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

Balance

Balance. Such a powerful word with multiple meanings. In this week's blog, I encourage you to find balance and/or be the balance. Let's take a look at a few definitions for the word. For our purposes, balance is defined as mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behavior and judgment (noun) and to arrange, adjust, or proportion the parts symmetrically (verb). Life is busy and the profession you have chosen doesn't exactly lend itself to allowing for balance. Let's face it, with family dynamics, job responsibilities and numerous other factors, we find ourselves sorely lacking the one thing we really need. Balance. Through my 16 years plus of working in public education, I believe you have to carefully consider your (in)ability to find balance. Be purposeful in carving out time for the things that matter most. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Perhaps it might mean late nights or early mornings, but there is time in the day to take care of most of the crucial elements of your day. And, if not, we hope and pray for a better tomorrow. Be steady and stay focused on the prize. We tend to weigh all of these factors based on their impact upon our lives. However, let us not forget the impact we have on the lives of others. Most importantly, let us remember this in regard to our students. That's right. We also have the ability to balance out the lives of others. Whether it be a friendly letter to a colleague, building a relationship with a hard-to-reach student, or simply finding the time just to do the right thing...we act as an imperfect balance in an imperfect world. Together, as we strive toward this balance in our lives, I believe we take another step closer to realizing God's perfect plan.

Part of finding balance, is to try each and everyday to be your best while accepting with a smile the days we fall short. There is so much next level best happening at #PVES. Take a step back and be encouraged!

3rd grade wrapped up their unit on Native Americans in South Carolina with some help from Mrs. Hughes in STEM lab. Students created wattle and daub and longhouse structures!

Staying in 3rd grade for a moment, we find that third grade students celebrated the end of their first unit of study in ELA by brainstorming their favorite strategies for reading book like gold before going on a golden scavenger hunt

In 4th grade, students "broke out" to celebrate the end of their unit of study in ELA. Students also whittled soap like the main character in The Tiger Rising. 

 

In 5th grade, parents and students enjoyed a ninja math breakfast and solved math word problems together. If that wasn't enough, decimal tic-tac-toe was in order! 

A huge "shout out" to Coach Thompson for leading our dance party for our top fundraising class in each grade level. We had a blast!

Our Skate Night's are the talk of the town. Literally. Apparently, all schools in our district and around are area are jealous of the participation we receive. We enjoyed our October Skate Night!

On a very serious note, we had great discussion during our ALiCE training. We take the safety of our students seriously, and I was impressed with the focus from our group on Wednesday. Thanks to Mrs. Heath for helping to lead our session. 

OLWEUS:

We will hold our next round of OLWEUS class meetings on Monday, October 22nd during PRIDE Time. This week, we are focusing on Lesson 4: We Will Try to Include Students Who Are Left Out. You can find a ton of great information, including the lesson plan for this week, in our shared folder. Thanks to Brenna Horn for sharing these scenario cards so students can act out situations. 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. 

Red Ribbon Week:

We celebrate Red Ribbon Week as we encourage our students to say "no" to drugs and be drug-free. You are certainly welcome to participate in our daily themes and are allowed to wear blue jeans when needed if so. See our daily themes below:

Monday: “Follow Your Dreams-Don’t Do Drugs
Wear Pajamas to school!

Tuesday: “Real Heroes Don’t Do Drugs”
Dress up like your favorite hero! (no masks)

Wednesday: “Put a Cap on Drugs”
Wear your favorite hat! (Make-up picture day)

Thursday: “Team Up Against Drugs”
Wear your favorite team shirt!

Friday: “Our House Says No to Drugs”
Wear your house t-shirt or house color!

End of 9 Weeks Procedures:

It is certainly hard to believe, but the school year is officially 1/4 complete as of Tuesday, October 23rd. I am sending out this Smore newsletter to parents this week in regard to report cards, etc. Please feel free to send via SeeSaw. End-of-term important dates/info are below:

• Grades due in computer by 8:00 A.M. on 10/24
• Grade verifications printed on 10/24. Make any changes necessary so that grade on verification matches what is in grade book. 
• Do not forget to include behavior/conduct comments in homeroom section for each student.
• Any/all comments should be well thought out and accurately reflect the student's progress. 
• Grades will be stored at 8:00 A.M. on 10/25 and Patty will work on printing report cards to have them in your box at some point Thursday or Friday. 
• Report cards should be sent home on 10/30. Parents should sign the plain white copy and return to school. File these away when received. 

Live PD:

In an effort to help us stay focused on being our "next level" best and finding balance, Live PD sessions have ended for the time being. We are very excited to work on vertical teaming when we resume Live PD sessions. Thanks!

"Thank You" Lunch for Teachers/Staff:

We are excited to provide lunch for teachers/staff on Wednesday during our regular lunch period. Moe's is catering for us and this was a favorite last year. On Wednesday, simply direct your students to the cafeteria and we will take care of them from there. You report to the Strings room and enjoy lunch (and some peace and quiet). Thank you for all that you do in providing a "next level" education for our students. 

Friday Is a Busy One:

Friday, October 26th is a busy day! We will have our first ever "Pride Practice" ceremonies in the morning (5th - 8:15 A.M., 3rd - 9:15 A.M., and 4th - 10:15 A.M.). We will call classes to the MP Room when we are ready for you. For those of you familiar with the structure of our EAFK knighting ceremony, things will run very similar to that. We will welcome everyone and make some opening remarks before calling teachers to the podium to read their prepared statements for each student. The students, after hearing his/her name called, will come to the stage to receive a medal and their certificate from Mr. Moore and Mrs. Tollison. Parents will be allowed to stick around a few minutes after the ceremony for pictures. If you have not already, please drop your completed certificate in this shared folder so we can print them all by Friday. 

On Friday, we will also have our first of two ALiCE active intruder drills. You can find ALiCE materials such as the presentation used in our meeting and the suggested presentation to use with your students in this shared folder. It is critical that you spend time this week discussing safety and security with students.Stress the importance of being quiet and listening carefully to instructions on the intercom or given by adults. After the drill, please plan on taking some quality time to "debrief" with students. What went right? What would we improve on? This is a valuable part of the process! Please let us know if you have any questions. 

Moore's Musings:

I have noticed an increase in issues on the playground related to soccer and football as well as some rough play in general. Please discuss with students that our expectation is to play with great sportsmanship at all times. If you feel like this is not being taken seriously, please feel free to take away these opportunities for a period of time to get the point across. Please utilize the three benches on the playground to ensure maximum coverage in terms of supervision. Thanks to those of you who take time to engage students during this time and walk around to support our behavior expectations on the playground. While on this topic, the same can be said of other areas (restroom, hallway, and cafeteria). Do you expect our students to follow our routines, procedures and rules? Do you take the time to reinforce these and have conversations with students who do not follow them? It certainly takes a collective effort. 

After the day on Tuesday, we will determine our first 9 weeks winner in terms of House points! 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• End of 1st 9 Weeks - 10/23
• Sandra Goff for selected math teachers - 10/23
• Thank You Lunch for Staff - 10/24 - Strings Room
• Fall Make-Up Pictures - 10/24
• Progress Report Folders - 10/24
• Grades Due by 8 AM - 10/24
• Verifications - 10/24
• Leadership Team Meeting - 10/24 at 3:15 P.M.
• Grades Stored, Report Cards Printed - 10/25
• Pride Practice Ceremonies - 10/26
• ALiCE Intruder Drill - 10/26
• Fall Treat Bags Sent Home End of Day - 10/26

Videos of the Week:

Growth

Dictionary.com defines growth as the act or process of growing or development; a gradual increase. In education, we use the term growth when speaking of a desired outcome. We want and indeed expect our students to grow during the 180 days we are given to impact their lives. We set goals for student growth and use a variety of indicators to prove said growth. Heck, even our evaluation is based on how much our student grow under our care. However, we cannot forget  a simple, yet inevitable truth about growth in education. The amount of growth our students show is directly correlated to just how much we allow ourselves to grow as educators. Do we let the struggle get the best of us? When circumstances get tough, do we freeze and talk ourselves back into our comfort zone; unable engage in continuous growth? You see, this idea of continuous growth isn't really about a test score, or an evaluation or some mission statement. It is about who we are as educators. It defines our culture as a school. It rallies us around a common goal - our students. Our challenge is to get uncomfortable. Stay positive. And grow. If we do, we separate ourselves from others and take another step closer to realizing our vision.

Another week or fun, learning and growth at #PVES

Our House meetings were a wonderful way to kick off a new week. I enjoy the House meetings because they allow us to energize one another and make school fun. As we continue to change our culture through our House system, I wonder how much you have allowed this change to allow you to grow?

On Monday evening, I attended an event at PVMS in which parents and community members met with district and school leaders to determine how our district should plan for the future due to tremendous growth. It was wonderful to hear the support our parents and community have for our schools. Growth certainly creates challenges, but I am confident our district will develop a successful plan. 

Thanks to everyone for attending our Live PD sessions on Wednesday. We especially thank our teacher leaders who facilitated sessions. Live PD is evidence of our growth as a school and your attendance is proof that you desire to grow as an educator. 

There is never a dull moment at the PVHS homecoming parade, but I am glad our students were able to attend. Thanks to growth in our community, we now have a true feeder system and a special bond with our sister schools. We should be proud of Powdersville. 

OLWEUS:

Our next OLWEUS class meetings will be held on Monday, October 15th during PRIDE Time. We will be teaching lesson three. Remember that these lessons can be found in our shared OLWEUS folder. After the first six lessons, grade levels and individual teachers are encouraged to be creative and cater OLWEUS class meetings to address specific areas and/or events. Read-alouds, opportunities for collaborations, and role play are all encouraged.

Login information for some OLWEUS videos:

username - pwdrsv1115082

password - Mr5DsgNte

Tuesday Planning/Professional Development:

Tuesday, October 16th will be a busy day at PVES. You should have been notified if you are participating an any of the planning/PD scheduled on this day. In the morning, 3rd grade math and 4th grade ELA will be meeting while 3rd grade ELA will meet in the afternoon. 3rd grade math will be working on mini-PBL while 3rd and 4th ELA will focus on LC units/planning. We will announce locations soon. Let's make the most of these opportunities and get a great deal accomplished. Also, we will have a good handful of subs in the building so please plan to be at school and help subs as needed. 

Live PD:

Live PD will be held on Wednesday, October 17th at 3:15 P.M. This week's session is an important one as we will be discussing ALiCE - active shooter training, school safety and our upcoming active intruder drill. On Thursday, everyone will send home a parent letter about our ALiCE training and our upcoming drill. We will discuss in much more detail on Wednesday. Please refer to our Live PD agenda for details. 

Thursday Drills:

Speaking of safety and drills, we plan to have two drills (weather permitting) this Thursday, October 18th. At 10:18 A.M., we will conduct an earth quake drill along with the rest of ASD1 schools. I will make an announcement with instructions at 10:18 A.M. when the drill is to begin. Please review this information to help you prepare your students for this. Immediately following our earthquake drill, we will conduct our fire drill for the month of October (weather permitting). Please take time to review all safety-related procedures and information with your students. Their safety and well being is our always our primary concern. 

Book Fair Reminders:
The Book Fair is always a fun time at PVES and we look forward to supporting Mrs. Fowler and our media center through the Book Fair. Be sure to schedule a time to bring your students to the Book Fair and communicate to parents via SeeSaw about the Book Fair to keep interest high. The Book Fair officially opens for students on Friday, October 19th. Mrs. Fowler will host all teachers and staff at our Book Fair reception scheduled for Thursday, October 18th beginning at 2:45 P.M. Drop by and preview the Book Fair (and sample some incredible and tasty treats).

Moore's Musings:
Let's talk PLCs for a moment. We continue to grow as a school in the way we plan instruction. PLC should enable us to take a "next level" approach to planning. Please remember this is not a Mr. Moore or Mrs. Tollison thing. This is a PVES thing. Make the most of your PLC time; don't simply go through the motions. Speak up, engage in collaboration, share, ask questions...feel free to even disagree. If you walk out of a PLC without a clear understanding of the next week's plans and how to execute those plans with success, then you we did not enjoy a meaningful PLC experience. Please remember:

• The 4 Questions of a PLC. Did you research and plan in such a way that you have logical, well though out suggestions for these four questions or did you just fill in the blank?
• Please select someone to turn on the Clear Touch board and pull all needed documents up on the screen. 
• Go through Google slides/actual lessons and preview assessments.
• Teach. That's right, teach one another (whether it be a term, a strategy, an algorithm). This is powerful. 
• Discuss data and engage in analysis of said data. 
• Leave with clarity. Were all of your questions answered? Do you know what is being assessed and how it is being assessed? 

I believe that we have to grow as grade level and as a school PLC. We should expect this and we are ready for a next level. 

Mark Your Calendar:

• OLWEUS Class Meetings - 10/15 from 8:10-8:40 A.M.
• 3rd Grade Math Planning - 10/16 in AM
• 4th Grade ELA Planning - 10/16 in AM
• 3rd Grade ELA Planning - 10/16 in PM
• Live PD - 10/17 at 3:15 PM in cafeteria 
• Send ALiCE Parent Letter Home - 10/18
• Earthquake Drill - 10/18 at 10:18 A.M.
• Fire Drill - 10/18 immediately following Earthquake Drill
• Teacher Reception for Book Fair - 10/18 beginning at 2:45 PM
• October Skate Night - 10/18 from 6-8 PM (Theme is wear your favorite costume with no mask).
• Book Fair Opens - 10/19

And for reading this blog carefully and working hard to grow and improve...Wednesday and Friday are blue jean days this week! Thanks for all you do!

Celebrate

We have much to celebrate here at Powdersville Elementary. Anyone who steps into our building walks down our hallways and into our classrooms will see amazing things are happening for our students. Teachers are working hard and with a passion to reach every student and make sure each student is better today than yesterday. Staff members are connecting and communicating with one another to build intentional relationships. Teachers are being purposeful in their PLC discussions and professional development opportunities. It is all of this that makes PVES next level and gives us much to celebrate. So in the midst of all the day to day preparation and planning, take a moment to stop and truly celebrate all you are and have accomplished this school year. In the celebration, you will find the strength to keep pushing forward and finish strong. 

Here are wonderful things worth celebrating at PVES...

Teachers met during their planning periods a few weeks ago to review data by the grade level and content area. We had some good discussions as we celebrated and looked at taking things to the next level. 

PRIDE Time is in full swing! Thank you to our teachers who are being very intentional during this time. Below are some third grade teachers working with students on math, writing, and reading. Be sure you take advantage of this built-in intervention time to help students reach the next level. 

We had the privilege of hosting professional development for the Powdersville area last week. Thank you to our teachers and staff members who attended the reading endorsement class. We celebrate all you are learning and applying in the classroom. Thank you on behalf of our students for taking their reading to the next level! 

Ms. Epperson and our fourth grader chorus students are working hard to learn the music for their Christmas performance. We are thankful we have teachers completely dedicated and committed to sharing their passion with PVES students. We look forward to celebrating their hard work in December! 

We have some amazing teacher leaders in our building! Thank you to Ms. Lee, Mrs. Thomas, and Mrs. Freeman for leading our Live PD sessions last week. Teachers, Mr. Moore and I appreciate your participation and attention during these sessions. We will have the same sessions offered again this week. See below for more information.

House Meetings

We will have our October House Meetings tomorrow. Please remember to wear your house shirt to the meeting, and you are free to wear jeans. We ask that you begin transitioning to your meeting spot immediately following the Roar Report (emailed to you by Ms. Jordan). We will share updated fundraiser information, review the PRIDE Practices for this nine weeks, and talk about our upcoming PVES PRIDE Celebrations. House Leaders, do not forget to give point updates and end with your house chant/cheer. Thank you to everyone for making this a fun time for our students as we reinforce good citizenship. 

Red Ribbon Week

Mrs. Lee sent out information regarding Red Ribbon Week (October 22nd-26th). Teachers, please be sure to talk this week up with your students and share the daily themes with families via Seesaw. Below you can find the themes. Coach Thompson will be going on over information and sharing a video during his classes this week. Teachers can wear jeans each day this week! 

Monday: "Follow Your Dreams-Don't Do Drugs" (Wear pajamas to school)

Tuesday: "Real Heros Don't Do Drugs" (Dress as your favorite hero-no masks!)

Wednesday: "Put a Cap on Drugs" (Wear your favorite hat- make-up picture day)

Thursday: "Team up Against Drugs" (Wear your favorite team shirt)

Friday: "Our House Says No to Drugs" (Wear your house t-shirt or color- Pride Practice Celebration) 

Parent/Teacher Conferences

As many of you know, our district calendar does not include a date for "Conference Day" this October. Our expectation is that conferences still take place. Keep in mind that we report on our school report card that we meet with 100% of our parents (this can include phone calls, etc.). Keep in mind the following as you schedule conferences:

• Conferences can begin immediately and should be concluded by Friday, November 9th. 
• Conferences can take place before or after school or during your planning. Please make sure that your grade level PLC, morning/afternoon duties and Live PD are not impacted. 
• Consider using Sign-Up Genius to allow easy access for parents to sign up for conferences.
• Remember that parents of high performing students enjoy being able to conference as well. 

Please refer to our Conference Day Checklist for specific expectations. Thanks!

Tollison's Tidings

• RISE Groups begin on Tuesday, October 9th. Teachers who have students participating in this program have been notified. Please be sure to send students to the media center before the 8:10 bell. This program is longer and will require us to start right at 8:10. Students will have folders/pockets they will need to return (Wednesday-Friday). Students going straight to related arts can bring iPads and any other needed materials. 
• Tuesday is a busy day with many subs in the building. Please make every effort to be at school on this day. If a situation that arises your class may be split among the grade level. Thank you for understanding.
• Wednesday we will have another Live PD session. The same sessions will be offered as last week. Thank you for signing up and participating! 
• When planning your field trips, please remember to refer to our Field Trip Checklist. Remember parts of this checklist need to completed and signed-off during the planning process. 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• House Meetings- 10/8
• Papa John's Dollar for Dough- 10/9 and 10/10
• Progress Report Folders go home- 10/10
• Live PD- 10/10
• SLO and GBE due in SCLead- 10/12
• Rikki Brown at PVES for Open Enrollment- 10/15

Video of the Week: Enjoy watching Mrs. Tollison and Mr. Moore being "dunked" by some of our very own PVES Teachers! Thank you for helping us celebrate not only reaching but exceeding our fundraiser goal!