School United

Our House theme is "Houses Divided, School UNITED" and we enjoyed a wonderful week which culminated in our House sorting ceremonies. Let's explore the term united for a moment. According to dictionary.com, united means joined together for a common purpose and/or joined by common feelings. In a world that becomes more divisive by the second, I implore all of us to remain united for the sake of our culture and, most importantly, our students. There exists plenty of political, social, and otherwise worldly pitfalls aimed at distracting us and even dividing us. Let us remember that we must remain steadfast and laser-focused on building positive relationships with our school community and to do whatever it takes for all students to learn at high levels. Through teamwork and effective collaboration, we will thrive while others survive. While others allow themselves to be divided, we will remain steadfast in our vision to become that much more united for the cause. This is #pvespride. 

We work hard and we go home tired, but we continue to do whatever it takes...

Even through the rain brought to us by a tropical depression, our "do whatever it takes" mentality is adopted by all in our PVES family. A stalled car in the morning drop-off line was no match for Coach Whitham and custodian Russell Hanks. When we remain united in the most difficult of circumstances, everyone gets to see the power of our culture. 

In order for all of our students to experience success, it takes all of us doing our jobs at a high level to truly make the magic happen. Mrs. Freeman takes a group of students on a sensory walk each morning. These students need and rely upon these moments. When classroom teacher and resource teacher are united by the common belief that struggling learners deserve every opportunity to be successful, we see growth and surpass expectations. 

We have been told "no" a lot this year due to COVID restrictions and protocol. However, I am so impressed with how often our staff simply finds a way to make learning fun and engaging for our learners. We don't settle at PVES. Students using twizzlers in math? Yes! A place value song set to the tune of The Adams Family? Of course! We must remain united in our belief that we can overcome these obstacles and provide those much needed learning opportunities for our students. 

House sorting ceremonies were so much fun to observe on Friday. Thanks to everyone for bringing the enthusiasm and getting our students excited. Leo the Lion made an appearance in several classrooms. We are now selling House t-shirts and masks. Please send any order forms and money to the PTSO box as you receive them. We are also now ready to begin rewarding House points for positive behaviors that display any of our Pride Practices. We are using Class Dojo once again to keep up with the points. Mrs. Tollison will add any new staff to Class Dojo so all staff and reward points. Good luck to all Houses!

MAP/Data Meetings:

First of all, thanks to Tammy Lee for making our PD Room a much more pleasant place to meet. She worked very hard to make it look nice for all of us! Mrs. Tollison, Mrs. Martin, and I enjoyed meeting with home room teachers in regard to MAP data and expectations for the 20-21 school year. Please refer to our agenda with helpful links and information. Don't forget to provide information in the notes section of the student data sheets as to your specific plan for making sure you "see" each student and provide one-on-one or small group instruction for them. We will continue to pinpoint specific areas  of strength and weakness and collaborate to create a plan of action for all students to learn at high levels throughout the year. Please contact Mrs. Tollison, Mrs. Martin, or Mr. Moore and let us know how we can assist you!

PLC Feedback:

We completed another week's worth of collaborative team time and would like to provide some feedback for all of our teams. While the facilitator helps guide our time, it is the responsibility of all to ensure this time is used effectively and efficiently. I look forward to seeing our growth in these areas. Please read through our thoughts after week two of collaborative meetings:

• All major content areas, specifically Reading, Writing and Math, should be represented during collaborative team time. 
• Your time should be spent wisely and always focused on one of the four main questions of a PLC. Please review these and know them like the back of your hand. 
• There should be very little, if any time, left over at the end of your session. As we start collecting additional data and get into heavier content, this should not be an issue. 
• Specifically, what should you be doing during this time? 
• Reviewing essential standards for upcoming units to determine if any changes need to be made and to ensure understanding of the "end in mind" for all teachers. 
• Ensuring these essentials are written as "I can" statements in such a way that parents and students understand.
• Creating and discussing Common Formative Assessments that will be used in the future. All teachers, not just those responsible for planning that particular content, should be involved in this. If rubrics ae involved, make sure everyone has said rubric and has gone over it carefully.
• Review data from Common Formative Assessments. This means actually having data to bring to meetings. We often fall into the trap of thinking we need to bring a big test or quiz. However, you could bring a quick "exit ticket", samples of student writing, and other informal means of assessment to discuss. These are often more important and meaningful to us as educators. 
• Develop a plan of action, based on data discussion and best practices, for students who have not yet mastered the material and those who already have (remediation and enrichment). Walk out with a plan. 

Evaluations/SLO:

October 1st is the recommended date for SLO/GBE information to be placed in SCLead.org. Mrs. Tollison and I will be sending out some final suggestions/information early this week. Please view this video for assistance with typing your SLO/GBE in SCLead.org. We do expect to move 100%  SCLead this year; meaning you will not turn in a hard copy of anything. Home room teachers, we discussed using Reflex data and focusing on fact fluency. Non-homeroom teachers should be thinking about an area of focus for a semester and how they can positively impact student performance in this area. Goals-Based teachers, we are waiting to hear from Mrs. Brady as to whether or not we can also do just a semester GBE or if it has to be the full year. We will touch base with all GBE staff this week with more details. I will email documents to you for you to use as rough drafts. 

Fund Friday:

This Friday, September 25th is our first Fund Friday of the year. Students can wear a hat if they bring $1.00 to donate to PTSO. You do not need to count of receipt any of this money. With such a challenging budget year, we built in one Fund Friday a month to help with PTSO expenses this year. We will be releasing a special "In the Know" newsletter this week with all sorts of PTSO-related information so please take time to read this. 

Moore's Musings:

It has been wonderful seeing our PVES Pals program in action already. Thanks to those Pals who have already blessed a colleague at school. Please see Jessica Thomas if you have any questions or concerns regarding this program. 

As a reminder, please remember that home room teachers should be in the classroom by 7:30 AM. If we have a sub, we may need those teachers around that classroom to help "cover" until the sub arrives. 

Please continue to keep up the GREAT work during dismissal. This process has improved tremendously thanks to all involved!

Finally, please continue to take social distancing and mask wearing seriously. Expect the same from your students. Our goal is to make it face-to-face all year!

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• Tropical Smoothie Cafe PVES Spirit Night - 9/23
• Fund Friday/Hat Day - 9/25
• PTSO Teacher Snack Cart - 9/25
• Weekly Folders - 9/30
• Virtual Live PD - 9/30
• Wendy's PVES Spirit Night - 10/1
• SLO/GBE Due Date in SCLead - 10/1
• Fall Fundraiser Kickoff - 10/2
• PVES Spirit Day (Wear Your House Colors) - 10/2
• School Custodian Appreciation Day - 10/2

Video of the Week: United We Stand (funny)