Thank you!

Thank you to our amazing Paine Family!


We are so blessed to work with you and greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness!

Lisa, Catherine, & Donna

Paine Elementary Teacher of the Year

Congratulations, Lee Swatzell

Paine Elementary Teacher of the Year

We are so pleased to announce Paine's new Teacher of the Year, Lee Swatzell, Kindergarten.  Lee is compassionate and cares deeply for each one of her students.   She works tirelessly to provide every student with what they need to be successful!  Your Paine Family is so proud of you!

Weekly News

A Week

Please watch PETV for Monday announcements.

Our class of the week will be Mrs. Tweed's 1st Grade Class.  Please send 3-5 students (Tuesday - Friday) by 7:55 to help with morning announcements.

Our class of the week next week will be Mrs. Swatzell's Kindergarten Class.

PACE Character Trait for October:  Contentment

PACE Character Trait for November:  Cooperation

Paine Power Word:  Analyze

Intervention/ Enrichment 

(Tuesday - Friday from 2:15-2:45)

Reminder:   This is dedicated time for students to work on differentiated activities while the teacher is working with a small group in need of help (with reading or math).  This time is an important part of us meeting all student needs.  Students who are not in the teacher's group may be silently reading, doing Ticket to Read, doing DreamBox, working on a math skill, etc.  This should be based on what the student needs.

Monday Afternoon PD & Faculty Meeting

We will have a faculty meeting and professional learning Monday beginning at 2:15 in the Collaboration Room.  Our agenda is as follows:

• EL Training with Amy Meredith
• Overview of Walkthrough Process
• Training on Learning Targets
• Announce Paine Teacher of the Year

Thursday Collaboration Time

We will NOT meet in the collaboration room this Thursday!  

You may use this time to work on report cards, etc.

Visitor Guidelines Update

At a recent principals meeting, guidelines for visitors were better defined.  The visitor form is required for anyone visiting our building (except for lunch check-ins and parent conference meetings).   We will continue to review "Guest Speaker" requests/forms based on alignment with our curriculum, etc.  These should be submitted two weeks in advance.  Parent visitors to hang work in hall, mystery read-alouds, etc. should be submitted at least the day before.

The following are the newly established guidelines for individuals volunteering to help in the classroom.  Visitors may not work with students on anything academic in nature due to privacy requirements.  Thank you for understanding.

Red Ribbon Week Activities

Paine Family Halloween Movie 

Our Paine Family Movie night is Tuesday from 5:30 to 7:00.  Thank you to Faith for sponsoring this event.  We will be watching Hocus Pocus.  Children (and adults) may wear their costumes.  We hope to see you there!

Problem Solving Team (PST) will meet on Wednesday!

Math Activity on PETV

Copies of Pascal's Triangle will be placed in teacher boxes Monday morning.  Please allow interested students to obtain a copy after watching PETV.  Students that discover a pattern may be featured in an upcoming segment of Learning with Lothspeich on PETV.  Please return to Lisa Lothspeich when students turn these in.

Duty for the Week

Family News Update

Brenda Reid, Paine Custodian, visited us on October 17th.  She really misses her Paine Family (and we miss her).  She is working hard on her recovery and making progress!  Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers!

Update from our Sunshine Committee

Laptop Virus Protection Installation Instructions

Please make sure you bring your laptops to collaboration Thursday (and your name on a post-it on the top).  The Technology Department will be here to remove old virus protection software and install the new software.  If this is not completed on your laptop, it will shut down in a few days and you will not be able to use it.

Specialists will collaborate in the Collaboration Room Tuesday so you can bring your laptops for this important update.

*We will collaborate as planned after we drop our laptop off at the desk area in the Collaboration Room.  The updates will not take long (so hopefully you will be able to take your laptop back with you).

Family News

Please keep Blaire Perry and her family in your thoughts and prayers.  Her father-in-law passed away suddenly yesterday.  

Weekly News

B Week

Please view PETV for Monday morning announcements.

Our class of the week is Mrs. Shumate's 2nd Grade Class.  

Please send 3-4 students to help with announcements each day (Tuesday - Friday) by 7:55 am.

Our class of the week next week will be Mrs. Tweed's 1st Grade Class.

PACE Character Trait:  Contentment

Husky Bucks:  1st, 3rd, 5th (send winners Friday morning via the link on blog).

Paine Power Word

Please introduce the next Paine Power Word to your class on Monday.  It is....

Analyze

Monday afternoon

 There will be NO faculty meeting; this will be planning time and/or catch-up time for teachers.  

Our next faculty meeting will be Monday, October 29th.

Thursday Collaboration (Collaboration Room)  

Please bring a sample of your student's Paine Power Word notebooks.  Also, bring your Lucy book (Literacy Teachers), Math Curriculum Guide (2-5), and science materials (4th - 5th grade science teachers).  We will share what we are doing for our Paine Power Words (academic vocabulary) and work on studying/planning upcoming units.

Thursday Collaboration for Specialists will be in the South building.  Please work on how you can reinforce the Paine Power Words in your lessons.

Lesson Plan Books

Please make sure these are visible on your counter for admin review.

Requesting Time Off

Please make sure you put any "planned" time off in the system in advance.  Also, please make sure for any "planned" sick time or professional development time, you enter the reason (ie, doctor's appointment, district literacy meeting, etc).  This will make the approval process much more efficient.  Thank you for your help with this.

Duty Schedule

Fall Festival

The Paine Elementary Fall Festival and Duck Derby was nothing short of amazing today!  We had an great turnout and SO much fun!  A special thank you to Kim Dahlke, Amy Kuhn, Beth McKinley, and Jennifer McLaughlin for your tireless work to make today a success!!! Thank you to everyone who worked at the festival today!   Paine Elementary is so blessed to have such a supportive community! #painepride

                            

                                       


       

Exciting Opportunity from Mrs. Ramer

Social Studies and Science Teachers… Let’s Collaborate!!!

 

Please join me in the Media Center to learn all about Virtual Field Trips through Google Expedition.

Let’s take your students on a Virtual Field Trip together. 

You will leave knowing all about how to do Virtual Field Trips with your students in your classroom.

 

Use the sign-up link below to reserve your time. 

After you sign up we will meet to link your VR experience to your Social Studies or Science Standards.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f044da8ad28a3f49-google

 

Our BOE has recently purchased 2 class sets of Google Expedition VR Kits

for the new TCS Lending Library. 

(click on the link to see what’s available for you and your students)

These kits are available to you!!!

 

https://sites.google.com/trussvillecityschools.org/technologyresources/home

Family News

Turn Paine PINK

In support of Breast Cancer Awareness

 

Family News

Congratulations to Coach Cooper and his family!

Benjamin Taylor was born on October 12th at 4:25 pm.  

7 pounds 4 ounces, 20 inches

Big sister, Brooklyn

Note from Coach Cooper:

Thank you Sunshine Committee and Paine faculty and staff for the Meals by Misty gift card. My wife and I really appreciate you thinking of our family.

Scott Cooper

Weekly News

A Week
Each Monday beginning this week, Monday announcements will be on PETV.

Our class of the week is Mrs. Kuhn's 3rd Grade Class.

Please send 3-4 students each day (Tuesday - Friday) before 7:55.

Our class of the week next week will be Mrs. Shumate's 2nd Grade Class.

PACE Character Trait: CONTENTMENT

Paine Power Word:  MERGE

Monday afternoon will be planning time for teachers.  There will be NO faculty meeting.

PES EnRICh begins this week!

We will begin our first PES EnRICh sessions with our 5th graders this week.  

We plan to start with 5th grade and add 4th grade next semester.

Reminder for 5th grade teachers:  

• Students should pack up before leaving for their EnRICh session.
• They must bring a Chromebook with them.
• It is imperative that they are on time; EnRICh begins promptly at 2:15.  Students will be released at 2:55 to come back to their homeroom, return the Chromebook, and be dismissed.

Paine Peer Coaching Partners

We are so excited about the kickoff of our Paine Peer Coaching Partners this week.  This is such an important professional learning experience for all of us, that will provide exponential benefits for our students!

CHAMP CHORUS

Paine will have its own choir called the Champ Chorus.  It will be comprised of 4th and 5th graders, and auditions will be held soon.  Returned audition forms should be sent to our music teachers, and are due by October 18th.   Once auditions are held and the choir is selected, they will practice after school on Tuesdays from 3:05 to 4:00.  More information will follow about school and community performances.  Thank you to Mrs. Owens and Dr. Cocke for offering this exciting opportunity for our students.  

Duty

GATE 4th Grade will be on a field trip Monday-Wednesday.

2nd Grade will be on a field trip Wednesday.

Data Meetings

Thank you to academic coaches, Kelly McGough and Monica Bramlett, for leading us in our baseline data meetings on Thursday, October 4th.  Thank you teachers for engaging in such thoughtful reflection to prescribe what is best to advance student learning!

Remember...
You are awesome!

Please remember to turn in your reflection/goal sheets by Thursday, October 11th.

TAC Questions & Responses

Question 1

It is extremely difficult for teachers to dedicate an entire week to duty. Especially with the amount of duties we have to complete in one year. Is there any way we can reduce the amount of duties we currently have and go back to once a week or once every other week or less weeks we have to work? Moms who have to drop their personal children off in the morning are having a hard time making it here by 7:20 due to most places not allowing children to be dropped off until 7:15.

Can we go back to having bus duty once a week?

Response to Question 1

During the individual teacher meetings in May, feedback on the duty schedule (weekly versus one day per week) was mixed.  As a result, a weekly duty schedule was implemented with the option for teachers to trade with colleagues if their preference was one day per week, or afternoons versus mornings, etc.   It was communicated in our opening faculty meeting that if a group of colleagues agreed to make this type of adjustment, an email would be sent to administration with details.  It was recently brought to our attention that it is difficult to trade because teachers in the same “pod” are scheduled for the same weeks (which makes trading more difficult).  At a minimum, In the future we will try to remedy that which will allow for an easier process if you need to trade with a colleague.  We are a large campus resulting in many duty stations, and need all of them covered.  It isn’t important if it is scheduled daily or weekly, so we will take an electronic vote before next year (weekly versus daily) and we will go with the majority to create the duty schedule.

Question 2

Next year can you please consider not having PD the first few weeks of school? We need time to plan, especially with all of the beginning-of-year things we have to do. The start of this school year was very overwhelming with so much planning time being taken up with PD and trainings.

Response to Question 2

This year was the first time that we were required to conduct Scantron Test Training at the beginning of the year which added to our list of time sensitive training items.  Except for Literacy Turnaround Training, the other sessions that have taken place were time sensitive to get the year started:  Training on the blog/calendar, PST training, Scantron Test Training, data meetings, etc.  We are hopeful that state mandated standardized testing will be limited to spring in the future (which will eliminate this training at the beginning of the year).  We will ask the District Literacy Committee to consider beginning turnaround training in September versus August. 

Question 3

Can math teachers have math turn around training verses literacy? Will literacy teachers have math training?

Response to Question 3

We are establishing a growth mindset culture, where we are all continuous learners.  We are all considered teachers of literacy, as reading and writing are essentially a key component in every subject.  The knowledge obtained from this turnaround training on strategies, standards, etc. enhances instruction in other areas such as science, mathematics, and the arts.  As we move toward our enrichment offerings for students, this knowledge will become even more crucial as these experiences are a true integration of all content areas.  Literacy teachers will be expected to attend any math training that impacts their content area or role.  For example, all teachers should be able to monitor DreamBox activity for their homerooms so this would be a school-wide training.

Question 4

Sped needs more help in each grade level. Sped is at and over capacity. Inclusion teachers need more

than a half day per trimester to plan. That simply is not enough. We also need time with our special

education teachers…why are they not a part of our half day per trimester planning? If they secure a 

sub then their students will receive required services.

Response to Question 4

Administration worked with Sped teachers to determine schedules that ensured students on IEPs were receiving the services designated in their plans.  We continue to work with our District Special Education Department to evaluate the Sped capacity and needs.  This year, inclusion teachers were provided with a half-day of planning each trimester in an effort to compensate for time spent in IEP meetings, etc.  Additional time would be “more” time away from your students, which is concerning.  This was our attempt to recognize the additional responsibilities that come from inclusion.  Regarding the option of this provision for the Sped inclusion teacher, part of the primary role of a special education teacher is to conduct IEP meetings and maintain appropriate documentation.  The needs of these students are so individualized, we are not comfortable that a substitute could adequately provide exactly what they need. 

Question 5

Some groups don’t have enough Chromebooks or have Chromebooks that don’t work. We need more! Can’t PTO buy some…?  Please explain how Chromebooks will be purchased with fall festival money and Boosterthon money. We have heard that the lower grades will be the last to receive any Chromebooks for their classes. If this is the case… how is it fair for the whole school to fundraise and only a certain group benefit?

Response to Question 5

There is a long range plan for one-to-one Chromebooks, but it will take some time.  In the meantime, when Chromebooks are purchased we will improve the ratio of Chromebooks-to-students for all grade levels; we will just accelerate this according to our one-to-one plan (beginning with upper grades progressing to lower grades).  For example, fifth grade is already one-to-one, so when new Chromebooks are purchased we will not only improve the ratio for K-3, but we will attempt to bring 

grade 4 to a one-to-one ratio.  Then, we will follow the same process until 3^rd grade is one-to-one, and so on. 

In terms of who will benefit from the fundraisers, our plan support all students, not only for this year but for their remaining years at Paine.  For example, students in Kindergarten will benefit from this plan all the way through fifth grade.  We our participating in the Boosterthon this year strictly to benefit our Chromebook initiative.  The PTO fundraiser will support other initiatives in our school based on the recent survey you completed.

Question 6

Are faculty members allowed to leave campus during their breaks? Many of us know of other systems who allow their faculty to leave during planning time. We would love the opportunity to do that here at Paine. Thank you! 

Response to Question 6

We are on the clock from 7:45 to 3:15, which means we are required to be on campus during that time.  The time when your students are at Specials and PE is considered “planning time”.  If an emergency arises, please let administration know and we will do our best to work with you. 

Question 7

Lunchroom noise is awful.

Response to Question 7

We have established procedures for management of students in the lunchroom.  We have received feedback that expectations and enforcement of rules is not consistent, which makes this difficult to manage.  We must rely on all teachers to manage the noise in the lunchroom.  We will go back to “Red Cup” for the first 5 minutes of lunch, then to green, and the teacher will utilize the yellow cup if the table is too loud.  We ask that teachers sit at a spot on the teacher table where your students are visible, and you are able to reinforce our procedures and expectations.

Question 8

Not everything is being clearly communicated, what, where, when and why: -calendar invites needed 

as well.  Blog communication: we are receiving blog updates over the weekend. Can we please 

receive these weekly updates on Friday before leaving? It would be nice to have this during the 

school week for planning purposes. Please consider getting this done before Saturday/Sunday.

Response to Question 8

We have made some major changes to improve communication this year:  faculty blog, school calendar, and frequent faculty meetings (with online agenda).  Personal calendar invites will not be sent for items on the school calendar pertaining to everyone (this results in excessive email notifications).  Rather, personal calendar invites are reserved for meetings and conferences.

The blog is updated “before” 5:00 pm on Saturday, and the email notification is set up to email you at 5:00 pm when updated.  We will make sure it is completed before Sunday, but cannot assure it will be completed on Friday.  The school days are so busy, that this is typically completed after hours at home.

Question 9

Not everyone is clear on when to fill a volunteer form out.  Families are getting turned away from visiting their child’s school.

Response to Question 9

This form is part of our safety and compliance protocol.  You do not have to fill out a form if you have a meeting with a parent, because you are with them the entire time.  If we have a group event, such as the assemblies, forms do not need to be filled out.  A form needs to be completed if you have arranged for a parent to come in to hang work, label books, etc. A form must be completed if you are requesting an outside person work with students.  We look at these to ensure several things: the activity is aligned to curriculum standards, the adult(s) working with students has background clearance, and we are in compliance with FERPA due to student privacy requirements.

Question 10

Thank you for getting a swipe by the lunchroom…now can we please get one on North 4^th grade hall or at least keys for 3 more teachers. If there was to be an emergency…your teachers and students are stuck outside.

Response to Question 10

There is a swipe card entrance at both the gym/carline as well as the green hall for use when coming in off of either playground/field.  We added swipes this year in what were determined to be the most critical areas.   

Question 11

Why isn’t class size equitable across all three schools? In my opinion, as a teacher, parent & tax payer, every school should have the same amount in each grade level class.

Response to Question 11 (Central Office)

We are proud that all of our elementary class sizes are within the appropriate range recommended by AdvancED. Class sizes for individual teachers change every day as students move in and out of Trussville. 

Weekly News

From: Amy Inman

HTMS 7^th grader Rylee Inman is a finalist for Artsonia Artist of the Week!

Please go to  http://www.artsonia.com/aotw/vote/teacher/66447530 to vote for Rylee 4910 from Trussville, Alabama.  The art is a collaborative piece Rylee, Truc Vo, Anna Claire Bennett, and Lisa Theart made as part of The Art Game at the start of the school year. Their theme was pride. The assignment was to illustrate the theme without using the first 5 ideas that came to mind.

 

One vote per device per day, today through Saturday.

Thanks for your support!