Friday, March 30, 2018

April 9th, 2018

Monday Notes 4.9.18

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

Welcome Back!!!
We hope you all enjoyed your well-deserved spring break!!! We welcome you back and look forward to giving it our all for the next 34 days! 

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GA Milestones
We will begin GA Milestones testing Thursday, April 12th. In order to follow the county pacing for the assessment, we will follow the new testing schedule: 



On the testing days only, the specials schedule will change for kindergarten and third grade as well as 4th grade having specials from 10:15-11:00 to 11:00-11:45. 
Please also make sure that you are extremely quiet in the hallways! 
Thanks so much for the school-wide support of our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders! 

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ESOL News
Please submit monitoring notes by Friday, April 13th.  https://goo.gl/forms/pTg9UO2yfOkjNQpz2

The Imagine Learning app has been updated in Launch Pad for the students and teachers at your school.  It should now allow students to sign on to Imagine Learning from Launchpad without having to reenter their username and password.  Various student accounts were tested to confirm it is working.  However, if you have any issues please submit a Support Request (itservicedesk@fultonschools.org) to receive assistance.  

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SGC Results
Congratulations to Lori Simon who was elected to be our teacher representative on SGC 2018-2019!!! We appreciate everyone who voted and look forward to having Ms. Simon on the SGC!!!

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Technology Needs
Please take a minute to fill out this QUICK and EASY survey to determine your technology needs for next year. We need to know what we need to order in terms of charging cables and accessories to help you next year. Please have this completed by April 13th! Thanks!! 


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Google Expeditions
Ms Rosenbaum leads her class through a Google Expedition about Westward Expansion! Thanks for taking a risk!



Even teachers love Google Expeditions!!! 


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IB Connections
Mrs. Berric uses the Key Concept of Form to connect student work about Monet’s garden! “What is a garden like?” She posted the “key” on the board, too!! The watercolors are lovely, stop by to see them!


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KSU Coach
Schedule: I will be High Point on T 4/10, Th 4/12 and F 4/13

Notes: Welcome back from Spring Break. I hope you are re-charged and ready for finishing the year strong! If you and your students need a way to relax and regroup during testing, try checking out the strategies in this article - https://knowledgeworks.org/resources/using-social-emotional-learning-prepare-learners-high-stakes-tests/ 

Highlight: #hpspotlight on 4th graders who participated in a Google Expedition recently. They connected scenes students were viewing to their IB central idea.

Check it out! - here are suggestions for ways to use the various Google Apps for Education for students to express their voice in what they learned, explored or experiences https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nKbZaGt08L3OhtALZfHa4lilVHlfvR1ACERVJ4xiF1g/edit?usp=sharing

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

Monday, April 9th
9:30 am - Prospective Parent Tour

Tuesday, April 10th
2nd Grade Field Trip to Dunwoody Nature Center

Wednesday, April 11th
College Spirit Wear
Guided Reading PLCs during Specials

Thursday, April 12th
GA Milestones Testing Begins for 3rd,4th, and 5th Grade - WRITING
Kindergarten Field Trip to Art Barn
2:50 pm - PLCs

Friday, April 13th
GA Milestones Writing Make-Ups
Kindergarten In-House Field Trip 

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



There are currently no birthdays this week. 

Friday, March 23, 2018

March 26, 2018

Monday Notes 3.26.18

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

Celebration of Learning
We are so excited for our "Celebration of Learning" Pep Rally this Friday at 8:15! Please make sure that your grade level has picked something academic to "celebrate" and have students get excited by creating posters, dressing up, making sound toys, etc.... around their celebration. 

Please be ready to start making your way to the gym beginning at 8:05. We will announce for each grade level to come down so that we don't have a traffic jam at the entrance of the gym so please listen out!! 
If you have any questions, please ask admin. 


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IB Update

IBO has recently responded to our application for authorization with numerous commendations of above and beyond implementation.  We are extremely proud of our students and staff! 

Before they can give us a declaration of authorization however, IBO has also requested additional information regarding how we can increase collaboration in our TAG program and with our special area teachers.  In anticipation of this request, we have already created an action plan for our TAG collaboration and taken action to increase collaboration with our special area teachers.  

We have submitted the action plan along with the requested evidence to IBO and expect to hear from them in late April or early May!  We will let you know as soon as we hear back from them and appreciate all your hard work to make this happen for our students! 

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Extended School Day Feedback
As you know, this year we elected to extend our school day from 2:20 pm to 2:35 pm in order to increase physical activity for our students. Currently, "physical activity" is given to students through recess and brain breaks. 

In February, Fulton County Board of Education changed the Recess Policy to increase the "recess" time from 15 minutes to 30 minutes for all elementary schools.

 We would love your feedback in regards to the additional 15 minutes that has been added to our school day in order to accommodate this new policy and not impact instructional time. It's one question so please respond before Spring Break! Thanks!!!


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Before Break
Please make sure you shut off all computers and devices, put everything in a secure location, take personal items home, and remove all food items from your classroom prior to Spring Break. We want to make sure we are conserving energy and not inviting pests into our building! Thank you!!! 

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GA Milestones
All 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teachers and anyone else administering the GA Milestones assessment will need to meet in the media center this Tuesday for training and information.  

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International Night!!!
International Night was a huge success!!!!! Many thanks to everyone who came out to learn and support our families!! 
Also, a huge thank you to Lib Roberts, Sheri Hess, Mary Katherine Stahura, Emma Gilmore, Gina Milazzo, Rebecca Quist, Rebecca Laudel, Lacey Hawkins, Nicole Cornibe, Anita Collins, Kaila Gopal, Jose Espinoza, Alicia Williams, Mariana Mendoza, and Harry Spratlin for their hard work to make this great event happen!!


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Congratulations!!!
We would like to recognize the following teachers for having 40% or greater growth percentile for Reading and Math on the last Fastbridge Screener. While this is only one assessment, we think we should recognize teachers for their hard work and growing our students!
 If you are interested in your exact growth percentile, please reach out to Pitchford. 

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3rd Grade Market Day
Market Day was a huge success!!!! The third graders raised over $2400!!!!! Thank you to everyone who came out and participated in the market day! 

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Plan for Downloading GADOE Resources
The GADOE is taking down the K-5 math wiki that holds tons of resources for teaching the Frameworks.  We do not have any word yet about where those resources will migrate to, so as a safety measure, please begin to download things from the wiki your team will want to use.  The K-5 wiki is located at http://ccgpsmathematicsk-5.wikispaces.com/  


Remember, the Frameworks are updated every July so be sure to download your units from the DOE as you use them so you are using the most current curriculum.  Grade level overviews, yearly pacing guides, parent letters for each unit and lesson videos are housed on the Georgia Standards website.

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Support Girls on the Run!


Wednesday, March 28th 
3:10 meet outside the main office.
What: Come run, walk, or cheer on our girls as they complete their mock 5k
Where: Meet outside the office and we will run the neighborhood loop around HPES
Why:  To support our 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade girls on the run team!

Please email Rebecca Negrin negrin@fultonschools.org if you are interested in volunteering! The more the merrier!  

Questions: Please contact our coaches: Negrin, Cole, and Silverman

Interested in running or support the GOTR (real) 5k? April 28th, Atlantic Station complete the 5k registration form

Thank you for your support!

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KSU Coach
Schedule: I will be at High Point on T 3/27, Th 3/29 or F 3/30. 

Notes: Check out the activities library on Seesaw to see a new collection of activities you could assign to students reviewing responses to literature. Have you created an activity yet? If so, show off your creation by publishing it to the school library - chances are it could be adjusted for other grades or classes!

Highlights: Google Apps for Education offers many creation tools for students to use in showing what they've learned. Offer students a choice to complete work in the form of a ... Google Doc, Form, Slides Presentation, Drawing or by using Google Tour Builder. Try choosing a tech helper of the week to explore a new tool so they can be an expert and then model for others how to use the tool.

#hpspotlight on ... TAG - Mrs. Shams' students are using Google Tour Builder to review their learning of National Parks. Instead of making a brochure, they are building an interactive tour incorporating Google Street View, videos and photographs. 


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

Monday, March 26th 
9:30 am - Prospective Parent Tour

Tuesday, March 27th
2:55 - GA Milestones Assessment Training in Media Center

Wednesday, March 28th
Kindergarten and New Student Registration

Thursday, March 29th
Kindergarten and New Student Registration
3rd Grade Field Trip - Tellus Museum 
2:50 pm - PLCs

Friday, March 30th
8:15 am - Celebration of Learning
Last day before spring break!

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



Happy birthday to Sheri Hess TODAY, Calin Todd on the 27th, and Stacia Hastings on the 28th! We hope you all have an amazing birthday!!

Friday, March 16, 2018

March 19th, 2018

Monday Notes 3.19.18

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

PKES
PKES employees - Please get ready to complete your self-assessment. Beginning April 1st, you will go into the PKES platform, rate yourselves on the Leadership Essentials, and state whether or not you achieved your SMART Goal. 
Once your self-assessment is submitted, Pitchford and DiBartolo will complete your Summative Assessment. Admin will be reaching out to cooperating teachers in order to help complete the Summative Assessment and get necessary feedback on performance.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!! 

Timeline: 
Complete Self-Assessment - April 1st-30th 
Receive Summative Assessment - By May 4th 
Request End of Year Conference - May 7th-18th
Sign off on Summative Assessment - May 7th-24th 

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Think First Stay Safe
I will be teaching the Think First Stay Safe personal safety lessons starting next week during our next guidance rotation. Please read the following important details:

Yellow letters will be put in your box today. Please send them home ASAP! Parents should only return the letter if they DO NOT want kids to participate.
Please keep any letters that are signed and returned. DO NOT place these in my box. These students will not be able to participate in the lesson and will need to go to the media center during this time. Please be prepared when I come by already identifying and sending these students. The letters are due back by March 25th. 
During the lesson, teachers must remain in the room. We are required to have two adults in the room at all times.
All students are required to have the lesson, so please make sure that any pull out students are kept in the room or come back into the room.
If you have a sub on the day, we are scheduled, we will need to reschedule for a day that you are here.
Please refer any students that bring up concerns or say anything questionable after the lesson to me immediately. 

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SGC Voting Now Open!!!
School Governance Council voting window opens TODAY until the 23rd.  You will receive an email with a link to vote for the teacher to represent you on our SGC!  The voting will only take a few minutes, so please take time to vote!  The following teacher candidates have volunteered to serve:


 Beth Owens 
I have been an Elementary teacher for 17 years. I currently teach Orton-Gillingham Interventions in Reading for K-5. I know and understand the needs of the school. I would like to serve in order to better the school, students and community.

 Delise May  
I am an African American female with degrees in Elementary Education and School Psychology. I have been a teacher for 7 years. I would like to serve on the School Governance Council because I believe I am a voice for the students and I will advocate on their behalf. I believe that I am open-minded yet assertive, so I will be easy to collaborate with and work hard to take action.

Lori Simon 
I have taught in an elementary school for 20 years of which I have taught at High Point Elementary School for 13 years. I have three grown children who have gone through the school systems with all three children going from preschool to law school.  I have an undergraduate degree in early childhood and elementary school and a graduate degree in the socially maladjusted child. I would like to be informed and help make the best decisions for High Point  Elementary School.

   Emma Gilmore
My name is Emma Gilmore & I'm a 3rd grade teacher at High Point. Learning is a lifelong journey, and I'm determined to impart practical knowledge into my students while helping them develop their natural curiosity and emotional intelligence. This goal motivates me each day at High Point and has sparked my interest in serving on the School Governance Council. As the Council is responsible for making decisions regarding the direction of our school and designing experiences aligned with student needs, I believe I'm qualified for this position because I'm open-minded, aim to set achievable goals, and bring fresh and realistic perspective to the Council. Education is an ever-changing field that can often seem overwhelming. While I'm only in my second year of teaching, I understand each child is their own unique individual that deserves to be fostered intellectually and be consistently uplifted throughout their educational career. The best way to achieve this day in and day out is through designing and implementing plans where multiple perspectives are heard, attainable goals are set, and new ideas are considered. These are steps that are necessary for creating a successful environment for teachers and students alike. Through listening to others while remaining realistic and level headed, I hope to take on this leadership role to help nurture High Point for our students as we make strides academically, and to build each other up within the diverse community we value so much.

Kelsie Wright 
I have been a teacher of special education at High Point for 3 1/2 years.  During that time I have worked with many students and families from a variety of backgrounds.  Through my experience, I have been able to see strengths and areas where we can grow as a school and a community.  I would love the opportunity to be a voice in growing our community at High Point.  The insight I have gained over my years at High Point as well as my experience at other schools will be valuable in being a part of a team of decision makers for our school.  If I was elected to be a part of SGC, I would do my best to represent my colleagues and move our school in a direction that will benefit all members of our community and build well-rounded young minds to be contributing citizens in our community.

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SeeSaw
Teachers will be receiving a Stupendous Usage in Seesaw Award, for the top three classes each week in Seesaw. The top class will receive Buddy Bucks for Working Hard in Seesaw. Congratulations goes to: 

Mar. 11th
Lee 59 new posts
Milazzo 50 new posts
Negrin 16 new posts


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International Night!!!
High Point’s International Night is this Thursday!

Come to an evening filled with cultural entertainment and food tastings from countries all around the globe! Don’t miss out on all of the yummy food and fun!
  
Thursday, March 22, 2018
5:00-7:00 pm

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Grades
A friendly reminder that all grades should be in eSchool by 3 pm TODAY! The draft Report Card will be in homeroom teachers' boxes tomorrow. Please verify everything is correct, sign, and return by Wednesday, March 21st.    

Please make sure the Continuous Achievement Level is correct since the district will be pulling the data. Please refer to Hess's email for the chart regarding levels and comments. 


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3rd Grade Market Day
Third grade will have their annual Market Day this Friday, the 23rd. Below are the times for the following grade levels: 

12:25-12:55 – 2nd/5th 

12:55-1:25 –1st/4th 

1:25-1:50 – K

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GA Milestones Practice
Grades 3-5: Encourage your families in grades 3,4, and 5 to check out what the Milestones assessment is like by going to: 

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Math Hound Bowl Teams!
Please congratulate the following students who will represent High Point in the 2018 Hound Bowl in April!!! 

4th Grade
Charles Hendry
Mason Below
Lauren Scales
Quentin Stout
Ellie Lesser

5th Grade
Brayden Allgood
Gillian Fishman
Ian Bowmanns
Laila Patel
Padgett Wilson
Team 5B
Joel Lopez
Vivienne Seidel
Laura Avalos
Wil Alvarez Tacuba
Hannah Mabry


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PBIS
The Hound Dog Emporium will be stopping by soon! 

MARCH: 
Order Forms DUE: March 23rd 
2nd     19th and 20th
3rd        22nd and 23rd 
4th        26th and 27th
5th         28th and 29th 

MARCH Social Incentive:  Freeze Dance and Freeze Pops
K-2 and 3-5 FRIDAY March 29th 1:30pm (speaker system outside weather permitting)

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Reflex Math
We just hit 1 million facts answered.That’s a lot of worksheets saved!!! 


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KSU Coach
Schedule: I will be at High Point ES on T 3/20 and Th 3/22

Notes: As we get further along into this semester reflect on your technology goals as a grade level. Try to identify a subject area or time of day that you'd like to integrate technology more in to. Purposefully incorporate a new tool into your plans. Remember plan for the learning first then see where the technology can fit in. Need help reflecting on a new tool, reach out and we'll explore together!

Highlights: Have you ever used Google Drawings? This is a great tool for visual learners as it helps students create and work in graphic organizers, mind maps, flow charts and more. Allow students to use digital media like images and clip art to express themselves. Check out the hyperlink above for more ideas on how to incorporate this tool in your Google Classroom space. 

#hpspotlight on ... first grade


Students in Mrs. Berric's class pick what they show on Seesaw using a guiding choice board - that can be changed to reflect what students are learning in their reading centers.

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

Monday, March 19th 
Prek Registration - Room 123
Book Fair This Week!!

Tuesday, March 20th
2:55 - Faculty Meeting in Cafeteria

Wednesday, March 21st
Guided Reading PLCs During Specials
Milestones Device Check for 3rd Grade

Thursday, March 22nd
1:00 pm - Kindergarten ETT in Robert's Portable
2:50 pm - PLCs
5:00 pm - International Night!!!!

Friday, March 23rd
7:30 am - SGC Meeting
Market Day for 3rd Grade

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



Happy birthday to Sainey Faye TODAY, Jaime Noel on the 20th, and Lib Roberts on the 21st! We hope you all have an amazing birthday!!