Gratitude

Mr. Moore and I would like to express our gratitude for the way you celebrated with us on Boss's day. Each one of you means so much to us and our PVES family. We felt your love and appreciation. It was encouraging to sit down and read each of your cards. Thank you for what YOU do to make PVES the special place it is! We would not want to be anywhere else! 

Great things are happening at PVES...

The Pride Stride was a HUGE success! It took all hands on deck. We are grateful that we could enjoy the beautiful weather and a fun-filled day! Now it is time to collect that pledge money. 

We are grateful for how Kelle Martin continues to support our classroom teachers. We love how willing she is to provide PD, team teach, and model lessons for our teachers. Remember she is an excellent resource and be sure you reach out to her if you have questions or need help.

Guided math groups are a wonderful way to differentiate your instruction and meet the needs of your students. If you need help with your math block or want to observe some other teachers let Mrs. Tollison know. 

Fifth graders have started their research writing unit. They are learning about immigration and the teachers are working together to expose students to primary sources. This brilliant use of space and teamwork came from collaborative team time one Thursday. We are so grateful to our teachers who work hard to support PLC efforts on Thursdays so our students can reap the benefits. 

 Gold!!! Third graders celebrated the end of their first reading unit with a search for gold. They learned books are like gold and should be treasured. Their boxes included books for their next unit. Thank you for making reading fun at PVES.

Monday's PD day was very productive. Teachers had time to reflect on data conversations and use a data protocol. Then folks had time to work in their classrooms. Thank you for being hard-working professionals who embraced the day. 

A few of our teachers had the opportunity to attend a Robotics conference. They built and programmed a robot. Thank you, ladies, for willingness to learn and grow for our students.

Red Ribbon Week

The week of October 21st-25th we will celebrate Red Ribbon Week. Below you will find the schedule for our celebrations. Please be sure to share this information with parents via Seesaw. Remember we are still enjoying "Jean-tober."

Monday (10/21)-  I'm Red-y to Say No to Drugs- Wear Red to school
Tuesday (10/22)- I Have the Power to be Drug-Free - Wear a superhero t-shirt
Wednesday (10/23)- Wake up Drug-Free - Wear your pajamas to school
Thursday (10/24)- Team up Against Drugs - Wear your favorite team jersey
Friday (10/25)- Our Houses Say No to Drugs - Wear your house T-shirt or colors

OLWEUS

Homeroom teachers will hold OLWEUS class meetings on Monday, October 21st. The focus of this meeting is lesson #6. This lesson reviews Rules #1-4. As always, there are plenty of resources in our shared folder and we ask that teachers continue to share and add items in this folder. Let's make this a valuable time to positively impact our classroom and school climate.

Pride Stride Update

Thank you to everyone for all your help on Friday with our second annual Pride Stride. Now comes the important part, getting the promised pledge money collected. Teachers, please continue to encourage your parents and students to collect pledges and money. New pledges are welcomed! All pledges and money should be turned in by Friday, October 25th. As of Friday, we were $3,000 away (pledged amount) from reaching our school goal of $30,000. Several classes reached new class goals and will find your reward certificates in your boxes. Mr. Moore will be receiving plenty of pies in the face next week! 

House Points and Celebrations

Monday, October 21st is our final day to count and include all of the first nine week's house points. A winner will be decided at the end of the day (10/21) at 4:30 pm. All items brought in for the Humane Society will be counted and points added for the winning house as well. On Tuesday, October 22nd Pride Rock will be painted for the overall first nine weeks winning house. The winning house will enjoy snowcones, music, and lunch outside on Wednesday, October 23rd. Teachers, we ask that you have students from the winning house go ahead get their lunches. Then, they can head to the courtyard during their regularly scheduled lunchtime on Wednesday. Teachers can pick them up on your way back from lunch. 

Pride Practice Ceremony

We will have our first Pride Practice Ceremony on Friday, November 1st. All ceremonies will take place in the morning and should not impact related arts or lunch.  Homeroom teachers are reminded to send Ms. Kendall the names of two students to be recognized for being purposeful and/or respectful. You will also need to complete the certificates in our Shared Folder. Please include a paragraph description of the student and why he/she has been selected for this recognition. This should be completed by Monday, October 28th. Ms. Lee and Mrs. Tollison will begin printing and laminating these for the ceremony. Remember this is a surprise and should not be shared with the students before the ceremony.

8:15-9:00 Fourth Grade

9:15-10:00 Third Grade

10:15-11:00 Fifth Grade

End of Nine Weeks Information

The end of the first nine weeks is Tuesday, October 22nd. All grades must be in by 4:00 pm on Thursday, October 24th. Verifications will be printed on Friday, October 25th. Please be sure to check these and sign off on them before you leave for the day. Report cards will be printed on Monday, October 28th and sent home on Wednesday, October 30th. (Fith grade will receive theirs on Thursday, October 31st due to the field trip.) Remember parents are asked to sign and return the white copy.

ALiCE Drill

Thank you for completing your ALiCE worksheet for your classroom. Remember our drill is scheduled for Friday, October 25th. Be sure to review the staff training presentation and have an intentional conversation and training with your students. Please let Mr. Moore or Mrs. Tollison know if you have any questions or need clarity before Friday, October 25th. Remember doors should remain locked at all times. 

Tollison's Tidings:

• SmartFind Express is our new system for absences. You must use this website to access this system. https://andersonsd1.eschoolsolutions.com/ Your User ID is the three or four digit employee ID number I emailed you to register. Once you registered, you created a six digit password (probably a date you can remember). 
• We do have a central place for Lost and Found. Please send items up to the box across from the office. This allows parents and students to look through items and not have to roam around to find items. If jackets are found on the playground or MP Room, you can send those with students to this central location. (See below for a picture.)

• Reminders about accommodations and report cards: 
• Students who receive oral administration of tests should have all test items on all tests (except reading tests) read aloud. This is not optional. Make sure the student is following along with you as you read. 
• Students who receive small group administration of tests should be pulled to the teacher table or other arrangements for small groups should be made ahead of time. 
• Make a note on the assessment that accommodations were given. 
• Make sure to include a comment on the report card that the grade was made with accommodations. 
• ESL students should not make below a 60 on their final grade for each content area. Let me know if you need help with this.
• No Live PD scheduled for this week.

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

10/21- PVES Ambassador Meeting @ 2:35

10/21- Last day to collect items for the Humane Society

10/22- End of the 1st Nine Weeks 

10/22- Dental Hygenist on the Stage for teeth cleanings 

10/22- Conferring PD with Kelle Martin (for folks who signed up) @ 3:15

10/23- Rikki Brown @ PVES for Open Enrollment (Teacher's Workroom)

10/23- Last "Stop the Bleed" training (see Nurse Cynthia for details) 

10/24- No Sub Nurse for Thriving Thursday

10/24- Robotics Club @ 2:45

10/24- Grades due before you leave 

10/24- Skate Night- Halloween costumes (no masks or weapons) from 6:00-8:00

10/25- ALiCE drill

10/25- Pride Stride pledges and money due 

10/25- Verifications printed and due back before you leave 

Video of the Week: Say Thank You- Importance of Gratitude 

Worth

Lately, we have spent a good bit of time celebrating our #2 ranking in the state of South Carolina based on our school report card. Last Thursday, we were even notified that we qualified for Palmetto Gold recognition based on our test scores. While it is important to celebrate such achievements, I think we also need to be careful to not let such recognition define us entirely. Of course, in this thought, I am asking us to consider our collective worth. Worth is defined as the level at which something or someone deserves to be valued or rated. I am asking you to pause and consider your worth as related to your work at Powdersville Elementary School. And while you are at it, reflect upon the worth of the students for whom you are responsible. In order for us to reach our ultimate goal of high levels of learning for all students, we must remind ourselves constantly that we as educators are worth so much more than a rating could ever capture. Excellent doesn't begin to describe what we do and who are. Today, remember that you, our students and our school are worth so much more than the sum of all these awards and recognition.

Another successful week in the books at PVES...

4th grade teachers enjoyed learning in their professional development with Lindsay Reyes. It has been interesting to hear the feedback from 3rd and 4th grade teachers who have attended these events. We will make some time on October 14th to discuss our learning. Regardless, the hours of preparation for hosting such an event are certainly worth the struggle when we see our teachers engaged, learning and growing during professional development. 

The safety and well being of all the precious lives in our building are worth it. I was proud that our faculty and staff remained engaged in learning about emergency procedures including "Stop the Bleed" and ALiCE training. Don't forget to complete your ALiCE worksheet for your classroom, review the staff training presentation, and begin the conversation and training you will need to have with your students. 

We love to make learning fun and enjoyable for our students at PVES. But don't we, as adults, enjoy it also when the learning is a little more fun? 4th grade teachers became multiplication ninjas this week and reminded us all that going that extra mile is worth it for our students!

OLWEUS Class Meetings:

Home room teachers will hold OLWEUS class meetings on Monday, October 7th. The focus for this meeting is lesson #5. This lesson introduces Rule #4: "If we know that someone is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home." As always, there are plenty of resources in our shared folder and we ask that teachers continue to share and add items in this folder. Let's make this a valuable time to positively impact our classroom and school climate. 

Data Meetings:

While we have shared most data with everyone, we do want to finalize a few conversations and discuss MAP data from the Fall administration as well. Please see the schedule below. 

• 10/7: 8:50-9:20 A.M. - Melton's Room (313)
• 10/7: 9:40-10:10 A.M. - Michael's Room (310)
• 10/7: 10:25-10:55 A.M. - Barnett's Room (107)
• 10/8: 11:10-11:40 A.M. - Henderson's Room (203)
• 10/8: 1:00-1:30 P.M. - Odom's Room (305)
• 10/8: 1:50-2:20 P.M. - William's Room (303)

Live PD on Wednesday:

Live PD is scheduled for "new to PVES" teachers on Wednesday, October 9th after school. Please refer to our Live PD agenda for additional information. 

Tech PD with Thomas:

We are excited that Thomas McAuliff will be with us on Friday, October 11th to further our planning for E-Learning days. Last month, Thomas talked to us about the structure of E-Learning days. On Friday, we want grade level planning teams to start to work on actual lessons/assignments for the learning menu students will use at home in the event of inclement weather. Next week, on October 16th, we will have a mock E-Learning experience at school to basically train and walk students through the process. We will meet in the same classrooms at outlined above for data meetings. 

Homecoming Parade:

On Friday, October 11th (Weather permitting), our students will have an opportunity to watch the PVHS homecoming parade. Around 1:40-1:45 P.M., Mrs. Tollison will begin calling classes to the back of the school where the bus access road cuts between our school and the football field. Our students will sit/stand on the sidewalk on our side of the road. The middle school should remain on the other side of the road. If you have a walkie, please bring one outside with you to the parade. When the parade is over or it is time to go in, Mrs. Tollison will begin signaling to classroom teachers to bring students inside for dismissal. Make sure students have packed up prior to leaving the classroom for the parade. It is important that our students stay together and with the classroom teachers at all times. Non-homeroom teachers, we need your help as well so please plan to help supervise and direct traffic as needed. I love the fact that our students can celebrate with our other campuses and experience true school community! 

Monday, October 14th Plan:

Monday, October 14th is a professional development day in ASD1. We will have teachers from other schools on our campus and will work around those sessions taking place in the MP Room and Media Center). However, we do have a plan of action. See below:

• Arrival for All Staff - 8:30 A.M.
• 3rd - 5th Grades: Using Data Effectively in Collaborative Team Meetings (PLCs) - 8:30-10:00 A.M.
• 3rd & 4th Grades: Lindsay Reyes Feedback and Discussion - 10:00-10:30 A.M.
• Remainder of the day to work collaboratively and in classrooms

***For the data discussion, we are asking that all grade levels be prepared to bring a CFA to this session. It can be as basic as an exit ticket or somewhat more involved. The point is that we want you have to have something on hand that provides real data to be used in a real data conversation. 

We will send out more information prior to Monday. 

Moore's Musings:

• How are you using Pride Time? Do you have a specific and targeted plan of action that details how you will spend this sacred time of intervention? Please reach out to us if we can assist you in planning this time to be most effective for your students. 
• The Pride Stride fun run is Friday, October 18th. That means we need to work hard to reach our goal of $30,000 raised. Thank you for getting the word out to parents via SeeSaw and email. Mrs. Tollison and I will be "beanboozled" on Monday and will share that video ASAP. We are very close to raising $15,000 which means Mrs. Tollison and Mr. Moore will have to dress/talk like a pirate for a day. Thanks for your enthusiasm! 
• Thanks for being on time for morning and afternoon duty. In the morning, don't forget our homework table is a great place for students to student and receive assistance on homework. Encourage your students to visit the homework table! In the afternoon, please ensure that all walkies are taken to the front office and plugged in on the desk in the office work room so they can be used with a full battery the next day. 

Mark Your Calendars (MYC):

• Data Meetings During Planning - 10/7 & 10/8
• Math Committee Meeting - 10/9 at 3:00 P.M.
• Live PD - 10/9 at 3:10 P.M.
• Spirit Night at Pizza House of Powdersville - 10/10
• Tech PD with Thomas During Planning - 10/11
• PVHS Homecoming Parade - 10/11

Video of the Week:

"If you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth!"