November 27th, 2017

Monday Notes 11.27.17

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

Welcome Back

We hope everyone had a restful holiday surrounded by family and friends. We are thankful for each one of you! Welcome Back!!! 

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Condolences

Our sincerest condolences to Alicia Williams for the loss of her mother. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts during this difficult time. 

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Congratulations!

Congratulations to Margaret Abernethy who got engaged over Thanksgiving Break!!!! We are so excited for her and her fiance!!! 

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Six Flags Read to Succeed

Once again this year we’re participating in the Six Flags Read to Succeed program, which means that any student (K-6 only per Six Flags rules) who reads 6 hours between now and February 15th will receive a free ticket to the park.  As a teacher, if you enter 8 students, you too will receive a free ticket!   Please note you must enter 8 students to receive a free ticket.  

As always, you have to enter those students yourself if you want the free ticket – our PTO can’t do it for you.  If you don’t care about the free ticket, our PTO is happy to enter your students for you.

What do you need to do:

• Please print out the reading logs and distribute to your students:  http://static.sixflags.com/readtosucceed/StudentReadingLog.pdf

•         Please print out the parent letter to describe the program to parents:  http://static.sixflags.com/readtosucceed/ParentLetter.pdf

•         Please encourage your students to read and turn in reading logs by February 15th.

•         Create a login if you don’t have one, or use your login from last year to login to the Six Flags Read to Succeed site at: https://feedback.sixflags.com/rts/.

•         Either enter the students into the Six Flags site (it takes about 30 seconds per student) at the following link or turn in the reading logs to the Media Center by February 15th and PTO will do it (please mark clearly if you need them to enter the students for you) 

                

•         Contact Jody Novotny at jody_novotny@hotmail.com with questions.

•         Free tickets will come in May.

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Safari Montage 

Safari Montage Playlists for SCIENCE and DECEMBER (Holidays):

To use Safari Montage, please make sure you are using INTERNET EXPLORER on a computer with a blue network cable.

Science:

Teachers- Check out the Science Playlists for your grade level in Safari Montage! To get to these great resources- login to LAUNCHPAD first https://launchpad.classlink.com/fcs

Click Safari Montage

Click Playlists; Search Playlists and Folders; DISTRICT; Elementary; Science folder.

These playlists have multiple resources from Brainpop, Youtube, PBS, Safari Montage, and other great web resources.

December / Holidays:

The December Holiday Playlist can be found by searching SCHOOL playlists and using the search term “December”. This is where holiday videos are stored.   

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STEAM Day a Success!

Thank you to everyone for their hard work before and during STEAM day! It was a HUGE hit again and all our students loved it. It was a great send-off before the Thanksgiving Break!!! If you see Michelle Robinson and Melissa Wilson, please thank them for all their hard work!  

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KSU Coach

Schedule: I will be at High Point on Tuesday 11/28 and Thursday 11/30.

Highlights: The displays of student work in the hallways are very student-centered! I've loved seeing QR codes sharing content an student work. Did you know that Seesaw creates QR codes for every item posted in students' journals? You can select the 'three dots' to see an option to print a QR code for an item you want to show off! 

Notes:  Nearpod is a great way to engage students in presentations! Use the laptops/ipads to launch a lesson while students follow along with you OR complete a lesson at their own pace. You can embed tools such as quizzes, short answer responses, polls, virtual field trips, matching games, drawing feature and more...!

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Continuous Learning 

Is this how every teacher views observations????? If you want a laugh, please watch. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isnVphaa8b4&feature=youtu.be

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

Monday, November 27th

9:30 am - Prospective Parent Tour

Tuesday, November 28th

1:50 pm - Leadership Meeting - Room #123

Wednesday, November 29th

Thursday, November 30th 

Book Fair Begins
2:50 - PLCs 

Friday, December 1st
3rd Grade In-House Field Trip

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

There are no birthdays this week! 

November 13th, 2017

Monday Notes 11.13.17

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

   

Faculty Picture!

We will take our 2017-2018 faculty picture tomorrow before the faculty meeting. We would love for our picture this year to showcase our IB attributes which make up the Learner Profile. If possible, please wear your IB t-shirt for the staff picture. If you do not have a shirt, please reach out to Lib Roberts or wear any High Point t-shirt. Thank you!!! 

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Faculty Luncheon

Please join us in Room #123 Wednesday for a luncheon provided by your Admin Team!!! We will have the following: salad, bread, and soups/chilies such as Chicken Chili, Butternut Squash Soup, Tomato Bisque, Tortilla Soup, Vegetable Chili, Beef Stew, and Turkey Chili! We will have room #123 set up so you can eat there as well. We hope everyone can make it beginning at 10:20 am! 

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Media Center 

Thank you to those who signed up for the ‘Remind’ notices about the schedule!

Please note- the week of Nov. 27 is a ‘check out only’ week for ALL classes. Please go to the schedule goo.gl/uSdjTE  and choose a 15 minute slot to bring your class for check-out and plan to stay with them to help every student find a book before book fair starts! 

This is also the time we need book returns of items you need to return... because during book fair we cannot get to the shelves to check out or reshelve. 

Thanks!!!

Sandi and Ellen 

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ESOL Strategies

-Use Manipulatives- let students touch objects related to the math lessons (draw it out, use objects)- ex: Cubes to represent problems or allow them to draw it out on dry erase boards

-Vocabulary Wall/Folder (class resource)- include key phrases that are visible/formal vs informal mathematical vocabulary (expose to both). Students need to be able to identify formal mathematical vocabulary and be able to substitute with informal mathematical vocabulary. Ex: divide → split/ subtract →take away / perimeter → around

-Talk Aloud- encourage students to use math phrases as much as possible as they explain the process

-Modify Word Problems- rewrite word problems using fewer and easier words to become exposed to both languages (mathematical vocabulary and provide a substitute) ex: sum also means total – add these words to your math vocabulary wall/folder

Make It Real- apply mathematical concepts you are teaching to the real world for students. Ex: teach using real world references students can identify with

Connect With Other Subjects- create word problems that include social studies or science language 

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Hurricane Relief

As stated before, our school raised $1544.69 to go towards a school impacted by Hurricane Harvey. We were able to purchase a ton of supplies for Bayside Intermediate School in Texas. They are extremely grateful for our support and donations!!!! We have shared this with the students on the news but in case you can't watch it, the picture is below! 

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Reflex

I know teachers in Grades 2-5 are patiently waiting for our REFLEX subscription to begin.  REFLEX is on hiatus until Fulton County opens up our funding for Title I programs.
We know this is a great program that will have a huge impact on our students’ computational fluency.  Our soft projection for activating REFLEX is January.  Thanks for hanging in there!

Please reach out to Long if you have any questions about REFLEX.

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STEAM Day Bin Pick-Up

Homeroom teachers, please pick up your bins for Steam Day this Wednesday in the testing room (#222). 

There are 2 available times for bin pick up: 7:10-7:40 a.m. OR  2:35-3:15 p.m.

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KSU Coach

Schedule: I will be at High Point on Tuesday 11/14 and Thursday 11/16. 

Highlights: Are you on Twitter? This week at GaETC, so many presenters put their resources on Twitter! I personally use Twitter for professional development. If you need help setting up an account let me know! 

Notes: Let's celebrate this thankful season with some digital creation projects. Try using Padlet to highlight how students' families celebrate this holiday. Check out this example I used in Kindergarten last year - https://padlet.com/romeh/thanksgivingtraditions

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Girls on the Run!

Congratulations to our 4th and 5th grade girls who ran the Girls on the Run 5K this past Saturday!!! Also, a huge thank you to the GOR Coaches who ran with them and supported them through it all: Rebecca Negrin, Jennifer Silverman, Calin Todd, Brittany Frappier, Marley Sapp, and Stephanie Cole!!

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Students Taking Action!

While outside on a learning walk, Eigel’s class noticed trash on our campus! They took action later in the week and collected 26 full bags of trash!!  Thanks for caring for our campus!!

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Blessings in a Backpack

We still have some spots open for this program, and we can continue to add students throughout the year. Please email Wooden the names of any students that you feel would benefit from taking home additional food over the weekends.

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Visits with Wooden

This is a reminder that if a student would like to talk with Ms. Wooden about something, please direct them to write a yellow note and place it in her mailbox. If it is something that you feel needs to be handled the same day, please send her an email. 

Please do not send students to her office or walk them to her office. Often, she is already meeting with a student or about to leave to go somewhere and is unable to talk to the student at that moment, which can make the situation worse. Thank you!

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Continuous Learning 

Food for thought......

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Thanksgiving Break

We hope everyone enjoys their well-deserved Thanksgiving Break!!! We are all very thankful for each of you and the commitment you have to our students! 

Please make sure to clean out any fridges and cabinets so we don't have critters join us over the break, turn off all technology, and make sure your doors and cabinets are locked! 

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

Monday, November 13th

IB Verification Visit

Tuesday, November 14th

IB Verification Visit
2:50 - Faculty Picture in Cafeteria
2:55 - Faculty Meeting in Cafeteria

Wednesday, November 15th

Math Benchmarks

Thursday, November 16th 

Math Benchmarks
2:50 - PLCs 

Friday, November 17th
STEAM Day!!!!!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!!!!

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

Happy birthday to Kari Lewis on the 17th, Kelsie Wright on the 19th, and Ana Strafford on the 23rd. We hope you all have a wonderful birthday and holiday break!!!

November 6th, 2017

Monday Notes 11.6.17

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

   

Voting Day

We are an election site therefore voting will be taking place in the gym this Tuesday. PE will be held outside so please ask your students to bring their jackets if needed. 

Also, all voters will access the gym from the outside door. If anyone is in the building without a visitor's pass, please let the front office know. 

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CCRPI

As many of you already know, we had a significant decrease in our CCRPI (College and Career Readiness Performance Index) score from last year. We were at 76.5 and received a 67.9 CCRPI score for 2016-2017.  

While the decrease is disheartening, we know that we have an amazing staff and an amazing group of students. We are going to continue focusing on guided reading and phonics in all grade levels as well as expose our students to responding to text on the computer. While the score is mainly based off GA Milestones results, we all own the score and will continue working together to help our students grow! 

As I told our SGC, PTO, and the Sandy Spring Realtors, this score does not define us. We are more than a score. We are a school filled with compassionate, knowledgeable, inquiring learners who impact and will continue to impact our global community!!! 

Thanks for all you do. 

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TKES

We are beginning our 3rd round of observations this month. All FLEX employees will be observed on standard #4 - Differentiation. All FULL employees will have their formative observation which is a total of 30 minutes and rates all 10 standards. If you ever have a question about your observation, please let Carrie or Richard know. 

Please make sure that you are signing off on all walkthroughs or formatives as well. 

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Pop Up PD Tuesday

The following are options for professional development tomorrow. Please pick two of the following sessions: 

Session #1 - 2:55 - 3:25

Session #2 - 3:30 - 4:00 

Please make sure you sign in to your PD session. Thanks!!!

SeeSaw: Room #216   - This session will discuss SeeSaw's new feature "ACTIVITIES."  It's an amazing way teachers can collaborate in our school by sharing lessons and activities. It's also an exciting new way to have our students do the talking!!! 

STEAM Challenge: Room #134 - Getting ready for STEAM day! Discover how to run the STEAM Day Paper Challenge. 

iRead: Room #123 - Diving a little deeper into iRead; bring your laptop

Fastbridge Behavior Plan Training: Media Center - Any staff member with a student who is Tier II /III for behavior must attend. Please bring a laptop, earbuds, and any behavior data you might have collected. 

NearPod: Room #209 - Learn all about how to use NearPod in your classroom! 

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PTO Fundraiser!

Big news!!! Our PTO was able to raise the $31,000 in 31 days!!!! There is a chance they will be over $32,000 when the company matches come in next week! 
They are excited to be able to use this money to update and purchase more technology (laptops and ipads) as well as help fund our field trips next year!!! 

If you see someone from PTO, please tell them thank you for all their hard work!!! 

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"Remind" Group

Sandi Dennis started an OPTIONAL “Remind” group if you would like a weekly reminder of the Media Center schedule, and any other important announcements about the Media Center @ High Point (such as book fair updates, days we are closed for events, etc.).
Follow the attached instructions to sign up on your personal cell phone… or sign up for E-Mail reminders if you prefer.

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PBIS Authorization Visit

Our county PBIS representative will be at High Point this Wednesday to evaluate our PBIS program. He will be walking around to observe how we interact with students, how our PBIS information is displayed, and will be asking random students and teachers about are PAWS rules and procedures. 

Please help us to show off all the hard work you all have been doing to create our PBIS environment by handing out green and yellow dollars, making sure that all students and staff are able to talk about our PBIS system, and ensuring that you have our paws rules and matrix hanging in your rooms! 

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KSU Coach

Schedule: I will be at High Point on Tuesday 11/7. The rest of the week, I will be in attendance at the GA Educational Technology Conference. Follow me on Twitter (@H_Rome_iTeach) to see the great technology learning going on! 

Highlights: Many classrooms have been app smashing! Students have been crating projects on Pic Collage and Chatter Pix, then uploading their creations into Seesaw. Try it out and show off your hard work too!

Notes: To save paper and ink let's try to get more digital. Using the new activities on Seesaw, you can assign projects or tasks for students to complete. If you're interested in learning more about this feature join Beth Owens and I at the next Pop Up PD! You can also use Google Classroom to assign tasks, videos, discussion posts, questions, Nearpod presentations and more to students. 

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SSEF Footprints for the Future 5K

The 4th annual SSEF Footprints for the Future Road Race 5K will start and finish at Lake Forest Elementary School, 5920 Sandy Springs Circle, on November 11th beginning at 8 a.m. The race is a certified Peachtree Road Race qualifier.  Runners and walkers will enjoy free onsite parking, a pre-race packet pick-up option, and chip timing and professional finish line provided by Georgia Multisports Productions. Registration includes a long-sleeved, dri-balance shirt, vendor booths, snacks and a SWAG bag of giveaways from our sponsors and community supporters. 

Consider creating a team to run or walk with friends, family or colleagues in this fun community event.  Also, we will be offering a special $5 off promo code for a very limited time beginning on October 25.  Register through www.active.com  with keyword Footprints for the Future  and use the code, FOOTPRINTS5

Proceeds support Sandy Springs Education Force (SSEF).  SSEF inspires and supports all Sandy Springs public school students to graduate and pursue productive lives beyond high school by providing educational and enrichment programs.  Learn more at sandyspringseducationforce.org.

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PBIS 

This month the PBIS focus is CLASSROOMS. Try to use the IB learner profile attribute “principled” this month to encourage students to make positive choices. But don’t feel limited! You can connect the attributes that best suit your classroom. 

Let the PBIS team know how your students are displaying the learner profile attributes in your classroom all month long! Send us photos or shoot us an email.

Also......PBIS Discipline Policies:

School policies and procedures describe and emphasize proactive, instructive, and/or restorative approaches to student behavior that are implemented consistently. 

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SeeSaw

 Want to get more help using SeeSaw but on your own time? Check out the document Hannah Rome created explaining what you "Must Do, Then Do, Can Do" when it comes to using SeeSaw. 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1t0vlUwXzZ3LVAeC8yIhAsMwSwOXZ6oNvWPgsKnWvJYM

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Budget

As you might have already heard, the tax bills will be mailed in order for Fulton County to start receiving much needed funds. With that said, there is still a freeze on the following: 

* Professional development days (substitutes are only allowed for sick or personal days)

* All field trips off campus or field trips that have not been paid for

* Freezing of general funds (Please do not ask parents for materials or supplies. We will make sure that everyone has everything they need for the next two months)

In an effort to conserve what resources we have, copy allotments have been reduced to 2000 copies per homeroom teacher. We appreciate everyone for being diligent about using digital resources and hard copies of items instead of paper. 

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Continuous Learning 

 We talk a lot about different strategies help students master standards but sometimes forget that a child has to be emotionally ready in order to learn. 

Listening to our students more and being more empathetic to their challenges at school and at home might just help them succeed more academically.  

The following article from Stanford talks about how having "an empathetic mindset creates better relationships between teachers and students........and can help teachers see students not as a label but as growing people who can change." Often times teachers are "caught between two models, a punitive model that say you have to punish kids to get them to behave and an empathetic model that goes to the heart of the profession, which says that teaching is all about building strong relationships with children, especially when they struggle." 

Do you have an empathetic mindset or a punitive mindset? 

https://news.stanford.edu/2016/04/26/teacher-empathy-reduces-student-suspensions-stanford-research-shows/

Check out the 2 minute video of students defining "empathy." 

https://youtu.be/icIlUdTEQnU

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

Ms Abernethy’s class decomposed Central Idea on board together. She took a picture of their thinking and added it to her IB Unit Board so students could remember the conversation!

 Ms. Ittig's class skyped with a soldier in Puerto Rico about the hurricane after wondering about them while inquiring into their unit of study. 
Students became very interested about Puerto Rico and its history after learning about the Spanish-American War.  They were curious to know if Puerto Ricans feel included in America and what it was like to have a hurricane hit their island and need relief.  

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

Monday, November 6th

9:30 am - Prospective Parent Tour

Tuesday, November 7th

 Election Day
3:00 - Pop Up PD

Wednesday, November 8th

Picture Re-Take
College Spirit Wear for Students and Staff

Thursday, November 9th 

1:50 - 4th Grade ETT
2:50 - PLCs 

Friday, November 10th
3rd Grade In-House Field Trip (Free!)

Saturday, November 11th

SSEF Footprints for a Future 5K!
Girls on the Run 5K 

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

There are no birthdays for this week.