May 19th 2014

High Point News

Week of: May 19th, 2014

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Congratulations!

Congrats to each and every one of you for another successful school year. We just received our CRCT scores back and we are very proud of what we have all accomplished. 

Third Grade increased 1% in Reading and 16% in Math
Fifth Grade increased 1% in Math

Retests for students in 3rd and 5th grade will be Wednesday and Thursday! Please try to remain as quiet as possible during testing times for our students!!!

You are invited to wear jeans for the remainder of the week. Thank you for all you do! 

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PBIS This Week!

Thank you for taking the time to fill out the survey for Amie Dean. The PBIS committee has reviewed the data and the survey in order to know what we need for next year. We will be working over the summer and at the beginning of next year to make some adjustments and additions to the plan. 

Our data from the school year is below. It is very evident that PBIS is making a great difference in our school's climate and with our students! Thank you for your help!!

Congratulations to Yoneiby Pierre for receiving the chosen Buddy Brag. Ms. Pierre has won the gift of time!

In order to celebrate getting our PAWS ticket container full, we will have a 15 minute dance party on Friday, May 23rd beginning at 2:00. We hope you are all able to join in on the fun and "dance" our students into summer! 
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Summer Painting

Please remember that we will have 25 classrooms as well as the hallways, media center, and front offices painted over the summer. In order to prepare for the painters, all TAPE and HOT GLUE must be removed from the walls. Please make sure this is done before you leave for the summer.  
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What I've Been Thinking About…

In our last Leadership Meeting, our team discussed "grit" and how we need grit (perseverance) in education. We discussed how important it was for us to take more calculated risks, to find the perfect environment that will help us be successful, and persevere even when we feel as if we aren't getting anywhere. This is important for us to do as educators, as well as our students.

As you reflect on the end of this year, think about how you could have been "grittier" and how to teach this to our students. Because giving up should never be an option and there is always something to learn from failure. 

http://chronicle.com/article/How-Failure-in-the-Classroom/146377/
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Technology Tips for the Week!.

• Please clean Promethean boards with Expo (or any brand) Dry Erase Cleaner.  Be sure to spray the cleaner on to a paper towel or cloth -- do not spray Expo directly on the board. Also, it may take 'elbow grease' and several cleanings to do a good job. :)
• We should never leave a laptop on a desk or table in a classroom over night.  Teacher laptops should always be locked up in a closet, cabinet or drawer overnight.  Schools regularly have break ins  and leaving your laptop sitting out would be considered negligent, so please be sure to lock up any valuable technology before leaving for the day.
• Good news...E5400 laptops are scheduled to be refreshed/replaced next year (supposedly 1st semester).  I have no idea exactly when but relief is on the way.
• Did you know...we now have 170 iPads at High Point! That's AMAZING!

- Pomeroy

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LINKS for End of Year Closing
The following are links for the end of the year closing. They are also listed on your End of Year Packet if needed.  

Repair List for Summer - http://goo.gl/fil311

Summer Contact List - http://goo.gl/oo4rGG

Summative Reflection - http://goo.gl/BO6pbp

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

The writers' gallery/ pledge is hosted by Ms. Marinos's class this week. 

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

Monday, May 19th 
8:00 am - 5th Grade Awards Ceremony
9:00 am - SPED PreK EOY Party

Tuesday, May 20th 

8:30 am - 4th Grade Poetry Cafe
2:50 pm - Faculty Meeting 

Wednesday, May 21st 
10:30 am - 5th Grade Picnic at Ridgeview
11:00 am - Kindergarten EOY Party
1:00 pm - PRE-K EOY Party
STAFF END OF YEAR PARTY!

Thursday, May 22nd 

8:30 am - 1st Grade EOY Party
10:00 am - 3rd Grade EOY Party
12:30 pm - 2nd and 4th Grade EOY Party
Tazikis for Lunch - Please order by Wednesday

Friday, May 23rd
1:00 pm - 5th Grade Ice Cream Social
2:00 pm - PBIS School-Wide Dance Party
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

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

Happy birthday to Lori Simon on the 15th and Yolanda Charles on the 22nd! We hope you both have a very special birthday! 

We also want to recognize our summer birthdays since this will be the last "Monday                            Notes" for the school year! We wish you a                              wonderful birthday!!!!

Debbie Uhlar - 27th of May
Anita Collins - 1st of June
Rhodope Fears - 2nd of June
Laura Goldstein - 3rd of June
Emily Rhoades - 3rd of June
Gray Griffith - 14th of June
Megan Eigel - 14th of June
Liza Rogers - 30th of June
Jacque Radford - 5th of July
Janice Bevel - 5th of July
Amanda Reich - 6th of July
Jonathan Blase - 13th of July
Lisa Rosenfield - 16th of July
Laura Jannausch - 23rd of July
Cedric Oglesby - 26th of July 

May 12th, 2014

High Point News

Week of: May 12th, 2014

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Thank you!
A huge thank you to Benita Bearden, Latissa Southerland, Jackie Laird, and Cedric Oglesby for a fun and team-spirited field day! All of the stations were enjoyed by all students!!! Your hard work and dedication to our students is extremely appreciated! 

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PBIS This Week!

The PBIS committee will be meeting on Tuesday, May 13th. If there are any comments or concerns regarding PBIS at High Point, please share with your grade level representative prior to our meeting. 

Don't forget to fill out the survey sent out last week in regards to our PBIS system this year. We really appreciate your input to make sure that we continue to recognize students in a positive way.

A few reminders: 

• Hallway behavior: Please be mindful of students transitioning through the hallways. Please make sure they are walking and as quiet as possible.  
• Supervision: Make sure you are supervising students at all times, even during transitions. Students should never be left in classrooms unsupervised. 
• Review Rules and Expectations: As we grow closer to the last day of school, now more than ever, please review classroom rules and expectations with students. It's important to maintain a “business as usual” attitude until the very end. Make sure students are engaged in meaningful instructional tasks and expectations are clear. 

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Check-Out Day: May 30th 

Room inspection and final checkouts will be completed on the 30th. If you will not be here on the 30th, please email the  assigned person beforehand so that you can be checked out on the 29th. 

Information regarding how to prepare your room for the summer will be given out during collegial. If you did not attend a collegial, please get with Hess for information. Non-homeroom check outs will be done first so that they can help homeroom teachers for checkout. 

11:30 - 12:00: EIP, ESOL, SPED, TAG, and Special Area Checkout

• EIP and Special Areas - Hess
• SPED and TAG - Pitchford and Alexander
• ESOL - Reed and Salmons

1:00 - 2:00: Homeroom Checkouts

• K - Reed
• 1st - Pitchford
• 2nd - Alexander
• 3rd and PreK - Salmons
• 4th and 5th - Hess

Please be in your rooms and ready for checkout during your time block. Thank you!!!

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PKES
Summative conferences for employees evaluated under PKES will begin Thursday of next week. Please come by Alexander's office on Monday to sign up for a conference time. The sign-up sheet will be posted on the Office Time-Out door.
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2014-2015 Supplies Reminder
You were given an additional $100 to order start up items for your classroom from OfficeMax. All orders have to be in no later than Friday, May 16^th or they will not be accepted. 

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What I've Been Thinking About…

I've been thinking about how we are winding down the year yet how important it is to make sure we are keeping our students engaged til the very end! Even though CRCT is over, we are still in the midst of testing with STAR, F&P, and Diagnostic Assessments. We need to make sure we are communicating to students that the test is not the end. Each day is a new day to be engaged and to achieve their goals. I encourage each and every one of you to teach up until the very end! Our students deserve it!  
http://smartblogs.com/education/2014/04/28/engaging-our-students-to-the-end/?utm_source=brief
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Technology Tips for the Week!

iPad Tips for Teachers

Camera Tip

 Keyboard Tip

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****VISUALS OF BEST PRACTICES****

In Ms. Wright’s Kindergarten class, they embraced the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) day activities. She started her class by watching the link below about how to fold out boats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiAWx8odStA . 
They then read a story Curious George Rides a Bike(which is all about boats, believe it or not) and compared two different ways to fold the paper, seeing which one would float with pennies. Students then wrote in their journals about where their boats would go. STEM education is vital to our future—the future of our country, the future of our region and the future of our children. Besides, STEM is everywhere; it shapes our everyday experiences.

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

The writers' gallery/ pledge is hosted by Ms. Crow's class this week.

The writers' gallery/ pledge will be hosted by Ms. Marinos's class next week. 

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

Monday, May 12th 
2:50 Leadership Meeting in Media Center

Tuesday, May 13th 

4th Grade Collegial Planning
2:50 - Committee Meetings

Wednesday, May 14th 
5th Grade Collegial Planning
2:50 - PLC Meetings
2:50 - New Student Round Up

Thursday, May 15th 

Kindergarten Collegial Planning
5 Star for Lunch - Please order by Wednesday at 9:00 am

Friday, May 16th 
7:30 - SGC Meeting in Media Center
Select and Change Student of the Week
5:00-6:30 pm - End of the Year Picnic

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

Happy belated birthday to Zattie Moffett on the 6th. Happy birthday to Pat Ancrum on the 17th! We hope you both had and have a very special birthday!

May 5th, 2014

High Point News

Week of: May 5th, 2014

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Congratulations!
Congratulations to "Granny" for winning our school's Volunteer of the Year Award! Ms. Bridges will be recognized at the Fulton County Volunteer of the Year Luncheon on Friday, May 9th. If you see her in the building, please tell her congratulations and take a moment to thank her for all of her hard work to make High Point better each day! 

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PBIS This Week!

Thank you for continuing to hand out tickets to our students who are exhibiting PAWS behavior!!

A reminder that when you are turning in an office referral, please bring the child/ren to the office with the referral (and 5 incident reflection sheets if appropriate). Staff members will go to Ms. Alexander first but if she is not able you will go to the following people:  B) Pitchford, C) Reed, D) Hess, and then Ms. Salmons. We will be completing a lot of formative observations but we want to make sure that if you have an office referral, it is handled immediately. Thanks!!!

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Staff and Teacher Appreciation Week

A HUGE thank you for everything each of you do to help our students learn more, feel loved, and contribute to our community!
To celebrate you, we welcome you to participate in the following:

• Muffins on Monday
• Massages on Tuesday! Sign-up will be coming. 
• Friday - Chick-fil-a for every staff member: Please come to the conference room to pick up your original sandwich, chips, and a water.

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TKES
Please don't forget to SIGN OFF on your Formative Assessment #2 and your Summative Assessment. Directions for sign-offs are on the T-drive under TKES 2013-2014. 

Sign-offs must be completed before everyone leaves on the 30th. Thank you!!
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2014-2015 Supplies
In order to use our monies now, we are asking teachers to complete their supply order for next year. Each teacher will be given $100 to stock up on supplies for next year (i.e, scissors, paper, glue, pencils, markers, etc..). All orders must be completed online using Office Max. You don't have to spend all of your money if you don't need it. $100 is the max. 

If you are not returning to High Point next year, please go ahead and complete an order for the teacher who will be taking over your classroom. Grade chairs, please make sure that if we are adding a class, you are creating that start-up order. 
The numbers at each grade level for next year are projected to be: 

• K = 7
• 1st = 6
• 2nd = 6
• 3rd = 7
• 4th = 5
• 5th = 5
• ESOL = 6
• SPED = 5
• EIP = 2 + 2 part time
• Special Area = Same as 2013

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Evacuation Drill
We will be having our last evacuation drill soon. Because of the time crunch, we will only go to the very top of the parking lot for our evacuation drill. We will NOT be walking to GHA. Please make sure you remember our procedures: 

• Code Blue will be announced. No alarm will sound.
• Walk your class safely out of the building. 
• Bring your safety bag, with colored cards, and your class list. 
• Find your cone with your grade level listed.  

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What I've Been Thinking About…

I've been thinking about the different apps we use with our students and how apps can make a difference in teaching and in learning. The following blog talks about just three apps that "deserve a little more love." 
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_toward_tomorrow/2014/04/3_google_apps_that_deserve_mor.html
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Technology Tips for the Week!

iPad Tips for Teachers

How to use multi-touch gestures

 Go to Settings > General and turn Multitasking Gestures on. If you swipe left or right with four fingers you’ll be able to switch from your current app to other recently used apps. You can also swipe up from the bottom of the screen with four fingers to open the Multitasking tray, and swipe down again with four fingers to close it. If you pinch with four fingers then you’ll close the app you’re in (it’s basically like tapping the Home button).

 How to get the iPad manual

 If you’re disappointed that the iPad didn’t have a manual then head over to Apple and download it. You’ll also find it’s available as a free download in the iBooks app.

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****VISUALS OF BEST PRACTICES****

Ms. Ellis’ 2^nd graders are studying about Life Cycles.  She has created a 1^st hand experience for her class. She has tadpoles, a Praying Mantis egg sac, and is planting Lima beans. The students come in everyday excited and asking questions.  They can’t wait to see all the changes that are happening. Ms. Ellis is integrating their study of Life Cycles into her reading and writing blocks.  If students are not doing hands-on science, they are not doing science. Science is a process and if students are not actively engaged in the process, they are not doing science. 

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

The writers' gallery/ pledge is hosted by Ms. Spears' class this week.

The writers' gallery/ pledge will be hosted by Ms. Crow's class next week.

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

Monday, May 5th 
Muffin Monday
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
9:30 Parent Tours

Tuesday, May 6th

3rd Grade Collegial Planning
2:50 - Grade Level Meeting if needed

Wednesday, May 7th 
Career Day
College Spirit Wear Day
8:00 Title I Parent Meeting
1st Grade Collegial Planning
2:50 - PLC Meetings

Thursday, May 8th 

Pre-K-2nd Field Day
5 Star for Lunch - Please order by Wednesday

Friday, May 9th 
3rd-5th Field Day
Pre-K Collegial Planning
Select and Change Student of the Week

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

Happy birthday today to Michelle Nobles, Rebecca Bailey, Benita Bearden, and Tierra Reed! We hope you all have a very special birthday!