Reflection

And then there was but one. One final blog to put a bow on the 2016-2017 school year. No, we are not       done with all that must be accomplished, but we are within sight of our goal to successfully complete the         year. This blog offers you the opportunity to pause for a moment and reflect. Reflection is defined as a           thought occurring in consideration or meditation or a careful consideration. As exciting and busy         as the end of the school year can be, I find it necessary to reflect. How else would we be able to celebrate our many successes but also carefully consider what needs to change or improve? How would the ability to grow be initiated? The quote above captures this opportunity the best. Reflection takes place only when you allow yourself to pause and do so. Slow down, take a deep breath and reflect. Be honest with yourself and develop some goals for yourself, both personally and professionally, for next school year. Be willing to confront both the positive and the negative. Look in the proverbial mirror and think about what the reflection you see says about you. 

Reflect Now:

In our final faculty meeting, we shared two links that provided opportunities to reflect. Please complete the forms linked below and you can wear blue jeans on Friday and next Monday! Make sure you also review the slides from our final faculty meeting concerning report cards, awards days, field day and more! You can also find a great deal of information on our shared school calendar.

Wrapping Up 2016-2017 Reflection
2016-2017 School Report Card Information


SLO Final Meetings:
Don't forget to sign up for a time via our shared calendar to meet with Mrs. Tollison and me for your final SLO meeting. We will calculate your score for your evaluation and sign the paperwork to finish up the SLO process for this year. Make sure you can log into Enrich to access your scores. Please let us know if you have any questions.


iPad Collection:
As you know, iPads and accessories are technically due on Friday this week. This means students will not take iPads home beginning on Friday. Also beginning on Friday, please begin the process of accounting for all iPads and their accessories. Notify parents of any missing pieces that will need to be located and turned in or paid for. The team will be here on Friday, May 26th in the morning to come to your classroom and pick up your bins. iPads should be stored in the manila envelopes. Check out the shared folder with everything you will need to make this process a successful one. If you still have students that owe an item by collection day, don't forget that you will need to fill out the google form as a means to complete your responsibilities with collection.


Supervision Expectations:
I am quite sure many of you are sick of my pleas for constant supervision and "sticking to the process" for these last few weeks of school. Please keep in mind that you are expected to adhere to your recess times and monitor students in all areas carefully while outside. If football, soccer, etc. become an issue, it may be necessary to cancel those activities for a few days. While difficult for some, most of our students actually enjoy structure and routine. Thanks for your help with this.

A few final moments to share via the blog...

It begins and ends with our students. As I reflect on the school year I truly am amazed at the growth our students experience both academically and socially/emotionally. This 4th grader made 3 sensory boards for our special education classrooms. 

Our 5th grade students enjoyed their opportunity to watch Senior Signing Day and Parade at PVHS last week. Our students could envision walking across that stage. I believe it planted a valuable seed for success for them. I was able to reflect on the important responsibility we have in laying the groundwork for future success!

Our induction teachers celebrated their completion of the induction program through ASD1 this week. Take a look at that room full of induction teachers and their mentors. As you reflect, do you remember being in their shoes? How have you grown and improved since then? 

We were reminded by Mrs. Redmon that May is Better Hearing & Speech Month. Of course, she helps us celebrate with candy and some good information to read in our teacher boxes. As we reflect, isn't it great to have such support?

Mrs. Heath (Lockaby for those of you like me who look around the room confused when someone says Heath) took her students outside for some gardening and math. Students measured perimeter and area of garden boxes. Reflecting on this year, how did you break the 4 walls of your classroom down to provide real world learning experiences for your students? Through PBL, we look forward to stepping that up next year! 

You can be a true master of the content, but if you can't connect with students then you will not be successful in the classroom. As I reflect, I remain eternally grateful for our wonderful teachers who invest so much in our students. How will you continue to do so next year?

My summer reading, a small portion of it, came in the mail this weekend. I challenge you to reflect on where you need to grow and do some personal professional development of your own this summer! 

Don't forget that Mrs. Tollison works off and on through June before getting a few well-deserved weeks off in July. I will take a week's vacation but remain in the building through the summer Monday-Thursday (7:30AM-5:00PM). I love the summer because it means a quiet building and an opportunity to reflect on how I can help lead our school to greater heights. Of course, there are those textbooks to be dealt with. 

And that's a wrap. It's all about the students at PVES. It's all about continuous growth and getting better; both individually and as a cohesive unit. Don't forget to review our goals for the 2017-2018 school year and be prepared to do all you can to make us better! 

Moore's Musings:

I could type a book here as I reflect on the year. However, I know I must be brief. Let me again thank Mrs. Rita Evans and Mrs. Michelle Young for their hard work through the years to make PVES a special place to work and learn. We wish you both the very best in retirement. We look forward to celebrating with you at Brick Street Cafe on June 6th. Let's make sure we take the time to personally thank them and appreciate our time with them these last few weeks. 

Mark Your Calendar:

As always, please look over the shared calendar. Let us know if you have questions or need to add anything. 

In an effort to provide some white space for quiet reflection, there is no video of the week. I'll just leave you with the quote below...

Finish

To finish means to bring something to an end or a completion. I like an alternate definition, however. Finishing can also mean to use completely. We are at that point in the year where we can talk about finishing the school year. It's one thing to complete something; anything. It's a different ballgame entirely when we can finish strong. We must consider our effort and attitude into this equation. I know we are all tired and stressed. The weight and pressure of end-of-year tasks and standardized testing is felt by all. Let us pause now to consider the alternate meaning of finish mentioned above. Shouldn't we take it upon ourselves to use this school year completely up? Make the most of every opportunity we have to impart care and knowledge upon our special PVES students. Your homework after reading this blog is to simply ask yourself, "How will I finish this school year?" 

Testing Update:

First of all, thank you to Mrs. Lee for making this very stressful time very productive and organized. Teachers, you have done a phenomenal job making testing smooth and successful. Think about this. We have completed 43 whole group sessions already and countless more small group and individual sessions. We have now reached a portion of our testing schedule where we will have students testing in the afternoons. Keep in mind this means a more crowded than usual cafeteria around 10:55 A.M. Also, this means hallways will need to remain quiet (as is expected regardless of when testing occurs). If you are testing during a morning session, Mrs. Lee will combine labs with students who are still testing when feasible. Thanks for your patience. You can refer to the testing calendar if needed. 

Senior Signing Day and Parade:

5th graders were invited to PVHS this Friday to witness senior signing day and parade from 9:30-11:00 A.M. I have emailed instructions to those impacted so please take time to read carefully. This is a great opportunity for our 5th graders to watch (and be motivated by) our seniors announcing publicly their plans after graduation. I love events like this and our homecoming parade as they create a community feel among all of our campuses. 

Dollars for Dough:

Pizza anyone? Please consider participating in our #PVES Papa Johns "Dollars for Dough" program scheduled for 5/15 and 5/16. Buy pizza from any Papa Johns location during those two days and send your receipt to school. Our PTSO will receive a portion of the funds. Feel free to share with parents and students through email blasts. 

Faculty Meeting:

Thanks to our grade levels for your time and attention during our grade level meetings this week. We received invaluable feedback from you, and I am excited about some changes/improvements for next year. Our final faculty meeting of the year will be held on Tuesday, May 16th in the PD Room at 3:10 P.M. We will discuss end-of-year checklists, SLO sign-ups, teacher warehouse orders, awards days, iPad collection and more. Please plan to attend. 

Miscellaneous: 

Our Aladdin Kids performance is next week on Thursday, May 18th at 6:30 P.M. in the PVHS auditorium. Tickets are $5.00. Please encourage your parents and students to come and support our PVES students who are participating and Mrs. Turner. They have worked hard to make this production a success! Additionally, Friday, May 19th is the day all library books and iPads are due to be turned in. Get this information out to parents ASAP. 

Let's take a look around PVES...

Ms. Marino's class visited the Georgia Aquarium recently and had a blast. They even remembered to show their appreciation for our special education department at the DO with a thank you sign. I'd say this is a great way to finish out the year! 

We finished Teacher Appreciation Week with breakfast for teachers and a great video on last week's blog for our teachers (thanks, Mrs. Tollison). We were also pleased to announce our end-of-year luncheon and retirement celebration on June 6th at Brick Street Cafe! 

4th grade students received a visit from Clemson basketball players prior to testing. These players encouraged them to do their best and finish strong! 

It's been great to listen to our teachers read The Lemonade War in the MP Room each morning. We have hundreds of students who look forward to finishing the book soon! One School, One Book is a wonderful literacy initiative. 

You never know what you might be called on to do before the finish of each day. Mrs. Tollison is pictured above assisting our nurse with a minor issue that may have involved some blood. This is what makes our school so wonderful ... anyone is willing to step in and get the job done! 

As we work hard to finish the school year, I really try to make the most of my time with our students before they leave for the summer. In the top picture, a students shows me a game that he has created by computer coding. We really need to find more opportunities for our students in this area! In the bottom picture, I present a letter from a soldier in Afghanistan and a flag flown on a chopper during battle to one of our students who took  time to write the soldiers last year. How cool?

Mrs. Nix stopped by this week and brought some additional precious cargo with her. As we finish this school year, it is wonderful to reflect on the little ones that made their arrivals and joined our PVES family this school year! 

Moore's Musings:

Several parents have bragged on our afternoon dismissal process lately. One mom, who lived in Florida  for a while, called it the best dismissal process she has ever seen at a school. I'm not so sure about that, but I do want to thank you all for making duty successful. Our job is to be vigilant and safely get our students home each and every day. If you are reading this carefully, then you will be pleased to know that next Monday and Tuesday are blue jean days! 

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

I have added several events to our shared calendar. As always, please visit this often so you are up-to-date. Let us know if we need to add anything. 

Video of the Week:

Thank You Teachers

We are blessed at PVES with the best teachers! This week we wanted to take a moment as a school to celebrate you, teachers, for all you do for our students and school. You go the extra mile to make sure our students feel loved, learn, and grow. It is because of your dedication and passion that our students succeed. Thank you for the investment you have made in the lives of each student. 

Saying Thank You

Teachers we have a breakfast planned for you on this Friday morning including Bojangles biscuits, fruit, coffee, and juice. Please be sure to stop by the workroom to get yours. We are also in the process of making special plans with PTSO for a very tasty treat at the end of the year as a way to show appreciation. More details to come! 

Foundations Reading Course

The LAST assignment for the Foundations of Reading Course is an article on conferring with readers. Mrs. Martin put a copy of the article in your box. You can also click here for the article. Please read the article and respond in Edmodo. Remember our Edmodo group is called "Powdersville Elementary Foundations of Reading". The assignment will be posted at the top of the page. Click the "Turn In" button and type your response to the 2 questions. The assignment will need to be turned in by next Friday, May 12th. All assignments for the course need to be completed by Friday, May 26th. If you are missing an assignment, then Mrs. Martin will let you know. Remember that you must complete all assignments to get credit for the course.

Report Card Schedule

Here is the schedule for fourth nine weeks report cards. 

Tuesday, May 30th - Grades due by 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 31st - Verification reports will be printed.  Any changes needed must be complete before June 1st, 8:00 a.m.

Thursday, June 1st - Grades will be "STORED" at 8:00 a.m.

Friday, June 2nd - Report cards will be distributed to homeroom teachers for completion.

Tuesday, June 6th - Report cards can be picked up or sent home with students.   

Testing Reminders

Third graders will have completed testing after Thursday. Thank you third grade teachers for your diligence to make these two weeks a success. We will begin with fourth grade on Friday. Please continue to keep in mind the following:

• Arrive to your testing session on time and prepared. Someone will meet you in the lab to assist with getting the test started.
• Be an active monitor. Walk around and take notice of anything out of the ordinary or potential issues with testing or test security. Notify Mrs Lee or school admin if something concerns you. 
• Don't forget that your folder with testing tickets, rough drafts, seating chart, etc. is secure material that should never be left unattended. 
• Thanks to Mrs. Lee and our related arts teachers for covering the hallway for us and providing a break for our teachers during testing. They are there to assist you. 
• We are doing our best to keep scratch paper, sharpened pencils, and peppermints in each lab. 

ESL Accommodations Reminders

Melissa Thomas will be placing accommodation sheets for each of your current ESOL students in your boxes (homeroom teachers). Mrs. Thomas has marked current accommodations, if any. Please highlight any accommodations you feel are needed next year, sign each page, and return it to Melissa Thomas' box. If you team teach, please be sure to discuss this before returning it. Thank you Mrs. Thomas for a wonderful job this year! 

Congratulations! 

Nurse Jamie Vance was voted Support Staff Employee of the Year. Congratulations Jamie! We are thankful for how you care for our students and support our staff at PVES! 

Great things happening at PVES...

  

Fourth grade meets to plan for next year and prepare their supply list for students. Remember supply lists are due Friday. Thank you for taking the time to meet and discuss! 

PVES was well represented at the Drive Reading All Star Game. Thank you to teachers for pumping this up with students. We will still be spending time on the roof as promised! 

Mrs. Booth and Mrs. Ellison spent some time this week in training for our new online registration. Students registering for the 2017-2018 will do so online. Thank you ladies! 

The Book Fair will be here from now until Tuesday, May 9th. Ms. Fowler does an excellent job with this and students enjoy visiting. 

 Our strings students did an excellent job at the strings concert this week. There was a huge crowd! We are so proud of these students for their hard work this year. Thank you Mr. Velasco for working hard with our students. 

Tollison's Tidings

• Student Service Council members will be assisting teachers tomorrow as a way to show appreciation. Homeroom representatives will report to their classroom and assist teachers until 3:15.  
• Teachers received a leave early pass and jean pass in your boxes. You are also free to leave early on Friday of this week once your duties have been fulfilled for the day. Thank you for all you do! 

Mark Your Calendar

Please make sure you are reviewing our shared school calendar for important upcoming events. 

Video of the Week:

This week's video comes straight from our own PVES students.  We love our teachers and want to say thank you for all you do! 

See You At Work

Work can best be defined as exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something. I think this definition helps spotlight the point I hope to get across in this blog. Simply put, we have worked so hard all year to get to this point. Don't stop now. Working hard these last few weeks will make a huge difference in our pursuit for excellence. Sure, there are a variety of legitimate excuses for taking our collective foot off the pedal. We are tired. Worn out even. That alone is reason enough. I believe our building is full of teachers who love what they do and love with whom they work. I believe teaching is a passion and a true calling. Let us be motivated daily by the faces of the children who enter our classrooms each morning. Let's give them our best and change the future for the better. The only way to realize this vision is to push forward and work hard. There's only one thing to do. See you at work. 

Testing Reminders:
Third grade teachers have gotten us off to a fabulous start during this first official week of testing. Please continue to keep in mind the following:

• Arrive to your testing session on time and prepared. Someone will meet you in the lab to assist with getting the test started.
• Be an active monitor. Walk around and take notice of anything out of the ordinary or potential issues with testing or test security. Notify Mrs Lee or school admin if something concerns you. 
• Don't forget that your folder with testing tickets, rough drafts, seating chart, etc. is secure material that should never be left unattended. 
• Thanks to Mrs. Lee and our related arts teachers for covering the hallway for us and providing a break for our teachers during testing. They are there to assist you. 
• We are doing our best to keep scratch paper, sharpened pencils, and peppermints in each lab. 

Greenville Drive Reading All Stars Game:

As you have heard by now, the Reading All Stars game was moved to Tuesday, May 2nd at Fluor Field. Please communicate the following to your parents, via email/text message, of students who participated:

Attention parents whose children participated in the Greenville Drive Reading All-Stars program! The game has been rescheduled to Tuesday, May 2^nd with festivities beginning at 6 pm. If you purchased tickets to the April 23^rd game you MUST exchange your tickets by visiting or calling the Drive Box Office at 864-240-4528. Students who still have a voucher can also redeem it by visiting or calling the Drive Box Office. We look forward to seeing you at the game on May 2^nd!

One School, One Book Reveal:
This Friday, April 28th we will reveal the book we will be reading as part of our One School, One Book initiative. We are asking that teachers wear yellow on Friday as part of the reveal. Mrs. Martin will deliver books to classrooms on Friday as well. You are certainly free to wear blue jeans on Friday as well!

Speaking of work, Mrs. Hughes and our SSC have worked hard this year. Here they are cleaning up trash outside. The SSC is a great opportunity for our students to work hard to serve others. Thanks to Mrs. Hughes for leading these students.

Our 5th graders who served as tour guides worked hard last week to welcome our second grade friends from Concrete. I was impressed with our soon-to-be third graders!

Through the environmental grant, the courtyard area of our school has been transformed and offers an opportunity for a different kind of "work" for our students. We caught a glimpse of students weeding various areas outside and found Mr. White working with a student from Ms. Marino's class in the greenhouse. Awesome!

If we expect our students to work hard during testing and show what they know, a little encouragement certainly doesn't hurt. Check out what Mrs. Kallin prepared for her students in the way or motivation and encouragement before testing!

Moore's Musings:
Testing certainly has impacted our schedule, though I feel we have all done a great job of maintaining a "normal" schedule as much as humanly possible. Please remember that we must monitor our students at all times; including recess, restroom breaks, dismissal, etc. Let's prevent possible issues by being proactive. Additionally, please keep in mind what we discussed in our last faculty meeting. Have meaningful learning planned for your students throughout these final days. Whether it be PBL, reviewing for a test, or frontloading for next year...make sure your students are working hard and engaged. Growth and improvement are still possible as long as we set the tone. Let this be our expectation.

Mark Your Calendar (MYC):

• Book Fair Reception for Teachers - Media Center from 2:30-3:30 P.M. on 4/27
• PVES Skate Night - 4/27 from 6-8 P.M.
• Fire Drill - After lunch on 4/28
• Strings Concert - 5/1 Wren High at 7 P.M.
• Reading All Stars Game at Fluor Field - 5/2 
• Book Fair begins on 4/28
• Book Fair Ends on 5/9
• Aladdin Kids Performance at PVHS - 5/18 at 6:30 P.M.

Video of the Week: Denzel Washington's "See You at Work":

Better version - Click Here To Watch Facebook Video

or

Service

Ironically, service is one of the virtues we celebrated in our final EAFK ceremony of the year. Service can be defined as an act of helpful activity; help; aid. Let's take it a step further. Service is simply the act of putting others before yourself. We are blessed to work in a school that values the act of service. We work hard on a daily basis to serve our students. This is our calling. Our priority. Still, it is important that we serve one another. This makes difficult days more bearable and makes us feel loved and appreciated. An even greater calling is to serve our community. We do this through educating young people and engaging those around us through acts of kindness and modeling appropriate leadership, attitude, and effort. If I had to pick one word to define a perfect "vision" for the future of PVES, it would certainly be service. Can we be a school in which every individual does all he or she can to serve our school? This means doing your part and, yes, taking it to another level. Stepping up and stepping in; making a difference no matter what it takes. When someone mentions PVES, I take it personally. I want us to be the best. We can reach another level as long as we are willing to serve without hesitation or complaint.

Testing Underway:

Field testing is going well this week and things turn up a notch next week with the official start of SC-READY testing. Please review our google slides presentation from this week's meeting that includes schedule information for testing. Thanks to Mrs. Lee who is working hard to serve us during this time. She has worked long hours to prepare for testing. Remember, we want to be in "normal" mode with an awareness that testing is occurring in our building. As we discussed in our meeting, do your homework and be prepared. Make every use of our final 30 days together with students. This is how we can best serve the students that depend on us. Please make sure you find a way to exude a positive message to your students prior to testing. This can be done in email or written form. Get creative if you so desire. Encourage them to do their best and show off the PRIDE. 

Reading All Stars:

As you know, over 380 students completed the Greenville Drive Reading All Stars program. No, we have not forgotten about our pledge to dress up like the three little pigs and get on the roof. Please make sure your students who participated know to use their voucher to receive a free ticket. The game is this Sunday and we would love to see a great crowd.  Feel free to cut and paste the information below to send to parents:

CELEBRATE YOUR READING ALL-STAR: On April 23^rd, the Greenville Drive will celebrate the Reading All-Stars from our school. Qualifying students earned a FREE ticket voucher to the April 23^rd game, where they will receive a FREE Reading All-Star T-shirt, FREE Book and participate in a pregame Parade of Champions around Fluor Field.

To redeem your child’s voucher and purchase tickets for family and friends visit the Drive Box Office or call 864-240-4528. For more information about this game please click here.

Chic-Fil-A Race:

Don't forget about the Chic-Fil-A race scheduled for April 29th. The school with the most participation (running or volunteering) will receive $1,000. If we win, we will use that for reading materials that go right back to the classroom. Mrs. Horn was nice enough to prepare some information that you can share with your parents. This is a great opportunity to serve our community and our school so get the word out!

Friday = BLUE JEANS

Let's go back the past few weeks and look around the world of PVES...

I bragged on your earlier, but it was really cool to see our teachers at the last staff development day engaged in learning and getting better. When teachers from other schools were skipping out, you were participating and making an effort. This will serve you well as you continue to perfect your craft! 

Our math teachers enjoyed their final professional development session of the year with Mrs. Preisig. Guided math is a work in progress, but there is most definitely progress. It was great to reflect on the year and determine where we still need more assistance and where we can get better. Thanks to our math teachers for doing what is best for our students! 

We had to throw this gem in the blog. Congratulations to Mrs. Heath who was married recently. We are happy for you and wish you the very best. 

Our final EAFK ceremony of the year was a huge success. I do not think teachers realize how powerful their words are when they speak to students and parents at these events. Service was obviously one of our virtues and an important one as we have discussed. Congratulations to Mrs. Golden who became the first PVES teacher ever to receive EAFK recognition. She was "knighted" for the virtue of service. 

Mrs. Tollison and I met with 5th grade "tour guides" today in preparation for a visit from second graders from Concrete Thursday afternoon. Our students were excited to serve those second graders! It would be a rather busy afternoon with testing and a visit from our Concrete friends so thanks for being flexible and helping out where you see the need. 

The K.A.A.E. Bookaneers brought home the trophy to its rightful place by winning the district "Battle of the Books" competition. This group of young ladies did not miss a single question in both the school and district competitions. We are so proud. Thanks to Mrs. Fowler for serving our students and supporting this event! 

Moore's Musings:

Speaking of service, I cannot thank all of you enough for the way in which you handled the severe weather prior to Spring Break. Our homeroom teachers protected our students and communicated well. Our non-homeroom teachers literally braved terrible conditions to safely see our students to school buses and cars. This is service at its very core. I heard many compliments and positive comments from parents about the way we handled what was a very difficult situation. 

Video of the Week: