Trantwood Times
"Captivating Every Student, Every Day!"
Kudos - singing the praises of our staff :)
The fire drill went extremely smoothly thanks to many great hands and everyone following the new procedures. We have an amazing team and it's truly a pleasure being part of the Trantwood Team!
Kudos to Mr. Cassidy, Mrs. GZ, & Mrs. Blackwell for assisting students out of cars even during the hurricane weather! Your actions show we care. Way to go!
Our compliments to Mrs. Bailey and Ms. Moore for their exceptional SCA Installation. Having the students perform most of the ceremony set the stage for high expectations of great leadership all year long. Well done!
I would like to thank Tim Cassidy for his continued help in assisting Melissa and me with taking over SCA. He has been there every step of the way to give advice, gather materials for us, and let us use his time and the gym for some of our biggest events! We now know how it is tremendous work for two people and can greatly appreciate his solo work for the past years in SCA, even though we are never surprised by what he can accomplish! Thank you! - Megan Bailey
Kudos to Stephanie Piron and Dianna Themides for learning how to use the app Pic Collage during collaboration as a result of something they saw on Twitter.
Kudos to Jenny Delashmutt, Tracey Halman, Becky McCallum, and Brooke Martinette for having their Defined STEM family culture projects selected to be shared on Oct. 20 with the School Board. Your risk taking paid off in a big way. Thank you for making Trantwood proud!
October is Virginia Disability History and Awareness Month
October 12 - 16, 2015
National School Lunch Week & Book Fair & SCA Kiss a Pig
Monday, Oct. 12: Mrs. Metzger OTB
Monday, Oct. 12: Hugs and Kisses Assembly, café, all grade levels, 1:15 - 2:15 pm
Tuesday, Oct. 13: Mrs. Metzger OTB
Tuesday, Oct. 13: IPT testing
Tuesday, Oct. 13: PAC Meeting, 3:00 - 4:00, Collaboration room
Wednesday, Oct. 14: Art Club, 2:40 - 4 pm, Art Room
Thursday, Oct. 15: Earthquake Drill @ 10:15
Friday, Oct. 16: SCA Parents Night Out, 6:30 - 9:00
October 19 - 23, 2015
America's Safe Schools Week
Monday, Oct. 19: Mad Science, 2:40 – 4:00 Location TBD
Tuesday, Oct. 20: Faculty Meeting, 3:00 – 4:00, Media Center
Tuesday, Oct. 20: Lisa Lee OTB 1:00 – 3:00
Wednesday, Oct. 21: Art Club, 2:40 – 4:00, Art Room
Friday, Oct. 23: Be Kind, Do Kind - K, 1, 2, Cafeteria, 8:30 – 9:30
Virginia Beach City Public Schools Adopts New Core Values
Student-Centered Decision Making
Continuous Learning
Innovation
Collaboration
Respect
Due Dates and Reminders
Diligent COM name due to Lisa Lee on Friday, October 23
- Open enrollment for employee health benefits: Oct. 1 – 21, 2015. At the end of September all open enrollment forms, the 2016 Employee Benefits Handbook and the 2016 Open Enrollment Guide (which includes the 2016 rates) can be accessed on our Internet site at: www.vbschools.com/employees/benefits/
- If entering the building during non-instructional hours such as weekends, please remember to sign in and out on the "Intrusion Alarm" sign in sheet. This will be the first document Safe Schools & Police will check should they have to come to the building.
- Kiss the Pig fundraiser happens all week! Students can bring coins or dollars to the gym during their PE.
- Volunteers are needed for the for the first SCA Parents Night Out, Oct. 16 from 6:30 - 9:00. Please see Megan Bailey or Melissa Moore if interested.
- Please remember to submit a Service Desk ticket when in need of Ms. McCoy's assistance. Directions on how to complete a Service Desk ticket can be found on our Sharepoint.
Making learning visible!
Rounding with Educreations
So that's who has the selfie stick!
Fostering Grit: How Do I Prepare My Students for the Real World?
"What grit?
Is our job to prepare students for success in school or for success in life? How we answer that question has powerful implications for what and how we teach. For too long, educators have focused only on getting students ready for the next test, the next grade, graduation, college, and so on. The test-score mania under which we’ve worked for the past decade—with students, teachers, and schools judged on percentiles—has exacerbated our short-term focus.
Don’t misunderstand me: Students must be prepared to succeed in school; they must learn how to read, write, and calculate. But that’s only the beginning. Our job as educators is to prepare students for success in the real world. A focus on success in life means that, beyond teaching the three Rs, we must also teach character, emotional intelligence, responsibility, and an appreciation for the complexity of human diversity. We must also teach the virtues of grit—tenacity, perseverance, and the ability to never give up.
Teaching grit can be difficult for educators because the concept appears to run counter to the caring school environments that we all esteem. It is very important that students enjoy learning and want to come to school, but teaching grit necessarily means that students will experience—and perhaps embrace—some frustration and pain. We do our students no favors if we fail to prepare them for the real world because they do not know how to respond to frustration and failure. Learning how to respond positively to setbacks is essential. Regardless of their academic performance, students are bound to encounter frustrations and failures in the real world; everyone will hit the wall sooner or later. Responding appropriately when things go wrong—turning a failure into a good failure, one from which we learn—is key to success in life.
Executive Functions and Grit
Our executive functions regulate and monitor our ability to organize, focus, and control our experiences. Our grit helps us determine how to respond when things go wrong. Most of us have developed routines that enable us to plan, work, and be successful. Grit gives us resilience. It not only keeps us focused on a task but also enables us to persevere when we fail. The self-monitoring and emotional control that grit provides is an important component of our executive functioning."
Want to know more? Read the book for free from our VBCPS Virtual Reference library.
Technology Tips
To ensure our technology runs trouble free, please remember the following:
1. When you are finished using a school computer (laptops and desktops), please be sure to log off or shut down. If a computer or laptop is locked under your login and you’ve walked away, we must do a hard shut down, which is not healthy for the computer.
2. It is not required, nor encouraged by DOT, to take the power cords off the cart, when using the computers. Replacing the computers each night on the cart should allow them to be fully charged and the battery should last for any activity you have planned.
3. Please share this information with your students, as well.
Read Aloud To A Child Week 2015
Join in celebrating Read Aloud to a Child Week with the theme "Friendship" during the week of October 18-24. This event was established by the Virginia State Legislature to emphasize the importance of reading aloud to children and to give schools and families an opportunity to participate.
In celebration of this week, Mrs. Metzger would love to read to your class. Please see Mrs. Kurz to arrange a time for Mrs. Metzger to read to your class.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Watershed Trips
Join us this spring for an environmental education experience! Register today for our Spring 2016 One-Day Programs.
All applications are due no later than Friday, November 13, 2015. Confirmation or waitlist status e-mails will be sent out to applicants before Winter Break (by mid-December).
For more than 40 years, CBF has provided meaningful watershed experiences to more than a million students. We hope you will take advantage of our award-winning education program this spring.
Feel free to contact us directly with any questions!
All the best,
Joellen (Jo), Sheree, Cindy, and MelissaEducation Programs Scheduling Staff
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
800/445-5572
educationcoordinator@cbf.org