What's In a Name

I came across this powerful quote a few weeks ago and filed it away for the blog. These words hit me like a ton or bricks and caused me to truly reflect. I hope they have the same impact on you. Our school has worked hard to establish a culture of excellence. In short, our school has a great name. We pride ourselves on building positive relationships through consistent communication. We boast about test scores and report card ratings made possible by outside the box thinking bolstered by high expectations for all. I would challenge you to put all that to the side for a moment. When your name is mentioned years from now, what words and phrases will be associated alongside your name? If you are a relationship builder, but you don't stretch students to learn content and perform academically, what will be said? Conversely, if you are an expert in classroom management or content knowledge, but you struggle to build those positive relationships, what will be said? When we feel tired, overworked, and overwhelmed, look past this temporary gloom and consider your larger purpose. You are establishing your name right now. You are improving. You are changing the world one student at a time. Your name is forever linked to our name: Powdersville Elementary School. Embrace the challenges, smile, and know that our best is truly yet to come.

We continue to build our name and reputation through hard work and a determined approach to improve as educators. Whether you have taught for years or you are in year one, never lose the desire to learn; just as we hope for our students!

We honored some special students during our Pride Practice ceremonies last week. Again, we care so much about the academic portion of our school day, and rightly so. However, let's not forget that we are developing the next generation of doctors, lawyers, home makers, and politicians. They will represent us and our name throughout their lives. Don't we want these young people to have purpose, respect, innovation, and determination as they pursue excellence? 

Monday Class Meetings:
A quick reminder that we use Monday mornings during PRIDE Time to hold our OLWEUS class meetings. Many of you have been great to email and share out lesson ideas. Our OLWEUS committee has been tasked with creating a lesson for next week to help kick start Black History Month. This is a great opportunity each week to set a positive tone for the week.

Class Pictures:
Class pictures will be taken in the morning on Tuesday, January 28th. We will call your class to line up and come to the media center. Please use the door opposite the front office  to enter the library. This should be a quick and easy process.

Live PD:
We do have Live PD scheduled for after school on Wednesday, January 29th. You have already signed up for this second session. These sessions will take place in the same location as last week. Presenters will begin at 3:15 P.M. and finish around 4:00 P.M. We are thankful that our very own teachers are willing to lead these sessions.

Talent Show:
The Talent Show is this week! Dress Rehearsal will be Tuesday afternoon from 3:30-5:30 P.M. The actual event is scheduled for Thursday evening from 6:00-8:00 P.M.at the Powdersville High School auditorium.This is always such a well-attended event. Mrs. Fitch is still in need of help to make this event a success so please check with her on Monday. Our teacher performance is sure to be a hit and always sets the tone for the evening. Thanks to everyone for being a part of our Talent Show and supporting our students.

House Meetings:
We will have House meetings on Monday, February 3rd in the afternoon at 1:50 P.M. Isibindi will meet in the courtyard area due to construction. We have not met in a while so please bring the enthusiasm and make sure our students leave excited about learning at PVES! We want to challenge each House to develop their own handshake/high five and present this to students on Friday. Additionally, Mr. Moore and Mrs. Tollison will be coming around to each House to receive a pie in the face from some homeroom teachers as a part of our fundraiser.

Moore's Musings:
Remember that home room teachers now meet on Wednesday afternoons for common planning. This is a great time to share lesson information, make adjustments and discuss any other grade level-related information. PLC Time is spent discussing and providing clarity related to essential standards, creating and preparing common formative assessments, deep diving into data and making plans for intervention and enrichment based on this data. You should walk out with clarity and a plan of action to ensure learning for all students. 4th grade shared students last week based on CFA data and had some positive results. Great job!

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• OLWEUS Class Meetings - 1/27
• RTI Team Meeting - 1/27 at 2:35 P.M.
• Class Pictures - 1/28 in Media Center 
• Anderson Baby Shower - 1/28 at 3:15 P.M. in Media Center
• Talent Show Rehearsal - 1/28 from 3:30-5:30 P.M.
• 3rd Grade Revolutionary War Day - 1/29 
• Common Planning - 1/29 from 2:25-3:15 P.M.
• Live PD - 1/29 from 3:15-4:00 P.M. 
• Robotics Club - 1/30 at 3:15 P.M. in STEM Lab 
• PVES Talent Show - 1/30 from 6:00-8:00 P.M. at PVHS Auditorium 
• School Improvement Council Meeting - 1/31 at 7:20 A.M. in Media Center 
• House Meetings - 2/3 at 1:50 P.M.

Video of the Week: What's In a Name?