Monday MM - August 31st

Good Morning - Week "A"

I am rested after a great weekend!

PLT begins this week with "A" week

• 3rd HAG 8:15-8:55
• 5th grade 1:15-1:55

There is a document, "getting started guide for teachers," to help you complete the following NCEES documents by the 25th of September

• Orientation
• Self-Assessment
• PDP

Location

S:\StaffShare\Evaluations 2015-2016\getting started guide for teachers

Some of you have "extra" textbooks or workbooks.  Please e-mail Sarah and she will get them to the appropriate room/storage location.

• The Environmental Club LIVES For new folks, it is a club that typically meets on the final Friday of the month. Students K-5 stay after school until 4:15 to participate in environmental activities. For example, our Sept. 25 meeting will feature planting and salsa made from veggies grown at Brunson. If you have an interest in any aspect of environmental science and would like to help with the club, please contact Lara Overby or Bridget Hollomon.

• The Clinard Grants for Innovative Teaching are designed to acknowledge, affirm and support WS/FCS teachers in their efforts to a) enhance learning opportunities for their students, b) build upon their innovative approaches in meeting specific learning needs of their students, c) build upon the dedication to their students and teaching, d) acknowledge the level of caring teachers have for their students and the care they provide, and, e) expand their professionalism. 
• Grants will be awarded to two teachers from each of the 21 Title I elementary schools. The deadline for applications is August 31st. The winners will be announced September 30, 2015. 
• The one page application will include a description or explanation of the innovative project, the benefits(s) for the students, and how success will be measured. The applications will be submitted online using the form below. 
• A one page final report is required at the end of the project. 
• Awardees can expect a required project observation by one of the committee members. 
• Project awards will range from $50.00 to $500.00. 
• Your acceptance of an award constitutes permission to publish your innovative idea and your project results. One of the goals of this program is the sharing of innovative ideas that can be used by other teachers. 

Robin Phelps for Bobbie Robinson

Betty Weik will be our LTS for Media until Marina Bonomo starts on September 18th.

Friday MM - August 28th

Good Morning - Week One!

GREAT FIRE DRILL!  you were focused and the students demonstrated competency! On the other side of success is failure, I only made 5 classrooms for lesson plan reviews. BUT, we had a great new teacher meeting!

PBIS meetings will take place in the gym. Teachers drop off your kids at the gym and then please return in 25 minutes rather than 40. The assembly will start with a Jeopardy skit by the specialists and you are welcome to stay for it all, but we really need you there for the last 15 minutes.

Power School is down due to server issues.  Damita will send and e-mail and I will announce the procedures for reporting attendance today. 

Interested in leveled readers?  Join an action team that wants to finish our book room!  We will have our first meeting to create our work plan on Thursday September 3rd @ 3:30 in the media center.

Sarah will turn off the alarm and be in the office Saturday (8.29.15) from 10 am til 4 pm.  If you are considering coming in to work on your classroom, PLEASE communicate via e-mail before the end of the day Friday.

PLT Specialist/Teacher pairings are more challenging than I imagined.  

• For Monday (A week)  
• 3rd HAG from 8:10-8:55
• Steele/Currin
• Grisette/Swanson
• Coles/Dorsett

The remainder of the pairings should be up by Monday morning!

Enjoy your weekend, as you have worked hard!

Thursday MM - August 27th

Good Morning - Week one

Let's watch the bus video at 8:30 and do the fire drill at 8:45.

PLT teacher/specialist collaborations will be posted Friday.  We start next week and look forward to growing together.

Staff meetings, schedules, PBIS documents, handbooks....are all stored on the "S" drive.

Subs today;

• Amy Figley continues to help in the vacant Media position
• Robin Phelps will be here for Cindy Sanders

Wednesday MM - August 26th

Good Morning Week one!

Faculty meeting this afternoon at 3:40.  We will do the Testing code of ethics and prepare for the Thursday Fire drill.

I had a great time meeting with 26 of our 30 classrooms.  I only missed the 3rd grade residential and will catch them in the morning from 8:30-9:00.

From 9:00-Noon I will be in our 3-5 classrooms reviewing lesson plans.

Books that are on the stage steps are NOT FOR YOU TO TAKE.  They have not yet been counted with the corresponding purchase orders.  Please return them ASAP if you were one of our super-efficient staff members who may have  had a false start on this distribution.

Click "Common Cents" to access our WSFCS financial services publication.  

Tuesday MM - August 25th

Good Morning Week One!

Ask - Imagine - Plan - Create - IMPROVE!  I enjoyed our first day and am very thankful for the multiple times I smiled at the joy shared between teacher and student.  Yet I still aim for improvement as we move forward into day two

• Each teacher should know each student and their afternoon transportation.  Mrs H. can and will help, but accountability rests with the classroom teacher to ensure this transfer from school to home. OWN YOUR ROSTER!
• Please engage your students in meaningful recess and move with them.  We must build good habits now.
• I will be visiting each special throughout the day to visit with each of our 30 classes.  My discussion will focus on the three R's and preview the Friday grade level assemblies
• Wednesday, I will visit all the 3-5 classrooms for 10-15 minutes and would like to have access to your lesson plans.  
• Amy Figley is here for the remainder of the week in the media center to serve our student and staff media needs.   

Send me thoughts and ideas that you think would improve our procedures and processes.  

Monday MM - August 24th

Good Morning Week One!

A lot of information, Please read!

• PBIS 
• Daily points for your classroom
• Monday the 24th - Bus behavior
• Tuesday the 25th - Cafeteria
• Wednesday the 26th - Bathrooms
• Thursday the 27th - Hallways
• Friday the 28th - Playground
• Engaged supervision on the playground includes
• Rocks stay on the ground
• Stay off the dirt pile
• Stay out of the standing water
• Teachers move with the kids
• Read and review your PBIS notebook for discussions with your colleagues
• PBIS assembly by grade level on Friday the 28th
• Teachers please attend for the first half of the assembly
• Fire Drill @ 8:40 on Thursday the 27th

• Transportation from Mrs. H
• Bus video for ALL @ 8:40 on Friday the 28th
• Please complete and share the TRANSPORTATION RECORD with Mrs. H  as she visits each classroom on Monday
• Discrepancies should be turned into office ASAP 
• CORRECTION Bus #219 is #129

• ENGAGED SUPERVISION
• All of you that are involved in period Zero need to provide engaged supervision for the first five days until 8:50
• Joel and James - please help Tom learn the car rider area. He will be on his own the following week so train the parents on keeping the students in the cars until 7:50. 
• Cindy, Stacy and Kathy - please support Sarah as she welcomes our bus riders into the building. Be the bright shining face that greets them upon arrival at their school home! 
• Jenn - join me @ the lobby/front door to ensure we get all the students moving to the correct classrooms

Duty rosters and schedules have been placed on the shared drive.  If you have any questions, Please ask.

Deb Gray is our sub for Media today.  We will have a Long term sub in place until September 17th when Marina Bonomo will join our staff.  

Staff enjoys the WSFCS event at the Dash Ballpark

EDMODO for science

This is what Lara Overby referenced at our meeting on Wednesday.  It's an online teacher collaboration forum.

Joining Edmodo for Elementary School Science

If you haven't joined Edmodo before, you will need your school code for your initial account.  hhqxnt

Once you’re in, next to the “groups” tab click the “+” to join and enter the appropriate join code(s) as listed.

Kindergarten: h43fph

First Grade: 3qdsgt

Second Grade: xdqcu5

Third Grade: negf9p

Fourth Grade: 8kiy2x

Fifth Grade: 5q8tkj 

If the codes are giving you trouble, feel free to use the URL join option by cutting and pasting the appropriate URL in your browser.

Kindergarten:    edmo.do/j/bh7jb4

First Grade:     edmo.do/j/7lvtue

Second Grade:     edmo.do/j/irqfgp

Third Grade:    edmo.do/j/f0ldkl

Fourth Grade:    edmo.do/j/hppkew

Fifth Grade:    edmo.do/j/23ky86

Thursday MM - OPEN HOUSE August 20th

Be.service oriented

forms will be in the cafe by 1:15 for pick up

• Cafe FAQ
• Cafe brochure
• Enrollment verification by students
• parents can correct or confirm our information
• 2(two) health forms
• Photo Release

Make today great and pull every ounce of energy to ensure that each family is confident in your skills and abilities to teach, love and care for their child while at Brunson.

22nd Annual Employee Benefits Fair

The 22nd Annual Employee Benefits Fair will take place on Thursday, August 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Career Center High School (910 Highland Ct., 27101). Take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about the following:

• Insurance and Flexible Benefits
• 401K, 403B, and 457 plans for retirement planning
• Retirement seminars with Kerry Crutchfield at 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
• Legal Seminar, “Estate Planning & Elder Law” with Mike Wells, of Wells Liipfert, PLLC at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
• State 403b reps from TIAA-CREF and VALIC

For more information, contact Diane Wessell, dwessell@wsfcs.k12.nc.us.

Tuesday MM - August 18th

I so enjoyed the "can do" attitude on Day one!  

Below is a list of some reflection points from the video greeting from our superintendent.

• Urgency
• Haiku
• Strategy academy
• Lesson planning
• Data analysis and application
• Accountability
• Adult behaviors impact student achievement

We are fortunate to join Bev at our WSFCS meeting on Friday morning, where we can join in this message with all our district colleagues.

I am making adjustments to the schedule as indicated from our meeting.  We will start Monday with the draft and make adjustments by the end of the first week.

Remember our "Clean Hallway" deadline is Wednesday at noon.

Spread the word and read the blog!

Summer Blog Post #7 - August 11th

Good Morning!

Here is the schedule for back to school week;

• Monday, 08.17.15 (7:45-3:30)
• 8:00 - PTA welcome breakfast 
• 8:20 - Introduction of new staff
• 9:00 - Room time
• 2:00 - Staff Meeting @ Media 
• 3:30 - Social for Jenny (aka, Rhode Island Red)
• Tuesday, 08.18.15 (7:45-3:30)
• Reserved for Central Office PD
• Room time
• Wednesday, 08.19.15 (7:45-3:30)
• 8:00 - Room time
• 1:00 - Staff meeting @ Media
• Thursday, 08.20.15-OPEN HOUSE
• TA & Kindergarten schedule
• 8:30-11:30 & 4:00-8:00
• All others
• Noon-8:00
• Friday, 08.21.15 (7:45-3:30)
• 7:45 - Catch the bus at RJR
• 9:00 - WSFCS @ the Dash
• 10:30 - room time 

Questions - Call Laurie in the office and she will clarify, or see me at the collaborative conference on Wednesday.

Summer Blog Post #6 - August 4th

I just had a Jenny Niles-Orefice sighting.  She is back in town to pack up and is meeting this morning with our new guidance counselor, Jenn Currin.  We wish both Jenn and Jenny well in their new roles for 2015-16.

The WSFCS leadership retreat was  meaningful in many ways of which I am still reflecting and planning.  Let me share with you some topics discussed;

• A sense of urgency
• Strategy academy for Teachers
• Reduction of the achievement gap will require new adult behavior
• Strategy academy for Leaders
• Accountability model
• How do you "Link"
• Lesson Planning is critical
• Haiku
• Change or Die article
• Diligence
• Agency

We will certainly have the opportunity to discuss these topics during our back to school week, August 17th-21st.  The schedule of events for that week will be posted in our final summer blog on August 11th.  Keep in mind the shift in work schedule for Thursday the 20th as we have open house.

NEXT WEEK - Collaborative Learning conference - we have 22 staff members registered, yet it is not too late, see below for details.

We are one week away from the 2015 Collaborative Learning Conference. We are excited about the learning opportunities that will be provided during this event! As we make final arrangements we need to be sure all planning to attend are included in our numbers. If you have not already registered for the CLC, please go to:

http://collaborativelearningconference.weebly.com/registration.html

At this time we have 829 registered for August 12 and 495 registered for August 13. It is preferable that additional individuals planning to attend should register for August 13 as we have greater capacity on this date. Should you have further questions, let me know how I can help.

Paula B. Wilkins, Ed.D 
Director of Human Resources—Professional and Talent Development
Winston Salem Forsyth County Schools
PBWilkins@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
(336) 748-3426 (phone)