Grace

I came across the picture and quote above one day on Twitter. The words are powerful and humbling. So much so that it took me a moment to reread and reflect on its meaning.  (I immediately thought of my own children at home as I read this and recently dealt with a meltdown from my oldest.) As I reflected on the quote, the word that came to my mind personally as I read this was "grace." Grace is an interesting word because we all want and need grace as adults. There are times when we fail to complete a task, need an email resent, have a bad morning.. day or even week. We need someone to be patient with us and understand we are human. The same is true for each student that walks in our building every day. Some days they are ready to learn and behave as the model student. Other times they need grace and compassion. It does not mean we lower our expectations but that we take a moment to listen and understand. It means we remember that they too are human and have moments of imperfection. During this busy time of year with holidays quickly approaching let us all remember to extend grace to our students, one another, and even our own family members. 

We have great things happening at PVES every single day because of the amazing people on staff. Here's a look at a few of those...

Thank you to Mrs. Lindsay Nix for organizing another successful Art Show for our very talented and creative students. It is always a joy to see students' faces light up as they find their framed art work and share it with teachers and parents. My favorite comment of the night was from a fourth grader who told his mother they had to hurry and get there before someone else bought his artwork. Thank you to so many teachers and staff members who came up to support Mrs. Nix and our students. 

Mrs. Marino's class enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving feast the Tuesday before the break. Students and their parents enjoyed a meal prepared by our teachers and assistants (and Skeeter Evans). Students created their own name place cards. We are so thankful and blessed to have each one of these special students in our building. 

This is one of my favorite moments from the week. Evan and Dehemiah stopped by to share some awesome news with Mr. Moore and myself. Evan celebrated his ninth birthday this week. Dehemiah received the trophy this week from the Boys of Virtue program. If you have not had a chance to hear or see our Boys of Virtue program it is worth stopping by the PD Room on a Tuesday or Thursday. Mr. Spearman and Mr. Beck are working with some of our males on how to be models and leaders. We are thankful for their time they invest in our students. Thank you Ms. Lee for continuing to find ways to reach our students and advocate for them. 

It is truly the most wonderful time of year. The office staff worked Tuesday to get our tree up and decorated for the Christmas season. We hope you all enjoy this time and remember all the blessing we have at PVES. 

School Christmas Card and Tech the Halls

We will be sending out a digital Christmas card again this year. Please take a picture or quick video with your class, or team of teachers and send these to Mrs. Tollison by next Wednesday. We will compile all of these in an Animoto video. Here is our card from last year. 

Thank you to teachers who have started Teching the Halls. Mrs. Preisig sent out information about this earlier. We would love for teachers to participate. Here is a glimpse at last year's displays. 

Read Men Read

Last year we had a great turn out for our Real Men Read event in the spring. This year we are planning to do one in the winter and one in the spring. Mrs. Martin and the Literacy Committee have worked very hard to invite males to come in and read to our students. Information was emailed out about the event that will take place on Friday, December 2nd during our PRIDE Time block. Please make our guest feel welcome. Mrs. Martin has asked for SSC representatives to greet our guests and escort them to the assigned classroom. Here is the presentation shared in her email. Thank you to all the folks who have worked to make this possible. We look forward to seeing many pictures! 

December Happenings at PVES

December is a busy month in the life of a school. Please take a moment to read the Smore Mr. Moore shared with parents about upcoming events. This week we will have our fifth grade string performance on Thursday, December 1st at 6:30. Next week is our third grade musical performances on Monday or Tuesday depending on the homeroom. Thank you for supporting our teachers and students during these events. It always means so much to students and parents to see you present. 

December Skate Night

This month's skate night will be on Thursday, December 8th. The theme for the event is tacky Christmas. Teachers we ask that you wear tacky Christmas attire with your blue jeans on this day to promote the event. We've had great turn outs at our last few events. We want this one to be the best one yet.

Tollison's Tidings

• Thank you to all of our teachers who attended the reading professional development this week for your attentiveness and professionalism. 
• Guided math professional development will take place in the PD Room on December 8th. I hope you have a chance to visit another classroom prior to this session. Thank you to those of you who have complete this and provided feedback. 
• Our faculty Christmas party is scheduled for Wednesday, December 14th. We will begin at Breakout at 6:00. Please complete the electronic wavier Mr. Moore emailed out. Following the Breakout we will meet at Chicora Alley for dinner around 7:15. We look forward to celebrating and enjoying fellowship. 
• Remember to follow up with families of students being recognized for our EAFK ceremony next week. Mrs. Melissa Thomas emailed out a few reminders about connecting with families of our ESL students who may be recognized at the ceremony as well. 

Mark Your Calendar

Please be sure to check out our shared calendar for important events and dates. Below are some upcoming items for next week. 

• Monday, December 5th- Final Good News Club before the Christmas break
• Monday, December 5th- Third Grade Music Program @ 6:30
• Tuesday, December 6th- Faculty Meeting @ 3:10
• Tuesday, December 6th- Third Grade Music Program @ 6:30
• Thursday, December 8th- Guided Math PD (during planning period)
• Thursday, December 8th- Skate Night (tacky Christmas, blue jean day)
• Friday, December 9th- Tar Wars (5th grade)
• Friday, December 9th- EAFK Second Nine Weeks Ceremony- compassion and tolerance

Video of the Week:

One word, one action, one person can make a difference. 

Recharge

Did you enjoy your long weekend? I certainly hope, among the many activities available to you, that you took the time to recharge. I like one of the definitions of recharge provided by dictionary.com: to revive; especially to attack again.  In our line of work, it is crucial for us to take those fleeting moments to revive and find ourselves. Let's face it, our work is never done and could zap every waking second of our day. Our school is successful because of the tremendous work ethic and commitment of our faculty and staff. Still, we must seek that healthy balance of work and rest. Weekends, holidays, and personal days allow us to do just that. The next five weeks is jam packed with important work and events. Therefore, let us work hard and expend our energy knowing Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks offer to us all those precious moments to recharge. So we can attack the school year again!

Here are some great things happening at PVES!

4th grade Launch students enjoyed a trip to the Greenville Zoo. Mrs. Leftwich provides some wonderful opportunities for our gifted and talented students to extend their learning! 

There is nothing cooler than some hands-on learning and science provides such an opportunity. 3rd graders pictured above in Mrs. Carey's class worked with insulators to see which was the most successful. Great to see STEM being used beyond our STEM lab. 

Why not embrace the madness that is Halloween? Ms. Lockaby's students did just that. Students built candy corn towers, counted the number of toothpicks and candy and multiplied the two-digit numbers. Love the connections being made and the learning taking place across the curriculum. 

A very committed group of teachers, parents and students assisted Ms. Wilcox and her team with building and installing garden boxes pictured above. We should consider this project as a school-wide effort and one that will engage learners in our building for years to come. On Tuesday, November 15th from 3-5 PM, make plans to join us for "Mulch Day" as we spread mulch and complete the next phase of this project. If you plan to help, you are free to wear jeans on this day! 

Math Professional Development:

Tomorrow (Thursday 11/10) math teachers have their next guided math PD with Mrs. Preisig and Mrs. Tollison during planning. Math teachers, you will report to the conference room for this PD. Please arrive on time and ready to learn and get better! 

School Spirit:

There are two opportunities coming up to help rally our students, build school spirit, and support our PTSO. On Thursday, November 10th from 6-8 PM at Roller Time Family Family Skate Center in Piedmont we will host our next Skate Night. Our students love seeing teachers and staff at this event. Additionally, PVES Spirit Night at Chic-Fil-A in Powdersville is scheduled for Tuesday, November 15th from 5:30-8:00 P.M. Your own children and families are welcome to these events so don't let that stop you. Thanks in advance to those of you who can attend these events and help us show off our #pvespride as we build positive relationships with our school community! 

Veteran's Day:

We are pleased to host a Veteran's Day Ceremony on Friday, November 11th at 1:15 P.M. Please extend an invitation to any veterans you know and let them know we would love for them to attend. We will make an "all call" by grade level to come to the MP Room for the ceremony. It is so important that our students understand the importance of honoring those who serve(d) their country. Please take a few moments this week to discuss Veteran's Day with them. More importantly, demand respectful behavior from our students during our ceremony. Thanks! 

Moore's Musings:

We are very pleased to welcome Alice Hinson to our PVES Family. She will be filling Mrs. Fulbright's spot in 4th grade and teaming with Mrs. Odom. She will graduate Anderson University with a degree in elementary education and is looking forward to the opportunity to get her foot in the door in ASD1. Please make her feel welcome and help her as she transitions into this important role in our building.


Mark Your Calendar (MYC): Get these dates out to your parents via emails, newsletters and text messaging!

• Guided math PD During Planning - 11/10
• PVES Skate Night - 11/10 from 6-8 P.M.
• SLOs Due - 11/11
• Literacy Team Meeting - 11/14 at 3:15 P.M.
• PVES "Mulch Mania" - 11/15 from 3-5 P.M.
• PVES Spirit Night at Chic-Fil-A - 11/15 from 5:30-8:00 P.M.
• SIC Meeting - 11/15 at 6:30 P.M. in Media Center 
• Carey Baby Shower - 11/16 After School
• PVES Art Show - 11/17 from 5-7 P.M.
• Thanksgiving Holidays - 11/23-11/25
• Fire Drill - 11/29
• Strings Concert - 12/1 at 6:00 P.M. at PVES

Video of the Week:

Relationships

We are now in the second nine week period which means a quarter of our time with students has passed. The challenge continues to be making the most of each moment we have our students in the building with us. We all can become busy and wrapped up in the many "to dos" handed down to us. Let us know forget the power and need for relationships with each other and with the students entrusted to us during the remainder of the school year. 

Wrapping Up and Review
We will keep this week's blog fairly short. We shared most of the need to know information at our meeting on Tuesday. Here is the presentation that was shared with teachers and staff on Tuesday. Teachers were asked to schedule data meetings with Mr. Moore and Mrs. Tollison. You can find the link to the sign up here or in the presentation. Be sure to review the slide that outlines what you should prepare for the presentation. Let us know if you have questions about anything in the presentation. 

Thank You
Mr. Moore and the office staff hope that each of you enjoyed your special appreciation lunch today. We really do appreciate all you do for the students of PVES. 

Great Things Happening at PVES...

We shared many wonderful celebration points at our meeting on Tuesday. Here are a few more great things taking place. 

Miss Marino's class had a visit from the fire department today! They had such a fabulous time learning about fire safety.

We celebrated the first nine week's patrols and their hard work.

Then, we welcomed the second nine week's group. These students make a difference in our traffic flow each morning. They take the time to greet each student and parent as they open car doors, setting an example of the excellence we expect. We are proud of the way our fifth graders lead at PVES. 

Finally, the grass in the area for our garden boxes has been cleared thanks to Mark Golden. We have our work day Saturday. Two different sign-ups were sent out to parents, community members, and staff. One requested volunteers and the other asked about tools. We are excited to see this project come together. Thank you to the various committees working with Miss Wilcox. 

Tollison's Tidings

• Most folks have received notes and surprises from their PVES Pal. Remember we asked that you acknowledge your PAL at least once a month. Please take a moment to complete the form I spoke about in our meeting. This helps if we need to reassign for any reason. Also let me know if you need me to share the "favorite things" data collected. 
• Mr. Moore will be at training next week, Tuesday through Thursday. Thursday we will not have an administrator in the building as Mrs. Tollison will be absent as well. If you have an emergency or immediate need contact Ms. Lee. Mr. Moore will be in the building on November 4th. 
• Make sure you are following PVES on social media. We have several teacher posting about the innovative things happening in their classrooms. 

Mark Your Calendar

Important dates regarding grades and report cards can be found in the presentation shared on Tuesday. Please refer to our shared calendar for other important dates. 

Video of the Week

Keeping things short and sweet with our video as well. This video is less than one minute but an awesome reminder of the importance of relationships. 

Short and Sweet

Teachers and Staff,

I hope you will enjoy our blog this week. We have been so busy that we thought a short and sweet video blog was in order. Please remember to watch our video blog and refer to last week's blog and shared calendar for any information you may have missed. Have a great remainder of the week!

Family

As educators, we live in a world marked by dichotomy. Strangely enough, our jobs are both rewarding and energy-zapping. There is no job more important or fruitful and no job more challenging. The expectations, the test scores, and the day-to-day roadblocks will always be there. I would argue even moreso in today's world of education. Quite frankly, it's easy to feel run over. Tired. Defeated. As I take that short walk to my car at the end of the day, I cross an invisible barrier between work and home. While crossing that line today, after what has been an emotional day for various reasons, I was reminded of what I tell prospective teachers when they interview. That our PVES family is unique. The family atmosphere is what makes PVES a special place. It's about the people. So, let's rejoice that we have family here. Perhaps not related by blood, but rather by a common longing to educate our young people and make our community a better place. And let us not forget those of us in our midst, the many of us, who come to this building needing our family. May we always be present, kind, and forgiving to our family. 

ALiCE:

Thanks to the many of you who attended our ALiCE training this week. There was some great discussion. It seems like each time we hold this training, we come out with more questions than answers. And that's a good thing. We must always be thinking through various scenarios and how we would respond in the event that our school experienced the horror and tragedy of an active intruder event. Please take time to review our Safety and Drills shared folder. In it you will find the ALiCE presentation you will want to use when you discuss this topic with your students in preparation for intruder drill on Friday, October 28th. We will be sending a letter home to parents next week with additional information about ALiCE and safety and security at our school. We will discuss this in more detail at our next faculty meeting. 

One District, One Book:

Thank you for supporting our ODOB initiative these past few days. It has been great to see the pictures on social media. We need to celebrate the joy of reading and model this every chance we get with our students. Friday is the day for us to celebrate the final day of ODOB and finishing the book. On Friday, our students will receive a fudgesicle in the cafeteria during lunch. Classrooms will also be paired up so students can discuss The Chocolate Touch. Mrs. Martin will be sharing more specific information soon.

Partner Teachers:

Woody-Thomas

Thompson-Marino

Payne-Golden

Kallin-Wayne

Crosby-Wilkie

Ashmore-Hughes

Carey-Fulbright

Hildebrand-Barnhill

Jennings-Jordan

Lockaby-Gibson

Moore-Melton

Odom-Garrett

White-Wilcox

End of 9 Weeks:

Yes, the end of the 9 week period is next week. Wednesday, October 19th to be exact. Grades will be due by 4:00 P.M. on Wednesday, October 26th. Verifications will be printed and placed in your box on Thursday, October 27th. Please have all necessary changes made in Power Teacher and sign/return your verification sheets to the office before you leave on Friday, October 28th. Patty will print report cards early the next week. You are free to give parents their copy of the report card on conference day on Friday, November 4th. Report cards will be sent home on Wednesday, November 9th for all students whose parent did not have a scheduled conference on November 4th. 

Speaking of Conference Day:

Conference Day is truly a wonderful opportunity to connect with parents and unify toward the common goal of assisting our students. Please consider the following when conferencing:

• Share report card, latest MAP data, and SC READY/SCPASS (if scores are no longer embargoed by conference day)
• Use the format of "two wows and a wish" when meeting with parents. Focus on the positive, but share a SPECIFIC area where you want that student to work hard and grow. 
• Have student work samples available. This may be accomplished using SeeSaw on the iPad.
• Have chairs in the hallway for parents who have to wait.
• Send a copy of your conference schedule so the office is aware of who is to be in the building. 

Reading PD:

Don't forget our reading PD scheduled for next Tuesday, October 18th for grade 3 and Thursday, October 20th for grades 4 and 5. Mrs. Tollison has arranged for substitutes to cover all necessary classrooms. Please refer to her previous emails this week and be reminded that subs are at a premium next week. Thank you. 

Two Birds, One Stone:

Next Wednesday, October 19th we will take part in an earthquake drill and fire drill back-to-back. Both drills are required. At 9:50ish, we will make an announcement that we are about to begin our earthquake drill. We will ring the bell to single the start of our drill. We will then make an announcement when the drill is over. This should signal all students to report back to their classrooms. Approximately 2-3 minutes later, we will begin our fire drill procedures. Please remember to take your walkie (if you have one) and a class roll and red/green signal cards. Please refer to this manual if you have questions about the earthquake drill. Basically, we will use the Drop Cover and Hold On method. This includes dropping to the floor (to prevent falling), making yourself as small a target as possible, and protecting your head, neck and chest by taking cover under a sturdy desk or table or near an interior wall, covering your head your hands and arms. Please let us know if you have questions or concerns. 

As always, our PVES family has been busy ...

Our EAFK ceremonies went very well. Thanks to Coach for having our stage set up and ready to go. Mrs. Nix is working on a new backdrop for us and also takes care of the trifold program for each ceremony. Teachers, you did a phenomenal job expressing in words why each child was chosen. Thanks to Tammy Lee for leading this program for us and making it meaningful for our students.

5th grade has enjoyed wonderful weather and an awesome experience on their field trip to Camp Thunderbird in North Carolina. I think Mrs. Garrett said it best when she said "Field trips are not for the weak." They certainly are NOT for the weak, but they make our instructional program stronger. Don't forget to use our Field Trip Checklist form to assist you in planning your field trips in the future. 

Congratulations to Mrs. Barnhill and Mrs. Martin. They were observed in a team teaching scenario by our district reading coaches and Jennifer Brown from the state department. Mrs. Barnhill's commitment to learning new things and perfecting her craft is greatly appreciated. Mrs. Martin is an excellent resource used by many in our building. She is an email away if you needed help in your ELA classroom. 

Guided math PD last week offered some small group attention and helped math teachers as they continue to tweak guided math to meet the needs of their students. I was encouraged by the many questions and comments during the sessions. It's obvious our math teachers are really thinking through this. Congratulations to Mrs. Tollison who presented guided math to teachers at Hunt Meadows. I heard she did a wonderful job. She and Mrs. Preisig are also just an email away if you have questions or need support!  

Speaking of guided math, it has been awesome to see everyone's methodology and approach to guided math. We are excited about getting teachers in other classrooms to observe and continue the great discussion that has already begun. Great work!

Our 4th grade scientists enjoyed making and experimenting with weather tools. I suppose a hurricane haunting nearby didn't hurt matters. This is hands-on learning and meaningful experience for our students! 

Moore's Musings:

1.) Don't forget about our SLO training with Christie Shealy on Monday, October 17th at 3:10 in the PD Room. Please bring your laptop, copy of last year's SLO and any information you have already worked on for this year. 

2.) Have you signed up for our next R.O.A.R. event? The PVES Tailgate will be held on Friday, October 14th. We have 18 staff members and a total of 42 staff and family members signed up so far. Please consider attending. Sign up now! Speaking of Friday ... it needs to be a blue jean day. 

3.) Skate Night is Tuesday, October 18th from 6-8 PM at the Skate Place. We need teachers and staff to attend. If you are able to come, you will earn a blue jean day the next school day. Email me if you plan to come! 

4.) We will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week on 10/24-10/28. Help us teach our students to say NO to drugs. With the help of Coach Thompson and Tammy Lee, we will provide more information next week. 

Mark Your Calendar:

There are some important dates coming up. Check our shared calendar for the latest! 

Videos of the Week:

Heroes

Today many of us took time to remember and celebrate the life of little Jacob Hall. Jacob loved super heroes and many students in the community supported his family by wearing super hero shirts. Thank you for your efforts to show love to this family and to the faculty and students of Townville Elementary School during such a difficult time. We want to encourage them to remain Townville Strong.

I believe teachers are heroes who can truly change the world one student at a time. Thank you for the wonderful things you do every day for the students at Powdersville Elementary. You sacrifice your time, efforts, and more for the safety and education of our students. 

Guided Math and Technology PD
Our next Guided Math PD will take place on Thursday, October 6th during teacher planning periods in the PD Room. Please bring the following materials for our time together: laptop, lesson plans for the week, and stations for the week. We will have coffee in the PD Room. Thank you in advance for being prepared and prompt. 

Early Act First Knight
We will celebrate our first EAFK ceremony for the 2016-2017 school year on Friday. Remember this a very special event where we recognize our students for their efforts demonstrating the first nine week character words (respect and responsibility). Homeroom teachers, if you have not followed up with parents of students being recognized please do so by a phone call or email before Friday's ceremony. Remember to have prepare some words to share about each student you have nominated for the word. Below is our schedule for the events. We will make announcements for each grade level to report to the Multi-Purpose Room. 

Third Grade: 12:10-12:50

Fourth Grade: 12:55-1:35

Fifth Grade: 1:40-2:20

Alice Training and Drill

We continue to have discussions about safety and security in our building and in our district. These are healthy conversations. We will have an ALiCE training on Tuesday, October 11th at 3:10. All employees new to our building are required to attend. All employees are welcome and encouraged to attend. Our drill is set for Friday, October 28th. We will discuss this in more detail in the coming weeks. 

Let's take a moment to celebrate some of the excellent things happening at PVES that make us Powdersville Strong! We have so much to celebrate. 

Ms. Lee continues to add new mentors for our students. Thank you for supporting her efforts and making our mentors feel welcome at PVES. 

Our first Powdersville Homecoming Parade was a huge success! Students enjoyed the floats, cheerleaders, and band performance. Thank you to all who assisted in making this a success. 

Fifth graders had a bright time at the glow dance this past Friday. Thank you to the fifth grade teachers for all your hard work! 

Skate night happened last Thursday and what an awesome turnout! Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. White, Miss Marino, and Mr. Moore for attending. I know students enjoyed seeing these folks at the event. Everyone had a blast! We hope more folks will be able to attend for our next one on Thursday, October 13th. 

The very first garden box was completed Tuesday. We are excited to see our gardens come to life very soon. Thank you to Miss Wilcox, Miss Lockaby, Mrs. Payne, and Mr. White for taking the time to work on this after school. Look for details about work days coming soon!

This week's "Are You Smarter" events took place this week on Monday and Tuesday. Families enjoyed the activities. There was laughter and chatter in all the classrooms. Thank you teachers and staff who participated in this evening. We hope to continue to build on the successes of this event. Feedback was very positive and we are looking for improved attendance next year. 

Thank you everyone for participating in our One District, One Book initiative. Students have really enjoyed this event. Below are some snapshots of things happening in our building with the book. We will celebrate the conclusion of the book next Friday. Details will be in next week's blog. 

Tracey Redmon incorporates One District, One Book in her speech class.

Miss Jordan captured students reading at the homework table Wednesday morning. #A1Reads

Sarah Payne is encouraging students to learn their addition facts with her "Addition Retirement Home." Check out her newest members. Stop by her room to scan a QR Code to find out more. 

Tollison's Tidings

• Remember second our ROAR event taking place on Friday, October 14th. Click HERE for more details and the form to RSVP.
• SLO Training in Enrich with Christie Shealy will take place on Monday, October 17th. Please bring your laptop and have your plan for your SLO for this year. 
• Fifth grade will be going on their field trip October 11th-13th. Fifth grade will have morning and afternoon duty on Monday. Third grade will have morning and afternoon duty on Thursday. 

Mark Your Calendar

Monday, October 10th- Make up pictures

Monday, October 10th- Literacy Team meeting at 3:15 in the Media Center

Tuesday, October 11th- Alice Training

Thursday, October 13th- Skate Night from 6:00-8:00

Friday, October 14th- One District, One Book Celebration

Friday, October 14th- ROAR Event

I hope you will be encouraged by this week's video. You do make a difference and you are a hero! 

Video of the Week: