September 29th, 2014

High Point News

Week of: September 29, 2014

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

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Please Welcome!

We are very excited to have two paraprofessionals joining our staff. Please join me in welcoming them to High Point!

- Ms. Whitley Sanders: SPED Paraprofessional
- Ms. Tameka Seals: Ms. Woods' Kindergarten Paraprofessional 

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Staff Changes
Ms. Remy Gordon, 3rd grade teacher, has resigned due to health issues. Her last day was Friday. We have decided to collapse her third grade class and move students into the remaining third grade classes. Students and parents were notified last Thursday and Ms. Salmons has been working with the students to make sure this is a smooth transition. 

We are now looking to hire a teacher to support third grade. If you know of any certified teachers looking for a job, please tell them to email Pitchford. Thank you. 

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Class Lists
Class verification forms will be in your mailboxes today. Please make sure that the correct students are on your list. If they are not, please write which students should or should not be on your list. Every verification form should be signed and returned to Rhodope Fears by this afternoon. Ms. Fears will make all corrections so that you will be able to input grades as well as have your classes show in STAR on Wednesday. 

We appreciate everyone's patience during this time!!!

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Professional Days

Due to the large number of open jobs, especially towards the end of the month, we are asking that you check CASE the day before you are supposed to attend a Professional Workshop. If your job is NOT covered, please cancel your Professional Day and come to work. This is not if the Professional Day is mandatory. If you have any questions, please see Sheri Hess or Carrie Pitchford. We appreciate your help and are working in conjunction with the county to get more subs in our building. 

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Jeans passes are now on sale. You can buy 1 pass and use it any day in October.  Passes are $5, cash only.  Money collected will be donated to Susan G. Komen in Memory of Jean Hetzel. For those new to High Point, Jean was a 2^nd grade teacher here and passed away a few years ago from Breast Cancer.  Please support this great cause.  

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Weight Watchers at Work

It’s not too late to sign up for WW at Work!! You have until Wednesday, October 1 to sign up if you are interested. The fee is only $156.00 for 12 weeks. You can post date 3 checks of only $52.00 each or use a credit or debit card. See Marie if you are interested in signing up and she can give you payment instructions. 

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TKES 
For our second walk-through, we will be assessing standards #4 Differentiation and #5 Assessment Strategies. We have decided since you just began your Rigor and Relevance training we will wait to assess standard #8 Academically Challenging Environment. We want to give you time to reflect upon your practice and try new strategies without the fear of it being evaluated. 

If you have any questions regarding your observation, please don't hesitate to contact your observer. We encourage open conversations surrounding TKES observations. 

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Contact Info

Please fill out the following google doc with your contact info. We need to make sure that we have the most updated information in the event of an emergency as well as vehicle information for parking.  Please complete by Friday, October 3^rd.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HwaroA91Xt1futqWqFPTloc3cFObq0llgqtLti3CJAI/viewform?c=0&w=1&usp=mail_form_link

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Bulletin Boards
Since we are moving into October, please make an effort to update your bulletin boards to display students' work or the wonderful things happening in your classroom. The introductory bulletin boards need be taken down. Thank you!  

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What I've Been Thinking About…

The article below is from the Washington Post in regards to why so many students can't sit still in schools today. It's a great article that reminds us to keep students moving and provide opportunities for kinesthetic learning.  

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/07/08/why-so-many-kids-cant-sit-still-in-school-today/
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PBIS This Week

• Congratulations to Lauren McClelland for receiving a Buddy Brag and getting the GIFT of TIME!! 

• During the next month, we will be focusing on hallway behavior. Classes with impressive hallway behavior will receive "classroom" tickets. This is just a blue ticket made out to the whole class. At the end of the week, we will find out which class on each grade level earned the most "classroom" tickets for hallway behavior. Ms. Alexander will announce the winners on the morning news on Mondays. 
• All staff members: Please be on the lookout for classes with great hallway behavior. When you see this, please give a blue ticket to the teacher or a student representative made out to the whole class. If you do not have a ticket, please tell the teacher to add one when they get into the classroom. 
• Homeroom teachers: Please email your PBIS representative with the number of classroom tickets you have earned each week. If you already have a system for hallway compliments, please combine the classroom tickets into your established system. 

Thanks for working hard to keep our hallways quiet and under control!

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Technology Tips of the Week

·         

      Flipped Display on Student Desktops – sometimes the student desktop screen will ‘flip’ or rotate and you have to turn your head sideways to read it.  This is usually caused when a series of keys are accidentally pressed at the same time. To fix it: Press the CTRL+ALT+Arrow Key at the same time.  The arrow key should be the directional arrow for the direction you need the screen to rotate.

·         Old E5400 Laptops – Many have asked when we can put these incredibly slow 5400 laptops ‘out to pasture’…we were told at our STS meeting this past Tuesday that these laptops (over 3,500 in the county) will be replaced before winter break.  I do not have a delivery schedule yet.  Also, keep in mind that after they are delivered, I will need to add software & printers (ActivInspire, Successmaker, Easy Grade Pro for 1^st grade, Lakeshore LA & Math, shortcuts to TAC, Outlook, etc., etc.).  Some can be pushed out via LANDesk but some must be added manually. I promise to develop a plan and get them delivered to you as fast as possible. - Chellye Pomeroy

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OPEN ENROLLMENT 101

 If you have questions about the upcoming Open Enrollment, join us in the Media Center on Friday, October 3^rd at 2:50 p.m. Representatives from the Benefit Department will be here to answer your questions and give you an overview of the program. Hope to see everyone there. 

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

In Ms. Todd's 1st grade class, students are sitting on the carpet with their writer's  notebook ready to share. Hayden is sharing her story that she wrote during the writer's workshop independent writing time. All students had their "eyes and ears" on Hayden. Sharing is an extremely important component of the writing workshop that many teachers tend to dismiss due to time constraints. During the sharing portion, students get the opportunity to observe and learn from each other. 

*****WRITERS' GALLERY**********

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

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

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

Monday, September 29th
Writers Workshop with Hess during Specials

Tuesday, September 30th 

PKES SMART Goals Submitted
1:45 pm - Leadership Team Meeting

Wednesday, October 1st 
College Spirit Wear Today!
Pitchford to CLC Principals Meeting

Thursday, October 2nd 

Honey Baked Ham for Lunch - Order by Wednesday
2:50 - PLCs

Friday, October 3rd
7:30 am - PTA Executive Board Meeting 
Send your tickets down and change your Student of the Week

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

There are no birthdays for this week. 

September 22, 2014

High Point News

Week of: September 22, 2014

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

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As many of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In support of October, we will be selling a Jeans Pass! You can buy 1 pass and use it any day in October.  Passes are $5, cash only.  Money collected will be donated to Susan G. Komen in Memory of Jean Hetzel. For those new to High Point, Jean was a 2^nd grade teacher here and passed away a few years ago from Breast Cancer.  Please support this great cause.  Passes will go on sale next Monday, September 29^th.

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RTI Support Personnel and Responsibilities  
In order to support you more with RTI, we have created positions and defined the responsibilities of each individual so that you know who to turn to if you have any questions related to RTI.

Tier I- Sheri Hess and Rachel Salmons

·         Attend SST Meetings to problem solve and address learning and/or 

      behavior concerns

·         Assist with finding instructors for the Tier III students if needed

·         Monitor Tier I and Tier II instruction during the RTI block

Tier II- Kristen Trenbeath

• Monitor the organization and fidelity of the assessment process
• Guide instruction and interventions for Tier II students
• Assist grade levels with grouping Tier II students
• Monitor the fidelity of Tier II instruction

Tier III-Jacqueline Radford

·         Schedule and facilitate SST meetings

·         Assist with providing instructors for Tier III students

·         Guide instruction and interventions for Tier III students

·        Monitor the fidelity of Tier III instruction and schedule

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Paper Usage

Paper usage is at an all-time high! Two pallets of paper (80) boxes were purchased as the beginning of school this year at the cost of $1200.00 per pallet. Each ream of paper is 500 sheets. There are 10 reams in each box. Multiply that by 80 boxes and you get 400,000 sheets of paper. As of Friday, September 19, 2014, there are only 29 boxes of paper left. That means that 255,000 sheets of paper have been used. That is approximately 8,793 sheets a day being used.

Because of the large amount of paper being used, copy codes will be closely monitored on a weekly basis and copy codes will be removed once you have reached your 3600 copies for the month. If we continue on this pace, we will run out of paper or money and do not want either to happen.

 

Also, it has been noted that paper is being removed from the copiers and used in grade level printers. All grade levels will need to order at least one (1) ream of paper per teacher per grade level to be used in the grade level printers. Printers should not be used as copiers and all papers printed should be retrieved by the person that is printing. Multiple copies are being left on printers and never retrieved. It is extremely important not to waste paper and toner.

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Front Door Access During the Day
 
The front office staff stay extremely busy during the day. In order to help reduce the amount of traffic in the front office as well as reduce the number of times the door has to be unlocked, we are asking teachers to please use other entrances when returning from recess or going to and from lunch. All teachers have keys that will unlock the outer doors that have a slide lock on it.

Entrances that can be used are:

• the entrance from the portables
• the fifth grade hallway
• the kindergarten doors
• the carpool entrance

The front office staff is constantly opening the doors for classes and this allows others to come in with them without being screened by the staff. We have to be safety conscience at all times and reducing the number of times the doors are unlocked will help to assure that our students and staff remain safe. Thank you for our cooperation!!

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Technology Tips of the Week

·         Computer Lab – Since many of our programs require the entry of Student ID #s for username and/or password, please be sure students bring individual cards with student IDs to Comp. Lab.  Also, bring a note or email the specific activities for students to work on (i.e. Successmaker-Math Concepts & Skills 2 > 4^th Gr. Multiplication; Study Island-Math CCGPS/Area and Perimeter, etc.)  We don’t want to waste valuable instruction time and really need teacher’s assistance.

·         Safari Montage, a digital repository, is coming soon and will provide a ‘learning content and learning object’ repository for teachers and students (i.e. videos, eBooks, virtual tutors, etc.).  The software requirements include three video players: QuickTime, VLC Media Player and Safari Montage’s own media player called Media Player. The IT Dept. has been pushing the VLC Media Player (see picture below) and Media Player for Safari Montage which is why many of you have seen new icons magically appear on your desktop.

 

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What I've Been Thinking About…

The article below was given to me by Lib Roberts in regards to 21st Century Skills. Most people think about technology when they hear 21st Century Skills however, it's not just about technology; it's about LEARNING. 21st Century Classrooms are places that have moved from teachers just "telling" to students  who are "doing."  In order for our students to be productive citizens like our mission statement says, they must conquer the 4 C's: Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Communication. Click on the link below to read this quick and engaging article.

http://web.tech4learning.com/blog-0/bid/45149/The-21st-century-classroom-where-the-3-R-s-meet-the-4-C-s?utm_campaign=ce_0914_blog&utm_source=email&utm_medium=ce&utm_content=21st_century

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PBIS This Week

• Last full week to fill out a buddy brag for a colleague!! We will be pulling names next Tuesday.
• This week we will focus on Classroom/Specials behaviors. Please recognize your students for displaying PAWS Up behavior each day. We will conduct another "Ticket Competition" soon to recognize the grade level who earns the most tickets!!

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RTI Fidelity Walks

Part of the RTI team’s job is to monitor the effectiveness and fidelity of our RTI block. Therefore, you will see Salmons, Radford, Saunders, and Hess popping into your classrooms for a minute or two on Tuesdays-Fridays. We are looking for teachers working with tier 2 or tier 3 students, students engaged in math enrichment activities, and general troubleshooting issues. We will periodically provide school wide data on how the block is functioning. This is not for evaluative purposes. Thanks!!!

*****Our Math Corner******************

Strategies That Most Impact Achievement

As a staff, we are working towards involving students in substantive discussions about numbers and problem solving strategies. Here is a great article from NCTM about how good teaching intentions can inadvertently go awry.

Warning Signs!
Victoria R. Jacobs, Heather A. Martin, Rebecca C. Ambrose, and Randolph A. Philipp
Avoid three common instructional moves that are generally followed by taking over children's thinking.

http://www.nctm.org/publications/article.aspx?id=43099

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

In Ms. Arnold’s 3^rd grade class, Anchor charts are posted throughout her classroom. The best charts serve as a scaffold for students, reminding them of a new understanding, an academic experience, or supplying academic vocabulary. Students refer to these charts during follow-up lessons and independent work times. Effective charts help students transfer their learning across contexts and allow students to work independently. By constantly referring to the anchor charts around your classroom, students begin to use these resources naturally.

 

*****WRITERS' GALLERY**********

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

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

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

Monday, September 22nd
9:30 - Parent Tours
2:30 - PKES Training in Media Center
 

Tuesday, September 23rd 

First Grade Collegial Planning
2:50 - Faculty Meeting and Committee Meetings

Wednesday, September 24th
Second Grade Collegial Planning
3:00 - Weight Watchers Meeting in Media Center

Thursday, September 25th

Firehouse Subs for Lunch - Order by Wednesday
2:50 - PLCs
Rosh Hashana

Friday, September 26th
Parent Involvement Day 
Send your tickets down and change your Student of the Week

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

Happy birthday this week to Jamiria Anderson on the 22nd and Shannon Billits on the 25th!
We hope you both have a wonderful birthday!!

September 15, 2014

High Point News

Week of: September 15, 2014

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

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Professional/Duty Leave

All professional and duty leave needs to approved by the CST and then the principal. The NEW process is as follows:

If there is a training being offered by the county or an outside source that you would like to attend, please schedule a time to meet with the CST prior to requesting leave from the principal. You should discuss the purpose of the professional day, how you will redeliver the information if necessary, and give Sheri an opportunity to check the number of your total professional days.

If Sheri agrees with your request, she will email your request to Carrie for approval and copy the person making the request on the email.

At that time, we will email you that your professional/duty day has been approved and will notify you how to fill out a form or put your absence in Employee Express.

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Weight Watchers

The "WEIGHT" is over!

I am pleased to announce the start of our on-site Weight Watchers @ Work meetings.

We will jump start the program with the Information/Enrollment Meeting on Wednesday September 24th at 3:00 pm in the Media Center. At that time you will be given a half hour presentation detailing the exciting program.

§  The 17 week series will cost $186.00 with the members receiving free eTools. Payments can be made with a credit card, debit card or cash to pay for the meetings.  We can split the cost into 3 payments of $62.00 if payment is made by check. You will post date your checks and they will go in once a month.

§  FALL PROMO - 2 Weeks Free if meeting starts between 8/18/14 - 10/3/14. That puts the cost at only $9.78 per week!!

Have your payments ready during our Info Meeting so that we can start our Week One of the Program that following week!  Mark your calendars and make the commitment to start a new healthier lifestyle through Wellness Weight Watchers @ Work Program!

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Instructional Rounds

We want to extend a huge thank you to our teachers for participating in great discussions and walkthroughs focused on Differentiated Instruction and Academically Challenging Environments. It takes transparency, trust, and professionalism to be a part of these rounds and you displayed all of these last week.

We will be participating again in these Instructional Rounds in November and then again in March. These will be like the first round in that we will have a focus and will be observing in different grade levels for 10 minutes each.

During your January collegial olanning, you will be participating in Instructional Rounds chosen by you. You will be asked to fill out a survey sharing your strengths with us which will then be shared with everyone during the January collegial planning. You will have the opportunity to see the grade level and specific area of your choice during this time.

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Dismissal Change

We are going to change dismissal slightly in order to ensure the buses are pulling out at before 2:30 each day! This change will go into effect TODAY (Monday).  Please note the following process:

2:20: Carpool, Walkers, Daycare, PK, KK & 1^st grade bus riders

2:23: 4^th & 5^th grade bus riders

2:25: 2^nd & 3^rd grade bus riders

2:28: LAST CALL

2:30: Prime Time and all after school activities

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What I've Been Thinking About…

As you are getting support twice a month from Sheri Hess in regards to Writer's Workshop, I came across this article from We Are Teachers about using anchor charts in writing. Click on the following link below to see 25 different anchor charts to help your students with writing. Here are some great samples of what they give you! There are some great charts!! http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2014/09/08/25-awesome-anchor-charts-for-teaching-writing?utm_content=bufferc11ee&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

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PBIS This Week

• This week we will focus on HALLWAY behaviors. Please make sure that you are reviewing proper hallyway behaviors and expectations with your students. There are stop signs throughout the building to help your students know when to stop on the way to specials, recess, or lunch. Make sure that you, as the adult, are never in the front or the back of your class. Being in the middle helps you monitor noise and behavior. 

*****Our Math Corner******************

Strategies That Most Impact Achievement

As a staff, we are working towards involving students in substantive discussions about numbers and problem solving strategies.  Here is a great article from NCTM about how good teaching intentions can inadvertently go awry.

Warning Signs!
Victoria R. Jacobs, Heather A. Martin, Rebecca C. Ambrose, and Randolph A. Philipp
Avoid three common instructional moves that are generally followed by taking over children's thinking.

http://www.nctm.org/publications/article.aspx?id=43099

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

Third grade is implementing the Workshop Menu during their reading block. In Ms. Evans’ 3^rd grade classroom, the students focus on the Workshop Menu as their independent time. The Workshop Menu has an Appetizer, Main Course , and Dessert as the MUST DOS. The Snack is a MAY DO, which has them utilizing technology. On the Menu, students are reading and responding. They are also using graphic organizers to assist with their learning . Ms. Evans has her Menu differentiated for the students in her class.

A menu lists all required centers and activities for the week along with a list of suggested optional activities. Having a menu helps the kids to stay organized, have a sense of accomplishment, and track their progress.

*****WRITERS' GALLERY**********

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

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

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

Monday, September 15th
4th Grade Collegial Planning
Meetings with Hess during Planning
Muffin Monday

Tuesday, September 15th

11:10 - Leadership Meeting with Ann Ferrell
2:50 - New Kids on the Block

Wednesday, September 16th
8:00 Title I Parent Meeting - Cafeteria

Thursday, September 17th

Tazikis for Lunch - Order by Wednesday
2:50 - PLCs
Pitchford to Principals' Meeting

Friday, September 18th
7:30 - SGC Meeting in Media Center 
Send your tickets down and change your Student of the Week

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

Happy birthday this week to Mary Katherine Stahura on September 21st!
We hope you have a wonderful birthday!!

September 8, 2014

High Point News

Week of: September 8, 2014

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

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Flu Clinic at HPES

Please sign up for your 2014 Flu shot! The signup sheet is at the front desk next to the time out sheet. We have to have at least 25 signatures and family members can also take advantage of this convenient service at High Point. For more information, please see Michelle Dickie. 

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Fountas and Pinnell Data

I am placing a spreadsheet on the G drive to enter your Fountas and Pinnell data. The data is due by the end of the day Friday, September 12th.  The spreadsheet can be found in a folder labeled Fountas and Pinnell 2014-2015. The spreadsheet has several columns. One column you DO NOT need to fill in is WPM. Leave it blank. Any questions, let me know. - Hess 

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Qualitative Data
We will be coming around to classrooms for approximately 5 minutes to take some qualitative data for our Strategic Plan. This is not for evaluative purposes and data will not be connected with individual teachers' names. The following people will be helping collect this data: Pitchford, Alexander, Hess, Roberts, Long, and Salmons

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What I've Been Thinking About…

Rick Wormeli's YouTube video regarding grading is very compelling. In this part-one video about redos, retakes, and do-overs, Mr. Wormeli talks about how important failure is to a child's development. He also discusses how, in life, we get many re-dos or do-overs so why isn't that the same in the classroom?! As you are beginning to put your grades in your grade book and assess your students on the standards, think about this video. Are we giving our students opportunities to redo an assignment? Do we create an environment where students aren't deterred by failure? 
http://youtu.be/TM-3PFfIfvI

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PBIS This Week

• Buddy Brags for the month of September will be placed in everyone's mailboxes. There are also extra on the mail room table if needed. 

• This week we will focus on DISMISSAL behaviors. Please make sure that you are reviewing proper dismissal procedures with your students. For safety, students should WALK to every dismissal location. Please make sure that students are also staying on the sidewalk and not walking down hills or in the grass. Dismissal plans should have been turned in to the Administrative Team so that there is a teacher covering each group of students. 

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Technology Tips of the Week

·         A new app, Showbie, was introduced at the end of last school year. Showbie, the paperless classroom made simple, is a new free app from Apple that should be on most Student iPads and can be downloaded onto Teacher iPads.  Showbie allows teachers to set up an account then give the code to students so they can share their documents or projects with the teacher (kind of like Edmodo - great for iPads). Please add this app to your teacher iPads (if it is not already there) and give it a try.  If it is not on your student iPads, let Chellye know and it can/will be added. Visit this website to learn more: http://www.showbie.com/

Teachers can check out an adapter for the iPad to connect to your projector from the Media Center to share student projects, etc.  

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Technology Help from Microsoft

·    Would you like technology integration help for your classroom?

   High Point has been chosen as only 1 out of 10 schools in the nation for a special BING in the classroom experience. Microsoft will be coming on Tuesday, September 23rd to support teachers in integrating technology in the classroom. 

A  

   An email from Jennifer Taylor will be coming around with sign-up directions and more information later this morning.

*****Our Math Corner******************

Strategies That Most Impact Achievement

Memory Box

This activating strategy is best used to bridge one day of learning to the next.  Students use a folded piece of paper.  For 90 seconds students record everything they remember about the lesson the day before.  In small groups, students share what is on each list, one at a time.  As one student shares her or his list, other students in the group add ideas they don’t have on their own list and check off the ideas that are already on their list.  The next student shares the same way.

After everyone has had a chance to share their ideas, small groups share out to the whole class.

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

In Ms. Billits’ 1^st grade classroom, there is a center rotation chart posted in the room. It is colorful, neat, and easy to follow.  When students were asked what center they were doing and what do they do when they are done, students knew and could share how to use the center chart. There is little chance that students will meet high standards if their school environment is chaotic or unsafe. Again, clear behavioral and procedural expectations provide the safety that sets minds free to soar. Once you have the framework in place for a functional, well-managed setting where students know what to do and how to get along, you can focus on actions to move students academically, to challenge their thinking, inspire their desire to learn, and help them achieve to their highest potential.

*****WRITERS' GALLERY**********

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

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

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

Monday, September 8th 
9:30 - Parent Tours

Tuesday, September 9th  

3rd Grade Collegial Planning
2:50 - Learning Tuesday (Locations TBD)
Pitchford to New Principals' Meeting

Wednesday, September 10th
8:00 General PTA Meeting in Cafeteria

Thursday, September 11th 

Qdoba for Lunch - Order by Wednesday
2:50 - PLCs

Friday, September 12th  
Kindergarten Collegial Planning 
F&P Scores Due
Send your tickets down and change your Student of the Week

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

Happy birthday this week to Anita Burch on September 11th.
We hope you have a wonderful birthday!!