October 31st, 2016

High Point News

Week of: October 31st, 2016

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

Support for Calhoun

As some of you are already aware, Josephine was just recently diagnosed with Uterine Cancer. She will be having surgery on Nov 14th at Piedmont Hospital and will be on medical leave until January. 

One of Ms. Calhoun's best friends created a t-shirt for her to show support. If you would like to purchase a t-shirt, Ms. Truesdale will be collecting the money and has created a link below in order to purchase the shirt.

Ms. Calhoun's students and parents will be made aware this Thursday. She appreciates everyone's positive thoughts, energy, and support. We love you Ms. Calhoun!!!

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=mLHcDGmBcEu6n9p-O6cAwioLA-hvzE9KuzGkyfW7Yb9URjNXSktHWFhXVVFDQkQwRDQzWUVEWEYyVi4u

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TALENT MANAGEMENT IS HIRING TEACHER SELECTORS 

Fulton County is seeking high performing classroom teachers with at least three years of teaching experience and extraordinary attention to detail to apply to be a Teacher Selector for the 2017 High Volume Season.
Interested teachers should apply online from now til November 14^th.  Applicants will go through several selection rounds before being invited to training in January. The link is below with more information about the requirements, expectations, and pay. You may also apply using the link as well. 

 https://www.applitrack.com/fultonschools/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Internal

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Water Testing
As many of you already know, Fulton County will be working to ensure that the district's water is safe for consumption through a rigorous testing schedule for all schools and administrative facilities. 
Our school is scheduled for testing on November 3rd. 
Once testing is complete, the district will communicate directly with the schools when results are received in addition to posting them to the FC website. 

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RFF Day
The following is the schedule for November 7th. ALL staff is required to attend on this day. 

7:30 - 11:00 - IB Work
11:00-12:00 - LUNCH
12:00-1:00 - K-2: Seesaw
12:00-1:00 - 3-5: Reflection on Cloudfolio

1:00-3:00 - Breakout Sessions for Staff
  - Weebly
  - SeeSaw
  - OneNote and OneDrive
  - Learning Platforms: Redbird, iReady, Imagine Learning

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New Copier!!!

Our new copier has arrived and here are a few items you need to know:

• Copier is fully functional. Your codes will be reinstated by Tuesday. Until then, copy on!
• The Finishing button is where you will find most of your coping functions.  Stacking is now called "grouping".  Staple, sort, and double sided features are the same. 
• When refilling the paper trays, please be gentle with the drawers - the are plastic. ;)
• Large paper tray is sensitive to misaligned paper.  Be sure both paper stacks are clear of the center. 
• Once the unit is on the network, you will be able to scan and email documents!  
• You can also bring a flash drive and print from it. 

Please be sweet to our new copier. If you have any questions about how it works, please ask Ms. Zeller! 

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Instagram

Lib is the Georgia Department of Education Instagram Takeover Teacher for this week!  She will be sharing a glimpse of what education at High Point Elementary is like!  Let her know if you would like her to photograph and publish your classroom, learning artifacts, lesson preparation or delivery (Or any other ideas!!)! Then follow High Point  on Instagram @georgiadeptofed!  She'll also be using #hpesib to categorize photos!  Tell your friends on social media, to look for you there!

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Parking Space
Congratulations to Emma Gilmore for receiving a Buddy Brag and the TOTY parking space in the front for the next two weeks!!!!! Thanks for all that you do! 

New Buddy Brags will be placed in your boxes today. Thanks for taking the time to recognize your colleagues! 

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Pot Luck November 8th
Your Culture and Climate Committee is hosting a POT LUCK Breakfast on November 8th (Election Day!)  Please sign up to bring something yummy to share and let's start the day off with some fun fellowship and food!

Click the link below to add your name to a category! Don't see one that fits your signature dish? Add to the "other" category at the bottom of the page.  Make sure you scroll through all the choices!

Hint: Open the link in the browser, so that others can edit and add their name if you are adding yours at the same time!  Thank you!

https://fultonk12-my.sharepoint.com/personal/robertse1_fultonschools_org/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspx?guestaccesstoken=JF1tvJu%2bMOwhADyG8mUxC5ogAzvWz94FNK8Ht7gp0eY%3d&docid=17068f46bbe5940b4885aba3c15e833d1&rev=1

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Monitoring Notes

Monitoring Notes are due November 4, 2016.   Please write in complete sentences.  The new format from One Drive does not copy the titles to e-school.  

An example of monitoring notes was sent by Eigel through email. Please take a look at it if needed. Thanks! 

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School Governance Council’s Request for Flexibility

The High Point Elementary School Governance Council has been working on a new Request for Flexibility (RFF) proposal and is in the process of submitting it for the upcoming school year. This request, if approved by the Superintendent, will address the needs of High Point through waivers of state laws and/or district policies to implement a school-based strategy.

High Point SGC has developed one RFF proposal:

Extend the school day by 15 minutes in order to provide adequate time for physical activity and brain breaks which help students focus on rigor, relevance, and inquiry-based learning.

The complete proposal and the school Strategic Plan Overview can be found at

http://school.fultonschools.org/es/highpoint/Pages/School%20Governance%20Council.aspx

The first part of this process is to obtain comment from the public (our school community) for at least 30 days.  

Starting today, you may submit your comments and or questions in several different ways:

   Electronic Comment Box:  https://goo.gl/forms/PDk4GjNlaOzxhXDJ3ve

·      Public Comment Box:  Located in the Front Office

·      Public Comment Through Email:  HPESGC@gmail.com

·      Informational Booth: Ms. Rocabado and Ms. Neece will be located in the      Front Office for questions on November 18^th from 8-10 and from 12-2.

       Public Comment Meeting: Thursday, December 1^st at 7:30 am. Commenting individuals will be allotted 4 minutes to make their public comment. Please sign in at the front office before the meeting. Each individual will give their comments in the order in which they have signed up.

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STEAM Day - November 18th 

We need your help…

Please save your toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls. We also need 16 oz water bottles (empty with their caps).

There will be a bin in the lobby starting today. Thank you your help. 

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Learning Lab Usage

·        Please remember to sign up on the Computer Lab Outlook Calendar to reserve your time slots when using the lab.

·        Also, it is imperative that when you sign up that you indicate how many computers you will be using. This is a shared space and needs to be used to its fullest.      

     Thanks!!!

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What I've been thinking about...

Below is the link to my Principal's Blog which goes out once a month. In this current blog, I talk about homework at High Point. I want to make sure we are communicating with parents about our philosophy surrounding homework and why we do what we do. 

Is the homework meaningful?

Will it help students be more successful and have a better understanding of the curriculum? 

Is the homework short enough for practice but long enough to impact their understanding of a concept? 

Check out what I am communicating to parents. If you have any thoughts on homework in your classroom, please reach out to me to have a discussion! 

http://eepurl.com/ckEwMf

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

The pledge and writers' gallery will be hosted by Ms. Owen's class this week.

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

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

Monday, October 31st
Book Character Dress Up Day - Happy Halloween!
NO TUTORING PROGRAM!! 

Tuesday, November 1st

2:50 - New Kids on the Block and Para PLCs
3:00 - Musical Auditions - 4th grade

Wednesday, November 2nd 

IB PLCs with Roberts
2:30 - Tutoring Program
1:30-3:30 - Flu Shots
3:00 - Musical Auditions - 4th grade 

Thursday, November 3rd

5th Grade to Rock Eagle
Grade Level Newsletter Goes Home
1:30 - ETT for 3rd Grade
2:50 - PLCs

Friday, November 4th 
ESOL Monitoring Notes Due
Remind Students NO SCHOOL MONDAY OR TUESDAY

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

Happy birthday to Alicia Williams on the 2nd! We  hope you have a wonderful birthday!!!

October 24, 2017

High Point News

Week of: October 24th, 2016

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

C of Pink Day
Wednesday, October 26th will be recognized as the "C of Pink Day" for High Point Elementary. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we would like to show our support. Please join our staff in honoring and remembering those impacted by Breast Cancer by having your children wear pink on Wednesday, October 26th. We are looking forward to our "C of Pink Day."

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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 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. Results from the Georgia School Personnel Survey will not be available to the public and will not be posted online. 

Staff will need to complete this survey prior to December 22nd however, we encourage everyone to go ahead and take it!! Thank you!!!

Link to Georgia School Personnel Survey:

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

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GOTR Mock 5K is TODAY!

What: Girls on the Run mock 5K

When: Monday, October 24, 2016

Time: 3:00

Where: We will meet outside of the school near the front office and run around the neighborhood.

Running buddies: Anyone is invited to come and run (or walk!)  with our team! If you would like more information about running the GOTR 5K in November please let me know! J  

 

We hope to see you there!

Coach Bryson, Negrin, Silverman, and Todd 

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Donations for Rock Eagle
We have 15 students in 5th grade that were unable to pay for Rock Eagle this year. Since we never deny students access to field trips because of money, we are trying to pay for their entry fee. 
If you would like to make a donation of any kind for these students, please let Michelle Nobles know. The cost per child is $100 so any type of donation is greatly appreciated! Thank you!!!

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Book Character Dress Up Day
Book Character Dress Up day will be Monday, October 31st. Students and staff are encouraged to dress up as their favorite book character. 

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What I've been thinking about...

Below is a sweet 3 minute video reminding us why we do what we do each day. I hope it brings a smile to your face like it did my own! 



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXBdL7B3hq0

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

The pledge and writers' gallery will be hosted by Ms. Johnston's class this week.

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

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

Monday, October 24th 
ITBS Testing Begins
9:30 - Prospective Parent Tour
2:30 - Tutoring Program
2:30 - Girls on the Run Practice 5K

Tuesday, October 25th 

1:30 - Leadership Team Meeting
PSC for 1st Grade Completed

Wednesday, October 26th

IB PLCs with Roberts
2:30 - Tutoring Program 

Thursday, October 27th

PSC for 1st Grade Go Home
1:30 - ETT for 4th Grade
2:50 - PLCs

Friday, October 28th 
7:30 am - SGC Meeting in Portable
6:00-8:00 pm - Costume Dance

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

Happy birthday to Amanda Shams on the 29th! We  hope you have a wonderful birthday!!!

October 17th, 2016

High Point News

Week of: October 17th, 2016

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

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Lots of Congratulations in Order!!!
Congratulations to Chyla Morgan and her husband Jay as they will be welcoming a baby at the end of May!!! We are very excited for Chyla and her family!!!!!

Congratulations to Emily Rhoades and her fiance Brick as they walk down the aisle to say "I Do" this weekend!!! We will welcome back Emily Faucette next week! 

Congratulations to Farrahn Evans on her engagement last week!!! We are very happy for you and your fiance!!!

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Condolences
Our sincerest condolences go out to Anita Collins and her family for the passing of her nephew this weekend. Please keep Anita in your thoughts as her family goes through this tough time. 

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Breakfast On Us Wednesday!!

We know everyone has been working so hard since the beginning of the school year! We want to take a moment to treat everyone to breakfast this Wednesday! 
The administrative team and our PTO will be coming around beginning at 7:10 to serve Chick-fil-a biscuits, fruit, granola bars, and Starbucks coffee!!

We appreciate everything you do and hope this small breakfast gets your day started off right!!!

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Parking Space
Congratulations to Margaret Abernathy for receiving a Buddy Brag and the TOTY parking space in the front for the next two weeks!!!!! Thanks for all that you do! 

If you need more Buddy Brags to recognize your colleagues, please let the front office know. Thanks!!! 

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Device Deployment Next Week
On the 18th, our school will be getting 240 laptops and we will be disbursing them among grades K-5.  We will discuss the disbersement plan at the Faculty Meeting. 

The digital citizenship lessons on the 19th are as follows: 

Times	Teacher A (2 people in each class)	Teacher B (2 people in each class)	Teacher C (1 or 2 people in each class)	Teacher D (1 person in a class)
8:00-8:30	Collins	Milazzo	Gilmore
8:35-9:05	Schafer	Owens	Nobles	Silverman
9:10-9:40	Hawkins	May	Ittig
9:45-10:15	Johnston	Strafford	Calhoun	Jannausch
10:20-10:50	Pereira	Negrin	Todd
10:55-11:55	LUNCH
12:00-12:30	Gopal	Marinos	Foster
12:35-1:05	Spears	Abernathy	Nagler
1:10-1:40	Rogers	Ellis	Bradshaw	Quist
1:45-2:15	Churchwell	Cornibe	Evans	Rhoades

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November 7th and 8th

November 7th - RFF Day for HPES
Reminder - Work day hours are from 7:10-3:40. Please be on time in order to begin your IB work at 7:30 am. 

7:30-11:30 am - IB Unit Work

11:30-12:30 - Lunch

12:30-3:30 - Personalized Learning 

November 8th - FC Teacher Workday

This is YOUR day. Please vote and be productive!  

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RTI Reminders and Due Dates

·        Please meet with Tier 2 and Tier 3 students regularly and progress monitor once every two weeks (Tier 2 students) or every week (Tier 3 students). Remember, weeks with less than 5 school days are still considered one week and you still must progress monitor.

·        All Tier 2 and Tier 3 students must have a completed Language Checklist by October 30. A new checklist is required each year.

·        All Tier 3 students must have a completed Behavior Skills Inventory OR a Skills Inventory by October 30. Chose the inventory that fits the areas of need for each student.

·        The flags in EASY are still broken, so do not worry about this task for now.

·        Each grade level should have submitted all Math and Reading RTI groups to Mr. Madej.

·        Please communicate with support teachers (ESOL, EIP, SPED, FLP) about students involved in interventions to make sure the plan and responsibilities are clear.

·        If you need assistance, resources, or clarification please contact Mr. Madej.

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   Techno-Parapros!!

We have Techno-Parapros! High Point’s Parapros worked with Mrs. Dennis and Mrs. Dierdorff Friday to learn tips and tricks for using the Interactive Whiteboards and the “Easy Interactive Tools” software.  If your software is not version 4.11, please let Sol know so he can update it.

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Cafeteria Corner

Teachers:  Students who owe the cafeteria monies, will need to have their report cards held until balance is paid in full.  Parents have been reminded in the newsletter and weekly account letters.  This is a Fulton County policy.  We have been reminding the older students also.

If you receive an email with cafeteria monies owed, this means you have a student on the list.  Please hold the report card and email me to check if they have paid before giving the report card.  Thank you! 

-Debbie Uhlar

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Air Testing
Representatives of GLE Associates, Inc. (GLE), an environmental consulting firm subcontracted by Fulton County Schools, will be coming Monday, October 17, 2016, around 2:30 pm, to perform initial (short-term) radon screening on behalf of FCS. The radon screening is being performed to assess the potential radon levels within occupied areas of FCS schools and administrative/support buildings. Based on the type of construction we do not anticipate issues but are conducting this system-wide testing to establish a new baseline record for all facilities.

FCS’s subcontractor, GLE, will be visiting our school to perform the air quality testing. The radon testing devices use charcoal and are non-hazardous. For each occupied, ground contact room with a desk, a device, which is pictured below, will be placed on a desk, or other surface in the room. If a surface is not available, a device will be hung from the ceiling, wall or whiteboard. Please do not disturb this device, as it must remain in place for a minimum of 48 hours without interruption. A technician will return in approximately 48 to 72-hours to retrieve the devices.Thank you for your cooperation! 

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Grade Level Monies
Teachers - Please make sure you spend your $100 given by Pitchford and $150 given by PTO by November 18th. All orders using school funds should be given to Colleen Zeller. All receipts from purchases already made should be given to PTO for reimbursement. 

All of the money not used by November 18th will go back into the general fund for use. 
Thank you!!! 

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Coverage in Lab
Please make sure that you are not sending students to the lab without adult supervision!!! This is a huge safety concern and teachers will be held liable. 
If you need students to get on a computer and you cannot accompany them, please send them with a Golden Ticket to the media center. Ms. Hoffman or Ms. Dennis will be more than happy to supervise them if a computer is open. Thanks!!!

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

In Ms. Evans’ 2^nd grade math class, students are working on a Framework activity called Measurement Giants. Each group had to build a giant out of butcher paper. They had to create the different giant body parts based on feet and yard measurements. Then, they had to work together to put all of the giant body parts together. Lastly, each group needed to write word problems comparing the two giants created. They were actively learning!

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Mrs. Ditzel's transdisciplinary unit helps students make connections between phases of the moon, patterns, folktales and writing!!

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

The pledge and writers' gallery will be hosted by Ms. Johnston's class this week.

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

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

Monday, October 17th 
2:30 - Tutoring Program

Tuesday, October 18th 

Receive 240 laptops
2:50 - Faculty Meeting

Wednesday, October 19th

Breakfast on a Cart!
IB PLCs with Roberts
Digital Lessons for K-5
3rd Grade In-House Field Trip
2:30 - Tutoring Program 

Thursday, October 20th

2:50 - ITBS Training
3rd Grade In-House Field Trip
2:50 - PLCs

Friday, October 21st 
Unit 1 Writing Data Due
7:00 pm - Riverwood Homecoming Game

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

Happy birthday to Ashley Bryson TODAY, Sandi Dennis on the 18th, Tashika Truesdale on the 18th, Anne Lanford on the 19th, and Brittany Frappier on the 22nd. We  hope you all have a wonderful birthday!!!