November 2nd, 2015

High Point News

Week of: November 2nd, 2015

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

**********************************************************

Principal's Blog 

Below is the link to the Principal's Blog that went out Friday.

Principal's Corner - October - http://eepurl.com/bA9CDT 


The blurb below is in the blog regarding our attendance. It was also placed in the school newsletter that went out Friday as well. 




Attendance

Student attendance is extremely important at High Point. We want our families to help us by making sure you are encouraging your child to attend school every day. Is their alarm set? Do they have their clothes picked out the night before to get dressed quickly? Did you talk about what they did each day and what they are excited about doing at school? Are trips scheduled around school days instead of during them?

The graph above shows the number of days students missed in each grade level. As you can see, the numbers in Kindergarten, 1st and 5th grade are extremely high!!! We need our students at school to help them to learn and grow academically!! We are hoping that next month's numbers will be much lower. Thank you for your support!!!   

**********************************************************

GEORGIA CLIMATE SURVEY 

Below is information AND A LINK AT THE END about the Georgia School Climate Survey.This one is required as part of our CCRPI rating – the state’s school rating system. 

We must have 75% participation…100% participation would be awesome!!!   EVERY staff member should complete this. There are only 30 questions so it's fairly quick!!!

While the window is open into February, I encourage you to complete this one ASAP.

Thanks for completing this survey!!! 

 ********************

Georgia’s school climate surveys for the 2015-2016 school year will officially open on Monday, October  5, 2015 and will remain open through Friday, February 26, 2016. It is critical for all schools to participate in each of the surveys.

It is important to note that each school must have a 75% participation rate on the Georgia Student Health Survey and the Georgia School Personnel Survey this year. Failure to meet the 75% participation rate on these two surveys will result in a 0.00 score; thereby, significantly reducing a school’s School Climate Star Rating.

Please note that schools with no or low participation on the any of the surveys will not be permitted to receive the five (5) additional points for research/evidence-based programs/interventions they are implementing for Personalized Climate. This also applies to the 0.5 point awarded to the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) “Exceeding the Bar” indicator.  

Georgia School Personnel Survey

The Georgia School Personnel Survey (GSPS) is modeled after the student survey and includes 31 questions. The GSPS is for all certified and classified staff members who work at least 50 percent of the day in the school. At least 75% of certified and classified staff members must participate in the survey to be eligible for the School Climate Star Rating. Most teachers should be able to participate in the GSPS using their classroom computer. The survey is also accessible using a tablet or smartphone. Survey responses are anonymous and will be submitted directly to the Georgia Department of Education for analysis. Individual data results from the Georgia School Personnel Survey will not be available to the public and will not be posted online. The URL address for the Georgia School Personnel Survey is posted below.

Georgia School Personnel Survey:
http://apps.gadoe.org/schoolclimate/personnel.nsf/Survey.xsp

**********************************************************

What I've been thinking about...

Check out this great article and video from Lib Roberts about time and teaching! The question is, Do we have the power to say no to things that get in the way of learning? How do we fit it all in to help our kids? 

https://inquiryblog.wordpress.com/2015/10/20/the-power-to-say-no/

**********************************************************

PBIS 
Buddy Brags for the month of November will be placed in your mailboxes. Thank you to everyone for filling them out for your deserving colleagues!! 

****VISUALS OF BEST PRACTICE****

In Ms. Mitchler’s 1^st grade class, students are inquiring. She is using an inquiry based learning strategy called, “See, Think, Wonder.” Students are shown a bag with an object in it. They have to write what they see, what they think, and what they wonder. Ms. Mitchler taught this strategy whole group then moved it to one of her reading centers this week. She found that even after she taught it, she needed to guide them more with their questioning. She would ask questions like “Do you know for sure it’s a pumpkin?” or “what makes think it’s a pumpkin?” Students are loving the inquiry based learning and are fully engaged in that center! 

Think about trying this inquiry based strategy in your reading centers next week.

**********************

Ms. Wright's K class explored an inquiry into how the Statue of Liberty traveled from France to America! They wondered "How big is she?", "How many boxes did she fit into?", "How much did it weigh?" , "Where is France", "How did it travel across the ocean?"
 Next, they researched and discovered answers to these and other questions! To actually "see" how big she is they lined up on the floor to represent her finger and hand length!

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

The pledge and writers' gallery is hosted by Ms. Collin's class this week.

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

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

Monday, November 2nd  

RFF Day

Tuesday, November 3rd  

2:50 - Learning Tuesday

Wednesday, November 4th

Sandy Springs Reads to 1st Grade
IB PLC During Specials
Pitchford at Principals' Meeting

Thursday, November 5th

Instructional Rounds @ HPES
2:50 - PLCs
5th Grade to Rock Eagle
Grade Level Newsletter Goes Home

Friday, November 6th    
4th Grade In-House Field Trip
College Spirit Wear!!!!
Student of the Week Certificate

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

Happy birthday to Lindsey Hayes on the 3rd!! We hope you have a wonderful birthday!!

October 26th, 2015

High Point News

Week of: October 26th, 2015

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

**********************************************************

Condolences

Brenda Hart, a former teacher at High Point and also one of our substitutes, lost her husband this past weekend. Please keep her and her entire family in your thoughts this week. We will send out more information regarding funeral arrangements when we get it. Thanks! 

**********************************************************

Do You Have Questions about Redbird Advanced Learning???

Robyn Cohen from Redbird Advanced Learning will be at High Point November 12 from 10:00-12:00 noon to answer questions about the program.  She will be stationed in the conference room and you are invited to bring your questions and lunch for an informal lunch bunch chat.  This is not a required meeting.  Come if you are curious or confused!

If you lunch time falls outside the 10-12 slot, please let Kerstin know so she can arrange coverage for your class while you talk with Robyn.

**********************************************************

Leadership Observations

This Wednesday, October 28th, each grade level chair will be getting a sub to observe their grade level during their reading block. The observations will be about 10 minutes. These observations are not evaluative and no names will be shared with the administrative team. We are hoping to discuss the strengths and areas of improvement they observe in order to focus our PLCs and our work as a school. Please welcome them into your room. 

**********************************************************

What I've been thinking about...

I know that everyone knows about Wordles but this version of a word splash is done using Google Documents. 

Have students type up facts they are researching on a Google Document and then the Word Cloud app will turn their paper into a Wordle. This is a great way for them to see their main idea in their work. 

"By copying the text of a document into a word cloud generator your students can quickly see the words that appear most frequently in that document. Word clouds can also be used to help students see which words that they have frequently used in their own works." - Google Apps for Educators

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2015/10/how-to-create-word-cloud-in-google.html?m=1

**********************************************************

Doodle for Google

**********************************************************

A NOTE FROM THE CLINIC

WAYS TO PREVENT HEAD LICE INCLUDE:

• Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home, school, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp);
• Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes;
• Do not share combs, brushes, or towels. Disinfect combs and brushes used by someone with lice by soaking them in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5-10 minutes;
• Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with an infested person. Bed linen’s must be washed in hot water if a infested person has slept in the bed. Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that an infected person wore or used during the 2 days before treatment using the hot water (130°F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned OR sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 3 days;
• Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay. However, spending much time and money on housecleaning activities are not necessary to avoid re-infestation by lice or nits that may have fallen off the head or crawled onto furniture or clothing;
• Do not use fumigant sprays or fogs; they are not necessary to control head lice and can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.

If you suspect a student has head lice, please contact Ms. Dickie.

**********************************************************
****VISUALS OF BEST PRACTICE****

Questions are flying about in Ms. Churchwell's 1st grade classroom! She is using a strategy she learned on the teacher work day at the Inquiry Lunch and Learn called, "The Answer Is....What's the Question?"  She has modeled the strategy this week using simple answers, like, The Answer is Red, What is the question?  Students are suggesting all kinds of appropriate questions, then Ms. Churchwell asks them to add more adjectives to make an even better question!  Next week, she plans to use answers from her reading plans to connect the questions to content standards!  See if you can ask a question!

*******************************************************

In Ms. Jannausch and Frappier’s 4^th grade classroom, they used the Fishbowl Inquiry process as a provocation into their Mythology standard. In the mystery bag was a picture of Zeus. Teachers made sure the student that they chose had a little bit of background knowledge of the god (location, symbols etc). The other students were responsible for asking yes/no questions to figure out what was in the bag. It took some modeling at first, but the more "yes" answers they received, the more excited they got! The questions they were asking kept getting better and better. Once they figured out what was in the bag they were begging to do it again for another subject in the afternoon. We found something they love to do which is always a win for us!

*********************************************************************

The students  in Ms. Wright's Kindergarten classroom drove their own investigation. Ms. Wright showed them a picture of police officers from United States, Africa, Japan, and Mexico. They then voted on which country they would like to explore. Students listened to Japanese music, made their own Japanese Flags, and began looking at police officers from Japan. The students asked “wondering questions” that they posted. They will continue to explore their questions this week and next! 

********MATH CORNER**********

REDBIRD ADVANCED LEARNING Access for Teachers and Students

We are full into our launch of the Redbird personalized learning platform.  Here are some reminders for accessing several areas of RAL.  As with student access, the developers recommend that you use Chrome for teacher PD and report downloads.

• Teacher Access to Professional Development Resources: Teachers create their own usernames and passwords via personalized registration links distributed via e-mail. Once registration is complete, teachers return to https://redbird.massivepd.com/ to login to access their PD resources. 
• Teacher Access to Redbird Learning Center (Reporting System): Teachers login to Redbird Learning Center with the username and password they use to login to the Fulton County Schools Employee Portal. Teachers may login at https://fcs.redbirdschools.com/. Teachers may also find a link to login to Redbird Learning Center within the employee portal by clicking on the “View More” button in the “My Apps” section of the portal homepage, and then on the “Red Bird Learning” icon. 
• Student Access to Redbird Mathematics: Students login with their lunch ID and their 8-digit birthdate at https://fcs.redbirdschools.com/. Students may also find a link to login to Redbird Mathematics by visiting fultonschools.org and navigating the menu as follows: Students and Parents -> Resources -> Area: Students -> Redbird Advanced Learning

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

The pledge and writers' gallery is hosted by Ms. O'Daniel's class this week.

The pledge and writers' gallery will be hosted by Ms. Collin's class next week. 

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

Monday, October 26th 

9:30 - Parent Tour

Tuesday, October 27th 

2:50 - Faculty Meeting

Wednesday, October 28th

Math PLC During Specials
Pitchford at Focus Meeting

Thursday, October 29th

2:50 - PLCs
GKIDS Go Home
PSC Go Home for 1st Grade
Pitchford at Focus Meeting

Friday, October 30th     
Book Character Dress Up Day
Costume Dance - 5:30 pm in Cafeteria
Student of the Week Certificate

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

We have no birthdays this week. 

October 19th, 2015

High Point News

Week of: October 19th, 2015

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

**********************************************************
Congratulations!!!!
Congratulations to Rebecca Gersten and her husband Jordan who will be expecting their first child in April!!! We are very excited for their new little addition! 

**********************************************************

Safety
A few changes have been made in order to ensure the safety of our students who use the portables or are at recess. Please note the changes/improvements below: 

• The door by the Kindergarten playscape going into the 5th grade hallway will now remain UNLOCKED. Please have students use this door if they are coming in from the portables or need to use the restroom. The other 5th grade door near the parking lot should remain locked. 
• We are working on getting a gate around the portable air conditioning units. In the meantime, please make sure your students are not playing near the backside of the portables where it is unsafe. 
• Please use the BUDDY SYSTEM for anyone needing to go outside or to the portables. No child should be sent outside by themselves or into the building from the portables by themselves. 
• Please use the sidewalk at all times. Classes should not be walking through the parking lot area. 
• All grade level chairs: please make sure to have your walkie talkies at all times in the event of an emergency or if the front office needs a child. 

**********************************************************

Comcast Program Offers Affordable Internet Service to Low-Income Families 

The Internet belongs in the home. That’s the word from Internet and cable television provider Comcast, which offers affordable Internet service to eligible students and their families who meet specific requirements. Through Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, families pay $9.95 a month for service and receive in-home Wi-Fi and free digital literacy training in print, online and in person.

To qualify for the affordable rate, families must have at least one child who is eligible for free/reduced lunch; live in an area where Comcast is available; not have subscribed for Comcast within the last 90 days; and not have an outstanding debt to Comcast that is less than a year old. Additionally, as part of a streamlined enrollment process, children who attend schools with 50 percent or more participation in the National School Lunch Program are instantly approved when they apply for the program.  Since launching Internet Essentials in 2011, Comcast has connected more than 500,000 families to low-cost service. To learn more about how you can assist students and their families in getting connected, click here.

If you have a family who needs Internet service to take advantage of Upraised Math, Redbird Advanced Learning, or other personalized learning programs, please see Mariana Mendoza.  She can help get families connected and online.

**********************************************************

IB MOMENT

The workday's Lunch N' Learn was so much fun! Everyone left with tons of strategies to add to their tool box for practicing inquiry throughout the day! Check with Tiffany Churchwell or Sarah Griffin if you want to know more!  Or of course, I would be happy to schedule a time to talk with you directly!  If you are the kind of learner who would rather investigate it on your own, you'll find the power point and handout on the G drive under INQUIRY STRATEGIES in the IB Resources folder!

-Lib Roberts

**********************************************************

What I've been thinking about...

Check out this wonderful article from Edutopia about three practices that can help students invest in their own learning! 

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/ignite-student-engagement-roadmap-learning-john-mccarthy?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow%20&utm_campaign=RSS

**********************************************************

ITBS Testing
This is just a friendly reminder that ITBS testing will be conducted throughout the entire building this week. Please make sure you are quiet in the hallways going to specials and lunch. Also, please do not go outside for recess until an announcement has been made. Thank you!!! 

**********************************************************
****VISUALS OF BEST PRACTICE****

As many of you read a few weeks ago in the Monday Notes that Mrs. Sexton was eager to connect with a classroom from another country to extend her class' global experience. Well, she HAS connected with a Kindergarten class in Sri Lanka!!!! The school is an IB school that just finished the same transdisciplinary theme as our Kindergarten classes. Both classes are working on writer’s workshop so Ms. Sexton’s class sent them a video of their author celebration. Ms. Sexton’s class is eager to hear back from them and keep the connection going between our two IB schools. 

********MATH CORNER**********

Go-To Resources for Common Core Math

By David Ginsburg on October 14, 2015 3:01 PM

It's great that we have instant access to thousands of websites related to Common Core. But navigating this sea of sites can be overwhelming. With this in mind, here's a manageable list of free online resources my team has found helpful in our Common Core Math work with instructional leaders and teachers:

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coach_gs_teaching_tips/2015/10/go-to_resources_for_common_core_math_implementation.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news3.

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

The pledge and writers' gallery is hosted by Ms. Calhoun's class this week.

The pledge and writers' gallery will be hosted by Ms. O'Daniels' class next week. 

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

Monday, October 19th 

Bus Driver Appreciation Week
Beginning of ITBS Testing for 3rd and 5th Grade

Tuesday, October 20th 

2:50 - New Kids on the Block
2:50 - ParaPro PLC

Wednesday, October 21st 

IB PLC During Specials

Thursday, October 22nd 

2:50 - PLCs

Friday, October 23rd     
Student of the Week Certificate

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

Happy birthday to Brittany Frappier on the 22nd!! We wish you a very happy birthday!!!

October 13th, 2015

High Point News

Week of: October 12th, 2015

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

**********************************************************

Cafeteria Corner

“National School Lunch Week”

         Oct. 13-16, 2015

We will be celebrating by inviting the parents, grandparents, etc. to visit and eat lunch with their students.  Please remind them each day of that week to make the invitation to their family and friends.

Teachers, activity sheets for each student were placed in your mailbox on 10/5/2015. 

 If the student wishes to return their activity sheets to me (you can put in my mailbox), I will hang them on the walls of the serving lines.  Plus, would you help the young students by filling out

their favorite breakfast and lunch menu items at HPE?  The older students can fill out their own (you can also put in my mailbox).

We hope to see our teachers eat with us.  We give samples!!!  

Debbie Uhlar

**********************************************************

What I've been thinking about...

I've been thinking about our PLCs and the characteristics of what makes a good team. Elena Aguilar stated in her article on "5 Characteristics of an Effective School Team" stated, 

"I'm going to admit that it's taken me a while to feel convinced by the power of teams. Until recently, I didn't have great experiences in teams. I felt that alone I could produce whatever needed to be created better, and quicker, than working with others. I often felt frustrated working in teams -- the process felt so slow and cumbersome. I felt like I was usually given (or took) the bulk of the work. I didn't really know what an effective team looked like, how one worked together, or what the benefits could be. In the last few years, however, my experience in a couple different teams shifted these beliefs." 

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/5-characteristics-effective-school-team-elena-aguilar?utm_content=blog&utm_campaign=5-characteristics-effective-school-team&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow&utm_term=link

The question I have for each person in our building is now: Do you feel like you are a more effective ______________ (teacher, para, professional, etc..) because you are a part of a team? 

If not, what do we need to do in order to get there? 

**********************************************************

RTI Progress Monitoring Tips

Please remember the following items when Instructing students in Tier 2 or 3 content:

       Tier 2 Instruction – Minimum of 3 days a week for 15 minutes (between 8-10 students)

       Tier 3 Instruction – Minimum of 4 days a week for 30 minutes (up to 4 students)

       If you are using STAR to progress monitor, please set a goal for each student (or send names to Brian and he will do it)

        Try to complete the STAR progress monitoring in one sitting, if a test must be paused, it must be completed that same day.

       If you are using another progress monitoring tool, please upload the data weekly to EASY IEP (Ask Brian for help)

       Progress monitoring does not count as an intervention session – it must be done outside of the minimum intervention sessions.

 Brian will be monitoring and visiting classrooms during the morning RTI time starting next week; this will continue all year.

If you are struggling to progress monitor or form RTI groups, let Brian know, he will help!

 **********************************************************

RTI and Digital Learning Position

·        Brian is here to assist all teachers with RTI (mostly Tier 2 content) and Digital Learning.

•         If you need co-teaching assistance when implementing a new Digital Learning resource, request him to push in to you classroom.
•        If you are having difficulty knowing what instruction to use for RTI, request a meeting and he will provide support and resources.
•         If you are having difficulty communicating test scores to parents, invite him to a conference for support.
•         If you need one-on-one instruction with technology, ask him for training and support.
•         If you are perplexed about how to balance meeting with your RTI students and providing meaningful work for the rest of the class, invite Brian to help.

**********************************************************
****VISUALS OF BEST PRACTICE****

Mr. Espinoza, in Ms. Spear’s Kindergarten class, is working with his small groups on building their sight word knowledge. He has been working with them, daily, using Dr. Jan Richardson’s 4 step sight word direct instruction.  This has become a routine for these students and it shows!

**Check out this 2 1/2 minute video clip to see how it’s done** 

http://www.janrichardsonguidedreading.com/video-clips

********MATH CORNER**********

This week we will all meet for Math PLCs on Wednesday.  Please bring a piece of student work that clearly shows a misunderstanding of numbers and number sense.

Morning Meetings: Creating a Safe Space for Learning

Morning meetings can change the trajectory of your kids from disconnected to connected and invested in learning and cooperating with their classmates.  These skills are especially vital for successful math workshops.  At Symonds Elementary, teachers use morning meetings to develop valuable social-emotional skills, create a culture of respect and trust, and prepare students to learn

http://www.edutopia.org/practice/morning-meetings-creating-safe-space-learning

Engaging Students in Math

 In Jose Vilson’s classroom, five principles assure that all of his students enter into the language and workings of math, and create the conditions for math success.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/engaging-students-in-math-jose-vilson

14 Virtual Tools for the Math Classroom

Here are some apps for iPads -- along with a few other tips -- that can transform your daily lessons and are definitely worth checking out! 

I love the idea of using your iPads as calculators to help kids learn counting forward and backwards from any number.  Great numeracy tool!  -K

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/11-virtual-tools-math-classroom-monica-burns

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

The pledge and writers' gallery is hosted by Ms. Taylor's class this week.

The pledge and writers' gallery will be hosted by Ms. Calhoun's class next week. 

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

Monday, October 12th 

No School - Columbus Day!

Tuesday, October 13th 

1:30 - Leadership Team Meeting

Wednesday, October 14th 

Math PLC during Specials
2:45 - Test Administers' Meeting in Media Center (ITBS) 

Thursday, October 15th 

ETT for Kindergarten
2:50 - PLCs
Pitchford to Principal's Meeting

Friday, October 16th     
Student of the Week Certificate

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

Happy birthday to Farrahn Evans on the 14th, Dani Wright on the 16th, and Tashika Truesdale on the 18th!! We wish you all a very happy birthday!!!

October 5, 2015

High Point News

Week of: October 5th, 2015

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

**********************************************************

Playground Safety

There are a few students getting injured on the playground equipment at recess. Students are playing tag and running up on the playscapes. They are trying to get away from whoever is chasing them and are not watching what they are doing. Therefore they are either falling from the platform or they’re bumping their heads. Please make sure you are supervising your students at all times and encouraging them to not run onto the playscapes. Thanks for all your help in keeping our student safe.

- Michelle Dickie

**********************************************************

What I've been thinking about...

I've been thinking about our upcoming Science Day. With the help of Sheri, Lib, and our PTA, could we have some experiments that are standards-based but also some that are more open to inquiry? Could we have experiments which don't necessarily have directions or expected results? 

Below is an example of a great standards-based experiment - "Creating a Cloud" 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msSVQ903T8k

Below is an example of something that could encourage younger grade students to start wondering - "Tickle Me Plant"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gOx5ZqUoX8

**********************************************************

Karate Program

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Crossland Karate had to be canceled from our list of after school programs. 
Beginning Thursday, we will be using Martial Life. Letters and registration forms regarding this new program will be going home with students who were previously in the karate program. 
Extra flyers will be placed in the front office if you have anyone interested in the karate program. We will also post information on our school website. 
Thanks!!! 

**********************************************************
PBIS Updates

Do you have challenging student behavior???

Andi Lay, Brittany Frappier, and I are participating in a year-long webinar series on how to handle challenging student behavior. Once a month through Monday notes, I will redeliver a few tips and tricks that we receive from these webinars for you to apply in your rooms. Please ask any of us for further information about these webinars or if you would like a more in depth redelivery.

Webinar #1:

·       Just because a student can orally repeat a direction to you, may not mean they actually KNOW what to do. Try modeling and explaining it for them to see if they will do it the next time, before giving a consequence for not complying.

·      

    It is very normal for us to use a checklist or “to do” list to help us remember all we need to do in our adult world. Why do we assume that kids do not need the same thing to help them remember all the things that they need to do, pack up, remember, etc.? This is an easy accommodation to put in place for our kids to help them succeed.

·       Use positive terminology. Tell kids what they are supposed to do as opposed to what not to do. Focus on the behavior that you want to see.

·       Be careful about using broad terms of what you expect for behavior (ex. “be respectful”). If you can’t define specifically what it means, the kids can’t either. Try using something more concrete like “use friendly words”.

Rachel Salmons

**********************************************************
****VISUALS OF BEST PRACTICE****

Ms. Lassiter took her 5^th grade class, the other night, to a little bookstore in Decatur. They met the children’s author; Katherine Applegate. The author speaks to the kids and talks about her story and how she became an author. The experience was really inspiring for the kids to hear.  She did a funny presentation of some of her most popular books and then presented her newly published book.  After she spoke, the kids got a chance to take photos and get her autograph in their own books.  Ms. Lassiter says that she loved doing this because the kids who don’t like reading, felt like they met a celebrity and they usually try to read more of the author’s books.  Ms. Lassiter tweeted the author a picture of the class holding one of her books and she retweeted them. The class was very excited to say the least! Ms. Lassiter’s 5^th graders want to write to her and read any book that she has written.  These are inspired students!

In Ms. Calhoun’s 4^th grade class, students were put in small groups and each group was given a different Learner Profile. The teacher decided on the Learner Profiles based on something different than what the small group of students exhibited. The groups of students had to research an animal or animals that showed characteristics of that learner profile. The students were then to create that animal based on that learner profile.  Some of the animals were mixtures of different animals. The boys in this picture created a Fox/ Lion as an example of a Thinker. They explained to me that Foxes and Lions both have to think about how they hunt, what type of prey they are searching for, and where they should hunt.  All the small groups created this totem Pole which was connected back to their Native American unit. 

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

The pledge and writers' gallery is hosted by Ms. Foster's class this week.

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

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

Monday, October 5th 

GA PreK Week!!

Tuesday, October 6th 

2:50 - Learning Tuesday

Wednesday, October 7th 

IB PLC during Specials 
Pitchford to Principal's Meeting

Thursday, October 8th 

7:30 - SGC Meeting in Media Center
ETT for 1st Grade
Picture Day!!! (Staff photo @2:45 in cafeteria)
3:00 - PLCs (immediately following staff picture)
Student of the Week Certificate

Friday, October 9th     
Teacher Workday

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

Happy birthday to Kristen Mayhall and Rebecca Negrin on the 7th and Jennifer Silverman on the 10th!! We wish you all a very happy birthday!!!