Weekly Update

A Week - September 26-30, 2022

North PE will be outside this week (temperature & weather permitting)

Best Practice...Paine Practice

Mrs. Stodghill is taking steps to implement strategies from LETRS (The Science of Teaching Reading) in her classroom.  See her sound wall on the board!

Mrs. O'Dell's sound wall. See the Valley of the Vowels. This is based on the formation of the mouth when making these sounds (and how far the chin drops down). Another example of us beginning to implement strategies learned in LETRS.

Mrs. Birkeland's Learning Target:  I can name the letters H and T and their sounds.  She is using her sound wall cards to teach students the sounds! This is all part of the science of teaching reading.

Mrs. Santiago implements and art lesson with our PreK students!

Ms. Olcott implementing an art lesson in a PreK classroom!

Mrs. Felts uses important Anchor Charts in her 5th Grade Math Classroom!

Ms. Blank demonstrates that it all begins with developing relationships!

Important Deadlines this Week

• Grades must be in Powerschool by Tuesday at 3:00.
• Progress reports will go home on 9/28.
• No use of external drives (including jump drives) after this week.
• Educator Effectiveness due this week.

TCS Behavior Documentation & Referral Form

Please use the link below to access the new TCS Behavior Form.  This is to be used once you have followed all of the steps in the "gas gauge" or if you have an office referral for an offense that warrants an immediate office referral (Class II & up).

TCS Elementary Behavior Documentation and Referral Form - Link

Overnight Cleaning Crew - Update

Last year we hired an overnight cleaning crew to clean all hallways, the clinics, and student bathrooms.  We have rebid this job to include additional cleaning responsibilities.  Beginning Monday, October 3rd, the nighttime cleaning crew will also be cleaning our classrooms and teacher bathrooms (in addition to the areas already mentioned).  The most important thing for teachers to remember:  Please make sure you leave your classroom UNLOCKED when you leave each day.  Also, let's have students put chairs on the desks at the end of each day.  

This is going to provide our PES custodians with an opportunity to focus on cleaning tasks we have not been able to get to in the past due to the demands of keeping our building clean.

5-Deep Roster Activity

Our TCS 5-Deep Roster Activity is an important part of ensuring the social and emotional well-being our our students.  We have preloaded current teachers to save you time.  We will be sending out the updated spreadsheet on Monday for us to fill in the remaining gaps.  Please look for further instructions in the email containing this link.

Lost and Found

Our Lost and Found will be in the lobby area of our building (by the bathrooms). Please do not place items in the back of the school.  Please inform students when the are searching for an item.  

This will allow parents to come in and search lost and found without having to enter the main buildings.  They will just need to check in with the front office.

PowerSchool Grades - Important (Grades 3-5)

Please make sure grades are entering in PowerSchool each week.  We are encouraging our parents to use the PS app to check grades so it is imperative that these be up-to-date.  

Please refer to your Teacher Handbook for other guidelines regarding grades. 

Wednesday Collaboration

We will meet in Collaboration Room on your side of the building.  Jenni Peters will work with literacy teachers on teaching handwriting.  Jessica Bryant will work with math teachers on math intervention curriculum (Math in Practice).

Thursday - Early Release Time

We will have another grade level collaboration on Thursday.  Please meet in your grade level/content area leader's classroom.

Upcoming Important Dates

October 17-21 - Bus Driver Safety Week

Saturday, November 5th - Paine Fall Festival (9:00-1:00)

Thursday, November 10th - Veterans Day Program

Paine Precepts (Respect)

M: Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power. - Clint Eastwood
T: Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners. - Laurence Sterne
W: We don't need to share the same opinions as others, but we need to be respectful. - Taylor Swift
T: True beauty is born through our actions and aspirations and in the kindness we offer to others. - Alex Wek
F: Knowledge will give you power, but character respect. - Bruce Lee

Weekly Update

 

C Week - September 19-23, 2022

South PE will be outside this week (temperature & weather permitting)

Best Practice...Paine Practice

Ms. Barker's morning meeting: Students discussed their favorite songs and how they make them feel!

Mrs. Abney's learning targets after unpacking with her 3rd grade students!

Mrs. Moffet introduces Math Menu to her 3rd grade students!

Mrs. Burns working with a small group!

We invested in our professional growth by learning strategies to develop WITHITNESS!

Constitution Week Plans

Please make sure you have your Constitution Day plans in the Google lesson plan folder.  Please send any pictures of lessons/students engaged in Constitution Day activities to Ellen Howard.

Technology Reminder - Important

Beginning October 1st, we will no longer be able to access files on USB devices and other "external" storage devices that plug into TCS laptops and Chromebooks (including external hard drives, thumb drives, mobile phones, tablets, etc.) Please make sure any impacted files are saving to your Google Drive by the end of September. Janet Benson will be in the North Training Room on Thursday during your PE times to assist you with questions, etc (if needed).

Educator Effectiveness

All certified staff must log in to LincSprings and complete your Self-Assessment & PLP (Professional Learning Plan) by the end of September.  Remember:  Our school indicator is Well-Managed Classroom.  You will select a second indicator based on individual developmental goals.  We will meet with each teacher on the evaluation cycle the first of October to review your PLP.  Please use the the link below for instructions on how to access in Lincsprings.

Linscprings - Educator Effectiveness Directions

Picture Day - Wednesday

Students pictures will be taken at the beginning of their PE time.  Please inform parents of picture day in your weekly communication.

Wednesday Collaboration

Please collaborate with your grade level/content area teams in the North or South Collaboration Rooms.

Thursday - Early Release Time

We will have another grade level collaboration on Thursday.  Please meet in your grade level/content area leader's classroom.

Aims Web Literacy Reports & Parent Letters

Based on requirements under the Literacy Act, a parent letter and Aims Literacy student report will be sent home for every student in grade K-3.  The office will provide this information for you to send home with each student on Thursday, September 22nd.

Lighting in Classrooms

Reminder:  Please be mindful of the lighting in your classroom.    We know some of you prefer dim lighting, but it must be conducive for learning (not too dim).  We are trying to building reading stamina with our students and dim lighting while reading can cause eye fatique.  Please see excerpt below from WebMD.

"Dim light might make it difficult for the eyes to focus, which can cause short-term eye fatique", says Richard Gans, MD, FACS, an ophthalmologist with the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute. "But there is no scientific evidence that reading in the dark does any long-term harm to your eyes," Gans says.

Upcoming Important Dates

Wednesday, September 21st - Fall Pictures

Thursday, September 22nd - Aims Literacy Reports go home (K-3)

October 17-21 - Bus Driver Safety Week

Saturday, November 5th - Paine Fall Festival (9:00-1:00)

Family News

Please keep Carly Payne's precious baby, Ellie Layne, in your thoughts and prayers.  She has been sick and in the hospital.

Paine Precepts

M: When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others. – Dalai Lama
T: How people treat other people is a direct reflection of how they feel about themselves.
W: The right to be respected is won by respecting others. – Vasyl Sukhomlynsky
Th: We must express ourselves in ways that demonstrate our respect for others. – Stephen Carter
F: Don’t lower your standards for anyone or anything. Self-respect is everything.

Weekly Update

B Week - September 12-16, 2022

North PE will be outside this week (weather permitting)

Best Practice...Paine Practice

I am so proud of the great instruction going on in our school.  It is truly some of the best instruction I have ever seen!  I will use this section of the blog each week to highlight a few of the best practices occuring in our school!  Thank you for the difference you are making with our students!

Mrs. Lutz's learning target...interactive and unpacked by her 3rd grade students.

Mrs. Anna Seeley's personalized messages of encouragement on her 2nd graders' desks

Mrs. Burns 5th grade student "actively" engaged in ordering decimals.

Paine will Go GOLD on Wednesday

In recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month we will go GOLD on Wednesday.  Please wear something gold to honor these brave warriors.

Snack Cart

Please remember:  The snack cart is for Paine Employees only.  No child (including our own children) should take items from this cart.  We cannot keep it stocked and have a limited budget.  Our PTO will be filling the cart on the 1st and 15th of the month from this point on.

Sub Folders

In conjunction with our district safety plan, one of our TCS initiatives is to develop consistent folders for our substitutes.  TCS will provide us with the folders (red TCS sub folders) so the subs get used to looking for the same folder regardless of the school or classroom.  We will carve out a Thursday afternoon to work on this but we want to go ahead an provide you with a list of items we want in this folder in case you want to get a jump start on this.

• Introduction Letter (Teacher introduction, student/classroom blurb, & thank you note for subbing).
• School Map (highlight the locations your students regularly attend.  Identify team teacher's classroom.
• Classroom Behavior Plan/Class Rules
• Postive Reinforcement stickers, notes, etc. for sub to hand out when students are caught doing the right thing.
• Class Roster (preferably with a picture...we will help with this)
• Class Schedule
• Seating Charts
• Identification of students who may be helpful
• Identification of students with health needs and schedule to visit the nurse
• Identification of students that will be leaving the classroom and the time leaving (for Sped, speech, etc.)
• Recess information, including emergency bag location and instructions to take to recess
• Lunch Information:  Procedures, time, seating, etc.
• Dismissal Information:  List of car riders, bus riders (including daycare buses), and students who go to the YMCA at Paine
• A minimum of 2-day lesson plans with detailed instructions
• Response form for substitute to leave notes for the teacher about the day (if needed)
• Safety Information:  Fire Evacuation Map, Tornado Map, and Lockdown Information (containing specific instructions...you may take this from your safety handbook)

Educator Effectiveness

All certified staff must log in to LincSprings and complete your Self-Assessment & PLP (Professional Learning Plan) by the end of September.  Remember:  Our school indicator is Well-Managed Classroom.  You will select a second indicator based on individual developmental goals.  We will meet with each teacher on the evaluation cycle the first of October to review your PLP.  Please use the the link below for instructions on how to access in Lincsprings.

Linscprings - Educator Effectiveness Directions

Parent Chat Night Schedule

2nd Grade - Monday, September 12 from 5:30-6:30 pm

3rd Grade - Tuesday, September 13 from 5:30-6:30 pm

4th Grade - Wednesday, September 14 from 5:30-6:30 pm

Kindergarten - Thursday, September 15 from 5:30-6:30 pm

Wednesday Collaboration

Dr. Berry will be leading important professional learning for all certified staff.  We will meet in the North Training Room.

Thursday - Early Release Time

Grade level teams will collaborate.

Upcoming Important Dates

Monday, September 12th - 2nd Grade Parent Chat Night (5:30-6:30)

Tuesday, September 13th - 3rd Grade Parent Chat Night (5:30-6:30)

Wednesday, September 14th - 4th Grade Parent Chat Night (5:30-6:30)

Thursday, September 15th - Kindergarten Parent Chat Night (5:30-6:30)

Saturday, September 17th - Constitution Day (please implement lessons the week of 12-15)

Wednesday, September 21st - Fall Pictures

October 17-21 - Bus Driver Safety Week

Saturday, November 5th - Paine Fall Festival (9:00-1:00

Paine Precepts

BE KIND WHENEVER POSSIBLE. IT IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE.

Dalai Lama

IF YOU WANT TO LIFT YOURSELF UP, LIFT SOMEONE ELSE UP.

Booker T. Washington

NEVER BELIEVE THAT A FEW CARING PEOPLE CAN’T CHANGE THE WORLD. FOR, INDEED, THAT’S ALL WHO EVER HAVE.

Margaret Mead

IF THERE IS ANY ONE SECRET OF SUCCESS, IT LIES IN THE ABILITY TO GET THE OTHER PERSON’S POINT OF VIEW AND SEE THINGS FROM HIS ANGLE AS WELL AS YOUR OWN.

Henry Ford

PEACE CANNOT BE KEPT BY FORCE; IT CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED BY UNDERSTANDING.

Albert Einstein

Fall Festival - Save the Date

Paine Elementary Fall Festival

We are so excited to announce that we will host our annual PES Fall Festival on Saturday, November 5th from 9:00-1:00.  Please mark this date on your calendars.   Our Paine families and students love this event, and we have a lot of fun, too!  We need as many faculty volunteers as possible to make this a success.  More information will come out soon regarding an initial planning meeting.  

We are coordinating our Fall Bookfair so it will be set up for the Fall Festival.  Also, our PTO will be there on 11/5 as part of our Paine Partnership membership drive.  Reminder: One of our main PTO goals this year is to turf the PE field and build a small track around it.

Please look for more information soon!

Weekly Update

  A Week - September 6-9

We have had such a great week at Paine Elementary!  The level of instruction in our classrooms is top-notch!!! Thank you for all you are doing for our students and each other!  Enjoy your long weekend!

Breakfast

Due to the number of students eating breakfast in the lunchroom, we will open both lunchrooms up for breakfast beginning Tuesday, September 6th.  Students eating breakfast should go the lunchroom on the side of the building where their grade level is location (K, 2, & 4 - South Lunchroom & 1, 3, & 5 - North Lunchroom).

Educator Effectiveness

All certified staff must log in to LincSprings and complete your Self-Assessment & PLP (Professional Learning Plan) by the end of September.  Remember:  Our school indicator is Well-Managed Classroom.  You will select a second indicator based on individual developmental goals.  We will meet with each teacher on the evaluation cycle the first of October to review your PLP.  Please use the the link below for instructions on how to access in Lincsprings.

Linscprings - Educator Effectiveness Directions

Parent Chat Night Schedule

1st Grade - Tuesday, September 6 from 5:30-6:30 pm 

5th Grade - Thursday, September 8 from 5:30-6:30 pm

2nd Grade - Monday, September 12 from 5:30-6:30 pm

3rd Grade - Tuesday, September 13 from 5:30-6:30 pm

4th Grade - Wednesday, September 14 from 5:30-6:30 pm

Kindergarten - Thursday, September 15 from 5:30-6:30 pm

September - School Attendance Awareness Month

Throughout the month of September, the Paine Elementary community will place a large focus on school attendance. We challenge both parents and teachers to discuss the importance and benefits of regular school attendance with students.

Paine Elementary will be tracking student attendance beginning after Labor Day, starting on September 6th, until September 30th. We have created special incentives for your student to "Pop Their Way to Perfect Attendance" this month!

Students with perfect attendance 9/6-9/30 will receive...

• Admission to the Perfect Attendance Popcorn Party
• Raffle entry for an invitation to a Pizza Party with the Principals
• Popper Fidget Keychain

Students with only 1 absence 9/6-9/30 will receive...

• Popper Fidget Keychain

Lunchroom Visitor Policies & Procedures

We will be opening our lunchroom for parent visitors after Labor Day, beginning the week of September 6th. Parents will have a scheduled day based on student last name to ensure we have the capacity in our lunchrooms and our parking lot. 

Lunchroom Visitor Schedule By Last Name:

Monday: A – E

Tuesday: F – J

Wednesday: K – O

Thursday: P – S

Friday: T - Z

Visitors must adhere to the following guidelines:

• Visitors must bring a valid driver’s license and be on the student's check-out list.
• If a visitor is not on the check-out list, we must have a note from the parent granting permission to eat lunch with the student.
• Visitors must sign in at the front office, and sign out after lunch is over. They must wear a Visitor Sticker.
• The parent and child must sit at the designated Visitor Table.  Students may not invite friends to this table to ensure we have enough capacity.  
• Please note: It is a state guideline that food purchased outside of the lunchroom may NOT be brought in.

Wednesday Collaboration

We will finish our ACAP Data analysis in Grades 2-5, complete refresher training on how to set goals in AIMs, and begin working on intervention plans.  We will meet in north and south collaboration rooms.

Rhithm App Update

Based on feedback and reflection, our Counselors have developed a plan for implementation of Rhithm in your classrooms.  Please see the details below.

1. We will put a temporary pause on Rhithm usage in the classroom until students and teachers are trained.
2. Our counselors will teach students about Rhithm, feelings identification, etc. over the next 3 weeks in counseling classes.  We will also shorten the survey to 2 questions only (feelings & body) for all grade levels until all students have a better grasp on the concept.
3. Counselors will train teachers on how to better monitor their students in Rhithm on September 8^th.
4. Once everyone feels more equipped, we will resume regular use of Rhithm during morning meeting times. We will build back in the additional questions for older grades as we see them master the concept.

Our counselors will also plan to do feelings lessons with K & 1^st, and give them a hands-on version of the rating scale from Rhithm. This can be used in morning meetings. We will not have K & 1 do Rhithm on the Chromebook until December/January when they have better Chromebook literacy.

Thursday - Early Release Time

Our counselors will train us on Rhithm.  This should only take about 20 minutes. Please spend the remainder of this time on any preparation for Chat Nights.

September: Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Paine Elementary will go GOLD on Wednesday, September 14th.  Please wear GOLD on that day.

Constitution Day

Constitution Day is September 17th.  Please collaborate with your team to design meaningful lessons about the constitution for that day.  Prior to September 17th, please provide your detailed plans. We look forward to seeing the lessons you have prepared.  If you take pictures during these lessons, please send to Ellen Howard to document this important day.  Reminder:  Please make sure you have detailed evidence of Constitution Day lessons in your plans for state monitoring.

AEA & ACOE Visits

A represenative from ACOE will visit Paine on Tuesday, September 6th from 7:00-8:00 am.  A represenative from AEA will visit on Friday, September 9th from 7:00-8:00 am.  They will be in the north conference room on the 4th grade hall if you would like to stop by.

Paine Precepts

• “Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. ...
• “When you are kind to others, it not only changes you, it changes the world.” – Harold Kushner
• “The simple act of caring is heroic.” – Edward Albert.
• “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop.