December 16, 2013

High Point News

Week of: December 16th, 2013

********NEWS*************************

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We want to wish each and every one of you a safe and happy holiday with your friends and family! Enjoy your break!!!

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We would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to John Anderson for serving as our interim Principal for the past month. We have truly enjoyed this time and appreciate him being a part of our High Point family! 

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Congratulations to Andi Lay in the birth of her daughter!  Amelia Mae Lay was born on 12/12/13 at 1:57 p.m. Weighing 5lb 14oz and 18 inches long. Mom and daughter are doing great! Amelia has been moved to the growing and feeding floor and will hopefully be able to come home in a week or so. We are so happy for Ms. Lay and her family!!!

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EXTENDED DAY FOR 1st and 2nd GRADE!!!
Looking to make some good money while helping the kids in our school?  The 2^nd part of extended day is here!  Starting in January we will have one 1^st grade class and one 2^nd grade class.  We are in need of teachers to fill the spots on Mondays and Thursdays.  You can be flexible and work either both days, or simply one.  It’s great money and over at the end of March.  If you are interested, please let Amy Smith or Emily Rhoades know this week! 

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Technology Tuesdays will be held this Tuesday in place of your grade level meeting. Please make sure you have signed up using the link that was sent out! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Jennifer Taylor, Vera Woods, Chellye Pomeroy,
or Gray Griffith.

Technology Tip for the Week! 

·        Computer Shutdown:

Please SHUT down all computers EVERY DAY.  We are monitored by the county each evening.

Take a minute to train students on how to shutdown (not just turn off the monitor), then DOUBLE CHECK they are shut down.  Also, please add it to your sub plans—especially on Fridays.

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 2013-2014 Spelling Bee  

The school spelling bee was held on Thursday, December 12^th.  The following fourth and fifth grade students participated: William Wade, Olivia Novotny, Brayden Carroll, Ameerah Ransom, Diana Meija, Rayhan Quaraishi, Riley Buehner, Benjamin Seidel, Kennedy Schulamn, Rachel Henry, Dayana Sanchez,

Hadleigh Whittemore, Chance Walker, Will Schaeffer, Nina Schwelm, Abigail Abdi, Noa Nieves, and Paola Alvarez.

Congratulations to all our spellers! We are very proud of each and every one of them. 

Our School representative that is going to the Fulton County Spelling Bee at Harriet Tubman Elementary School on February 8^th is Ameerah Ransom! The 2^nd place winner was Paola Alvarez. What a great job they both did! 

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PBIS This Week!

• Thought of the Week: A significant danger we all face is to interpret another person’s behavior based on our own perceptions. 

• Don't forget to turn in a Buddy Brag!!!! We will pull names this Friday and the gift is TIME! :)

We will be holding our 2nd semester PAWS Up Pep Rally on Friday, January 10th!!! 
The pep rally will be held in the cafeteria and we will keep with the same schedule as first semester: 7:50-8:20 = 3rd-5th Grade
                                       8:30-9:00 = PreK-2nd Grade
See you then!!! 

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Staff, please remember to clean out all food from your rooms before leaving for the break. Also, if you have personal“critters” in your room, be sure to take them home or board them out for the break. J

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Holiday Party!!!

Don't forget about our holiday party, Wednesday December 18th at Olde Blind Dog in Town Brookhaven! The party begins at 3:00!!

Please feel free to wear jeans on this day with any shirt you would like for the party! 

******Visuals of Best Practices**********

Independent Centers: In Ms. Calhoun’s 4^th grade class, students work on a Center Menu while she is pulling her guided reading groups. The Center Menu gives them choice and allows her students to complete tasks they are interested in. On the menu, students have “appetizers” that help generate their learning. This is their “hook.” They then have an “entrée” that is usually tied to the anchor text or their story for the week. They have projects that go with the story. The “entrée” is where the students are applying the skills. Every day they need to complete an “appetizer” and an “entrée.” On the Center Menu, students have “dessert” choices. The “desserts” are for early finishers and help students remember skills from weeks prior.

******WRITER's GALLERY**********

The writer’s gallery/ pledge will be hosted by Ms. McClure's class this week.

The writer's gallery/pledge will be hosted by Ms. Negrin's class the week after the break.

******CALENDAR OF EVENTS*******

Monday, December 16th 

Last day for EXD and FLP 

Tuesday, December 17th 

2:50 - Technology Tuesday

Wednesday, December 18th

Holiday Sing-A-Long - Cafe
3:00 p.m. - Holiday Staff Party

Thursday, December 19th 

NO EXD or FLP TODAY!!!
Uncle Maddios for Lunch - Place order at front desk by 3:00 Wednesday

Friday, December 20th 

******BIRTHDAYS! ****************

Happy birthday to Barbi Kriedler on the 17th! 

We wish the following staff members a happy birthday over the holidays: Katie Marchioli on the 26th, Michael Hunter on the 22nd. and Pam McClure on the 4th of January. 

December 9th

High Point News

Week of: December 9th, 2013

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Please keep Jessica Epstein and her family in your thoughts as she was put on bed rest this past Tuesday. Currently, she and the baby are doing fine which is great news! She is at Piedmont Hospital and she welcomes visitors! You can call or text her to let her know you are coming. Please email Pitchford if you would like her number. We will keep you posted on her and the baby’s progress. 

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Please keep Derick and his entire family in your thoughts as his brother passed away last week. We will keep you informed regarding the funeral arrangements and if there is anything we can do to support him through this tough time.
 

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Technology Tuesdays will be held on December 17th in place of your grade level meeting. Please make sure you have signed up using the link that was sent out! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Jennifer Taylor, Vera Woods, Chellye Pomeroy,
or Gray Griffith.

Technology Tip for the Week! Wireless vs. Wired: We have wireless capability throughout the building; however, your laptop speed (especially when accessing servers or the internet, etc.) will be much faster and more reliable with the network cable (i.e. blue cord). 
 
Wireless is typically meant to be used for a meeting in a different room or building, etc. and is very handy at home on the sofa but keep in mind the way data travels— more reliable and better speed will be with the network cable.

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DONORS CHOOSE! 

 

AT&T is offering a donation match program through the end of the year for schools.  Donors Choose is a website where teachers can post needs or projects to be funded and people can donate. Through the end of the year anyone who donates and enters the promo code ATT - AT&T will match that donation. Currently HighPoint does not have any project posted to donate to and AT&T is willing to donate!  If you are interested in this process, go to the following link:

 

www.donorschoose.org

 

Thank you to Rebecca Quist for reminding us of this great program! If you have any additional questions, you are more than welcome to ask Rebecca or Carrie.

 

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F.A.T Tuesday

Please bring your lap top to our F.A.T. Tuesday meeting tomorrow.

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PBIS This Week!

 

Quote of the Week: "When disciplining students, we must remember the iceberg behavior is simply an overt manifestation of many underwater worldview components."

 

Don't forget:

• Do you have a student of the week?
• Have you sent a student a postcard recently?
• Celebrate PAWS Up behavior!! Thanks for the PAWS Up forms we have received last week!  

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We Want To Celebrate YOU This Season!!!!

The administrative staff would like to invite you to drop by the conference room anytime on Wednesday, December 11^th from 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. to kick off the holiday season and enjoy light refreshments.

This is our small way of saying thank you for your hard work and dedication to our students!

We appreciate you!!!  John, Carrie, Sheri, Rachel, and Tierra
 

******WRITER's GALLERY**********

The writer’s gallery/ pledge will be hosted by Ms. Ellis's class this week.

The writer's gallery/pledge will be hosted by Ms. McClure's class next week.
 

******CALENDAR OF EVENTS*******

Monday, December 9th 

9:30 a.m. - Parent Tours

Tuesday, December 10th 

F.A.T Tuesday meetings with CST
2:50 p.m. - Committee Meetings

3:30 p.m. - Leadership Meeting in the media center

 

Wednesday, December 11th

Join the administrative team for Holiday Refreshments - All day
2:50 p.m. - PLC

6:00 p.m - Holiday Art Show/Chorus Concert

 

Thursday, December 12th 

8:00-10:00 - Spelling Bee for 4th and 5th Grade

Qdoba for Lunch - Place order at front desk by 3:00 Wednesday

 

Friday, December 13th 
Professional Development Friday with DSS

******BIRTHDAYS! ****************

Happy birthday to Lori Hicks on the 12th, Keishondra Turner on the 14th, and Amy Smith on the 15th! 

A late happy birthday also to Latissa Southerland who celebrated her birthday on the 4th of December!  

December 2nd, 2013

High Point News

Week of: December 2, 2013

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PBIS This Week!

Don’t forget the basic rule of discipline: Unconditionally accept the worthy person, even while rejecting the questionable behavior.

Reminder of Office Referrals: EVERY office referral, whether minor or major, deserves immediate attention. Please remember the following flow of responsibility so that the administrative staff can support you.
Pitchford not in office? Then…… Principal, CST, DSS. Let someone know!!! J

We are starting a new month!! Don't forget to write postcards to send to your students, display your Student of the Week Certificate, and fill out PAWS Up awards when students earn them!

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Homeroom Teachers,

Please notify administration the day you will be having your class holiday party. As a reminder, no class parties can be held on Friday, December 20^th. Parties need to be done as a grade level.

 

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Data Driven Culture Reminders

 

Please keep in mind the following Math Unit Assessment Modification Procedures that we implemented several months ago:

1. Step 1 (Meet as team to take the post assessment before the unit begins)

2. Step 2 (discuss as a team which items that need to be removed or edited, and solidify why?)

3. Step 3 (Turn your assessment and suggested modifications into Ms. Reed for approval….be sure to state why your grade level wants to change each item)

4. Step 4 (Receive the approved copy from Ms. Reed no more than a week after it is submitted)

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Save the Date!!! It's a PARTY!!!

Our Staff Holiday Party will be held after school on Wednesday, December 18^th at Olde Blind Dog in Town Brookhaven. The festivities will begin at 3:00. Don't forget to sign up in the mail room. More details to follow....J

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State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS)

Are you looking for lesson ideas and resources to support the Common Core Standards? Check out the State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) for resources to assist you and your students. We receive points toward our school’s CCRPI score for having at least 50% usage from our teachers on a monthly basis. Please contact Ms. Reed if you need assistance with accessing your SLDS account.

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School Governance Council

 

The votes have been counted!!! The following will be representing our school by serving on the School Governance Council:
 

Mary McConnell - 1 year parent

Lynn Wyatt - 2 year parent

Brittany Charron - 2 year parent

Jennifer Taylor - teacher

Kerstin Long - teacher

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Buddy Brag Winner!

Congratulations to Sheila Lacy for being recognized by her peers through Buddy Brags!!! Ms. Lacy has won the award of TIME! We will be covering her class at 1:30 and she can choose to use her time however she wants!! Enjoy!!

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RTI Block:

 

Looking for additional resources for your Tier 1 enrichment students?

Check out http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/

As a reminder, the RTI block is from 7:50-8:20 a.m. and your Tier 2 students should be receiving their small group interventions.

******VISUALS of BEST PRACTICES*****

In Mrs. Katterheinrich’s 1^st grade class, the students are choosing books on their independent reading level during the reading block. They are aware and help monitor their own progress of their guided reading level using this graph in their classroom.

******WRITER's GALLERY****************

The writer’s gallery/ pledge will be hosted by Ms. McClelland's class this week.

The writer's gallery/pledge will be hosted by Ms. Ellis's class next week.

******CALENDAR OF EVENTS***********

Monday, December 2nd  

9:30 a.m. - Parent Tours

Tuesday, December 3rd

PreK Vision Screening

2:50 p.m. - Faculty Meeting

Wednesday, December 4th

Wear Your Collegiate Apparel!

PreK Vision Screening

2:50 p.m. - PLC

Thursday, December 5th

Lunch from Tazikis- Place order at front desk by 3:00 Wednesday

Friday, December 6th  

Book Fair - Media Center

RCMS Band, Orchestra, and Chorus Meeting for 4th and 5th Grade - GYM

******BIRTHDAYS! ********************

Happy belated birthday to Sheila Lacy and Marty Sanchez who celebrated their birthday on the 30th of November!

Happy birthday to Michael Hunter on the 2nd, Kristin Trenbeath on the 4th, and Jessica Epstein on the 8th!

We hope you all had and have a great day!!

 

November 18, 2013

High Point News

Week of: November 18, 2013

********NEWS*************************

PBIS This Week!

• Don't forget to change out your Student of the Week Certificates!

• It's also the last week to turn in your Buddy Brags! Please turn them in to Mr. Anderson's box so that a name can be pulled. The winner has their classroom covered from 1:30 - 2:20!

Love and Logic:

The difference between consequences and punishment is where we interpret the pain coming from. Consequences result in pain coming from the inside and punishment results in pain coming from the outside.

○   Guidelines for Administering Consequences:

■   Make the consequence as close to the time and place of the infraction as possible

■   Give the child opportunity to be involved in the decision making

■   Administer consequences with calm interest

■   Give students opportunity to develop a new plan of behavior

■   Demonstrate problem-solving techniques

■   Allow students to feel empowered

Confused about a non-immediate office referral and a immediate referral? Go to the T-drive and click on PBIS 2013. The minor v/s major list should help!

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Georgia School Personnel Survey!!!! Please take online!!!!

The time to administer the Georgia School Personnel Survey for the 2013-2014 school year has arrived. The Georgia School Personnel Survey (GSPS) was developed to accompany the Georgia Student Health Survey II. The Georgia School Personnel Survey (GSPS) is an anonymous, statewide survey instrument that identifies school climate issues that have a negative impact on student achievement. The questions will mirror the school climate questions in the Georgia Student Health Survey II. Data from the GSPS will be used to calculate the School Climate Star Rating within the College and Career Ready Performance Index(CCRPI) to determine a correlation between the student responses on the Georgia Student Health Survey II and school personnel responses on the GSPS. The Georgia School Personnel Survey will officially open on Tuesday, October 15, 2013 and will remain open through Friday, January 31, 2014. All teachers, school administrators, certified staff members and classified/other staff members (paraprofessionals, office staff, cafeteria workers, custodians, etc.) should participate in the Georgia School Personnel Survey. At least 75% of your teachers, staff and administrators must participate in the survey to be eligible for the School Climate Star Rating.

Georgia School Personnel Survey à http://admin.doe.k12.ga.us/gadoe/sla/gsps.nsf/Survey.xsp

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School Governance Council Elections

Elections are underway and you have until Wednesday to vote for your Teacher Representatives. We understand that right now our two representatives are running unopposed but we are still looking for 100% participation in this process. If we have 100% of staff members to vote, we will earn a free JEAN’S DAY! J

ALL staff members need to vote: teachers, professional assistants, custodians, itinerant teachers, front office staff, etc... We have 31 who have voted so far and we have 110 people who are slotted to vote. LAST DAY TO VOTE IS WEDNESDAY!!!!!!

 

Our two teacher candidates are Kerstin Long and Jennifer Taylor.

Go to www.highpointelementary.org and click beside the Voting Ballot to vote.

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Data Drive Culture Reminders
 

ü  When your team is creating a common assessment or planning to revise or give a Unit Pre or Post Assessment, please remember to inform Ms. Reed. This will ensure that you are supported in building capacity in data analyzation and usage.

ü  After a common or unit assessment, it is vital that we bring and discuss our data during our PLC. This will contribute toward our goal of creating a data culture.

ü  This year one of our goals is to utilize data to drive our planning, instruction, and assessments.  

ü  We are focusing on monitoring our student's math progress and bringing evidence of learning from any subject to our PLC meetings, Extended Team Time, and Collegial Planning Time.

ü  Evaluating evidence of learning is a research based PLC tactic that adds value to the effectiveness of the meetings.

ü   Evidence of learning can range from student work samples, pretest, common assessments, posttest, student scores, rubrics for performance task, or any tool that is utilized in the classroom to show mastery of a standard.

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Strong 4 Life Healthy Halls Program

Please join us today, Monday, November 18 in the gym for the Strong 4 Life Healthy Halls Program! This is a program developed by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to promote the Strong4Life Healthy Habits to the students in our school!

There will be 3 different performances. See below for your grade level’s time.

8:00-8:40: Pre-K, Kindergarten, 3^rd Grade

9:00-9:40: 4^th Grade, 5^th Grade

10:00-10:40: 1^st Grade, 2^nd Grade

Please email me if you have any questions! I hope you enjoy the performance!

Shannon Billits

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******VISUALS of BEST PRACTICES*****

In 4^th grade, the students work on DBQ(Document Based Questions) as their morning work. These are pictures or political cartoons that are projected on the Promethean white board that have a question to go with it. The picture relates to what they are studying in Social Studies, Science and sometimes Math.  They talk as they are unpacking their book bags about the picture and the question being asked. They then get out their DBQ notebook and start writing. The main goal is to get ideas down and improve their writing. Students don’t see writing as a chore and have a positive attitude about writing. It is an everyday practice for our 4^th graders. Check it out!

 

 


















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Mailboxes
Teachers, please do not send students down to retrieve mail from your mailbox. We cannot give mail to students due to the confidentiality of some items that may be in your mailbox. Please take the time to check your box each morning and on your lunch break. Your cooperation is appreciated.

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Absences

Please remember to follow the proper procedures when you are going to be absent. We still have a shortage of substitutes and we need prior knowledge of absences so that we can make sure all classes are covered and students are safe.

·        Last minute sick? Call, text, or email Pitchford. Only call or text before 9:00 pm or after 6:00 am. Email if it’s in the middle of the night. J

·        Planned medical excuse? Secure a sub, put the absence in CASE and then in Employee Express. Jon will approve or deny. You will receive an email stating that he has approved or denied your absence.

·        Planned personal leave? Secure a sub, put the absence in CASE and then in Employee Express. Jon will approve or deny. You will receive an email stating that he has approved or denied your personal leave.

*Failure to request leave through ESS or notify administration of leave is grounds for disciplinary action up to and including termination.

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Bulletin Boards

Have you updated your bulletin boards recently? Please make sure that your bulletin boards are reflective of the time of year and show what students are learning! Bulletin boards show parents and other staff members what students are learning! Showcase the great work!

******WRITER'S GALLERY****************

The writer’s gallery/ pledge will be hosted by Ms. Owen's class this week.

The writer's gallery/pledge will be hosted by Ms. McClelland's class next week.

******CALENDAR OF EVENTS***********

Monday, November 18th

9:30 a.m. - Parent Tours

Strong 4 Life Performances:

PreK, K, and 3rd Grade in Gym from 8:00 - 9:00

4th and 5th Grade in Gym from 9:00 - 10:00

1st and 2nd Grade in Gym from 10:00 - 11:00

Tuesday, November 19th

2:50 p.m. - Technology Training for All Teachers

Wednesday, November 20th

8:30-9:30: Kindergarten Thanksgiving Celebration - Cafeteria 

2:50 p.m. - PLC

Thursday, November 21th

Uncle Maddios- Place order at front desk by 3:00 Wednesday

Friday, November 22th

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!!!!! You've deserved the break!!!!

 

******BIRTHDAYS! ********************

Happy birthday to Brenda Northcut on the 18th! We hope you have a great day!!