Initiate

We have collectively accepted the responsibility to "embrace the challenge" this school year. I could not be more proud of our faculty and staff for making the first week back the BEST first week back. During this crucial time of year, we are simply just beginning. Yet, "just beginning" can be the most significant and most difficult of challenges we will face. We are initiating the process of building relationships in order to create an environment where learning and growing at high levels is the norm. I like the word initiate. There is indeed a sense of urgency to it that rings true for us all. Dictionary.com defines initiate as to cause (a process of action) to begin. Initiate is a verb. Thanks for reading the blog carefully. Feel free to wear blue jeans on Thursday with your favorite college shirt and Friday with your House shirt. We must be courageous enough to begin and take action; no matter the uncertainty or fear. As we initiate Thriving Thursdays and Collaborate Planning Time and as we initiate all those procedures and routines that will be the driving force behind our most successful school year to date, do not forget that we need leaders who will initiate the type of change that causes us to be different; be better. No matter your age or experience level, this can and should be you.

The BEST first week ever at PVES ...

Our team takes "next level" to the next level. Thanks to everyone for making our school the best place to work and learn. I can assure you, this does not happen by chance. Every day that you get up and come to school, you initiate an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of countless children.

Another congratulations to our Teacher of the Year, Brenna Horn (left), and Support Staff of the Year, Kriste Berry (right). They show up daily and do the work. They know that their efforts initiate the type of positive change that continues to take place at PVES. 

Mrs. Tollison and I enjoyed speaking to our students last week in grade level meetings. I was impressed with the behavior of our students and their attention. We hope this initiates a re-dedication to our school/classroom rules and expectations. 

Thanks to Mrs. Fowler for having iPads in classrooms and ready for student use! This provided teachers with the opportunity to initiate iPad implementation in all of our classrooms. Teachers are doing a great job of getting iPads set up for students and discussing Digital Citizenship and expectations for those devices. And Mrs. Fowler has thoroughly enjoyed having students once again in the media center! 

Our PTSO has worked tirelessly to provide a fun and creative space for students to learn. Our courtyard has truly been transformed! Just a small group of people initiated this effort and now look at what has taken place. Our Pride Stride fundraiser is set for Friday, October 18th. Can we top last year's effort? 

Fire Drill Tuesday:

On Tuesday, August 27th around 9 AM, we will have our first Fire Drill. We are required by state law to have one within the first 10 days of school and one each month. The first few will be announced. You should have an evacuation map in your classroom. If you do not, please notify Mrs. Tollison or me. Additionally, please remember that we use the red/green card system to notify us of any missing students or issues during a Fire Drill. We will place new red and green cards in teacher boxes by Tuesday morning at 8 AM. When the signal has sounded, calmly and quickly exit the building following your evacuation map. Please close your classroom door behind you. If you have a walkie, take it with you. Ensure that all students are presented and accounted for. Then, display a green card to indicate you have all students or a red card indicating you are missing a student or need assistance. Please let us know if you have any questions. 

"Pride Time" Intervention Block:

If you have any questions about the ideas behind our intervention block, that we refer to as Pride Time, please view this slides presentation from several years ago. Pride Time officially begins as soon as announcements are over and no later than 8:10 A.M. Pride Time ends at 8:40 AM when the bell sounds. We work hard not to interrupt your PRIDE Time with all calls and/or announcements to your room. This intervention block is not a study hall and is not an opportunity for teachers to complete paperwork or check email. Be intentional about getting to know your students and pulling students who are in need of a focused, intentional and targeted intervention time. Protect this time and use it to its fullest extent. 

Dismissal Procedures and Duty:

In the afternoon, the 2:25 PM bell signals the end of the instructional day. After this bell, students may pack up and complete their behavior reflections. 3rd graders, both 100 and 200 hallway, will then begin lining up with their teachers in the designated areas. Great job so far! The 300 hallway is tricky, but we do ask that teachers walk with their students down the hallway at dismissal time. This means having students lined up in your classroom and then walking out with them when it is your turn in the line to begin moving. This does create gaps in the line between classes which is perfectly fine. Please stress to your students that they need to "walk with a purpose" to the bus circle or MP Room/cafeteria. We cannot begin the car line until all students are in the correct locations. 

Please ensure that you are on time for your morning and/or afternoon duty. In the morning, Mrs. Fowler will assist with having a chapter book to read to holding locations. I would love for this to become a consistent part of our routine as reading aloud to students is so important. The 7:50 bell signals the transition from holding areas to the classrooms. The 8 AM bell signals the time that all students should be in the classroom. In the afternoon, please help us get students situated and quiet in the MP Room. Once this is done, please leave quickly and have any conversations that you need to have in another area of the school. Mrs Tollison shared the video tutorial if you need assistance with your responsibilities regarding duty. If we work together as a team and with a sense of urgency, we can improve on our afternoon dismissal time.

House Sorting:

We are so excited to sort our 3rd grade students into Houses on Wednesday morning (100 hallway - 8:10 and 200 hallway - 8:50). We appreciate Coach allowing us to use the MP Room! Before students come to the sorting ceremony, have them watch this quick introduction to get them excited. Students will have a chance to spin the wheel and find out to what House they will belong. Teachers should be prepared to bring their laptop as you will be helping us document to what House each student belongs using this google sheet. For any new 4th and 5th grade students, they will spin the wheel in our atrium in front of their classmates. Please make sure you have signed up for a time to do this with your class. We are so excited and hope you will bring plenty of enthusiasm this week! 

Thriving Thursday/PLC Time:

This week, we begin our Thriving Thursday schedule. We want students to thrive in these new opportunities, but we also want our collaborative planning time to thrive. Yes, it is now time to take our PLCs to the next stage (dare I say, next level?). Grade levels will meet in the classroom of the teacher whose class goes to the library that day for Thriving Thursday. Keep in mind that we do not have data to discuss as of now, so your focus may be on the first two questions of a PLC. Feel free to review our PLC discussion from the first week back for teachers. As you will recall, there are roles to be assigned for each grade level within our collaborate framework. Two of those roles, the facilitator and scribe, will be performed by the same individual throughout the year. Mrs. Tollison and I will choose the facilitator. The grade level should choose a technology-savvy scribe to edit the google sites page for your grade level. The other two roles will rotate among the other individuals. It is our recommendation that the process checker is the teacher whose classroom is being used. The time keeper should remember to monitor time closely to ensure that the team starts and stops on time. Work these issues out among your grade level and have these in place for the first meeting on Thursday. Feel free to refer to the collaboration roles and recommendations handout if you have any questions. Simply put, this will be a challenge, but if this becomes embedded in our very culture, it will be life changing. 

Video of the Week: "You Just Have to Get Started"

Embrace the Challenge

It is with great excitement and a tremendous amount of pride in our PVES family that I officially welcome everyone back for the 2019-2020 school year! If you are like me, this time of year brings forth a plethora of emotions; from happy and sad to excited and anxious. Just understand that those mixed emotions are normal and we are all feeling those collectively. I do sincerely hope that you also feel passionate and motivated to return; ready to tackle many challenges head on with a "do whatever it takes" mentality for our students. For those of you who are new to the blog, we use this forum as a means to celebrate our successes and front load our very busy weeks. We try to offer a theme or focus each week and we usually use this initial paragraph to frame that focus. Our school-wide focus this year has been determined: "Embrace the Challenge". The word embrace means the act of supporting or accepting something willingly and enthusiastically. The word challenge means something that by its nature or character serves as a call to special effort. This year we will embrace our challenges. We will do so collaboratively and without fear. If we truly believe that every student can learn at high levels, we must be willing to speak and act in such a way that all students in this building are OUR students. Our motivation stretches well beyond test scores and rankings; to the very heart of our purpose. Think about the "why" behind your work. We embrace the challenge for one another and, most importantly, for our students. Welcome back!

It's been a very busy summer full of challenges, but complete with rewarding experiences and final products...

We should start with the incredible job our custodial staff has done on our floors. Anderson One did not contract out the floor work this summer; meaning our custodial staff has stripped and waxed every inch of the building. The floors literally shine and look wonderful. They truly showed off their #pvespride with their work on the floors. We are so thankful for Mrs. Dianne, Mrs. Charity and Mr. Rick. They are here for you if you need assistance moving items in your room. 

Our PTSO board as been hard a work creating and developing a collaborative learning space in our courtyard. The pictures above won't do it justice; you'll just have to see it for yourself. This is sure to be a fun and engaging space for our students. Start thinking about when and how you can utilize this area! And when you see our awesome PTSO ladies, don't forget to thank them!

The front office has been buzzing lately and the transformation is well underway. We expect the installers this week to finish the safety vestibule project. We are blessed with a community that would vote for a tax increase just to support our school needs like increased safety and additions to support our rapid growth.

Our maintenance guys re-striped our parking lot for us just in time for the school year to begin. Things are looking good around PVES! 

First Week Back:

The first day back for teachers and assistants is Monday, August 12th. We will have our opening meeting at the NewSpring Powdersville campus. We will have breakfast and coffee for you beginning at 7:45 A.M. before starting our collaborative meeting at 8:30 A.M. You are encouraged to dress comfortably (casual) this first week back excluding  Meet the Teacher nights and district events in which case you should bring a more professional change of clothes. Please refer to our "First Week Back" calendar and look over it closely to determine when you will have opportunities to work with your team members and in your classrooms. Please let us know if you have any questions of concerns about the first week of school for teachers. We are so excited to welcome everyone back!

Teacher Handbook:
Please take time to review our teacher handbook. You will sign a form at the opening meeting stating you have read and understand the handbook. We will touch on several key areas of the handbook, but not all areas. As professionals, you are expected to read and abide by the expectations outlined in our handbook. As always, feel free to ask questions related to the content in the handbook.

Classroom Decor/Theme:
Remember that we do not have a yearly theme that changes each school year. Our continuous theme has been on college and career and our House system (creating a welcoming and positive school climate and culture). We would like for all teachers to decorate their classroom doors based on the college they attended and what House they are in. You can walk around the hallways to pick up some great ideas from your colleagues. In addition, we have a name plate that we want each person to use so we can be consistent. This will be placed outside your classroom door. Please view this google slide template, find your name, and edit your slide/template as soon as possible. You may have to wait for SeeSaw to be set up before you can include the QR code for that. Look at the first slide as an example. We will print them off in color and laminate them for you. Obviously, teachers at PVES have a lot of freedom to set up their classrooms and hallway space as they would like. We encourage you to be creative, have fun and really show your #pvespride when considering your approach!

Money, Money, Money:
Just as a reminder, certified teachers will receive a check for $275 soon for classroom supplies. It is a great idea to keep receipts for any items you purchase. PTSO provides up to $150 for classroom teachers as well. You can also submit a request for financial assistance to PTSO for any other needs/ideas and the board will consider those requests. Speaking of PTSO, each faculty member is strongly encouraged to join our PTSO. This sends a message that we fully support our PTSO organization. In addition, information related to joining hospitality will be sent out to everyone in the coming weeks.

Field Trips:
At PVES, we believe field trips offer students a remarkable opportunity to engage in hands-on learning and experiences that will last a lifetime. Each grade level is encouraged to plan appropriate field trips that relate to content area standards. We do have our Field Trip Checklist for you to please use and review. Please email Mr. Moore your proposed field trips; including dates ASAP.

Moore's Musings:
Communication is important. Mrs. Tollison and I want to do a great job of communicating with our school community; especially our teachers. You make the magic happen and when you are informed, it makes your job easier. We will be continuing our blog this year to highlight important events and front load your weeks. In addition to the blog, we will also use our shared calendar and email as means of communication. Teachers should expect to be excellent communicators with one another, the front office staff and parents/students. We will use SeeSaw again this year in correlation with every-other-week folders to consistently communicate with parents. The more we go above and beyond in this area and are proactive, the more support we garner from our community. Another easy way to build support is to attend student games and functions. I have seen such a simple act transform a parent/teacher relationship in a very positive way.

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• Opening PVES Meeting at NewSpring Powdersville - 8:30 A.M. on 8/12 (Breakfast starts at 7:45-8:25 A.M.)
• 5th Grade "Meet the Teacher" Night - 8/12 from 4-6 P.M.
• 4th Grade "Meet the Teacher" Night - 8/13 from 4-6 P.M.
• 3rd Grade "Meet the Teacher" Night - 8/15 from 4-6 P.M.
• District Opening Meeting at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church at 8:30 A.M. on 8/16 (wear staff shirt and try to sit together)
• Lunch Provided by Siloam Baptist Church - 8/16 from 12:00-1:00 P.M. (cafeteria or courtyard TBD)
• Best First Day of School Ever - Monday, August 19th

Video of the Week: Challenges