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!!!
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.
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.
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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?
Check out the 2 minute video of students defining "empathy."
********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.
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
3:00 - Pop Up PD
Wednesday, November 8th
Picture Re-Take
College Spirit Wear for Students and Staff
College Spirit Wear for Students and Staff
Thursday, November 9th
1:50 - 4th Grade ETT
2:50 - PLCs
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
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.
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