Arrangements

Arrangements for Irene's Mother,  Mrs.Johnson, are scheduled for Saturday March 30th from 11-12 at the Christ Kingdom Worship Center @ 3894 Northampton Dr.

Wednesday MM - Day C

Good Morning!

We are busy today with Community building activities.  Empower kids to make great decisions and support their academic growth with integration of our standards into these events.

PROJECT LINUS continues with the calling of Kindergarten to Colleges at 1:30.  Let's end this quarter with an focus on service to the community.

Please be in the media center at 8:00 Thursday to start our Professional Development Day.  We will begin with some pastries from Camino and break into groups to discuss the STEM implementation rubric provided by DPI.  Then, Dr. Kim Morison will complete our activation strategies for Learning focused before we break for lunch.  After Lunch the day is yours and Spring break begins. 

Subs:
Irene and Janet are still out today as they mourn the loss of their Mothers. 

Tuesday MM - Day B

Good Morning!

A message from Cheryl Wright, WSFCS director of summer programs.

Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) returns this summer to provide an enriched learning experience for students in grades K-8.

As of now, the BELL program will be held at four elementary sites and two middle school sites. The program dates are June 24-July 26, 2013.  School will not be in session on July 4^th & 5^th. The student day begins at 8:30 and ends at 3. 

BELL is hiring Lead, Academic and Enrichment Teachers, Teacher Assistants as well as Program Coordinators.  For most positions, Staff Development will take place June 19-20, 2013.

So if you’re seeking summer employment and are committed to engaging children this summer, please visit the BELL website and submit an application and/or upload your resume.

BELL website:

http://www.experiencebell.org/jobs

Please keep Irene Rush in your thoughts and prayers as her Mother passed last night.

Subs:
Elizabeth Humphries for Janet G.

Monday MM - Day A

Good Morning!

Bring your BEST to the students these next three days and build a sense of longing to be in school.  

• Benchmark Make-ups today
• PTA Birthday Bash is Tuesday 
• STEM team meeting Tuesday after-school 
• Project Linus work session on Wednesday afternoon  
  
• Our faculty meeting and Learning Focused professional development will be Thursday from 8:00 - Noon

 
find this document in the Blog documents to keep updated

Please Thank our PTA and families as they did a fantastic job beatifying our Campus Saturday. 

Subs:
no sub for Nicole Robinson
Elizabeth Humphries for Janet Gauss 
Calvin Smart for Bridget Hollomon 

Friday MM - Day F

Good Morning!

I am thankful for our KC club and our Green Unity Day. 

Environmental club is this afternoon.

Regular specials schedule today.

Marcela wants to recognize and acknowledge that the positive vibe from her Brunson family worked as she has received news that the tumor removed from her granddaughter is benign.

EVAAS Resource Page New on the Web

A new page has been added to the EVAAS website to help educators understand the reports and other information produced by EVAAS. Material available on the Resources page includes help files, teacher notifications for releases for value-added reports and evaluation dashboards, overviews and more.  Please visit  http://www.ncpublicschools.org/effectiveness-model/evaas/resources/ to review the documents and links to other information related to EVAAS.

subs:
George Newman for Jessie S.
Rizwanah Kahn for Kim M
Kelly Bennett for Mariah L.
Patricia is still working for Marclea. 
 
 

Thursday MM - Day E

Good Morning!

What do you think of our Class pictures?  We have had several complaints as several were blurry due to a camera error.  I want to schedule a day to re-take, just the class part not the portraits.  It will be sometime in April, but I wanted to let you know so you can communicate with parents who are upset with the quality.

I have the responsibility of Testing coordinator while Kathy is at UVA for the differentiation workshop with Carol Ann Tomlinson.  Please see me in the office or Lobby for materials rather than the stage on this last day of benchmark assessments.  Please lock all materials in your room at the completion of the test until Kathy's return and directions for submission on Monday.  If you feel that there is no locked secure place in your room, please come sign them in with me and we will verify numbers before locking them in the safe.

Today we are on 2 hour delay schedule so we can finish small group testing.  Thanks for your flexibility.

UNITY DAY Friday - Please wear Green for 100% faculty and staff participation.

Subs:
Latia Ward for Jessie S.
Patricia for Marcela
No sub for Irene
No sub for Stephanie S.

Wednesday MM - Day D

Good Morning!

Remember that we are on the 2 hour delay schedule for specials today and Thursday to accommodate the benchmark testing.  Today is ELA and Thursday is Math.

A packed house last night for an excellent performance by our 2nd and 3rd grade teams.  The literacy night events  were also VERY well attended and  continued to build upon the Brunson Climate.  THANKS for being present and engaged with our families.

HAG tour today at 11:30.

I will be at a Magnet school meeting from 10 until noon.

Technology enthusiasts and beginners meet tonight in Mobile 33 for a collaborative experience on PREZI.   We will start at 3:30 and laptops are available to log on and get started!

Start thinking about Friday and the WEAR GREEN UNITY DAY for the KC club! Let's show our support by demonstrating 100% Faculty & Staff participation in this event.

Silvia is at the lead secretaries roundtable today.   
Cynthia Hodges is here for Patricia
Patricia is here for Marcela
no sub for Stephanie S.

Tuesday MM - Day C

Good Morning!

I am at the dentist this AM and look forward to returning to a energized campus for our BIG NIGHT.  Let's continue to build momentum for a big turnout this evening.  Thanks for responding to Deb as we work together to provide am engaging experience for our students and their families.

Wednesday and Thursday we will operate on the 2 hour delay schedule as our Benchmark testing will have our specialists working with their small groups.  That schedule will be posted and is located in the blog documents folder in the staff shared drive.

Subs today;
Janet and Olga are filling in for Marcela and Patricia until noon when Maria C. will take over.

Monday MM - Day B

Good Morning!

Keep the book fair going strong.  Tuesday we encourage all certified staff to attend our literacy night and  performance of "The Box."  Make connections with your families and invite all children to attend.  Please limit homework on Tuesday to Reading only to encourage participation in this event.

This week we will administer Benchmark assessments. 
Please provide our students the best environment to demonstrate their academic growth.

• Science (Tuesday)
• ELA (Wednesday)
• Math (Thursday)

HAG tour today at 8:30.

No sub today for Doris D.

Friday MM - Day A

Good Morning!

I want to brag on..........

• Nicole Robinson and Silvia Correa were nominated for the WSFCS Classified Employee of the Year

• Deb Gray 
• Always patient with children
• Always a team player. 

• Joel Peddle 
• Always having a sense of humor
• Always willing to help a student

• Olga Kangelaris
• Always having a sense of humor
• Always willing to go the extra mile with staff and students.

• Kim Burch 

• 5 minute speech is a wonderful program she has started here with her articulation students.  
• She has had the same, very old, and slow computer since she started at Brunson 10 years ago and hasn't complained, even though it shows signs of blowing up!  
• She does a great job incorporating literacy into her therapy, even with her preschool students.  
• She is great at teaching social skills.  
• Kim does a great job using technology with her speech and tutoring students  
• She writes grants to get additional resources.  
• She has learned a new, frustrating, and time consuming software program this year.  
• She makes many students very happy by doing speech with the reading dogs twice a week
• She is a leader and a team player!

• Mrs. Fidali
• I am pleased and grateful for the growth my children have shown under Mrs. Fidali's direction. 
• willingness to work with teachers collaboratively--and to work to help students love to read and know how to research.
• for all that she does to encourage our students to reach their potential.

• Cindy Sanders willingness to go the extra mile (and be flexible) when working with teachers and students.

• Mr. Brock's flexibility--and his work ethic--it's tough being a new teacher!

• Jessie Spaciel - she has formed positive caring relationships with her students and goes the extra mile to let them know how much she cares.

• Silvia Correa
• for fielding question after question with unending patience and warmth.
• Without her we would not know the cure for any injury is a bag of ice 
• she is a translator at a monuments notice 
• the chocolate lady 
• someone to vent to 
• the glue that keeps the school together 
• always positive and willing to call whomever to get it done! 
• We are so lucky to have an open minded secretary. She should be the recipient of the new computer. 
• Silvia is OUTSTANDING! She helps with communication on a daily basis with several of my parents. She is priceless!

• Demarie Anderson - is always helpful and is a model for how to teach her students to be respectful and responsible, while still being able to share laughs with them.

• Nancy Smoot - for her creativity!

• Irene Rush for always being on top of whatever I ask her to do. She is doing a great job helping with a small math group.

• Lara Overby for sharing her resources on a consistent basis and always helpful with new suggestions

• Donna McGee for continuing to be outstanding to work with and share ideas

• Jenny Niles
• Always having a smile on her face 
• Always willing to help a student in need.
• for helping with so many of my kids with an open mind and open heart

• Cindy Sanders for great collaboration to integrate the Arts with CCSS

• Charity for being a great "partner in crime" as she is great to plan with on a daily basis

• Olga and Janet are wonderful to plan with to help meet the goals of my ELL.

• Janet Gauss and Stephanie Ingram for their hard work and incredible dedication to Brunson students.

• Doris Davis for always demanding the best from each student.

• Lisa Weber for her devotion, creativity and going the extra mile for the students in her class.

• Sue Ann Gillespie is very attentive to the students needs and always willing to help them in any way she can.

Subs:
Catharine Lowe for Debbie W.
Marion Williams for Allison P.

Thursday MM - Day F

Good Morning!

Thanks for the participation in our Design Challenge at the Open Space yesterday.  Build upon that momentum with your students.

Reminder that the second group of teachers from Elkin city schools will be in our building Thursday.  Please make them feel at home and welcome as they strive to learn about our STEM magnet.

The book fair begins today and we need to be sure to front-load our students to be good stewards of our resources.  Deb provides a great opportunity for all kids to leave the fair with something of value.  Let's all try to create the space to have a theft-free event full of joy about books and literacy!

I am at the Elementary Principals meeting this morning.  The agenda is on the staff shared drive in the Blog documents folder.

The STEM team will meet Friday after-school in the LTM.  It is a food event so come hungry and prepared to discuss the rubric over some treats.  Again all are welcome to join us, just give me a e-mail so we can prepare enough grub!

Subs:
Alexandra Drew for Allison P.

Wednesday MM - Day E

Good Morning!

From the "I want to brag on" files.........

• Donna McNatt is super great at organizing and scheduling
• Mrs. Kiger and Ms. Gray are so wonderful to help when asked and sometimes before I have a chance to ask.  They share ideas freely and never seem to tire of endless questions
• Lisa Weber and Donna McGee have been great about sharing resources from their fifth grade science experiences
• Charity Cota-Robles, Although she is new to Brunson, she has stepped right into the job, works very hard every day, does not complain, is kind and compassionate to everyone, and always shows respect to her students
• Linnea Patrick is great with language/communication 
• Jenny Niles because:
• She is energetic & focused
• She clearly cares about the students at Brunson
• She is professional & confidential
• She has a positive attitude & smiles a lot
• She is dedicated to her profession
• She wants to make the world a better place!
• Jenny is always willing to assist others, whether it be for a student or for a teacher
• She plans and executes excellent lessons
• has a wonderful rapport with the children and with the parents
• has stepped up to create groups to assist students in creating connections with each other.

Keep em coming and I will post a new batch of recognitions on Friday!  Our computer winner will be announced Monday.

Subs:
Moen Carthen for Bridget
Elizabeth Humpheries for Nancy
Nicole Robinson for Linnea until a sub is secured 

Tuesday MM - Day D

Good Morning.

Tuesday

• PBIS team meeting after-school

Wednesday

• HAG Tour @ 11:30 
• Open Space Faculty Meeting after-school

Thursday

• Book Fair Begins

Friday

• Students will not report to the gym Friday morning.  They will come directly to homerooms due to the Fairy Tale Ball which will be set up on Thursday afternoon.  
• Fairy Tale Character Parade:  All classes are invited to watch a parade of about 70 storybook characters on Friday morning, some time between 10:00 and 10:30.  An announcement will be made.  Please bring students out to the hallway if you'd like to enjoy this 5-minute spectacle.

PowerSource will be used to provide access to online training modules for all (6000) current NCWISE users. We are defining users by roles in NCWISE, email groups, and HR roles and need all employees to access their accounts as soon as they receive the email from PowerSource with the subject line: PowerSource Account Confirmation. Once all accounts in a group are activated we begin pushing out the courses (based on the roles). 

From: PowerSource [powersource@pearson.com] 
Subject: PowerSource Account Confirmation

Information on the following is in the Blog Documents folder

TAC has considered a faculty directory for all staff members.  If you have an opinion of this please share before our open space meeting as we will make a decision to go forward or abort at that meeting.  

March's Unity Day was originally scheduled for this Friday, 3/15, however it has barely been 2 weeks since our last one! To keep our Unity Days more evenly spaced plan for next week - Friday, 3/22.

School safety and climate surveys

FCAE will start delivering the surveys to school representatives soon.  The surveys will be given to all licensed staff and teacher assistants.  Our instructions request that administrators not be present while the surveys are being completed.  All data will be sent to Marty Ward for analysis and compilation of comments.

No subs today

Monday MM - Day C

Good Morning!

We have had some power issues over the weekend so please let us know in the office if there is an issue with your room.

I am writing from the laptop so I will be brief.  PLEASE make every effort to engage our students in relevant and meaningful learning experiences in the next 13 days before our spring break.  We have The entire 4th quarter to make instructional strides as this years testing is later and does not include 2nd administrations.  My point is do not wait until May.  If it is worth doing, start now.

No subs today

Friday MM - Day B

Good Morning!

Good luck to our Five Odyssey of the Mind teams that will compete at Lake Norman High this Saturday!

Tornado drill at 9:30  Be.prepared

PBIS EOQ Re-COG-nition is this afternoon.  
K-2 1:00-1:40
3-5 1:45-2:30 

AIG Testing is at Brunson for the next two Saturday's they will be using the following spaces.

• Media Center
• Office
• Cafeteria (holding/waiting area for parents)
• Staff Lounge/Records Rooms (for adult bathroom access)
• Downstairs Rooms # 9, 11, 12, 13
• Upstairs Rooms # 21, 22, 23, 26, 27

Subs:
Rosemary Hazy for Paige
Peggy Neal for Karon
Catherine Blankenmeyer for Tonya L.
No sub for Stephanie S.

Thursday MM - Day A

Good Morning!

I will post the Prezi on the Shared folder today as a PDF so you can review our communications from the staff meeting.

Here is a link to View it PREZI 3.6.13

Andy and I are working on final round observations from now until the end of the quarter.   April will bring final pdp reviews and the summary evaluation rating conference. 

Subs:
no sub for Stephanie S.

Wednesday MM - Day F

Good Morning!

We have an HAG tour today @ 11:30.  Friday we will host two teams of teachers from Elkin as they explore STEM.  The schedule titled "Instructional rounds" is posted in the Blog documents folder.

5th grade will attend the W-S Symphony Mary Starling concert in the RJR Auditorium @ 10:00 am

Staff meeting 3:30 in the media center.

Please keep Janet in your thoughts and prayers as her Mother passed away. 

Subs:
No sub for Nicole
No sub for Stephanie S.
Rosemary for Bridget
Jane DeSantis for Joel
James Byers for Charity

Tuesday MM - Day E

Good Afternoon! 
I am at a joint principals meeting Tuesday morning and will return in the afternoon.

Severe weather awareness week will conclude with a WSFCS tornado drill on Friday morning.  Please prepare your students for Friday.  We will not participate in the state drill Wednesday.

Read the blog prior to this to be prepared for the faculty meeting Wednesday.

Links to articles from SIT

Here are some readings we shared in our SIT action meeting.  Please skim one or two before our next faculty meeting on the 6th.

Bully at the Blackboard

The Teacher as Bully

The New School Bullies

Bullying has become a problem for Teachers

 

Monday MM - Day D

Good Morning!

Let's make March Memorable for each child at our school.  

• Engage students with love and care 
• Challenge students to reach beyond their academic comfort zone

Faculty meeting Wednesday.  Be sure to check the calendar for other activities and events as some shifts occur. (like the STEM meeting moving from Tuesday to Thursday)

Subs:

Rosemary Hazy for Bridget

No sub for Stephanie S.

Jane DeSantis for Joel

Friday MM - Day C

Good Morning!

Welcome to March!  It is critical that we use these next weeks to provide focused interventions for our students.  

Great SIT conversation last evening.  Thanks to all who lent their voices to lead our school in the goal of Bully Prevention. 

Let's all support our KC club with the Wee Care food drive to support Crisis Control Ministries.  

They say mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery, so we should be honored by the following.

 

  

Subs;
no sub for Maria
John Wright for Brenda
David Robinson for Kyrie