Monday Notes 9.25.17
*******************NEWS**********************
IOWA Testing
Today is the last day of IOWA testing with the exception of some make-ups. Please remember that Kindergarten and 3rd grade will switch specials!
Thank you for staying as quiet as possible in the hallways and also letting us borrow classroom's laptops!!! We appreciate everyone's flexibility!!!!
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Good4Girls Dance Party
The Good4Girls Fitness Dance Party is a fun, large scale cardio dance workout in a night club where we sweat it out together as a fitness community to raise funds for Girls on the Run Atlanta. Think of it as a dance party with lots of aerobics mixed in! All you need to do to enjoy a fun fitness-filled evening is workout clothes, sneakers, and your best dance moves. Tickets are $22 and include access to Tongue& Groove for the night, a 45 minute workout session, first drink free, and a swag bag with coupons/free classes at all your favorite Atlanta studios!
Please consider joining us in raising funds for such a wonderful organization that helps build our girls’ confidence and strength right here at High Point. Below is the link to buy tickets as well as additional information.
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Buddy Brags
We have placed Buddy Brags in your mailboxes for this month.
For those of you who are new, Buddy Brags are a quick, easy way to recognize and say thank you to a colleague!!! They easily brighten a person's day!! You are always welcome to fill out more than one but one Buddy Brag will be placed in your mailbox. If you fill it out for a colleague, please turn it in to Pitchford first so that the brag can be shared with others in our building!!!
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TKES
Beginning next week, we will be assessing three standards: #2 - Lesson Planning, #5 - Assessment Strategies, and #6 - Assessment Uses. We will also assess standards #3 and #7 from the 1st walk-through if a teacher received a Level II.
The whole administrative team will be checking lesson plans periodically to support teachers and ensure we are being intentional about our teaching and assessments. If you have any questions or concerns regarding an observation, please don't hesitate to ask!!
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Student Showcase
We are so excited about this Wednesday's Student Showcase!!!!! This is in place of our Curriculum Night and all staff is expected to attend.
Students will arrive anytime between 2:45 - 5:00 with their parents or family members in order to "showcase" their work, their strengths, and areas where they need additional support at home. The main purpose of this afternoon event is for our students to take ownership of their learning and communicate where they are and where they want to go!!! Every student at High Point is smart, caring, and an inquirer. We are excited for them to show what they know!!!
Each student-led session will take place in the homeroom classrooms and should last approximately 15-20 minutes. Teachers will be there to help facilitate some of the conversations and answer any quick questions parents might have.
Please have students and parents SIGN IN!!! We are also going to ask students and parents to sign the Student/Parent/Teacher Compact while they are here. Those will be given to teachers tomorrow.
Students in K-2 will go to the media center AFTER they have completed their student-led conference in order to get their HPES Math Bags which are filled with resources for them to practice math at home!!
All special area, ESOL, EIP, SPED, and TAG teachers can remain in their rooms in case parents have questions.
All general paraprofessionals, please come to the front office to welcome our parents and students!!
If you have an IB t-shirt or High Point spirit wear, you are encouraged to wear it on this day!!!! Thank you for all of your hard work!!!!
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From KSU Coach
Schedule: I will be at High Point ES on Tuesday 9/26, Thursday 9/28 and Friday 9/29.
Notes: Did you know that https://web.seesaw.me/ has an 'Ideas' section? Check it out to see Seesaw activities by grade level, view printables, find pre-created task cards and more! Try to challenge yourself to use Seesaw this week instead of a paper pencil activity! Let me know if you need help!
Highlights: I have a busy week coming up full of opportunities to plan with teachers. Thank you for taking the time to share how I can help you. I hope this will be able to take one thing off your never-ending to do list!
In order to save paper, we’ll e-mail reports of library books checked out by your class each week please check your clutter or junk folder if you do not have your weekly report on Tuesday morning. Students should not have more than 2 books at a time. Please allow students to use your classroom library if they need a book and have not returned their two books.
Please let us know if there are errors on the report, or if you need invoices to send home for lost books we will be happy to print those on a case-by-case basis to save paper. If you have students who you believe cannot afford to pay for lost library books, please notify us so we can take care of those children.
Notes: Did you know that https://web.seesaw.me/ has an 'Ideas' section? Check it out to see Seesaw activities by grade level, view printables, find pre-created task cards and more! Try to challenge yourself to use Seesaw this week instead of a paper pencil activity! Let me know if you need help!
Highlights: I have a busy week coming up full of opportunities to plan with teachers. Thank you for taking the time to share how I can help you. I hope this will be able to take one thing off your never-ending to do list!
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Library Book Reports
Please let us know if there are errors on the report, or if you need invoices to send home for lost books we will be happy to print those on a case-by-case basis to save paper. If you have students who you believe cannot afford to pay for lost library books, please notify us so we can take care of those children.
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Changes to Logins and Desktop Shortcuts
We are cleaning up the student desktops and correcting links/removing unnecessary shortcuts.
ALL students will need to login to LAUNCHPAD http://launchpad.fultonschools.org for programs. This is the new procedure for FCS, so we will remove some icons and have one shortcut to Launchpad.
We know this will take some adjustment, so please make sure your students watch the reminders on the news show—which will help them understand what is going on-- and let me know if you need a shortcut returned to the desktop.
ALL students will need to login to LAUNCHPAD http://launchpad.fultonschools.org for programs. This is the new procedure for FCS, so we will remove some icons and have one shortcut to Launchpad.
We know this will take some adjustment, so please make sure your students watch the reminders on the news show—which will help them understand what is going on-- and let me know if you need a shortcut returned to the desktop.
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Communication with Special Areas
If you have a student who is on a behavior plan or is Tier 2/3 for behavior, please ensure that you are communicating that student’s needs with the special areas teachers. If the student is on a behavior plan, we ask that you bring the plan, or ask the student to bring it, with them to every specials.
Also if you have a student with a special circumstance or something that is affecting their behavior, please communicate that as well (i.e. home situation change, fears, or triggers, this is especially helpful to PE teacher as that environment is so different than the classroom).
This would be a huge help to the specials teachers and it will help us support what is already going on in your classroom! Thank you!
Also if you have a student with a special circumstance or something that is affecting their behavior, please communicate that as well (i.e. home situation change, fears, or triggers, this is especially helpful to PE teacher as that environment is so different than the classroom).
This would be a huge help to the specials teachers and it will help us support what is already going on in your classroom! Thank you!
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Pop-Up PD
Pop Up PD is next Tuesday, the 3rd of October. We have a lot of great sessions available for staff members already such as SeeSaw, Classroom Management, ESOL Strategies, Digital Learning and more!!!!!! We will provide an entire list of Pop Up PD options next week in the Monday Notes.
If you would like to provide a Pop-Up PD on a topic, please email Pitchford. If there is something specific you and your colleagues would like more professional development on, please reach out to Pitchford as well! We want to make sure everyone is getting what they need!
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ESOL Strategies
Four Corners
Purpose: To introduce a topic.
Choose a topic that has four possible responses.
Activity: • Assign one response to each corner of the room. • Have students move to the corner they are knowledgeable about or interested in. • Have students pair with another class member and tell why they chose that corner and what they know about the topic. • Have one student from each corner share ideas with the whole class. • Let each corner share
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PBIS
Monthly Focus: Lunchroom
Remind your students about staying seated, raising their hands for help, and getting the supplies they need BEFORE they sit down.
Students can earn access to the VIP lounge on Fridays with 10 yellow Buddy Bucks!
PBIS Rewards:
K-2 The cart will come around next Friday, September 29th. It helps if you have a system to help you remember which students ordered items.
3-5 Order forms will be in your box Friday, September 29th. Prizes will be delivered on or before Wednesday of the following week. Students need to write their FULL names on the forms. Students may purchase as many items as they can afford, BUT they will not be given any change back for any extra bucks sent. Example: A student sends money for his first choice item and that item is unavailable so the student receives his second choice item. If the second choice item is cheaper than the first choice item, the student will not receive change. We are sorry about this!
Some teachers were worried about the order form being time-consuming. Consider giving out the forms for morning work. You might also time students, “You have 1 minute to decide which items you want to purchase. You have 1 minute write down your first choice…” Just some suggestions!
If you have feedback for the PBIS system, email a representative. Thanks for all you do for High Point’s PBIS!
Remind your students about staying seated, raising their hands for help, and getting the supplies they need BEFORE they sit down.
Students can earn access to the VIP lounge on Fridays with 10 yellow Buddy Bucks!
PBIS Rewards:
K-2 The cart will come around next Friday, September 29th. It helps if you have a system to help you remember which students ordered items.
3-5 Order forms will be in your box Friday, September 29th. Prizes will be delivered on or before Wednesday of the following week. Students need to write their FULL names on the forms. Students may purchase as many items as they can afford, BUT they will not be given any change back for any extra bucks sent. Example: A student sends money for his first choice item and that item is unavailable so the student receives his second choice item. If the second choice item is cheaper than the first choice item, the student will not receive change. We are sorry about this!
Some teachers were worried about the order form being time-consuming. Consider giving out the forms for morning work. You might also time students, “You have 1 minute to decide which items you want to purchase. You have 1 minute write down your first choice…” Just some suggestions!
If you have feedback for the PBIS system, email a representative. Thanks for all you do for High Point’s PBIS!
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Continuous Learning
I saw this segment and it made me smile. It also made me think what would happen if we did this more with our students and each other. There is definitely something powerful about the act of gratitude and allowing ourselves to make connections with each other. Check out the quick video.
Teachers at Kansas City high school tell individual students how special they are: “I wanted to let you know that you inspire me to be a better teacher and you make me want to come to school every day." http://abcn.ws/2dHQ8M5
Teachers at Kansas City high school tell individual students how special they are: “I wanted to let you know that you inspire me to be a better teacher and you make me want to come to school every day." http://abcn.ws/2dHQ8M5
*************CALENDAR OF EVENTS**********
Monday, September 25th
IOWA Testing - SS and Science
Tuesday, September 26th
IOWA Make-Up Testing
1:45 - Leadership Meeting #123
1:45 - Leadership Meeting #123
Wednesday, September 27th
2:45-5:00 - Student Showcase!!!
Thursday, September 28th
2:55 pm - PLC Meetings
Friday, September 29th
7:30 am - SGC Meeting
*****************BIRTHDAYS! ******************
Happy birthday to Melanie Crapo on the 30th!!!! We hope you have a very special birthday!!!
