Trantwood Times
Love. Learn. Lead. 2019 Summer Edition
Put Students First ● Seek Growth ● Be Open to Change ● Do Great Work Together ● Value Differences
Kudos
~I am so excited to work with all the wonderful people at Trantwood! Thank you for this opportunity, I am looking forward to a wonderful year! Barrie (new SPED TA)
~Kudos to Amanda for keeping our registration process going so smoothly this summer! You’ve made my job much easier!! Pam B.
~Kudos to Amanda and Michelle for keeping the office fun during summer school! Pam B.
~Thank you to Megan Bailey for being an awesome co-presenter at the DLSS! Gina L.
~Thank you to Brooke Martinette for all of your help with the DLSS! Gina L.
~Kudos to Brooke for helping Gina and I with the DLSS, especially bringing and charging all the equipment! We just are so thankful for you!!! -Megan
~Kudos to Mrs. Metzger for fiercely supporting the arts!!! Thank you thank you thank you! - Megan
~Julie, I am thankful for your willingness to consider a move to fifth grade. While we are grateful for the additional Kg and gr. 5 allocations, it takes a flexible person to be willing to move two weeks before school starts. Thank you! LAM
~Mrs. Williams, thank you for being such a team player with classroom assignments this summer. You are a joy to work with and to approach when changes are needed. LAM
~Kudos to Melinda, Macy, Kristen and Krista! Over the summer I have come to appreciate sand respect how hard you work for your students even more than I already did!!! - Megan
~Kudos to Amanda and Michele for holding it down and easily being two of the hardest working people on planet earth! - Megan
~Hats off to our OLT for their amazing work this summer. Melinda, Macy, Megan, Krista, & Kristen, your love of our students and our school is inspirational! LAM
~ILT, you are amazing in your dedication and intentional planning for our learners - both students and teachers. I love serving and dreaming for our school with you Karen, Terri, Brooke, Melinda, Hannah, Ashley, Jan, and Jenny. LAM
~Kudos to Melinda and Sarah G. for becoming Responsive Classroom experts. We are so excited to be learning from you this year! LAM
~Michele, Amanda, Karen, Carolyne, Mrs. Williams, and Ms. NIcole - we are beyond grateful for your work this summer. Thank you for juggling Summer School and preparing for the new school year so seamlessly. LAM
~Karen, thank you for connecting with the Cape Henry Rotary Club and being here while they mulched our courtyard. We love and appreciate the beauty this brings to our school environment. LAM
Please welcome the following staff members to the nest!
Barrie S. Ehrmentraut, SPED TA
Azul Emede, Grade 4 Spanish Immersion
Tricia Gray, Grade 3
Hannah Hazlett, ECSE
Danielle Holsey, Kg TA
Javonne “Tia” Johnson, Strings
Theresa Muncy, KG TA
Marianne O’Rourke, SPED TA
Janice Post, Grade 1 Spanish Immersion
Chelsea Rausch, Long Term Sub for Sarah Tortolano
Parthena Savides, Grade 4
TBD, New Kg Teacher
TBD, New KG TA
TBD, New Spanish Immersion TA
TBD, Perm Sub (please let us know if you know any great ones...)
TBD, Cafeteria Monitor (please let us know if you have any recommendations)
TBD, Head Night Custodian (please let us know if you have any recommendations)
Something to Think (and Plan) About: Climate and Collaboration
Takeaway: Inquiry provides social-emotional learning through teamwork, empathy, and shared responsibility.
The Curious Classroom, Harvey "Smokey" Daniels
#GlobalMakerDay
CREATE LOCALLY...SHARE GLOBALLY
OCTOBER 29, 2019
Get ready for a day of CREATING. Watch the live stream, ask the presenters questions and MAKE all day.
Create what you wish existed!
Share what your students create using #GlobalMakerDay on Twitter.
Principal's Packet Memos sent via email to all staff:
- 2019-2020 ANNUAL MANDATORY EMPLOYEE TRAINING (AMET) Action required by: Feb. 14, 2020
- Local Assessment Administration for Elementary School Core Subjects
Flex Day for August 22, 2019
The flex day only applies to the following group of employees (per the Employee Work Schedule Calendar for School Year 2019 - 2020): o All teachers whose schedule begins Thursday, Aug. 22. o Library media assistants and school nurses • Staff who do not attend Aug. 22 may extend the workday during the first two weeks in November to prepare report cards and hold parent conference. The employees will keep a log of time worked and will be provide that information to the timekeeper at their school.
Eligible employees who do not choose to make use of the flex day and who do not wish to report Aug. 22 may choose to take personal reasons leave with approval of the building principal.
PBIS
This year will be year two of our PBIS venture. Yea! I am super grateful to our PBIS Team, Coach Coates, Stephanie Piron, Tim Cassidy, Jenny Mello, Lisa Lee, & Kristen Swimley.
What is PBIS? Schoolwide PBIS is a framework, with a focus on systems, teaming, and data informed decision making to establish a powerfully positive climate that leads to high levels of learning for all students. To begin our journey towards implementing schoolwide PBIS, the team is requesting that everyone read the article Rethinking Discipline. We recommend reading it sooner rather than later so you can ponder it's points prior to our work together during Teacher Work week. It's a very quick read.
Additional Recess Minutes
To comply with this requirement, 15 minutes will continue to be added to the 30 minutes of daily Physical Education. The other minutes (25 mins. for Kg; 15 mins for grades 1 - 5) will be indicated on your daily schedule. Recess is a fantastic time to build stronger relationships with your students and to observe their social/emotional skills.
All staff who monitor recess will be required to participate in a 30 minute online professional learning module. Recess Implementation Guidelines will also be available.
Future Planning
- Aug. 19 - 22: TOCLI (for new teachers)
- Aug. 22: Flexible Staff Day
- Aug. 23 - 30: Teacher Workweek (Aug. 23 is a Friday)
- Aug. 29: Meet & Greet, 1 - 3 pm
- Sept. 23: Open House, ECSE, PK, Kg, Grade ONE, 6:30 pm
- Sept. 24: Open House, Grades 2 - 5, 6:30 pm
- Oct. 14: Virtual Learning Day
- Nov. 5: Virtual Learning Day
Amazing ASCD Resources
In our thoughts and prayers...
"When can we get into our classrooms?"
Your rooms are ready! Please join me in giving a giant shout out to Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Williams and Ms. Woody for all their efforts to have our school ready in a timely manner. It's been a challenging summer between Mr. Riddick being promoted and hosting summer school throughout the month of July.
As a reminder, in order to create a welcoming and nurturing learning environment, here are our expectations for classroom set up effectively the first day of school:
- Think about student choice - how can you involve them with the creation of a student centered room? This might mean leaving walls more empty so they can help to create helpful artifacts to be placed on the walls.
- Be cognizant of too many colors/words/posters on the walls. Take a close look at everything you hang and ask, "Is this necessary right now?" Younger brains get over-stimulated and distracted more easily.
- Is there space to make the room their own? Think of the classroom as a canvas and students can help create together as you collaboratively create the classroom community.
- There should be no visible stacks of paper. Anything from last year should have been filed away, shredded, or recycled.
- Take A Break spot? Where do your students (with less-developed behavioral coping mechanisms) have as a "safe space" for choosing to take a break? (remember, this is student choice - not teacher choice of whether to go to the Take A Break chair).
NOTE: Before moving any heavy furniture, please, please, PLEASE phone a friend, a custodian, etc. to help lift the item. Please avoid dragging it across our beautiful floors.
*New Teachers: you will need board space for learning targets, space for student work, anchor charts, word wall(s) and (K-3) Math Calendar.
Reminder: Be cognizant of the fire code rules and do not have paper protruding from over top of your doorways.
ILT celebrating Brooke's birthday. You know she loved this....NOT!
Thank heavens for volunteers! Cape Henry Rotary Club beautifying our courtyard. Woot - woot!
LouAnne Metzger, Principal
Email: louanne.metzger@vbschools.com
Website: http://www.trantwoodes.vbschools.com/
Location: 2344 Inlynnview Road, Virginia Beach, VA, United States
Phone: 757-648-4000
Twitter: @LouAnneMetzger