Week of: December 1st, 2014
********NEWS*************************
Welcome Back!
We hope each and every one of you had a relaxing and joyful break, filled with good food, family, and friends. We are so glad to see everyone back and well-rested!!!
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Thank you!!!
Welcome Back!
We hope each and every one of you had a relaxing and joyful break, filled with good food, family, and friends. We are so glad to see everyone back and well-rested!!!
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Thank you!!!
A HUGE thank you to the Math Day committee( Vera
Woods, Tiffany Churchwell, Julie Ellis, Anita Collins, Josephine Calhoun,
Michelle Nobles, Kelsie Wright, Sheri Hess, and Kerstin Long)for all their hard work in
putting together an amazing day!!!
What a wonderful way to send students off before the Thanksgiving holiday! Students were engaged, excited, and relating math to their everyday lives!!! It was a huge success and we appreciate everyone's hard work in making this happen for our students!!
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Staying Connected Visits
Staying Connected Visits
Dr. Scott Muri, our Deputy Superintendent of Academics, will be coming to High Point on the 18th of December as part of his "Staying Connected" visits. He is visiting every school in Fulton County to talk to staff. Everyone will meet in the Media Center at 2:50 on this day to hear him speak. The PLC meetings will be held immediately following this meeting if time allows. We will remind everyone closer to the date but wanted to let everyone know so you could mark your calendars.
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Thank you for helping us make these changes as soon as possible!!! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
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Fire Inspection
Our Fire Marshall came to inspect our building last week and there are a few things we need to fix immediately. He will be back in 30 days to make sure these changes have been made.
PLEASE make these changes if the following pertains to your classroom:
703.2.3 Door operation. Do not chock fire rated doors. They are designed to self latch and prevent the spread of fire - multiple teaching rooms. (If your door automatically closes because of an upper hinge, you cannot prop open the door with a wedge. The door has to remain closed.
404.3.2 Fire Safety Plans. Evac plans must be posted in all classrooms and places of assembly - cafeteria, gym, etc...They must show primary and secondary routes of evacuation, including assembly area.(All classrooms must have a map with primary and secondary routes of evacuation. Please email Jacinta if you do not have a map with clear evacuation routes)
INSPECTOR COMMENTS: Unsprinkled classrooms are limited to 20% wall coverage for each wall - Sprinkled classrooms are limited to 50% coverage for each wall. (There are too many papers, charts, etc on the walls. If your classroom does NOT have a sprinkler in it, each wall should only contain 20% of paper coverage. This includes paper on bulletin boards. While it's great to use anchor charts, we need to remove them when they aren't being used by students.)
Our Fire Marshall came to inspect our building last week and there are a few things we need to fix immediately. He will be back in 30 days to make sure these changes have been made.
PLEASE make these changes if the following pertains to your classroom:
Thank you for helping us make these changes as soon as possible!!! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
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PBIS This Week
Congratulations!!
Congratulations to Megan Eigel for winning the "Gift of Time" for November's Buddy Brag! We appreciate everyone for taking the time to acknowledge your colleagues!!! New Buddy Brags will be placed in your box for December.
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December PAWS Up Focus - BATHROOMS!
Congratulations to Megan Eigel for winning the "Gift of Time" for November's Buddy Brag! We appreciate everyone for taking the time to acknowledge your colleagues!!! New Buddy Brags will be placed in your box for December.
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December PAWS Up Focus - BATHROOMS!
The PBIS committee has decided to focus on bathroom behavior for the month of
December because there have been several incidents of graffiti/writing in the
bathroom stalls.
Teachers please review the following bathroom expectations with
your students:
- To practice good manners, students should not be talking,they should keep their eyes in their own stall, and wait their turn quietly
- Stay safe by washing hands and
returning to class promptly
- Help keep our bathrooms clean
and safe. Flush toilets, throw away trash, and NO WRITING on
stalls or walls
- Ask students to report to you if they notice someone who isn't following the rules- especially if they see someone writing on or vandalizing the bathroom in some way.
Thank you for doing your part to help maintain clean bathrooms!
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TECHNOLOGY TIPS OF THE WEEK
HOUR of CODE EVENT!!!
High Point has chosen to participate in the “Hour of Code” event on December 10th.
This day is to familiarize students with how computers work and think. Please reserve a block of time on this day for you to spend educating your students on coding.
To help facilitate your participation in this event, the technology committee has prepared a folder on the desktop of the student computers called coding.
In this folder you will find
a. A link to Tynker (a coding program High Point ALREADY pays for)
b. A link to online activities (suitable for all grade levels)
i. Course 1 is recommended for all students in K-1 and those who are struggling readers
ii. Course 2 is for the general elementary students of grades 2-5
iii. Course 3 is for students who already have coding experience (recommended for 4th and 5th)
We also plan to have these activities placed on the Symbaloo.
We would love to have this activity completed by each child but understand that time is a priceless commodity. We will also be having Mr. Faye help the students use the Tynker program with all 2nd-5th students during the computer lab specials throughout the week of December 8th.
Thank you!!!!
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All duty leave requests will go directly to Pitchford while Hess is out on medical leave. Thanks!!!
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What I've Been Thinking About…
This is a FABULOUS article about questioning and project-based learning. If you want to know more about "how to get started" when it comes to project-based learning, this article is perfect!!! It walks you through the purpose behind project-based learning as well as lists driving questions that you can use in your classroom to get projects started. AND..... there are links to give you ideas on how to assess your students afterwards. It's definitely worth the read!!!
http://learninginhand.com/blog/drivingquestions
****Our Math Corner******************
Rigor and Relevance Math Activities from NCTM
Click the link above for access to math activities that will challenge and engage your students!
· Statistics math lessons for grades K-5 from STEW. The lessons integrate multiple standards, the standards of mathematical practice, and are based on real-world experiences.
· The Illuminations Pinterest board for common core numeracy and math activities for each grade.
· The NCTM problem of the week and a link to past problems. These are perfect homework projects that will stretch your kids and get them involved in critical thinking.
Here is our math Symbaloo for High Point teachers.
Lots of great resources for you and the students you teach.
****VISUALS OF BEST PRACTICES****
At least 3 times a week, students in Ms. Calhoun’s 4th
grade class, are asked to “tweet” about what they know, don’t know or
learned in their math block. There are some days, she might give them a
problem and short W.A.M (Write about Math) that asks students to explain
something that they’ve learned that day and the process in which they completed
the task. Other days, students write an example of a problem in which
they were having difficulty with and how they solved it.
Ms. Calhoun reads each “tweet” and gives them feedback or
conference with them regarding this concept. This helps her to understand
and assess each students’ progress quickly.
“Tweets” only take about 3-5 minutes to complete. Student
answers may also serve as a hook for the next day to review previous learned
concepts or share GREAT responses and strategies.
At least 3 times a week, students in Ms. Calhoun’s 4th
grade class, are asked to “tweet” about what they know, don’t know or
learned in their math block. There are some days, she might give them a
problem and short W.A.M (Write about Math) that asks students to explain
something that they’ve learned that day and the process in which they completed
the task. Other days, students write an example of a problem in which
they were having difficulty with and how they solved it.
Ms. Calhoun reads each “tweet” and gives them feedback or
conference with them regarding this concept. This helps her to understand
and assess each students’ progress quickly.
Additionally, students are able to write their feelings about a
lesson and/or ask a question they wouldn’t normally ask.
When doing small groups, Ms. Calhoun tries to refer to their
“tweets” and incorporate difficult skills in the lesson.
“Tweets” only take about 3-5 minutes to complete. Student answers may also serve as a hook for the next day to review previous learned concepts or share GREAT responses and strategies.
*****WRITERS' GALLERY**********
The writers' gallery/pledge is hosted by Ms. McClelland's class this week.
The writers' gallery/pledge will be hosted by Ms. Arnold's class next week.
******CALENDAR OF EVENTS*******
Monday, December 1st
Safety Week for Grades 3-5
Tuesday, December 2nd
1:30 - Leadership Meeting
Wednesday, December 3rd
College Spirit Wear Day!
Wednesday, December 3rd
College Spirit Wear Day!
Thursday, December 4th
My Friends Place - Order by Wednesday
3:00 - Holiday Staff Party at Katana!!
3:00 - Holiday Staff Party at Katana!!
Friday, December 5th
7:30 - SGC Meeting in Media Center
Book Fair Begins
Send your tickets down and change your Student of the Week!
7:30 - SGC Meeting in Media Center
Book Fair Begins
Send your tickets down and change your Student of the Week!
******BIRTHDAYS! ****************
Happy birthday to Melissa Lawson TODAY and Kristen Trenbeath on the 4th!! We hope each of you have a very wonderful birthday!!
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