Week of 10/28 - 11/1

Hey Panda Family,

Week 10 was short and sweet! 🎃🍬 

Security Checks: I got wind this past week that the district is doing random security checks in some schools. They are checking to see if our exterior doors are locked, and in some situations they are sending a district employee into a school with no visitor badge to see how long it takes before a school staff member approaches and questions them. This has to be a joint team effort. We have wonderful security measures in place, but please help us ensure they are thorough throughout the building. If you ever need office support in a security situation please don't hesitate to call the office and they will walkie me or Ms. Gardner. 

Report Cards: Ms. Gardner, Ms. Grubbs, and myself will be signing report cards this week and will put them in your box when we are finished. Please make sure they go home in Friday folders on November 8. 

Discretionary Funds: Our discretionary funds budget has been approved by central office. Feel free to start sending your grade level requests to myself or Ms. Gardner for approval. Remember, your allotted money needs to be spent by the end of February. 

Copies: Ms. Murray is currently only volunteering half-days due to her schedule, so she is not able to do as much copying as she did in the past. Please make sure your grade level is utilizing print shop. If you don't know how to use print shop please ask a grade level member or Ms. Willis. We will be happy to show you how. 

Punctual Pandas: Mrs. Ceglowski sent out a reminder email to staff this past week to review how the program will operate. Please reach out to her if you have any questions. 

Picture Makeups: Picture Makeups will be on Tuesday, November 5. Mrs. Willis sent out the schedule. Any staff that was absent on the original date, please make time to get your picture taken. 

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. 

Family Night: We are planning a family night for our Hispanic families on Thursday, November 7 from 6:00-7:30.  We will be offering dinner, childcare, and programming as well as help sessions for the parents.  We would love for you to plan to be there! 

Fire Marshall: Thank you for moving items away from your back door so we are in compliance.  If you have not yet, please do so by Friday, November 22.  Let Gardner know when it is complete. 

Grade level activities: If your grade level is planning an activity such as Pirate or PJ Day, please let Elkins and Gardner know so we can participate :) 

SMO: We appreciate your patience as we work through cleaning issues around the building.  We have a new SMO supervisor on site, so hopefully cleaning will be more consistent.  Continue to let Elkins and Gardner know when problems arise.

PBIS Slime Event (11/8/19): Below are some schedule adjustments that need to be made for this event. 

5^th- please eat in your classrooms.  We will make sure you have a large garbage bag for trash.  Lunch time stays the same.  

Kindergarten- We are going to move up your lunch time (see below) and also have you eat in your classrooms.

Sloan- go to cafeteria straight from PE

Miller- 12:05

Cox- 12:10

Pizzino-  12:15

Rinfrette- 12:20

Mrs. Panico and Ms. Seely will be in the cafeteria to help move things along.

Tutoring for Pay: We will have an information meeting for all staff interested in tutoring for pay after the staff meeting on Tuesday, November 19. 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. https://forms.gle/XDUEXnTuNS5kmhpZ6

Staff Spotlight: Congratulations to our 10 Kernersville Chamber Grant Winners! We had the most of any school in Kernersville. Join me in congratulating Ms. Cox, Ms. Sloan, Ms. Finley, Ms. Musten, Ms. Keller, Ms. Pereda, Ms. Adams, Ms. Laws, Ms. Monroe, and Ms. Corlett. Proud of you! 

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. Laws. 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

Hispanic Family Night: We are so excited to host our Hispanic Family Night on 11/7/19 here at Piney Grove.  We would LOVE to have as many of you help as possible.  The areas in which we need support include:

• Childcare (5:45-7:30)
• Greeters (5:45-6:30)
• Setting up dinner (5:30)
• Serving dinner (6:00)
• Cleaning up dinner (6:45)
• Helping install/set up various apps (6:45-7:30)

FREE Thanksgiving book publishing kit: Use this link to get a free kit to publish a Thanksgiving book!  What a great activity to remind students all we have to be grateful for!

Istation Progress Monitoring: It’s a new month and you know what that means-it’s time to progress monitor Istation!  Here are a few tidbits that you might find helpful:

• The BLUE box at the bottom that says “ISIP in progress” means that the student is progress monitoring.  If the box goes away, the student has completed the progress monitoring.
• After the box goes away, the student is completing activities that are based on their assessments. 
• Students who are green should be spending 30 minutes a week on Istation. 
• Students who are yellow and read should be spending 40+ minutes on Istation a week.

I-Ready: As a reminder, you will not complete a diagnostic on I-Ready again until the MOY period, January 20-February 14.  ALL students should be spending 45 minutes on I-Ready a week.  Please make sure this is happening every week. 

Upcoming Dates:

November 4 - Testing team meeting @ 3:30
November 4 - Jersey Mike's PTA Spirit Night 4:00 - 9:00
November 5 - Picture Make-up day
November 5 - Elkins & Grubbs @ SIP Workshop 8:00 - 12:00
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 7 - Hispanic Family Night @ 6:00
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 - Gardner out @ EVAAS training
November 14 - 5th Grade Dancing Classrooms program @ 1:30
November 14 - FCAE Meeting @ 3:30 in Mrs. Ball's room
November 15 - Elkins out
November 16 - Go Far 5K
November 18 - 22 - PTA Holiday Market
November 19 - Elkins @ Principals Meeting
November 19 - Staff Meeting @ 3:30 (Tutoring information meeting afterwards)
November 21 - Gardner @ AP Meeting 8-11, Elkins @ Principals Meeting 12-3
November 22 - Square 1 Art Order Deadline
November 27 - 29 - No School/Thanksgiving break

What piece of candy did you need this week???