Refreshed and Refocused

I hope you and your family enjoyed the break and found opportunities to rest. It is so important that we each find time to refresh ourselves and refocus on our purpose, the all-important "why" behind what we do. We are entering into a crucial phase of our job as educators. A time to "focus again" on the goal we set at the beginning of the year. It is the time of the school year to push forward to our goal of ensuring all students learn at high levels. Make the most of this first week back. Take some time to refocus your class, review expectations, and remind them of the goals you have set for each one of them as learners. Embrace the challenge set before you this week as we welcome one another and our students back. 

A glimpse into the amazing things happening at PVES...

Our strings students performed before Christmas break. It is always so impressive to see how far these students come, in such a short time of being introduced to these instruments. We are so proud of them and their hard work! Mr. Velasco is amazing and we are blessed to have him investing so much of his talents into our students in order to create a love for music. 

Speaking of love for music, Mrs. Fitch conducted three different performances before Christmas break. Our fourth and fifth grade chorus performed at the high school and are pictured above. We also enjoyed hearing them perform for our students and staff before the break. It was a blast to be a part of the third grade musical this year. Our third graders worked so hard and did an amazing job on the big stage. 

Our Powdersville Pride Postal Service has started. Students were trained by Ms. Fowler and mail has already been delivered to classrooms. Thank you to everyone for helping get this fantastic program up and going again. We look forward to hearing all the wonderful ways you are incorporating it into your classrooms. 

Powdersville High School sent some of their band members to play Christmas carols for our students on the last day before the break. It was very fun for our students and staff members to hear such joyful music as they entered the school. What a wonderful way to celebrate the community we get to be a part of in Powdersville!

Ms. Ceballos and Mrs. Heath finished up their Lucy Calkin's second writing unit with a fun celebration. Students enjoyed sharing their books with one another by the fire with hot chocolate and cookies. 

Third grade students celebrated the end of their nonfiction reading unit with a little nonfiction text feature surgery. We are so proud of our little surgeons and their teachers. 

Fourth graders participated in Multiplication and Division Ninja Warrior challenges. Students had to complete problems and check in with the teacher for an obstacle challenge. It is amazing to see our teachers focused on making learning fun and engaging for our students. 

Let's keep these incredible things happening as we jump into the weeks to come. PVES is a special place with people who are focused on excellence and ensuring that all students learn at high levels and have fun doing it! 

Construction Begins: The construction company has already set up fencing for the upcoming construction projects around our campus. The back parking lot will be an issue. We now have about 14 spaces left in the back. We need to leave room for buses to get through so no one should park along the curb. Depending on when you usually arrive at work, you will want to park in the overflow parking lot at the front of the building as we expect the few spots in the back to fill up quickly. Another issue will be our recess space. We will need to move to a scheduled rotation for the playground space and blacktop area. This will involve classes being on an A/B schedule each week. Please see the added column to our recess schedule for more information. When we start on Jan. 6th we will be on "A week" for the rotation. 

Wednesday All-Staff Meeting: We will have an all-staff meeting on Wednesday in the Media Center at 3:15. Your attendance is important as we discuss upcoming construction and the impact on our school moving forward. You do not need to bring materials or technology. 

Talent Show: Our annual talent show will be on January 30th from 6-8pm. Auditions will be taking place this week (3rd grade on Tuesday, 4th grade on Wednesday, 5th grade on Thursday) in the music room. Mrs. Fitch will be sending out more information and some ways you can help out in the coming weeks. Don't forget talented teachers are needed for our opening number! 

End of the Nine Weeks Timeline: The end of the nine weeks is on January 14th. Grades are due January 15th before you leave for the day. Verifications will be printed on January 16th and are due back on January 17th before leaving. Report cards will be printed on January 21st and sent home on January 23rd. Remember to request the white copy to be signed and returned back to school. Conduct comments should be included under the homeroom section for all homeroom teachers. 

Tollison's Tidings: 

• Please take the time to review and share our January "In the Know" newsletter that can be found HERE.
• Remember we are using SmartFind Express for our absences. We set up this contact on your phone during a staff meeting. If you need to put in an absence you can do this by phone or using this website: https://andersonsd1.eschoolsolutions.com/logOnInitAction.do. You must use this exact website as it is assigned to Anderson One. Your ID is your four-digit employee ID number. Your password is a six-digit number you created (most likely a date). Please be sure to email requests for absences prior to putting them in the system. Last minute absences need to be put into the system as soon as possible. This will be especially important as we approach the flu and cold season. 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• No Good News Club 1/7
• Progress Report Folders 1/8
• PVES Spirit Day 1/10- Wear House Attire
• RTI Team Meeting 1/13
• End of the Second Nine Weeks 1/14
• House Points Due 1/14 at 3:30
• House Celebrations 1/15
• Fourth Grade LAUNCH Field Trip to GA 1/16
• PD Day at PVES 1/17 (More information to come)  
• MLK Day- No School 1/20/19