Hey Panda Family,
I hope everyone is staying safe in this wet weather! If you have a couple of minutes this weekend I encourage you to send an email to our Superintendent, Tricia McManus to thank her. Why? Post-pandemic, there is a lot of pressure to keep learning going at all costs. The district could have easily made us go remote learning today, scrambling to send home all Chromebooks and chargers on Thursday afternoon, and plan virtual lessons with very little time (which some counties are doing). Instead, we have a day off to catch our breath and make sure our families and homes are safe, without the extra task of trying to teach remotely for a day. In my opinion, this was a wonderful leadership move on her part. If you would like to email her, it is: ttmcmanus@wsfcs.k12.nc.us. Have a safe and wonderful weekend!
Here are the Weekly Wrap updates for this week:
New Updates
Early Release Day: This upcoming Wednesday, October 5 is an Early Release Day. School will dismiss two hours early at 12:50. We will have Code of Conduct training from 1:30 - 3:30 in the Media Center. Light refreshments will be provided. After our Code PD, we will celebrate Suzi & Sam for their wedding shower. See more Early Release Day info below.
- PBIS is sponsoring Panda spirit day. Wear your favorite Panda gear
- Specials and lunch schedule linked HERE
- No recess
- We will begin dismissal at 12:50
- PD CODE - media center from 1:30-3:30 - bring your laptops
Check-In Training: All 3rd - 5th grade teachers will attend Check-In training on Wednesday, October 5th during specials. We will meet in the PLT room.
- IA's and EC (not speech) should attend one of the sessions
- Ms. Guffey & Ms. Pereda should also attend one of the sessions
PBIS Incentives Links: Here are the links to the PBIS Incentives so you have them to discuss and budget with your class. Thank you to PBIS for all your hard work planning and organizing these events!
Twin Day (10 Paw Bucks): Twin Friday - students can pay $10 Paw bucks to dress up with someone as twins. Teachers keep the paw bucks. No names need to be submitted to the team.
MTSS/Tier 2 Planning (from Ms. Balint): Each grade level will meet in the PLT room on October 3rd during specials. During our meeting, we will be creating/updating Tier 2 plans. If a new plan needs to be created please bring the following pieces:
Teacher referral to MTSS folders should include:
- work samples relating to specific concern
- exit tickets relating to specific concern
- weekly assessments relating to specific concern
- DIBELS report
- i-Ready reports
- PAST
- Core Phonics Survey
- Number knowledge
Make sure to communicate with parents about the academic concern before presenting the concern to the MTSS team.
If you have a student in Tier 3, referral, or a Tier 3 plan needs to be created- let me know in our meeting, so we can set-up a meeting. Thank you!
Book Fair Pumpkins (from Ms. Lloyd): We are having our Fall Book Fair Oct. 10 - Oct. 14. The Book Fair will be during their Media Class that week. On October 15, we will be having a family event the same time the PTA is having their Fall Festival, 10am - 2pm. We are going to do the same thing that we did last year with Pumpkins. Each homeroom class will bring one Pumpkin decorated as a BOOK CHARACTER to the library during the week of the book fair. On Saturday, Oct. 15th, friends can come to the library and vote for their favorite character. PTA has donated tons of pumpkins and decorated the front entrance. Homeroom teachers may pick any of these pumpkins for FREE to use for their book character. Just pick the one you like the best. There are plenty to choose from!
Thank you and we very much look forward to seeing all your fun creative pumpkins!
I Can Statements: Please make sure to decorate the hallways with your student's work. You can also put your student's work in the main hallways on the corkboard strips. When posting student work, please make sure to include the I Can statement so we know what your student's have been working on! Thanks!
October Drills: We will have fire, earthquake, and tornado drills in October. The tornado and earthquake drills will be announced.
Custodial Issues: Please email Elkins and Gardner if there are custodial issues so we can address them. Thanks for being our extra set of eyes to help keep our building clean!
Guidance Updates (from Ms. Ceglowski): Here are the updates from Ms. Ceglowski.
- October is National Bullying Prevention Month. There are so many great activities and resources from PACER in the link below. On October 19, we will all wear Orange for Unity Day. I am very happy to come to any classroom to give a mini-lesson on bully prevention. Just let me know!
Media Updates (from Ms. Epperley): Here are the updates from Ms. Epperley in the Media Center.
- Charging Stations: I am loaning a key to each grade level rep to open the top of your charger stations. You can pull out all the round cords and let me know how many new flat ones you will need in this form. Feel free to keep an extra round one for yourself and turn in the rest to us. If you need help with your station, consider having a student tech helper do it, or let us know and we will try to get around.
- HP Silver Dot Chromebook Swap: On Tuesday afternoon, please send all HP Silver Dot Chromebooks to the media center. The district is picking them up on Wednesday and bringing new ones to swap out. If any of your students absolutely need a day user until they get their new one, send them Wednesday morning to check one out. (Hopefully, it will all be accomplished by the end of the day:)
Shout-Outs: Shoutout to Ms. Laughlin for getting her Donor's Choose project, "A Meaningful Start to Our Day", funded!
Important Items from Last Week
Ms. Jones National Board Project (from Ms. Jones): As part of my National Boards renewal, I'm coordinating ready-made, at-home family learning experiences for all Piney Grove students. As a school/PTA, we were able to fund 450 copies of the book The Mouse and the Motorcycle so we can send home one with EVERY family to read aloud together as our first activity which will be the basis for the later activities. We'd also LOVE to have copies of the book in Spanish to send home with our dozens of families who speak Spanish at home. This Donors Choose project would fund that part of the effort. So far, my only donation is from Mr. Vorborker :) so if you'd consider sharing it with your own friends and family and/or the parents of your students, I'd greatly appreciate it!
Wedding Shower: Please join us for a Wedding Shower for Suzi and Samuel on Wednesday, October 5 after our Early Release PD. Here is their registry link: https://www.zola.com/wedding/samandsuzi/registry
Sub List: Here is the most up-to-date substitute list, Pam Mason's availability, and the direct link to Frontline. Please use these resources to find a sub in case you have to be out. Please reach out to Ms. Owens if you have any questions.
Upcoming Dates:
October 3 - Start Mclass Progress Monitoring this week
October 3 - MTSS Tier 2 Planning Meetings w/ Balint (during grade level planning)
October 3 - Begin iReady Reading & Math practice this week (30 minutes K-2 & 30-45 minutes 3-5)
October 4 - Elkins @ Principal's Meeting
October 4 - PBIS & MTAC @ 3:30
October 5 - Check-In Training for 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade (during Specials in PLT Room)
October 5 - Early Release Day
October 5 - Wedding Shower for Suzi & Samuel (after ER Day PD)
October 7 - Progress Reports due
October 10 - 15 - Book Fair this week
October 10 - PTA Meeting @ 6:30
October 11 - SIT @ 3:30
October 11 - PTA Spirit Night @ Big Burger Spot
October 13 - Flu Shots offered @ PGE from 7:00 - 9:00am (Kernersville Pharmacy)
October 14 - Fire Safety Assemblies (K-2 @ 8:30 & 3-5 @ 9:30)
October 15 - PTA Fall Festival from 10:00 - 2:00
October 18 - Staff Meeting @ 3:30
October 19 - Unity Day (Wear Orange)
