October 28, 2019

Monday Notes 10.28.19

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Congratulations!

Congratulations to Tasheira Parker who got engaged last weekend! We are very excited for her and her partner Chase. 

Also, congratulations to Sally Blinder who welcomed her first grandson last week! 

We are thrilled for you both!

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CCRPI Score and Climate Rating

Congratulations to everyone again for a job well done! It's an amazing feat to go from a 72.4 to an 89.4!  I sincerely appreciate your commitment to your students, knowing that there is no cap on their ability to learn and grow! 

Here is a breakdown of our score: 
75.4 on Content Mastery which is up 9.1 points from last year
 100 points on Progress which is up 18.8 points from last year
100 points on Closing Gaps which is up 50 points from last year
ALL subgroups made adequate progress in ELA and only our SPED subgroup did not make adequate progress in math. See below: 

We also received our first ever 5-Star Climate Rating! This rating is determined by the staff, parent, and student surveys as well as our discipline and attendance data. Our score improved from a 96.3 to a 98.60.

What we are doing is working. Let's stay the course!! 

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Here is the email which went out to parents on Friday: 

Dear Parents,

This morning, the Georgia Department of Education released the 2019 College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI) for all schools in Georgia. Our 2019 score is an 89.4 which is a 17 point increase from last year. The CCRPI is the way the Georgia Department of Education measures schools and school districts and gives them a rating on a 100-point scale. This is a reason to celebrate!

The vast majority of the CCRPI score derives from student performance on the Georgia Milestones End of Grade (EOG)/End of Course tests. While we are thankful to have a snapshot of our performance, we recognize that these CCRPI scores are based on one-day tests, whereas the school year is 180 days. There are many great things happening for our students that are not captured by a single measurement like the CCRPI.

The Georgia Department of Education also released its annual School Climate Star ratings for all schools in Georgia. High Point’s Climate Star rating is a 5-Star which is one star higher than the previous year! We believe that our school has an exceptional climate, and that’s partly because of your support as a parent or guardian. School climate refers to the quality and character of school life – the “culture” of a school. School climate ratings are based on survey results and data from the 2018-2019 school year, and each school is rated on a 1-5 scale, with five stars representing an excellent school climate, and one star representing a school climate in need of improvement.

I have always been a firm believer that our school is more than a single score. The educational world is very complex and it’s difficult to determine our impact on students’ lives by one standardized test. With that said though, we, as educators, can’t help but to place our effectiveness on scores such as this. When your score does not reflect the solid instructional strategies happening every day, the dedication of your staff, and students’ academic and social-emotional growth, it can be disheartening.

This is why we are first celebrating our score by thanking each parent of High Point Elementary. No matter our score, you have been unwavering in your support of our school. You have committed to the belief that we are doing what is best for all children and remained a cheerleader for our school when our scores weren’t reflective of our staff and students’ ability. This score is not just ours but yours as well.

As principal, I am proud to represent a school that continually strives to improve. While the gains we made this past year are significant, we are still committed to improving our practice every day and doing what is best for our students. Thank you for your support as we continue this journey.

Sincerely,

Carrie Pitchford

Principal 

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PBIS Survey

Please click on the following link to give feedback on our PBIS implementation here at High Point. We HAVE to have 80% of ALL staff participate BY TODAY so please take a moment to complete this survey if you haven't already. As of today, only 36 staff members have completed the survey. Thank you! 

https://www.pbisassessment.org/Anon/7Di101kF3G0

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Staff Photo Retake

Our last staff photo didn't come out as well as we had hoped so we will be retaking our staff photo this Wednesday at 3:00 pm. Staff will be nicely dressed for class photos on this day so we thought it was a great time for a retake. Please make sure EVERYONE comes to the cafeteria no later than 3:00 pm! Thanks!

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November 5th Workday

The following people are scheduled for professional development on the 5th: 

TAG - Heards Ferry          8:00-11:30
METIs - Parklane           8:30-3:00
Prek Teachers - Atlanta History Center  8:00-4:00
Art - Carlos Museum        8:30-3:30
Music - Wolf Creek           8:30-3:30
PE - TBD -                      12:30-3:30
SPED - webinar               8:30-3:30 
ESOL - Lake Forest           8:00-3:00

All other teachers will follow the HPES schedule. Questions, please ask. Thanks!!!

7:30-9:00 – Leadership Meeting Room #123
7:30-9:00 - iReady Training for Homeroom Teachers K-5 (Learn more about how to respond to online flags, lessons passed, minutes data and how to pull lessons from iReady to use for small groups)
9:00-9:45 – K and 1st RACE Review
10:00-10:45 – 2nd RACE Review
11:00-11:45 – 3rd – 5th RACE Review
1:00-2:00 – Literably Training 1st-5th Cafeteria
2:00-3:00 - 5th Grade Exhibition Redelivery K-5 

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T-Shirt Order

Ms. Mahle has put together an amazing HPE t-shirt to promote hugs and love! If you are interested in ordering a t-shirt, please email Mahle. Cost will be no more than $15 a shirt but less depending on how many orders the company receives. 

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Mindfulness

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Flu Vaccine Clinic at HPES

Please turn in all Flu Vaccine Forms to Ms. Dickie. Thank you!

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SST Plea

Teachers PLEASE come prepared with grades for this past 9 weeks report card and also bring iReady data that may be available. You may email them to Lib as late as the day before you meet, if you rather. Intervention teachers are already uploading progress monitoring from Fastbridge. Remember these meetings are about looking at the data and determining next steps, so we must have access to the data! Thank you for being intentional about our time together with parents!

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Third Grade Provocation

Third grade is increasing student engagement through provocations! A Fossil “I see, I wonder” scoot around the room gets kids moving while thinking! Young Paleontologists excavate ”rocks” from a chocolate chip cookie and observe, think, and write about rocks and minerals in new ways with new experiences! 

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Fulton County Teachers' Credit Union

Fulton County Teachers' Credit Union will be set up in the 1st Grade Teachers' Lounge TODAY from 11:00 am til 1:00 pm! Please stop by to check out special offerings or support they give educators. 

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Oratorical Competition for 5th Graders

Preparation is beginning for this year’s  Oratorical Competition. The Oratorical Competition is an annual competition sponsored by Optimist International for students between the ages of 6 and 16. Students prepare and deliver a speech on an assigned topic. The duration of the speech is from 4 to 5 minutes speaking.  This year’s topic is, “Just Imagine a World without Boundaries.”  Participating in this competition helps students improve self-esteem, writing, and speaking skills.  There will be students who will need assistance in writing their speech and some students that will need one on one help with presenting their speech.  WE NEED HELPERS!  If you can help please contact Lori Simon. If and when you are needed we will contact you and explain how you can help students. Thank you! This experience takes a village!  

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Growth Check for 3rd-5th

 Starting on November 4th we will have our second iReady Reading Growth Monitoring check. This will be automatically pushed out on the iReady platform and all students will need to complete the assessment before they are allowed to continue working on their pathway. There is nothing you need to prepare, but please let students know to do their best. If you have any questions, please contact Brian. 

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

Monday, October 28th

9:30 am - Prospective Parent Tour
11:00-1:00 - FC Teachers' Credit Union in Teachers' Lounge

Tuesday, October 29th

3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade GA Health Surveys in Computer Lab
Grade Level PLCs during Specials

Wednesday, October 30th

Group Pictures and Re-Takes
Grade Level PLCs during Specials
3:00 pm - Staff Photo Retake 

Thursday, October 31st

3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade GA Health Surveys in Computer Lab
Book Character Dress Up Day

Grade Level PLCs After School

Friday, November 1st 

*************************BIRTHDAYS**************************

 

Happy birthday to Mochandra King on the 30th, Alicia Williams on the 2nd and Lindsey Hayes on the 3rd! We hope you all have an amazing birthday!