BARBER BULLETIN
Week of January 22-26, 2018
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT LISTENS
Dear Pontiac Elementary Faculty and Staff,
Dr. James Ann Sheley (James Ann) will be at our school on Thursday, January 25th from 7:15 AM until 4:00 PM for an Assistant Superintendent Listens session. Richland Two offers these opportunities throughout the District a few times each year to gather information about what is going well, what we can do better, and how we can better support our school and District. James Ann will be in the PDS Office and looks forward to you dropping by to say "hello" and sharing your thinking with her.
Thanking you in advance for your support of this day.
Sincerely,
Katie and James Ann
MakerFaire schoolwide event is FRIDAY
This year we embedded the MAKER FAIRE event into our school year after the success we saw at the MakerFaire we held last year during the evening! This year all of our students will be able to participate in the activities!
So, you might ask, what is a Maker Faire? It is part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new! As a celebration of the Maker Movement, it is intended to be a showcase of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness. Crafters, tinkerers, engineers, artists, and educators alike find great joy in Maker Faires!
Here's the details you need to know:
- Classroom teachers will receive the instruction page for classroom lesson by Wednesday afterschool in your box. Materials will be distributed by Mrs. Hering on Thursday afterschool.
- Here's the schedule
Each grade level will be immersed in the MakerFaire
for two designated hours. The schedule will not
interrupt your GLOBAL time.
- Students will enjoy a bag lunch.
- The schedule is a round-robin plan - the same teacher will teach one lesson to each class on the grade level. If you'd like to change with a team member, go ahead! This is intended to be fun for everyone! Just let M.Robbins know of the change by Tuesday.
- Please save your students' lunch milk cartons this week for a class activity on Friday.
Thank you to the planning team: M.Young, D. Johnson, M.Robbins, D.Legrand, and K.Hering!
Growth Mindset
A few of our teachers spent Friday afternoon engaged in PD around instilling a growth mindset in our students.
A growth mindset means that students are more likely to persist through challenges when they understand that intelligence is malleable, rather than a fixed trait.
Consider this for a moment: Praise the Process
- Praising students for being smart suggests that innate talent is the reason for success, while focusing on the process helps students see how their effort leads to success.
- In one study, 5th graders were either given praise for their intelligence or for their effort after succeeding on a set of moderately challenging problems. Later in the study, researchers found that students praised for their effort were more interested in challenging themselves and even performed better on another set of problems.
- To see this study in action, view this video on the effects of praise on mindsets.
Leader in Me Leadership Showcases
“Leadership Day” events are held by those elementary schools going through The Leader in Me process. These schools open their doors to the community for one day or one-half day and let others see the amazing transformation that takes place within their building for staff and students alike. Students showcase their leadership skills, staff share their successes, and the leadership philosophy driving the culture of the school is tangibly “seen and felt.” Attending a Leadership Day event is one of the best ways to learn more about The Leader in Me.
It is our intent that every staff member that desires to attend a Leadership Day is provided that opportunity! If you have not attended a school visit like this, and would like to, please let K.Barber know!
Here's a Look at our Week Ahead:
Upper Montessori on a field study at Roper Mountain in Greenville, SC
1:30pm RTI meeting in BrainForest
3:30pm Action Teams meet
Tuesday:
7:30am Coffee and Conversation in BrainForest
Data Conferences held in BrainForest
Wednesday:
K.Barber off campus at an Elementary Principals meeting
Thursday:
7:15am-4pm Assistant Superintendent Listens in PDS office
Report Cards distributed
M.Robbins at R2I2 to attend Magnet Conference
7:45am School Improvement Council meeting
1:30pm IAT in BrainForest
Friday:
MakerFaire schoolwide event
College Colors Day
10:05am Montessori Community Meeting
SC Midlands Summit is still taking applications to present!
Unlock Your Potential is the theme of the 2018 SC Midlands Summit. You are invited to submit an application to present a one-hour session on Wednesday, June 13 or Thursday, June 14. The application form is available online at https://goo.gl/66u7my As you prepare your proposal to present please check all information for accuracy, completeness, spelling, and grammar. Information associated with accepted applications will be used for conference program, web content, and other publications.
Please join us to make this 7th annual summit a memorable experience for participants and to ensure that the conference becomes an event that all teachers in the region look forward to attending every year by filling out the 2018 SC Midlands Summit Proposal Request Form https://goo.gl/66u7my