Mr. Elkins' Weekly Wrap

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Week of 11/2 - 11/6

Hey Panda Family,

Week 12 brought some of our Pandas back to us! Thank you to Ms. Ashley, Ms. Connie, Ms. Angela, Ms. Murphy, Ms. Hobson, Ms. Brown, and Ms. Jenkins for a successful week of in-person learning! We can't wait to welcome our Kindergarteners this week 💚🐼

COVID Protocols: Due to the increased number in positive Covid cases across the county, the school district is requiring some additional safety steps. If you have been exposed to someone that tests positive you must let me know and quarantine for 14 days (these individuals will work remotely). Remember, exposure is defined by:

You were within 6 feet of someone who has COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more
You provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19
You had direct physical contact with the person (hugged or kissed them)
You shared eating or drinking utensils
They sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on you

Exposure has to be reported to Human Resources for contact tracing in case you should test positive. As a school, we are only required to communicate if we have a positive test from a staff member or student. At this time, we have not had any positive tests from staff members or from students that have been in-person. Remember the 3 W's - Wear your mask, Wash your hands, and Wait 6 feet. This will help us stay safe and healthy!

Small Group CWTs: Ms. Gardner and I plan to prioritize our walkthroughs in the coming weeks to view your small group Reading & Math instruction. Thank you for your efforts to provide intentional small group instruction to meet your students on their instructional level.

United Way: Congratulations to Terri Ball and Sharon Landreth for winning a free lunch from Mr. Elkins! They won our first round of giveaways for their United Way donation. As of today, Piney Grove is at $840. Our participation is 17.9%. If you haven't already given, this is the link for the ePledge: https://uwfc.upicsolutions.org/WSFCS

Veteran's Day Holiday: This Wednesday, November 11 is Veteran's Day. There is no school on this holiday. You do not need to assign any asynchronous work. We will still have deep cleaning on this day in the school building.

Mr. Younts' Office: Ms. Secrest has kindly offered to share her office space with Mr. Younts at the front of the media center. If you need to find Mr. Younts, he will now be working from this office space on the days he is with us (Tuesdays & Thursdays).

Timothy's Tech Corner: Timothy's Tech Corner

Breakfast Procedures for In-Person Learning:

2 breakfast stations - in the lobby area (buses) and in the doorway of the cafeteria (cars)
Breakfast is free for all students
Large trash cans will be placed in the hallways

Students should empty their milk cartons in the classroom sinks
Place all trash in the hallway trash cans
The cafeteria staff will empty the garbage cans and replace them for lunch

Lunch Procedures for In-Person Learning:

Students will go through the cafeteria line for lunch
Large trash cans will be placed in the hallways

Students should empty their milk cartons in the classroom sinks
Place all trash in the hallway trash cans
Jose and Mr. Kincaid will empty the garbage cans and replace them for breakfast

Staff kids lunch: Staff children working from PGE will get lunch from the cafeteria at 12:00. This central time will allow the cafeteria staff time to prepare as staggered grade levels return to in-person school.

PBIS Virtual Incentives: The PBIS Team at Southwest Elementary School shared the following ideas (click on link). The teachers at Southwest have used these with their students to incentivize them to participate in learning.

PBIS for In-Person Learning:

Kindergarten teachers should teach PBIS expectations as a normal school year
PAW bucks will be handed out by teachers and specialists.
Classroom PAWS (specials) will also be given out

AM/PM Duties: If you are assigned a 2/3 or 4/5 hallway in the AM or PM, please help out the next two weeks by standing closer to kindergarten and 1st grade hallways. Our little ones will need help getting to their classrooms (AM) and then to buses and cars (PM).

CARES Team Update (from Ms. Ceglowski):

We delivered a bunch of packets this week on Monday, Thursday and Friday!
ELL students continue to be our most difficult to engage and we are working on strategies to help.
I am reaching out to local churches to see if any would be willing to host a learning center. If you think your church or other organization may be willing to open it's doors and provide volunteers to allow our students a place with WiFi to get work done during the day, please let me know!
Thanks for keeping me updated on those students who are in need of our assistance, keep it up!

Staff Picture: Our staff picture is scheduled for Tuesday, November 17 during our staff meeting. We will do it first thing at 3:30. We will take the picture outside at the playground. We will take a picture with and without our masks.

District Calendar Updates: Please make the following adjustments on your calendar.

December 22 needs to be changed to a “Break Day (B): No School”

January 7 needs to be changed to “Reserved Day: Teacher Professional Day (RC)”

January 8 needs to be changed to “Reserved Day: Teacher Professional Day (RS)”

The updated calendar can be found here - https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Page/116178

Student Screening: Attached is the district presentation for student screening. We have asked select individuals to attend these trainings, but we wanted to share the presentation with everyone so you have it as a resource - PowerPoint Student Screening Process

PGE Health & Safety Cheat Sheet: It was asked if we would create a document that would highlight the important health and safety protocols for Plan B. We have created a two page "Health & Safety Cheat Sheet" for you to reference during Plan B for each part of the day. A hard copy of this cheat sheet will be placed in each staff member's box. Here is the link to the Google doc if you would like to have access to the electronic version https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H8p_0GlaX-5tZRfxsRD_fjBvQvf1b-Lf6KAwYig84ko/edit?usp=sharing

Reopening Q & A: We have created a Google doc for you to drop your questions. I have already started answering some of them. Here is the Google doc if you would like to add any questions or see the answers: Reopening Q & A

Packet Materials: I encourage each of you to continue sending out tangible packet materials for your students as needed (novels, worksheets, manipulatives, etc.). Please coordinate the pickup with your families. Every parent that I have talked with mentions how helpful it is to have a combination of tangible and virtual assignments. If the office can support you with this please let us know.

Morning Announcements: Here are the YouTube links for this week's Morning Announcements. Please include them on your Canvas page.

Monday (11/9) - https://youtu.be/P5otzFwNe6Y

Tuesday (11/10) - https://youtu.be/br_bVejQl5g

Wednesday (11/11) - Veteran's Day (No School)

Thursday (11/12) - https://youtu.be/H8XUivb7Xrg

Friday (11/13) - https://youtu.be/IVczyNtbzC0

Staff Spotlight: From Ms. Corlett: Ms. Epperley and Mr. Tim for spending a lot of time helping me with Zoom breakout rooms and getting technology in my room working for Plan B (doc camera) . Like they spent almost 3 hours with me today. I really appreciate their dedication to help problem solve.

From Ms. Brookshire: Please give the whole staff a shout out for all the love and support shown to me during this time of sadness. There are both good and bad days for me and my mom, but we are making it with the support that we have felt from our PGE family! Thank you doesn't begin to say enough. The prayers are greatly appreciated!

IF Updates

Car Dismissal doc: Here is the link to the Car Dismissal link. Please bookmark it and save it wherever you need to!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QPz_b-GdsNC4c0ZQw8kkcNIxu0OA6ld2ZXnvLh8xtlA/edit?usp=sharing

Here is the embed code:

Upcoming Dates:

November 9 - Kindergarten students return

November 9 - PTA Meeting @ 6:30 via Zoom

November 10 - SIT @ 3:30 (use staff meeting link on PGE Canvas page)

November 11 - No School (Veteran's Day)

November 12 & 13 - WAPT Kindergarten Testing

November 13 - Staff Outing @ 6:30 (Pine Knolls Pavilion)

November 16 - 1st Grade students return

November 16 - WAPT Kindergarten Make-Up Testing

November 17 - Staff Meeting @ 3:45 (Staff Picture @ 3:30 on playground)

November 18 - Flex Wednesday

November 23 - Remote Learning Day (no in-person instruction)

November 24 - Remote Learning Day (no in-person instruction)

November 24 - SCC & Wellness Committees @ 3:30

November 25, 26, 27 - No School (Thanksgiving Break)

December 1 - PBIS & MTAC Committees @ 3:30

December 2 - Progress Reports Due

Check out this awesome new version of the ABC's! You can be anything!

#YouCanBeABCs

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Week of 10/26 - 10/30

Hey Panda Family,

Week 11 is complete, and after almost 8 months of remote learning some of our students will be returning to us this week! We can't wait to welcome them back to the building 🏫😊 While we may have some nerves about students returning, we will work together to ensure it is done safely. We are all in this together! Here are your updates for the week.

Return to Work: 4th & 5th Grade Teachers are required to work from the building beginning Monday, November 2. This is the last phase-in for staff. Please make sure you fob in. If any staff needs to have time off, or leave campus, they need to complete the white "Request for Leave" sheet.

Election Day: Make sure you don't forget to vote on Tuesday! If you are planning to work from the building on Tuesday, November 3 please make sure to park in the greenhouse parking lot.

Flex Wednesdays: Flex Wednesdays will begin this Wednesday, November 4. All staff will work from home beginning this Wednesday. We will begin by deep cleaning the hallways, bathrooms, gym, cafeteria, pod, Ms. Murphy's classroom, and Ms. Pollard's classroom. We will communicate with staff when we begin to clean all rooms in the building.

Report Cards: Report Cards need to be prepared to distribute by this Friday, November 6. We are in the process of proof reading and signing all report cards. If you would like the office to mail your report cards please let Mr. Elkins or Ms. Gardner know.

Standards Based Report Card Guidance (from district): K-2 teachers, please see the attachment for guidance regarding the standards-based report card for first quarter. Please send home the parent letters in the document for any student that is missing assignments that have prevented you from fully grading a standard. The parent letter will go home with the report card.

Remote Learning Guidance for First Quarter Standards-based Grading

November 5 PD @ 3:30: Our afterschool PD training on November 5 will be for all staff. We will focus on Staff Self-Care for the first half, and then the teachers & IAs will break out in small groups for individualized Wonders training for the second half. Please make sure this date is marked on your calendar. Jayne will be sending out instructions for accessing the PD.

District Calendar Updates: Please make the following adjustments on your calendar.

December 22 needs to be changed to a “Break Day (B): No School”

January 7 needs to be changed to “Reserved Day: Teacher Professional Day (RC)”

January 8 needs to be changed to “Reserved Day: Teacher Professional Day (RS)”

The updated calendar can be found here - https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Page/116178

iReady Lessons for Small Groups (thanks for sharing Ms. Medley): Here are a couple of ways to get to mini lessons that are super helpful for re-teaching and small groups. Keep in mind I'm only ever looking for math, so there may be some variance in reading.

Diagnostic

Go to a student's diagnostic results (reports-diagnostic results-student)
At the bottom of the report, choose the domain you want to focus on by clicking it
Go to the Next Steps & Resources for Instruction.
Print any of the PDFs for a quick mini lesson

Teacher Toolbox

Go to Assess & Teach
Teacher Toolbox (subject)
Go to the Grade level you want based on the skill you are re-teaching
Scroll down until you see the lesson you want. The Teacher-led activities are perfect short lessons for small groups. Most are 15-30 minutes

You can also access lessons for higher student small groups this way as well.

CARES Team Update (from Ms. Ceglowski):

I know many grade levels gave out 2nd quarter packets today. If you have things left over that can't be picked up, please let me know.
Continue to refer students who are not getting work done or showing up to live sessions. It seems with many of these students we take two steps forward and 3 steps back. Let me know if they start to slip away again and we will reach out.
It seems the reality of the transportation restrictions is sinking in with our families. If you are still waiting to hear back from a family that isn't sure, let me know and we can try to help them look at all the options to figure out what is best for them.
I wish you could hear all the praise you get from families! They know how hard you are working and are so grateful for you!

Morning Announcements: Here are the YouTube links for this week's Morning Announcements. Please include them on your Canvas page.

Monday (11/2) - https://youtu.be/2_4XyDuyPW4

Tuesday (11/3) - https://youtu.be/T6NsyYdg_EE

Wednesday (11/4) - https://youtu.be/EDkCjw19gjE

Thursday (11/5) - https://youtu.be/rsu-NeOnGtw

Friday (11/6) - https://youtu.be/hqL4E7IDMn8

Staff Spotlight: Mrs. Harman finished her last radiation treatment this past week. Make sure you celebrate with her! She has worked through her entire treatment. You exemplify the meaning of dedication and being a fighter! Way to go, Erin!

From Ms. Keller - I would like to give a shout out to Lauren Phillips for being so helpful this year. I learn new strategies for remote learning and helping keep the kids engaged! I love hearing her ideas and watching her lead her groups.

From Ms. True - Shout out to Bonnie for always having our entrance and grounds decorated so beautifully. I can't say just how many, many visitors have commented that our entrance is so welcoming and that they love to visit our campus.

From Ms. Postle - My shout out is for the 4th grade teachers. Having to make things like Pirate Day fun for a virtual setting isn’t easy and they definitely rose to the challenge. Charlotte loved every activity they did and spent a lot of time telling us all about it. Our 4th grade teachers rock!!

IF Updates

PLTs: Please make sure you follow the new PLT schedule beginning this week. If your grade level changed to Flex Wednesdays it will begin this week. Here is the updated PLT schedule:

2nd grade - Mondays @ 2:30

4th grade - Wednesdays @ 8:00

Kinder - Wednesdays @ 9:30

3rd grade - Wednesdays @ 1:00

1st grade - Wednesdays @ 2:20

5th grade - Thursdays @ 2:20

Wonders data dashboard: Another IF, Megan Houston from Sedge Garden, created this video to explain the Data Dashboard in Wonders. I have posted this on the Canvas page under “Professional Development”. It goes over how to have Wonders grade activities, activities that you can assign to approaching, beyond, and on grade level students, and several other very helpful things. I hope you take a moment to watch it. You will definitely take away something you can immediately implement in your classroom!

New testing windows:

Kindergarten WAPT 11/9-12/18
iReady K-3 Reading 1/11-1/15
iReady 4-5 Reading 1/19-1/27
iReady K-5 Math 2/1-2/5
iReady K-5 Reading makeups through 1/29
iReady K-5 Math makeups 2/8-2/12
ALL Check-ins and Local Benchmarks are cancelled for 2^nd quarter
BOG testing postponed until we get a start date for 3^rd graders

Car Dismissal doc: Here is the link to the Car Dismissal link. Please bookmark it and save it wherever you need to!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QPz_b-GdsNC4c0ZQw8kkcNIxu0OA6ld2ZXnvLh8xtlA/edit?usp=sharing

Here is the embed code:

Upcoming Dates:

November 2 - EC Separate setting & PreK return (Option 1 students return Chromebooks)

November 2 - 4-5 Teachers return to work in the building

November 3 - No In-Person School (Election Day) - Remote Learning Day (asynchronous work only)

November 3 - PBIS & MTAC Committees meet @ 3:30

November 4 - First Flex Wednesday

November 5 - Instructional PD @ 3:30 (Teacher Self-Care & Wonders)

November 6 - Report Cards go home

November 9 - Kindergarten students return

November 10 - SIT @ 3:30

November 11 - No School (Veteran's Day)

November 16 - 1st Grade students return

November 17 - Staff Meeting @ 3:45 (Staff Picture @ 3:30 on playground)

November 18 - Flex Wednesday

November 23 - Remote Learning Day (no in-person instruction)

November 24 - Remote Learning Day (no in-person instruction)

November 25, 26, 27 - No School (Thanksgiving Break)

In this world of technology that we are living in I couldn't help but share this video. It is so sweet and hopefully will bring a smile to your face to listen to these conversations. She has a lot of wisdom that we won't find on the internet :)

Kids Meet a 101 Year Old Lady

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Week of 10/19 - 10/23

Hey Panda Family,

Week 10 and 1st Quarter is complete! It is amazing how fast it has flown by. The work has been hard and challenging at times, but it also has been very rewarding. You have risen to the occasion each and every day! We are so proud of each of you 😊🐼 Here are the updates for the week.

Flex Fridays: Flex Fridays will remain in place and will operate as normal while we remain in Plan C. Flex Wednesdays will replace Flex Fridays when we move to in-person learning.

Remote Learning Guidance for First Quarter Standards-based Grading

Jose: Please email Jose when you need something done. Asking on the fly makes it difficult for him to remember. His email is: jrgomez@wsfcs.k12.nc.us

Concurrent Classroom Technology: Please make sure to book a time with Mr. Younts so he can come by your room to ensure all your technology is set up correctly for your concurrent classroom (for remote students in Plan B). Remember, he is at Piney Grove on Tuesdays & Thursdays - Book a time with your “test student” Timothy.

Schedules: We are waiting to see what the school board decides at the meeting on Tuesday, October 27th in regards to reopening. Once we know our return dates, we will share a link to the schedules.

Return to Work: 4th & 5th Grade Teachers are required to work from the building beginning November 2. Please make sure you fob in.

Benefit Open Enrollment (from Human Resources): Open Enrollment Announcement. Reminder & Important information to employees regarding annual enrollment for both State Health and local Dental and Flex Benefit Plan.

https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=115758

Remote Learning Days on District Calendar: When RL days are designated on the calendar, teachers have the option of working from the classroom or at home (just like during remote learning now). November 3, 23, and 24 are the upcoming designated Remote Learning days.

CARES Team Update (from Ms. Ceglowski):

We made a lot of deliveries this week! Headphones seem to be helping many students in loud settings.
We reviewed students in IST to determine the best way to move forward for each individual. If you have one of those students, I will be getting with you this week.
We discussed the particular challenges with our primarily Spanish-speaking students and families. I am going to reach out to some local universities to see if there are any student tutors (bilingual ideally) who would be willing to mentor some of our students. Please let me know if you can think of anyone who might be interested. Or, if you have any other outside of the box ideas, send them my way, I need someone less like me to help connect with these kids 😉
I hope you are all taking care of yourselves! This is tough on all of us! You are doing an amazing job and our parents appreciate you! Please do something kind for yourself this week!! Love you, mean it!

Morning Announcements: Here are the YouTube links for this week's Morning Announcements. Please include them on your Canvas page.

Monday (10/26) - https://youtu.be/WlzyNlAQNhs

Tuesday (10/27) - https://youtu.be/jmtKPNficI4

Wednesday (10/28) - https://youtu.be/Hn9hywT-xC0

Thursday (10/29) - https://youtu.be/T7D5QhIgWk4

Friday (10/30) - https://youtu.be/dIcXEYZ2D-A

Staff Spotlight: Thank you to all the staff that has helped barcode the Wonders materials! There are so many of them, so every little bit helps!

Thank you to Ms. Sue & Ms. Faith for their hard work assisting Mr. Jose in our building preparations for reopening. They have done a tremendous job in these temporary roles during Plan C!

IF Updates

Social Studies rep needed!: If you are interested in being the point person with whom the SS department communicates, please let me know.

Register for PD: Don’t forget to register for all 4 quarter PLTs and the after school sessions. I will be giving credit for 1^st quarter PLT by 10/30, so please register by this date to receive credit. I want to make sure you get the credit you deserve, but we need to get it in by this deadline. Thanks! 😊

Upcoming Dates:

October 27 - SCC & Wellness Committees meet @ 3:30

October 28 - Report Cards due to Admin/Ms. True to review

October 30 - Register for 1st Quarter PLT PD to receive credit

October 30 - 1st & 3rd Grade Open House

November 2 - EC Separate setting & K-3 students return (TBD)

November 2 - 4-5 Teachers return to work in the building

November 3 - No In-Person School (Election Day) - Remote Learning Day

November 3 - 4th & 5th Grade Open House

November 3 - PBIS & MTAC Committees meet @ 3:30

November 4 - First Flex Wednesday (TBD)

November 5 - K-2 Students will be required to return Chromebooks (Option 1 students only)