/21 - 4th ELA
• 3/22 - 4th Math

Live PD:

After several weeks off, our next Live PD sessions are scheduled for Wednesday, March 21st. Please read the agenda for the afternoon carefully. We will meet together as a faculty for 10 minutes in the media center at 3:15 before dividing into two groups and continuing our 4.0 Rubric training for all certified staff. This is required for all certified personnel per the district office.


OLWEUS:
We will hold our next round of OLWEUS class meetings on Monday, March 19th during PRIDE Time. We will complete Lesson 6: Bullying Rules Round-Up as we ensure that our students understand our school rules against bullying behaviors. You can always refer to our shared folder for information. We will discuss our "next steps"  in the Live PD opening session on Wednesday. Mrs. Tollison and I always look forward to popping into classrooms and hearing the very rich discussion taking place.


Spring Pictures:
Spring pictures will be taken Thursday and Friday this week. On Thursday, March 22nd 3rd grade classrooms and 5th grade classrooms will have Spring pictures taken. On Friday, March 23rd 4th grade classrooms and Ms. Marino's class will have Spring pictures taken. As always, please line students up tallest to shortest and be prepared to get them through the picture line as quickly and quietly as possible. This week, we will take Spring pictures in the media center (side opposite from the circulation desk). We will begin calling classes at the tail end of PRIDE Time on both days. Students who are participating in Lion King will be at Cedar Grove on Friday, March 23rd in the morning, but should return by 10:30. We will take their pictures when they return (if they are grade 4 or 5).

Moore's Musings:
Thank you for making hallway behavior a focus these past few weeks. Behavior in the cafeteria during breakfast has also improved dramatically thanks to Mrs. Redmon's idea and leadership! It is certainly amazing how students will rise to meet our expectations when we make them known and demand the best from them.

Congratulations to Mr. Binnicker for being named ASD1 superintendent beginning the 18-19 school year. I am excited about he direction of our school and our district. He will support our efforts for continuous improvement and lead our district well.

Finally, let's make sure we have supervision and safety at the forefront of our thoughts these next two weeks. We simply can't let our guards down. This is a crucial two week period. If students feel like we are not taking these days seriously, they will shut it down early as well. Keep them engaged and let's have a productive ten days focused on student success!


Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• 3rd Grade ELA Map - 3/19
• EAFK Ceremonies - 3/19
• Running Club - 2:45 P.M. on 3/19
• 3rd Grade Math MAP - 3/20
• Fire Drill - 3/21
• Progress Report Folders - 3/21
• 4th Grade ELA MAP - 3/21
• Live PD - 3:15 PM on 3/21
• 4th Grade Math MAP - 3/22
• Spring Pictures for 3rd and 5th - 3/22
• Spring Pictures for 4th and Marino - 3/23
• Sandra Goff PD- 3/23
• Lion King Students to Cedar Grove - 3/23 at 8:15 A.M.
• 5th Grade ELA MAP - 3/26
• 5th Grade Math MAP - 2/27
• End of 9 Week Period - 3/27

Video of the Week: 
"Do it a thousand times again"
"All we need is hope and for that we have each other"
"Move mountains"
"Rise unafraid" 

Best IN the World or Best FOR the World

I'll go ahead and tell you, the title of this blog is directly related to the video of the week posted below. As many of you know, I am a highly reflective person. This can be a blessing and a curse. When you look back on a period of time, a decision, a relationship ... so many things come to mind. While preparing for this blog, I reflected on our pursuit of best. The definition for best we will use for this blog is the highest degree of effort that a person, group, or thing can make. I am a highly competitive person and since day one of my principalship I have wanted PVES to be the best. Forgive me Dabo Swinney for stealing the line that Best is the Standard. This remains true, but I have been forced to confront the additional qualities that make up "best". Am I, are we ... working hard to achieve to be the best in the world or for the world? When we wake up each morning and drive to school, do we pursue a vision much larger than a unit test, a parent teacher conference, an IEP, or even a state standardized test? In our pursuit of best, do we remember that kindness, compassion, and love often times supersede all other factors? Our culture is worth protecting and continues to grow stronger. Let us not allow negativity, temper and exhaustion to cost us our opportunity to be the best for our students and for one another. If we can manage this well, I have no doubt that we will be the best ... on state testing and in much deeper and more meaningful ways.

One way in which we can create this culture of best is by giving back to the profession we love so much. We have many future teachers who visit our building and learn from our incredible faculty and staff. I am thankful for the efforts of all of you who host these college students and show them how to truly make a difference. Mrs. Barnhill and Mrs. Horn are participating in the Master Teacher program at Clemson. This is the first year long teacher residency program in South Carolina and it is sorely needed. I am proud of these ladies for answering the challenge to be the best and give back the best. 

Our Father Daughter dance was again our biggest and best yet. It was an incredible experience to see fathers and father figures connect with their little girls. I am reminded that we are at our best when we work with parents, communicating well and engaging them, to benefit our students. Just because we are 2/3 of the way through the school year does not mean we need to reduce our attempts at communicating to our parents how we can best meet the needs of their children. 

The best way to learn is to be actively engaged. Our fractions units of study have or will be concluding soon. Our school-wide celebration was postponed until Friday, but some of our students were preparing for the final projects. Let us be intentional about student engagement during this most crucial time. Just because you teach it doesn't mean they learn it. 

PRIDE Rock, all 18,000 pounds of it, was delivered on Friday. Our PTSO wanted it to be a point of PRIDE. An indication, evidence if you will, that we are proud of our school and our students. You will learn more about it in the coming weeks, but it will be offered up as a means to write/paint positive messages. We want to convey to our school community that our culture of best is taken seriously and celebrated. 

Our School Improvement Council meeting was an opportunity to give our parents and community members the ability to provide feedback to us. Our best takes place when we are willing to listen to feedback and then take positive actions as a result of said feedback. As evidenced by our plus/delta charts above, we do so many things well and still have much to pursue in the name of best. 

Monday Technology Training:

Nicole Alford will be in our building on March 5th to work with you during planning. The Apple Classroom app is now compatible with your new iPads. It will allow teachers to control student iPads, lock students into apps, push out apps/websites, and lots more. This is very much needed! Related arts and specialty area teachers are certainly welcome to attend any session listed below. 

• 8:45-9:15 - Melton's Room (313)
• 9:35-10:05 - Wilcox's Room (310)
• 10:20-10:50 - Payne's Room (103)
• 11:05-11:35 - Nix's Room (409)
• 12:15-12:45 - Henderson's Room (203)
• 1:00-1:30 - Barnhill's Room (303)
• 1:45-2:15 - Hughes's Room (306)

OLWEUS Class Meetings:

On Monday, all classrooms will work through lesson 5 of our OLWEUS bullying prevention program. Don't forget about our shared folder with the lesson plans and other information needed for these meetings. Mrs. Tollison and I always look forward to visiting classrooms during this time. I have heard some invaluable discussion in classrooms thus far. Like many "programs" the teacher leadership and buy-in will make all the difference. Don't be afraid of silence when you pose a question for discussion. Engage students. Make them think and reflect. Instill in them the language and rules we follow through this program. In lesson five, we tackle the final school rule: If we know that someone is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home. 

Tornado Drill:

Powdersville Elementary will participate in a state-wide tornado drill on Wednesday, March 7th. We will make an announcement with instructions around 8:45-9:15 A.M. When the drill begins, you will assist students as they seek shelter in the hallway. Students will get on their hands and knees and put their lowered heads against the wall while protecting their heads with their hands/fingers. It would be a great idea to spend the final few minutes or PRIDE Time explaining this procedure and the importance of quick, quiet and intentional movement based on teacher instructions. 

Moore's Musings:

There will be no LIVE PD on Wednesday this week. As always, we do ask you to keep Wednesdays open for meetings and other PD opportunities. Mrs. Tollison are very close to finalizing the final dates and topics for Live PD and will send this information out ASAP. Our goal is to provide relevant PD based on school needs while also being respectful of our teachers during this busy and stressful time. 

Mark Your Calendars:

• Technology PD with Alford - March 5th during planning 
• 4th Grade Parent Field Trip Meeting - March 6th at 6:00 P.M. in cafeteria 
• Tornado Drill - March 7th around 9:00 A.M. 
• Progress Report Folders - March 7th 
• 3rd 9 Weeks EAFK Names Emailed to Booth - March 8th 
• PVES Skate Night - March 8th from 6-8 PM (blue jeans on 3/12 if you attend) 
• Blue jeans for all - March 9th 
• March Book Madness - continues March 6-9 this week 

*Don't forget to SPRING FORWARD next weekend! 

Video of the Week: Be a Mr. Jensen!