March 2nd, 2020

Monday Notes 3.2.20

"High Point Elementary cultivates knowledgeable, compassionate, and inquiring learners who impact a diverse global community."

**Friendly reminder that action items are in red and informational only items are in blue. 

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Dr. Seuss's Birthday!!
Students may come to school today as their favorite Dr. Seuss character in honor of Read Across America Day. 
Read Across America Day, also known as Dr Seuss Day, is a yearly observance in the USA inaugurated by the NEA (National Education Association). It is held on the school day that is nearest to the 2nd of March, Dr Seuss's birthday. Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American artist, book publisher, animator, poet, a political cartoonist as well as an author. He is best known for authoring over 60 children’s books.
When people make the time to read with children, children get the message that reading is important. Read Across America celebrations help motivate kids to read and celebrate the diversity in their community and our country. Thank you for taking the time to read to or with your students today! 

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Staff Appreciation Week!!!

We are very excited to be able to celebrate all our teachers and staff members this week!! See below for the wonderful things our PTO has planned! LUNCHEON TODAY!!!!!

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Device Needs

We are working diligently to make sure that every 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade homeroom classroom is 1:1 with laptops and desktops. We will be getting new ipads next week in order to get Kindergarten and 1st grade more updated ipads in the class and getting 2nd grade almost 1:1 with ipads, laptops, and desktops. 

Please remember to put in a service ticket if there are ANY DEVICES that are not working properly. Some examples are: 

Computer will not charge or hold a charge.

Computer will not turn on after adequate charging.

Students are unable to log on with correct password and login ID.

The computer cannot connect to WIFI.

Keys are missing. 

The screen is cracked.

Please submit a tech ticket and print 2 copies of the ticket; one for your records and one to attach to the device when it is turned in to Ms. Reeves. Ms. Reeves will give out a loaner so that you are not without a device during the repair. Thank you for your help with this!!! 

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PAGE Representative Here on 6th 

Please drop by the teacher's lounge on the 1st grade hallway for dessert and PAGE information. 

Remember to insure your career with the Professional Association of Georgia Educators! 97,000 + Members and Growing! Direct access to PAGE attorneys, best in membership, legislative, legal support, and most affordable.

Joining PAGE Online is Quick & Easy! 

Professional Membership=$14.58 per mo.   Support Membership=$7.29 per mo. 

At the link below you can:
Join PAGE Online/Renew Your Membership

Update your current PAGE member profile/school location
Print Your PAGE Membership Card

Former Student PAGE members can upgrade to “Professional” membership for 50% off their first year

https://membership.pageinc.org/Members/SignUp

Liability Protection

https://www.pageinc.org/liability-insurance-legal-protection-plan/

Scholarship Information

https://www.pageinc.org/scholarships/

Sign up for Capitol/Legislative Updates

https://www.pageinc.org/legislative/

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Milestones Stress Test Thursday

On Thursday, March 5th, students in grades 3,4, and 5 will be participating in the District-wide Milestones Stress Test. All students will test beginning at 10:00 AM and end at 11:00 AM.  In order to allow everyone to have a specials on this day, the schedule needed to be rearranged. 

The new specials schedule for this day only will be: 

1st Grade: 8:00-8:45 am

3rd Grade: 8:45-9:30 am

2nd Grade: 9:30-10:15 am

Kindergarten: 10:15-11:00 am

Please note that transition time has not been built into the schedule to accommodate all the grade levels. Please drop off and pick up your students on time. The lunch schedule will not change. Thank you for your patience and flexibility on this day!!!

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IB Learner Profile Attribute for MARCH

BALANCED AND INQUIRER

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Report Cards

Please see the Report Card Timeline below. All grades need to be entered no later than 3:00 on March 13th. Ms. Parker will be printing Report Cards starting on March 16th.

If you have any questions, please see Mr. DiBartolo.

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Beautification of HPES!

Thanks to Ms. Marinos' and Kidder's class for helping beautify our school this week!!!  

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

Monday, March 2nd

Staff Appreciation Week Begins!!!
9:30 am - Prospective Parent Tour
3:00 pm - STAR Club Begins

Tuesday, March 3rd

Grade Level PLCs during Specials

Wednesday, March 4th

Grade Level PLCs during Specials
8:00 am - Oratorical Competition 
College Spirit Wear for Staff and Students

Thursday, March 5th

10:00-11:00 - GMAS Stress Test for 3rd-5th Grade
2:55 - Faculty Meeting
3:15 pm - School-Focused PLCs
Book Fair Begins

Friday, March 6th 

PAGE Rep Here in Teacher's Lounge

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

 

Happy birthday to Michelle Dickie on the 3rd, Susan Marinos and Lauren Giddens on the 6th, and Beth Owens on the 7th! We hope you all have a wonderful birthday! 

February 24th, 2020

Monday Notes 2.24.20

"High Point Elementary cultivates knowledgeable, compassionate, and inquiring learners who impact a diverse global community."

**Friendly reminder that action items are in red and informational only items are in blue. 

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Principals' Walkthrough

A HUGE thank you to everyone for welcoming Principals last week into your classrooms for informal observations. They were extremely impressed with the targeted instruction, the varied strategies, and the classroom management. 

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Copy Allotment

We are purchasing our LAST pallet of paper which costs over $1200. We don't have enough money for the remainder of the year to purchase another pallet of paper so we are needing to decrease our copy allotment. Each homeroom teacher will receive 1500 copies per month and non-homeroom teachers will receive 1000 copies. Copies include front to back so while one sheet of paper is being used, it's counted as two copies. 

Your number will only work on one copier. If you utilize BOTH copiers on a consistent basis (one in the front alcove and one in the 5th grade lounge), please let Colleen know. 

If you have any questions or need additional copies added, please see Pitchford. 

We appreciate you being cognizant of how we are using our resources and helping us to conserve paper, toner, and lamination.  

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PBIS News

The PBIS Walk-Through was a success. 

Both teachers and students answered questions about Tier I PBIS accurately. 

Reminder to teachers/teams using Dojo: Please remember to give specific positive feedback about which area of P.A.W.S. you are rewarding the student. 

This will also motivate others to follow the lead of the PAWS UP student. 

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IB Learner Profile Attribute for FEBRUARY

KNOWLEDGEABLE

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March Workdays

March 13th is a Teacher Workday. All certified staff need to report on this day from 7:10-3:40 pm. Paraprofessionals or classified staff members do NOT need to report on this day. The Leadership Team will meet from 7:30-9:00 am. There are no other meetings scheduled. 

March 16th is now a regular school day. 

March 24th is also a teacher workday however ALL staff are to report on this day. There are no planned meetings. 

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Beautification PLC

Thanks to Ms. Gidden's class for helping beautify our school this week!!!  

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

Monday, February 24th

PSC Data Due in Illuminate 1st-5th 

Tuesday, February 25th

Grade Level PLCs during Specials

Wednesday, February 26th

Grade Level PLCs during Specials
5:00-6:00 pm - GMAS Parent Informational Session
6:00-6:30 - Title I Parent Input Meeting

Thursday, February 27th

2:55 - Grade Level PLCs
Progress Skills Checklists Go Home

Friday, February 28th 

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

 

Happy birthday to Bridget Mahle on the 28th! We hope you have a wonderful birthday! 

February 17th, 2020

Monday Notes 2.17.20

"High Point Elementary cultivates knowledgeable, compassionate, and inquiring learners who impact a diverse global community."

**Friendly reminder that action items are in red and informational only items are in blue. 

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FCS Principals' Walkthrough

Principals from other elementary schools will be here to examine our "Targeted Instruction" WEDNESDAY the 19th from 8:00-10:30 am. They will be walking around in groups of 3 or 4 and will spend about 15 minutes in each classroom. They will be choosing classrooms at random so please let your students know there is a possibility they will be joining your class and that instruction will continue as normal. The look-fors for "Targeted Instruction" are: 

- Teacher delivers accurate instruction based off grade-level standards

- Teacher includes varied strategies for students to have more than one way to access material. 

- Teacher uses data to implement just-in-time instructional strategies to support students and misconceptions (if observable at the time) 

Data will be collected informally and teachers' names will not be shared during each observation debrief. The purpose of this walkthrough is to allow principals opportunities to practice with the "Targeted Instruction" Rubric and is not meant to be evaluative or to give feedback. 

Thank you for showing off your amazing instructional strategies and abilities! 

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Luncheon This Friday!!!

Thank you to the Tenacious Ten for our lunch this week! They will be providing a Mardi Gras themed lunch with po' boys, jambalya, grits, shrimp and grits, red beans and rice, King cake, and more! 

Please make sure you are cognizant of the staff members who don't have lunch until 1:00 pm as well. We want to make sure EVERYONE gets to eat. 

A huge thank you to the team: DiBartolo, Williams, Hall, Pereira, Gopal, Owens, Julie Ellis, Zeller, Ditzel, and Sinoyiannis!!

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EIP Position

We will be interviewing for the open EIP position for 3rd-5th grade next year. If you are interested in this position, please use the link below to submit your name and information. Thanks!! 

https://forms.gle/JUXMiAR7xiMjX7kcA

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SGC Teacher Representative

The School Governance Council needs a teacher representative!!! Please consider running for this extremely important position. The declaration window is open from now til February 26th. If interested, click on the link below:

https://www.fultonschools.org/Page/7358 

For questions about this role, please see Lori Simon, Margaret Conway, or Cary Caramelo. Thanks!!!

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Instructional Support Groups 3-5

Students in Groups 1, 2, and 3 in iReady Reading and Math have been divided into groups based off their area of need. Each administrator has been paired with a teacher who doesn't have any push-in support and we are utilizing all of our staff members to support these students in these groups by pulling them in the morning, during RTI blocks, and throughout the day. 

Remember: our goal is for 75% of our students in grades 3-5 to score a level 2, 3, or 4 on the GMAS. It is DOABLE!!! It takes a village! If you have students who need support and are not getting it, please let someone on administration know so that we can help. Thank you to every teacher for their effort and dedication supporting our students. 

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Principal's Corner

The January Principal's Corner was sent out last week and I forgot to share. Sorry!! Please click on the link below to see what has been communicated to parents for the month of January. Thanks!!!

https://mailchi.mp/8c63c18ffc2e/principals-corner-january-2020

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IB Learner Profile Attribute for FEBRUARY

KNOWLEDGEABLE

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Beautification PLC

Thanks to Ms. Gopal's and Ms. Lee's class for helping beautify our school this week!!! 

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

Monday, February 17th

No School - President's Day

Tuesday, February 18th

Grade Level PLCs during Specials

Wednesday, February 19th

Grade Level PLCs during Specials
8:00-10:30 am - Principals Conduct "Targeted Instruction" Walkthroughs

Thursday, February 20th

7:15 - SGC Meeting
2:50 pm - Grade Level PLCs 

Friday, February 21st 

7:30- PTO General Board Meeting
Teacher Luncheon

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

 

Happy birthday to Emily Blair on the 20th!! We hope you have a wonderful birthday! 

February 11th, 2020

Monday Notes 2.10.20

"High Point Elementary cultivates knowledgeable, compassionate, and inquiring learners who impact a diverse global community."

**Friendly reminder that action items are in red and informational only items are in blue. 

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Enrollment Survey

 Please place all enrollment survey forms that state "WILL NOT BE RETURNING" in Parker's box. All other forms may be discarded. Thanks!!!

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Parent/Teacher Conferences

Please remember that SST meetings do not substitute for conferences.  Those meetings are specifically targeted to discuss Tier 3 interventions and the student’s response to the intervention. 

Every teacher in K-5 has agreed upon a "grade level conference checklist" which should be utilized for consistency. Evidence that parent/teacher conferences have been conducted will be requested for the summative evaluation in TKES. 

Also, remember that in grades 3-5, the student should be present for at least part of the conference. 

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SGC Teacher Representative Needed!

The School Governance Council needs a teacher representative!!! Please consider running for this extremely important position. The declaration window is open from now til February 26th. If interested, click on the link below:

https://www.fultonschools.org/Page/7358 

For questions about this role, please see Lori Simon, Margaret Conway, or Cary Caramelo. Thanks!!!

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Beautification PLC

We have noticed there is a lot of trash around our school and we are asking for your help to keep our school clean! We have created a schedule and assigned weeks for each class to help clean our campus. We are just asking for classes to pick up trash outside school and even inside the building. This could be done during recess or a fun outside break that really gives back to our school. It would be a great opportunity to connect this to helping our school community, cleaning our environment, and stopping land pollution. Please ask Derick or Harry for trash bags.

Please follow the schedule below and contact Mary Cameron Faison or anyone on the Beautification PLC if you have any questions. Thanks so much for all your help to keep our school clean! 

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Principal's Corner

The January Principal's Corner was sent out last week and I forgot to share. Sorry!! Please click on the link below to see what has been communicated to parents for the month of January. Thanks!!!

https://mailchi.mp/8c63c18ffc2e/principals-corner-january-2020

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IB Learner Profile Attribute for FEBRUARY

KNOWLEDGEABLE

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PBIS Info

PBIS Walkthrough Coming Up!!

This month someone will be coming to do a PBIS check in. They will be talking to 5 teachers and 5 students. Some questions they might ask you are: 

What are the school expectations?

Have you explicitly taught all the school rules and expectations this year? 

When was the last time you gave out a buddy buck? 

Have you seen the school’s discipline data? 

Make sure you have the PBIS Matrix posted in your room!! You got a copy in your box Friday. Any questions, please see Beth Owens or Richard DiBartolo. 

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Students Making a Difference

Check out this great article about an 8-year old boy who raised over $4,000 selling key chains because he wanted to pay off his school's lunch debts. Students are making a positive impact in this world everyday. Are ours? Are we reminding them the impact they can make? Are we encouraging their curiosity? Are we encouraging their willingness to take action? Check it out! 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/04/us/boy-pays-off-lunch-debt-trnd/index.html

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IB

As a reminder, below is a snip-it from our Non-Negotiables of Instructional Practices about IB expectations.  As you prepare for upcoming conferences and guests in our building, and the next round of TKES walk-throughs, please take a moment to examine these and update your classroom boards to match the hallway poster outside your doorway.  Also use a critical eye to examine your grade-level IB board outside in your hallway.  It should reflect your previous unit learning: evidence of student work, central idea, lines of inquiry, learner profile and key concepts used to drive the inquiry, other pertinent items to share.  If you need help, please ask Lib Roberts!

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

Monday, February 10th

Tuesday, February 11th

Grade Level PLCs during Specials
2:50 - TOTY and PEOTY Celebration in Cafeteria

Wednesday, February 12th

Grade Level PLCs during Specials

Thursday, February 13th

9:30 am - Gail Dean Community Board Meeting at High Point (Media Center)
2:55 pm - Grade Level PLCs

Friday, February 14th 

Valentine's Day!!!

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

 

Happy birthday to Nicole Cornibe on the 13th and Chris Zimbardo on the 16th!! We hope you both have a wonderful birthday!