November 2nd, 2015

High Point News

Week of: November 2nd, 2015

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

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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!!!   

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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!!! 

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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

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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/

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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.

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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!!