I caught myself last week. Guilty as charged. I was chatting with a teacher about all the sickness that has invaded our school and it just came out. "I am ready for things to return to normal," I said. In the moment, I meant what I said. As teachers well know, absences take their toll on all of us. They limit our students ability to grow. They take valuable time away from us as educators. No one can control sickness, and I do pray that we are bouncing back soon. Still, my use of the term normal, in conversation with others, stuck with me. One definition of normal, according to dictionary.com, is conforming to the standard or common type. What in the world is normal about what we do? What does normal in an elementary school look like anyway? And the more I reflected on the word and my flippant use of the term, the more angry I was at myself for using it. Who can do what you do; taking 20-something students, from various socio-economic backgrounds, family situations and learning backgrounds, and molding them into a well-oiled machine? A normal day for teachers, who do it the right way, consists of controlled chaos, teachable moments and countless split decisions based on knowing and loving the raw product given to us. The normal for us is abnormal. We revel in it, we seek it out...we never run from it. We are called to not only accept it, but to embrace it. To close, I would suggest, during this stretch run where we are preparing our students for monumental growth and state testing, that we focus on a second definition provided to us by dictionary.com: serving to establish a standard. Our standard is excellence (The E in PRIDE). Our path to excellence is serving. Let this be our focus, and do whatever it takes, as we take on yet another "normal" week at PVES.
I loved seeing all the pictures from our fractions celebrations at each grade level. We had a large number of parents show up to support our students. It is NOT the norm to experience a successful school-wide focus such as this, nor is it normal to see such great parent involvement. Great job to everyone involved!
From a third grade celebration of learning when wrapping up a unit to kicking off a new unit with a mystery in the media center, the norm at PVES is engagement and fun! And I have never heard students so excited about reference sources as those leaving our library. This is what it is all about!
Last week, some fourth grade students guinea-pigged a new program in the lab that we may be using next year. And speaking of computer lab, Mrs. Berry truly embodies the "do whatever it takes" mentality.
What is normal at PVES? How about making a profound difference in the lives of all of our students? Including this one who came back to PVES just to see those he loves. Never doubt your impact; even in a "normal" week.
Our Father Daughter Dance on Friday evening was a huge success. We are blessed with a supportive PTSO and wonderful fathers to support what we do here at PVES. Again, I feel like we are guilty of taking this for granted as normal, but those who have experienced other schools will share very different stories with you.
Greenville Drive Reading All Stars Update:
I will make this announcement short and sweet. We want 100% participation in this program. Teachers, that is your goal. I not-to-be named elementary school in ASD1 has stated, for the record, that they plan to "beat Powdersville Elementary" in this competition. The forms do not have to be signed, meaning you can simply make copies of the form if misplaced and help students get this completed and turned in. Once completed, the form can be submitted to Mrs. Fowler in the media center. Talk this program up with your students and continually notify our parents. Let's rally around this program to stress the importance and FUN of reading. Students who submit a form, receive a free ticket to the Drive game on May 5th. They also receive a free t-shirt and book at the game. The end of the program is Friday, March 15th. After the ROAR Report on Monday, take a quick moment to show video below and talk it up once again!
OLWEUS:
It has been a few weeks since our last formal OLWEUS class meetings. Let's take advantage of this Monday and set a positive tone for the week. The norm at PVES is respect and collaboration. Where can your class improve in these areas? Answer that question and let that be our focus for your class meeting. As always, you can use our shared folder for lesson ideas and assistance. Mrs. Tollison, Mrs. Lee and I look forward to visiting classrooms to observe these conversations! SIC Meeting on Tuesday Morning:
Our next School Improvement Council Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 7:20 A.M. in the media center. If you are not on the SIC, you are always welcome and invited to attend. It's a great way to share our school successes and allow for a focus on improvement.
Live PD on Wednesday:
Our next Live PD sessions will be held this Wednesday, February 27th beginning at 3:10 P.M. Please look over our agenda and prepare accordingly. We look forward to this time of learning and collaboration.
Best of Luck 4th Grade Regatta Teams:
Thanks to Mrs. Hughes for her hard work in preparing 4th grade students for the upcoming STEM Regatta Competition the YMCA this Thursday. I know Mrs. Hughes and her students have worked hard during this unit and we wish these teams the best of luck in their competition. By the way, thanks for reading the blog. Thursday and Friday are blue jean days at PVES.
Moore's Musings:
As you know, we have been interviewing prospective teachers to join our team next year. Mrs. Tollison and I take this part of our jobs very seriously. Fit and culture are important to us! We are pleased to announce the following teachers have agreed to become a part of our PVES team. We do expect additional hires to be made given growth positions, teachers leaving, etc. and will make everyone aware of changes when we are able to do so. I will email grade level teams about new teachers joining their teams.
Amelia Skelton - Amelia is student teaching in Berkeley County and attends Charleston Southern. She will go before the board on Tuesday for approval.
Sommer Owens - Sommer works as an interventionist at Palmetto Elementary School. She will go before the board Tuesday evening for approval.
Samantha Ellison - Samantha is student teaching at Cedar Grove and has already been offered a contract with ASD1.
Thanks for making them feel welcome and supporting them!
Mark Your Calendar (MYC):
OLWEUS Class Meetings - 2/25 During PRIDE Time
8th Grade Band Visits - 2/25 in MP Room During 5th Grade Related
As the quote from Stephen Covey suggests, Powdersville Elementary School draws its strength from the many differences existing within our building. Dictionary.com offers the following definition for the word:a distinguishing characteristic; distinctive quality, feature, etc. Have you ever stopped to ponder this? We work in a high stress environment; 55 adults from different backgrounds. That means 55 belief systems, perspectives and feelings are in motion each and everyday. To further complicate the matter, we work with 630 different students. Again, just stop to consider the differences in play within a single classroom. I would imagine that such differences would be a major stumbling block for schools rendered unsuccessful. For our school, differences are a strength - a means to an end. We celebrate different ideas, opinions and feelings. As a matter of fact, differences allow us to acknowledge our shortcomings and work together, through collaboration and sharing a common vision, to reach our next level. The road to continuous improvement is paved through this idea of embracing differences to provide a blueprint for a common vision for success. The next time you are working with a difficult student or parent, the next time you are in a PLC and frustration arises, the next time a roadblock is created that seems to threaten our progress .... embrace our differences. Spend more time considering the thoughts and feelings of others. Carefully craft your words in response. Remember that we are all on the same team and all share the common vision to reach a next level that separates us from all the others.
When the fire alarm sounds at dismissal, panic tends to set in. 26 different home rooms in the building may react differently and havoc rules might rule the day. However, at PVES, we worked together, stuck with the process and managed just fine. I could not be more proud of our faculty and staff with how this emergency was handled. Communication was effective, children were supervised and everyone did his or her part to get us through the crisis. Thank you!
Congrats to Mrs. Gibson's Jet Toy Car team. They finished 2nd in the district and now move on to regional competition. If you look at the picture above, I am impressed that a team of students with such different backgrounds was able to work together to be successful in this competition. Indeed, we often learn from our students.
Thanks to Thomas McAuliff for leading a breakout session with some of our 5th graders as a grammar review. Thomas is always willing to work with students and teachers and offer a different perspective so that we might better implement the technology we have in our possession to make learning fun and collaborative.
I have thoroughly enjoyed our Powdersville Pizzeria and school-wide focus on fractions. Though each grade level is at a different place and, of course, focusing on different standards, it is awesome to see common areas in our building used for learning. We should remember this with other major units of instruction. Great job everyone!
Speaking of differences, I can think of no better platform to highlight differences and how they can become our strengths than our OLWEUS class meetings. Students in Mrs. McGaha's homeroom discussed the power of standing up for others even when we might have to stand alone. Such a powerful message for students on a Monday morning. Perhaps we might learn from this experience as well.
There is nothing like winning your House competition and receiving free ice cream in the cafeteria. Each House is different, but we all bond together to live out our Pride Practices and show off our #pvespride!
We were thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate Ms. Tammy Lee as part of School Counselor's Appreciation Week. The kind remarks, cards and attention were greatly appreciated. Ms. Lee helps us realize that while differences exist, they should never divide. Thanks for all you do, Ms. Lee!
Inside joke exposed in this picture - Mr. Moore bought Ms. Lee lunch at the Smokin' Pig on Friday and the other ladies in the office greeted Mr. Moore after car duty with signs reading "will work for Smokin' Pig". Three different employees, all willing to work for a common goal! In all seriousness, we all work for a common goal: our students! Let us never lose sight of this.
OLWEUS:
It is now time for students to take the OLWEUS survey. Mrs. Tollison will provide student usernames and passwords in your teacher box Monday morning. Students will use the following website to access the survey: https://www.obqsurvey.org/. The first set of letter/number combinations is the username. The second is the password. 4th and 5th grade are asked to allow students to complete the survey during OLWEUS time on Monday morning. 3rd grade has parents visiting classrooms during this time so they will need to provide a time before the end of the day on Monday for students to complete the survey. If you have an absent student, you may give them an opportunity to complete the survey by Friday afternoon. Please let us know if you have any questions. Any time remaining during PRIDE Time after surveys are completed can be spent in class meetings.
Live PD:
We do have a LIVE PD event scheduled for this Wednesday, February 13th. This event is for all faculty and staff of PVES. I will not be sharing an agenda with you. We will be sharing additional information, as needed, prior to Wednesday. We will plan to meet in the media center and begin promptly at 3:15 PM.
SLO/GBE Mid-Year Conferences:
It is now time for us to meet with all teachers who have a SLO or GBE as part of their evaluation. The mid-year conference is designed to give us an opportunity to check in on your progress and answer any questions/discuss any concerns. The conference itself should last no more than 10-15 minutes. You will meet with your evaluator, meaning Mrs. Tollison or Mr. Moore. You were assigned a lead evaluator earlier in the year in the SCLead.org website. Please use the calendars linked below to schedule a time this week for your mid-conference meetings. Please bring your laptop and be able to log into the SCLead website.
We are excited to announce the kick-off of the Reading All Stars program sponsored by the Greenville Drive. Our school has had tremendous participation in the past and we need your help to ensure that this once again is the case. The program kicks off Monday, February 11th and runs through Friday, March 15th. During this time period, students must read 5 books and log them on the form that will be placed in your teacher box on Monday. In the past, we have had plenty of success assisting students with completing the required reading and logging this on the form. While students should be encouraged to do this at home, please make extra copies of the form and have them on hand in the classroom for students who do not seem to be able to get this done at home. Our goal is 100% and this can be done with teacher help. Please show this quick video to students on Monday morning after ROAR Report. Talk through the program with them and help kick this program off on a positive note. Make sure you share this information with parents via SeeSaw each week as a reminder. What do students receive if they read the 5 books?:
A free ticket voucher to the celebration game on Sunday, May 5th at 3 PM.
Access to the field prior to the game during the parade.
A free t-shirt at the game.
A free book of their choice at the game.
Additionally, some students are selected to participate in on-field events before and during the game.
Valentine's Day Plan:
As you know, Thursday is Valentine's Day. Room mothers will be bringing treat bags by this week. These treat bags are to be passed out at the end of the day on Thursday. There are no parties scheduled for Thursday. In addition to treat bags, some students and staff will be receiving Cookie Grams on Thursday. PTSO sold over 500 of these and all proceeds go toward Teacher Appreciation Week later this year! PTSO will pass these out to classroom teachers and teachers are asked to simply pass these out with treat bags at the end of the day. Thanks for your help with this!
Fractions Celebrations:
Each grade level has parents visiting classrooms at some point this week as a culmination to our fractions units of study. These dates/times are listed below. Parents will be asked to sign in through the front lobby area and wait until dismissed to classrooms. Mrs. Tollison is working on a "ticket" that they can use to present to a teacher of staff member upon request as an additional safety measure. Teachers, please communicate this process to your parents. At the conclusion of our activity, please dismiss parents from the classroom in a timely manner so we can continue with our normal schedule.
3rd grade - Monday, February 11th - 8:10-8:40 A.M.
4th grade - Friday, February 15th - 12:55-1:40 P.M. and 1:40-2:25 P.M.
5th grade - Wednesday, February 13th - 8:50-9:20 AM and 9:50-10:20 AM
Moore's Musings:
Let your voices be heard. You now have an opportunity to provide feedback to state leaders in several ways. Fist of all, click on the link below and provide feedback regarding any testing that you would like to see eliminated (i.e. Social Studies and Science).
Additionally, click on the link below and provide any feedback you would like regarding education reform to our state legislature. Please include a note that you want them to "fully fund the base student cost" which would mean major assistance for our district!
2/11 - Greenville Drive Reading All Stars Kick-Off
2/11 - Running Club Begins
2/11 - 3rd Grade Fractions Celebration
2/12 & 2/13 - Papa Johns "Dollars for Dough"
2/12 - 3rd Grade Launch Field Trip
2/13 - 5th Grade Fractions Celebration
2/13 - Progress Report Folders
2/13 - Live PD for all Staff in Media Center at 3:15 P.M.
2/14 - Treat Bags and Cookie Grams (end of day)
2/15 - 4th Grade Fractions Celebration
2/18 - PD Day (No Students) - This is a comp day earned during summer. If you did not attend summer PD, you must submit the day in Absence Manager or attend district PD.
Video of the Week: A Different Take on Difference - Make a Difference
The time has come for our school to flourish. To flourish means to be at the height of excellence; thrive. I do not use the term loosely or flippantly. The next three months offer us our prime opportunities to be at our best. Testing looms in the background coming in May so we must be at the height of excellence during this time period for our students. As the quote above suggests, we must feed those practices we expect to flourish and neglect those practices we want to fade away. We must feed our PLCs; engaging in rich collaboration with our colleagues related to how we can ensure that students who do not get it are able to master the material we deem essential as well as what to do with students who can be pushed to learn even more. We must feed our ability to make use of every teachable moment. Time is precious and with every passing day, we lose the opportunity to engage our students and teach this critical content. We must feed our ability to love. We must love what we do, love our co-workers, and most importantly, love our students. This should be evident on a daily basis. Finally, we must feed our willingness to do whatever it takes. Many of you heard that we recently discovered that our report card rating was 3rd in the state! This type of success can only be maintained and even improved upon if we are willing to do whatever it takes to be on a mission for our students. The next few months will offer many moments for us to set ourselves apart from other schools. Our culture is strong. It is our time to flourish.
Mr. Binnicker visited with our School Improvement Council last week to discuss the upcoming referendum that would fund numerous facility upgrades and improvements to schools across ASD1. For PVES, it would mean an 8-room addition that is sorely needed. Mr. Binnicker will be speaking to our faculty and staff in the next few months to provide more details of his vision for ASD1 that will allow us the opportunity to flourish.
We appreciate Thomas McAuliff meeting with teachers on Friday to provide Tech PD related to Newsela. Newsela will be a wonderful took for all of us to use and we look forward to receiving feedback from everyone who is able to use Newsela in the classroom. Doing whatever it takes sometimes means giving up a planning period to increase our knowledge and ability to use tools to positively impact our students; allowing them to flourish.
We are so appreciative of Mrs. Martin for planning and organizing yet another successful Real Men Read event. I told the men who visited our school on Friday that we needed successful men placed in front of our students as much as possible - it's that important. Our students need to see men who are flourishing as adults because they used their education to improve and took advantage of the opportunities provided to them.
What does it look like, the reality of it all, when we see our school flourishing. I offer the snapshots above as exhibit A. Flourishing is celebrating our House system by rewarding students in a special way. Flourishing is your school resource officer handling the trash duties on a crazy Friday when all three custodians are out of the building. It is putting on a chef's hat and celebrating the kickoff of your fractions unit the only way we know how. And finally, it is spending a Saturday immersed in learning and engaging colleagues from across the upstate in an effort to be our best.
OLWEUS:
This is your friendly reminder that OLWEUS class meetings should take place on Monday during PRIDE Time. Use our shared folder for ideas and make this time impactful; valuable. I have heard teachers discuss concerns and issues related to recess behaviors, not getting along during a collaborative activity, etc. Use these real world examples to engage and challenge your students!
***On Monday, do not be surprised to see visitors from Chesnee Elementary in our hallways and in a few classrooms from 8:30-10:00 A.M. We are thrilled to show off our teachers and our school to visitors who have heard great things about your success!
3rd Grade Essential Standards and L.C. Planning Day:
On Thursday, February 7th, all 3rd grade teachers will meet in the media center from 8:00-11:30 A.M. to engage in essential standards planning. After 11:30, teachers responsible for ELA planning will continue to meet and plan Lucy Calkins units. Thanks for using this time wisely!
Friday Spirit Day:
Friday, February 8th is Spirit Day at PVES. Teachers are free to wear blue jeans. Everyone is asked to wear your House shirts/colors. Our PTSO is selling CFA biscuits in the morning car line and we will end our week with House meetings around 1:50ish. I will send our House meeting agendas to House leaders later in the week. As always, we want this day to truly be a display of our #pvespride and school spirit.
Moore's Musings:
This week we are celebrating National School Counselor's Week. I know you will all join me in showing our appreciation for Ms. Tammy Lee. Her hard work and willingness to do what it takes is on full display each and everyday. She loves our students. She cares about their well-being and engages in a tireless, and often thankless, process of making sure their needs are met so they can flourish in the classroom. Thank you, Ms. Lee for being you. Your energy, spirit, enthusiasm and attitude make our school a better place to work and learn!
Mark Your Calendar (MYC):
2/4 - OLWEUS Class Meetings during PRIDE Time
2/4 - Chesnee Elementary School Visit from 8:15-10:00 AM
2/7 - PVES Spirit Night at Pizza House of Powdersville from 5 PM - close.
2/7 - Last Day for Current PVES Patrol Team
2/7 - 3rd Grade Essential Standards and LC Planning in Media Center
2/8 - CFA Biscuits in Morning Car Line
2/8 - House meetings around 1:50ish PM
2/8 - Wear blue jeans and House shirt
Video of the Week: Ron Clark Academy Super Bowl Video
