Week of 10/14 - 10/18

Hey Panda Family,

Week 8 was great! Almost done with 1st Quarter! You may be feeling like this sweet Panda in the picture 😂, but Don't Worry - a break is coming soon! You got this!!! 

Drills: The Tornado & Earthquake drills will take place right after announcements on Monday, October 21.   

EOQ Testing: On Tuesday & Wednesday of this week we will be having EOQ testing throughout the upper grades classrooms and in other areas of the building for our modification groups. Please help us by reminding your students to be extra quiet in the halls on these days. Thanks! 

Chromebook update: At my district meeting this past week they gave us a tentative schedule for replenishing our Chromebooks. They have picked up our Chromebooks that need repairs and those should be returned to us shortly. The district has purchased close to 8,000 new Chromebooks that they are working to deliver to schools in the coming weeks. Their goal is to give each elementary school a new Chromebook for each one they lost. Fingers crossed this will happen. 

Dr. Hairston Listening Session: Our new Superintendent, Dr. Angela Hairston, will be having a listening session for all WS/FCS employees at Piney Grove on Wednesday, November 6 from 4:30-6:00 in the gym. I really hope you will find time in your schedule to come for a portion of it and show a warm Piney Grove welcome to our new Superintendent.   

PBIS Communication Presentation: Thank you to the PBIS committee for putting together such a wonderful presentation on Parent Communication at our last staff meeting. If you would like access to the information in their presentation the link is below.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1p6uHmsZUZ2QN8VCOWsw_Z03xehlcbllUneHVguPnaWc/edit?usp=sharing

Tutoring for Pay: Below is the link to an interest survey to determine how many staff members would like to have the opportunity to tutor students in grades 3-5 beginning in January through the end of the year (Reading and/or Math). Please complete only if you are interested. The pay is $26 per hour before taxes for certified staff, and $18 per hour before taxes for classified staff. This links with some of our SIT initiatives/goals. We will have a meeting this fall for all interested individuals. https://forms.gle/XDUEXnTuNS5kmhpZ6

Positive Contact: Please make sure you are making those positive parent contacts. It could be a phone call, text, Panda gram, Dojo message, or in-person contact. Fill that bucket :) Each teacher should make a positive contact for each student and complete their log sheet by the end of the quarter, this Friday, October 25. When you have completed your positive log sheet please turn it in to my box. Thank you to those teachers who have already turned it in!

SMO: Thank you for your patience as we work through some staffing issues with SMO. I know the cleaning service has been less than ideal in some parts of the building recently. We have been without a lead supervisor for a couple of weeks now which is why some things are being overlooked. Mrs. Gardner and I are working to correct these issues as quickly as possible with the company. 

Staff Spotlight: What a wonderful job Mrs. Epperley, Mrs. Secrest, and all our volunteers did with our Bookfair this past week! Thank you to Mrs. Rempe for putting red PBIS Paw Prints around the school to remind our students where to stop & to Mrs. Gardner for her hard work to make up for some missed custodial items by the nightly crew. 

Teacher Tuesday Spotlight: Our school Facebook page is highlighting a teacher each week (thanks for organizing this Ms. Jones)! Our spotlight this past week was Ms. Epperley. Check it out! 

Field Trip Calendar: Our Master Field Trip calendar is filling up fast! Remember, each grade level is allowed 4 trips per year or 1 per quarter.  Try to avoid Fridays.  All trips requests for the year should be in to Gardner before Winter break.  See the FT calendar across from Gardner’s office for open dates.

Lesson Plans: Friendly reminder that Lesson Plans should be posted to the PowerSchool Wiki the first day of each week by 8:00am.

IF Updates

ORF update: Just a reminder, we will hold off on completing ORF at this point.  Please stay tuned for further updates.

October 29: Don’t forget that this is an RC day.  You will have PD in your designated content area.  I have all of the dates and times and the information is being checked one last time before it is sent out to you.  I can answer specific questions if you have them!

IReady deadlines reminder: Given the Chromebook recall, the deadline for IReady has been changed.  IReady diagnostics should be completed by 10/25/19. 

Upcoming Dates:
October 21 - Tornado & Earthquake drill @ 8:30

October 22 - Math NC Check-In
October 22 - SCC & Media Committees meet @ 3:30

October 23 - ELA NC Check-In (4th & 5th only)
October 25 - IReady diagnostics due

October 25 - Positive Parent Log Sheet due to Elkins

October 25 - End of the 1st Quarter
October 28 - Teacher Workday (Reserved for Schools)
October 29 - Teacher Workday (Reserved for Central Office)
November 1 - Duke Energy Program @ 1:15 & 2:00
November 1 - Report Cards due
November 4 - Testing team meeting @ 3:30
November 5 - Picture Make-up day
November 5 - PBIS & Wellness Committees meet @ 3:30
November 6 - Dr. Hairston Listening Session @ PGE - 4:30
November 7 - WS Symphony program @ 10:15 (4th & 5th grade)
November 7 - I-Ready PD from 3:30 - 5:00 (3rd-5th grades only)
November 8 - PBIS event - Slime Creation
November 8 - Report cards go home
November 11 - No school (Veterans Day)
November 12 - SIT @ 3:30
November 14 - FCAE Meeting @ 3:30 in Mrs. Ball's room
November 15 - 5th Grade Dancing Classrooms program @ 1:30
November 16 - Go Far 5K

Check out this fun activity (thanks for sharing Mrs. Laws)! What is your Halloween Teacher Name? Make sure to tell us who you are in the comments! Have a wonderful weekend :)