We hope you are having the best Christmas break ever and wish you the happiest of new years! You all deserve it! The following is our schedule for Friday, January 3rd when we return. Paine Elementary will host our district PD. Faith Community Church will provide breakfast for all teachers and staff.
7:45-8:30 Eat and Greet
8:30-9:45 District PD in designated classrooms (see signup sheet from Jenni Peters)
9:45-10:15 Technology Training (required for all certified staff) in North Collaboration Room
10:15-11:00 Work in classrooms, plan, meet with colleagues, etc.
11:00-11:45 Paine Faculty Meeting for Certified Staff in North Collaboration Room
11:45-12:45 Lunch on your own
12:45-3:15 Work in classrooms, plan, meet with colleagues, etc.
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Family News
Please keep Angie Gulledge and her family in your thoughts and prayers during this Christmas Season. Her father recently passed away.
Monday, December 16, 2019
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Weekly News
A Week
Class(es) of the Week: Walls (1st)
Please send a group of students to the office each day by 7:55 (with a post-it containing their first names)
PACE Character Trait: Joy
Duty Schedule: Please refer to your duty schedule for this week to ensure all students are supervised.
Please encourage your students to continue reading and to do some DreamBox over Christmas Break.
Christmas Party Schedule
Monday, December 16th - Kinder & 1st
Tuesday, December 17th - 2nd & 3rd
Wednesday, December 18th - 4th & 5th
Thursday - Polar ExpressSTEM Day
Please make sure you have signed your students up for a STEM Activity on Thursday. Students can all wear PJs on Thursday (and faculty and staff, too!)
Early Dismissal Schedule on Thursday
We will dismiss students at 12:00 on Thursday, December 19th, and will be operating under the following early dismissal schedule. There will be no specials on Thursday; please look for your adjusted PE and lunch times. Please adhere to the adjusted lunch times so we can get all students fed and the lunchroom cleaned up. I ask that you sit with your students on Thursday; lunch will only be 20 minutes so students should be quietly eating.
We are looking for anyone who is available to help clean the lunchrooms beginning at 11:45. This is so our lunchroom staff can finish in time to enjoy our Christmas party with us.
Faculty/Staff Christmas Party
Our faculty/staff Christmas Party will be at 12:15 on Thursday. We are so thankful to our PTO for providing lunch for us this year. We also have a special activity planned for our party. Don't forget to wear your PJs on Thursday.
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Schedule for Thursday, December 19th
Early Dismissal Schedule on Thursday
We will dismiss students at 12:00 on Thursday, December 19th, and will be operating under the following early dismissal schedule. There will be no specials on Thursday; please look for your adjusted PE and lunch times. Please adhere to the adjusted lunch times so we can get all students fed and the lunchroom cleaned up. I ask that you sit with your students on Thursday; lunch will only be 20 minutes so students should be quietly eating.
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Family News
Please welcome Blaire Perry's precious daughter, Anniston Lake into the world! She was born on December 11th at 9:47 am.
She weighs 8lbs 4oz and is 20.5 in long.
Congratulations!!!
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Family News
Lisa Lothspeich's granddaughter "Stone" was born December 10th. She weighs 4lbs 14oz and is 17 in long.
We thank you for all the prayers and well wishes!
Monday, December 9, 2019
Team Member of the Month Nomination
We are running a little behind sending out our link.
Please vote for TEAM MEMBER OF THE MONTH for HONOR. Voting will end Wednesday at 3:00.
Thank you!
Nomination Link
Please vote for TEAM MEMBER OF THE MONTH for HONOR. Voting will end Wednesday at 3:00.
Thank you!
Nomination Link
Friday, December 6, 2019
Weekly News
B Week
Class(es) of the Week: Weyerman & Swann (2nd)
Please send a group of students to the office each day by 7:55 (with a post-it containing their first names)
PACE Character Trait: Joy
Paine Power Word: Formulate
Paine Precepts this Week
M: Always keep a positive mindset. It will improve your outlook on the world. - Roald Dahl
T: Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.
W: The time is always right to do what is right. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
T: Never doubt yourselt; it will only hold you back. - J.M. Barrie
F: I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. - Thomas Edison
PLPs
Be sure you have uploaded at least 2 pieces of evidence to your PLP by December 19th.Kindergarten and 3rd Grade
Your second Erin's Law/Body Safety session is this week. Be sure to check the schedule and remain with your students during the class.
5th Grade Music Program - Tuesday Evening
Wednesday Collaboration
We will finish our Performance Series Express Data Analysis on Wednesday. Please bring all reports obtained at our last collaboration meeting (Status of the Standards, Performance Series Express Data Report, Individual Reflection Sheet, and Index Cards).
Thursday Afternoon
You will be free to meet with grade level colleagues or work in your classroom.
Family News
Introducing Lisa Sharit's beautiful new grandbaby, Declan James Foote. He was born on November 22nd. He weighed 8 lbs 2 oz and was 21 inches long.
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Safety Reminder: Morning and Afternoon
Reminder: It is imperative that everyone is at their duty station in the morning by 7:20 and right at dismissal. Students must be supervised closely at arrival and dismissal to ensure safety.
We also need some help with the bus line in the afternoon. We need for one teacher on each side (north and south) to walk down to the far end of the bus line and signal when all students have loaded. It is difficult to see with the number of buses we have. The other teachers on bus duty should make sure students are walking (not running) and signal us when all students have exited the building.
Thank you so much for your help with this.
We also need some help with the bus line in the afternoon. We need for one teacher on each side (north and south) to walk down to the far end of the bus line and signal when all students have loaded. It is difficult to see with the number of buses we have. The other teachers on bus duty should make sure students are walking (not running) and signal us when all students have exited the building.
Thank you so much for your help with this.
Electric Village
We are so excited about our upcoming 4th Grade Electric Village! If your class signed up to attend, please adjust your schedule to count this as your science time that day. For example, if you go during your reading block, replace your allocated science time with reading instruction. If you have a partner teacher, please coordinate this schedule adjustment. Thank you!
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
TAC Questions
Question
Could Paine have Thanksgiving lunch like the other elementary schools?
Response
We can explore this option for next year, but it will be more challenging because we have 200+ students in a single grade level. Space in the lunchroom and parking would need to be considered.
Question
Why are some parts of our school so cold...halls, lunchroom, gym, etc?
Response
Any issues with heat should be communicated to our head custodian, and he will submit a maintenance request if necessary.
Question
Is administration supposed to be at collaboration each week to answer questions and touch base with grade levels and specialists? Why are all meeting on the north side?
Response
Administration attempts to attend collaboration every Wednesday, but unfortunately discipline issues come up and many IEP meetings, parent meetings, may occur during that time. The North Collaboration room is our designated faculty meeting space and the only place with enough tables and chairs for our entire faculty. The South space is used for students.
Question
Will you please consider allowing at least one Wednesday a month for teachers to remain in their own classrooms and get done what we need to get done?
Response
Our collaborative efforts are so important for our continuous improvement and this is only required one day per week (Wednesday). We will look for occasional opportunities to provide time in the classrooms.
Question
Why are ALL of our students not allowed to attend the Veteran’s Day Program like the other two elementary schools? What about students with a veteran who is no longer living?
Response
We do not have a space that will accommodate 1,200 students, veterans, and their families. If a student has lost a loved one who was a veteran, they may attend the program as long as a parent is present.
Question
Why are the doors to the library closed during the day?
Response
We have had to close them while students are entering the building upon arrival because there is not an adult in the library (and some items have been taken). One door on each side will be opened at 7:45. One of the doors on each side is closed due to hallway noise disrupting lessons.
Question
Could we swap Fall Festival with something more along the lines of what the other elementary schools around us are doing like “Trick or Treating through the halls”? Could we consider having the fall festival on a Thursday night?
Response
We continue to have a significant turnout for Fall Festival and receive positive parent feedback. The funds we get from the baskets are crucial for us. In addition, we want to be mindful that some families do not celebrate Halloween. Everyone is invited to serve on the planning team for community events.
Question
No recess on Thursdays is very hard on elementary students so why can we not have 15 minutes to give them time to be children and play?
Response
This is a district guideline due to early dismissal on Thursdays. We must meet our required instructional hours, and having recess and early dismissal on Thursdays would place us below that standard. An in-class, brief brain break could be utilized on Thursdays.
Question
Why are parents not allowed to come to the Kindergarten feast? Aren’t we supposed to encourage parent involvement?
Response
We did not receive a request for parents to attend the Kindergarten feast. If we do this in the future we will need to consider the location (everyone would not fit in the Kindergarten hallways) and the parking for 200+ parents.
Question
Why do we allow 200+ dads to come take up our parking lot and why are they not parking at Amerex or Faith? Why are moms or other parents/guardians, when we need their help in the classroom for activities, not allowed good parking?
Response
All Pro Dads is once per month. We do not have a shuttle service to bring them from those locations. The dads arrive and depart anywhere between 6:55 and 7:45. The term “good parking” is unclear; our goal is to have enough parking for our visitors.
Question
Could we have numbered spaces in the parking lot and allocated parent parking at the bottom lot that is enforced daily? Can there please be reserved teacher parking signage visible so that we do not have parking issues when we have All Pro Dads, field trips or assemblies, etc.?
Response
We encourage parents to park on the bottom if they are here for programs, field trips, etc. We will explore the option of having the top section reserved for faculty parking.
Question
Why is it taking so long to get programs up and running? Why isn’t our admin team delegating items in a timely manner? What has happened to the Student Leadership team?
Response
More information is needed to answer the first two questions. A significant amount of resources and focus went into our leadership team in the past (which was comprised of approximately 14 students). They had designated field trips, meetings, etc. This was managed by our former AP, and we determined there was a need to rethink the role of leadership team before starting it back up. We would like to explore something that involves more students (a larger selection from 5th grade).
Question
Why are we still doubling up on specialist classes to use substitutes or specialists for other class coverage?
Response
Doubling up a specialist class is a last resort that has occurred because someone has called in sick and a substitute did not pick up the job.
Question
Is there any way that unused copies can roll over because there may be a month where we don’t use a lot of copies and then a month that we need more than our allotted number? To save teachers a lot of time and with the amount we are paying for copies, can the south side copiers please have staples in them?
Response
We will see if this is an option.
Question
Why are we not approaching behavior and SPED needs proactively? How can we fix the problem of inconsistency with aides for students in need?
Response
We work closely with our Special Education Department to provide the necessary resources based on each student’s IEP.
Question
Why do we constantly have a shortage of teachers and aides? It is obvious day-to-day that there is a shortage, so how can this be fixed?
Response
There is a teacher shortage across the state of Alabama; there is a state task force to address the problem.
Question
We need more clarification on an item discussed at a recent faculty meeting. May we have specific examples pertaining to “Anything about school posted on your personal Social Media account becomes property of the school”? Most of us have children who attend school here and we post about their school days, etc. What exactly does this mean?
Response
If something is posted about our district, school, or students it could be subpoenaed if ever necessary.
Question
If classroom volunteers are not allowed to work in our classroom during instruction, or to see students’ grades or information, or when students are working, why is there a volunteer working weekly in the library?
Response
We must adhere to FERPA requirements for student educational records (ie, grades, etc.). We want to protect classroom instruction so it is free from disruptions. The volunteer in the library helps with the book circulation so our Media Specialist can work with students.
Question
Why is there not a teacher selected leadership team that meets monthly with the administrative team so that our school can operate in a unified and transparent way?
Response
We do plan to form a school leadership team beginning next semester.
Question
Could assemblies be based on trimester rather than monthly?
Response
We receive mixed feedback on monthly versus trimester. We will send out a survey for next year to determine the preference of the majority.
Question
Could we return to having specials five days per week? Could we go back to rotating specials?
Response
Our anticipated growth will require us to explore changes to our master scheduled for next year. These ideas will be considered in the process.
Question
Why is our administration team unable to cover classes in emergency situations or offer personal assistance in classes that are shorthanded, or work alongside teachers to see first-hand the challenges teachers are facing?
Response
The primary administrator responsibilities are outlined in the administrator job descriptions on the TCS website. Addressing the challenges faced by teachers is of vital importance to our administrative team, and we are always available to problem solve with you.
Question
Could we rethink and reorganize EnRich? Could you give us more time to work on our schedules? Why isn’t our Differentiation/EnRich leadership team involved in decisions? Response
We want a process for continuous improvement with EnRICh. Our EnRICh Precept Team did take the lead on determining the EnRICh sessions for students and making decisions related to these offerings. Our Precept Teams are new this year, but it is our goal that they become the leaders in our school in their designated areas, and therefore a key part in the decision-making process.
Question
How could we improve the communication from administration regarding student behavior/consequences? Could teachers receive an email or some type of communication after sending students to the office? Could the teacher be involved in the decision to make it an official office referral?
Response
Assistant Principals provide the yellow copy of the office referral to the teacher. Guidelines were provided at the opening faculty meeting on what constitutes an office referral. Any questions or concerns about specific situations should be discussed with your designated AP. We will follow the TCS Code of Conduct.
Question
What’s being done to protect our students and faculty from students who have physically violent outbursts and incidents of yelling disrespectful language at those trying to help them?
Response
We work closely with our Special Education Department to provide the necessary resources and training to ensure we are equipped to handle these situations. We regularly consult with certified behavior specialists on the more complex situations.
Question
Why is information so slow (last minute) to get to our teachers?
Response
We put all pertinent information in the blog as soon as it becomes available for communication.
Question
Could we share choir and choral shows with the entire student body, even if we have to do it over several days?
Response
We do not have a space to invite everyone to a “single” show, and offering this over multiple days would require program participants to miss instruction. We record all of these programs and place the videos on the music webpage for anyone to view.
Question
Can you please remind teachers not to be late when picking up their students from PE?
Response
This reminder will be communicated.
Question
Why are some TAC concerns left off the list or altered without the knowledge of teachers and TAC members? Does this not go against the purpose of TAC?
Response
TAC questions are not left off the list, but may be consolidated if there is more than one question asking the same thing. Lengthy questions may be condensed to reflect the bottom-line question.
Question
Why are administrators not present for the departure and arrival of field trips?
Response
Administrators typically arrive each day at 6:30 am and leave around 5:30 pm-6:00 pm, and always have their phones on. If anyone needs an administrator here outside of those times, please let us know and we will be here.
Question
Why are some emails to administration going unanswered or unacknowledged?
Response
Administrators receive a significant number of emails, but work hard to respond within 24 hours.
Question
Could we consider moving school pictures to the specials time?
Response
We try to complete pictures as quickly as possible and having to wait on the specials time to call the next group would slow down the process. The photographer’s schedule is another consideration. In addition, our specialists have designated standards to teach.
Question
This is a question for the district. Can the visitor request form be lifted for the holidays?
Response
Parents are welcome to share their craft with students, but for school safety reasons, administration awareness, and protecting instructional time, parents will become accustomed to volunteering their time 2 weeks ahead.
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