Trantwood Times
"For the Love of Learning!"
An Attitude of Gratitude Rocks!
~Kudos to Gina Lane and Megan Bailey for providing our Pre-K students with art and music along with a schedule for the teachers! KL
~Many thanks to Lisa Lee for a sweet ending to our meeting on Friday. Remembering we all were once kids is a great reminder! LAM
~The front entry looks so inviting! Thanks for sharing your green thumbs with us Hope Twine! LAM
~Megain Bailey - Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do in order to ensure a successful transition to Schoology! Dr. Amy Cashwell
~Michele, Meredith, & Amanda - outstanding job keeping us all organized and on point. The students are entered into the correct classes, the supplies delivered to classrooms, and parents questions answered. Whew! You are amazing! LAM
September is...
National Library Card Sign-up Month
September 5 - 8, 2017
- Happy Birthday, Mrs. Williams!
- Labor Day, Schools Closed
Tuesday, Sept. 5
- First Day of School!
- Math Coach @TES
Wednesday, Sept. 6
- Whole School Assembly, Cafeteria, 8:30
- Math Coach @TES
Thursday, Sept. 7
- Math Coach @TES
Friday, Sept. 8
- International Literacy Day
- Math Coach @TES
Saturday, Sept. 9
- Courtyard Clean up, 8:30 - 10:30
September 11 - 15, 2017
National Arts In Education Week
National Suicide Prevention Week
Monday, September 11
- National Day of Service and Remembrance
- Math Coach @TES
Tuesday, September 12
- Math Coach @ TES
- PTA Board Mtg, Library, 6:30
Wednesday, September 13
- LAM OTB, 1:30 pm
- Sweet Frog Night, 3 - 9 pm
Thursday, September 14
- Hawley, OTB, afternoon
Friday, September 15
- Happy Birthday Lisa Lee!
- STEM Airshow field trip, gr. 5, noon - 5 pm
Sunday, September 17
- Happy Birthday Mr. Riddick!
VB EDUCATION FOUNDATION GRANTS – OCT. 6 DEADLINE
The Innovative Learning Grant application is available on vbcps.com under Hot Topics and is due October 6, 2017, by 4 p.m. Each approved grant awards up to $2,000 for innovative learning projects that benefit students. Thank you for sharing these opportunities available through the Virginia Beach Education Foundation. For more information, contact Debbie Griffey at Debbie.Griffey@vbschools.com or 757.263.1069.
First Day of School...
During the first day:
- Expect visitors. Please tell students many people may be visiting the classroom and it's ok to answer their questions. Morning Meeting is an especially good time to help your students learn how to shake hands, give eye contact, and to answer questions.
- Mrs. Lewis and Mrs. Metzger will visit every class sometime on the first day to meet your students. Thank you for giving them just a few minutes to interact with the students.
- Typically, someone from downtown visits each school on the first day. Our special visitor will be Dale Holt, Chief Operations Officer, Department of School Division Services. Mr. Holt is a former elementary principal and is looking forward to visiting Cardinal territory.
- Inform the office by 10 am if you do not know how a student is going home at the end of the day.
- Build relationships. Smile. Give choice - this will motivate your students to want to do more. Whisper to each student something positive that you notice about them - then watch what happens.
First Week of School...
- Expect visitors. Please tell students many people may be visiting the classroom and it's ok to answer their questions. Morning Meeting is an especially good time to help your students learn how to shake hands, give eye contact, and to answer questions.
- Build relationships. Smile. Give choice - this will motivate your students to want to do more. Whisper to each student something positive that you notice about them - them watch what happens.
- Focus on routines and procedures- many are already built into the curriculum. Every day this week, show students that "school is a safe place, that they're important members of the classroom and school community, and that they can look forward to an engaging, challenging. and fun year of learning." (The First Six Weeks of School)
- As we visit classrooms, here's what we will be looking for:
- A climate of warmth, inclusion, and safety is being established
- Classroom routine and behavioral expectations are being modeled and taught
- Students are being helped to care for the classroom and school environment
- Expectations are being established for academic work.
CHANGES IN CLEVER AND SHAREPOINT ACCESS FOR ONLINE TEXTBOOK AND RESOURCES
The Clever Portal located at www.clever.com/in/vbcps contains the same information currently on the online textbook and resources page on SharePoint https://schools.vbcps.com/OLTextbooks/Pages/default.aspx. The SharePoint page and its subpages are current but will not be updated throughout the year and at the end of the year will redirect to the Clever Portal.
The Clever Portal will be undergoing some layout changes regarding how resources are categorized. Resources will be broken down into Division Resources and Additional SSO (Single Sign On) Resources.
The Clever Portal is accessible to students and instructional staff through their Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) accounts. While on the division’s network, students and instructional staff will not need to log in. If accessing off the network, students and instructional staff will be prompted to use their VBCPS account and password.
The Clever Portal will allow for links to textbooks and resources to be filtered by school and grade displaying resources specific to each student. Filtering by course codes will be added in the near future. The Clever Portal has the ability to add help text for applications and resources that may still use a login for access. This is displayed as a small i with a circle around it next to the icon.
A link to the Clever Portal is accessible on all schools’ public webpages under the student tab. Questions may be directed to Matthew Colohan, secondary STEM and innovation instructional specialist, at 263-1044 or via email Matthew.Colohan@vbschools.com. Thank you.
ACHIEVE3000 PRE LEVELSET ASSESSMENT ELEMENTARY 2017-2018
This information will provide administrators and instructional staff with information regarding the Achieve3000 Pre LevelSet assessment. Access to the resource has been added for special education co-teachers and students. The first time students log into Achieve3000, the Pre LevelSet assessment will automatically populate. The assessment window will be from Sept. 5 to Oct. 13. Once students complete the Pre LevelSet assessment, teachers may begin using the resource with students as part of their classroom instruction.
The process is the same as last year; therefore, in order to have special education co-teachers gain access to student profiles and data within Achieve3000, please have the school’s student information manager follow the procedures outlined in the following link to add special education teachers as co-teachers: Scheduling (K-12).
Please note that only Language Arts teachers will have access to this resource.
Annual Mandatory Training
Action required by Feb. 16, 2018
The Annual Mandatory Employee Training for all Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) employees will continue during the 2017-2018 school year. This type of training eliminates travel, provides employee input, ensures compliance, reduces liability and allows course content to be updated almost immediately. Employees can complete the training at a convenient time while working at their own pace. Some of the training courses have changed again this year and have been customized to meet the needs of particular departments and schools.
The startup date for the training is Aug. 17, 2017. Failure to comply fully with this training requirement may result in disciplinary action. All employees will be required to view each entire training module assigned to their job title. New employees will also be required to view the training modules from the previous year.
The Department of Planning, Innovation and Accountability will issue five re-certification points to all eligible employees upon completion of the training before the deadline. A target completion date of Feb. 16, 2018, has been established.
Employee training modules required for ALL employees: 1. Bullying: Recognition & Response (Refresher) 2. Cybersecurity Overview 3. Diversity Awareness: Staff to Staff (Refresher) 4. Fire Extinguisher Safety (Refresher) 5. Health Emergencies: Life Threatening Allergies 6. Password Security Basics 7. Sexual Harassment (Staff to Staff - Refresher)
CONSTITUTION DAY RESOURCES
Public Law requires that Sept. 17 be designated as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. Constitution Day commemorates the day on which the Constitution was signed in Philadelphia in 1787. Traditionally, each year since 1952, the President proclaims the seven days beginning on Constitution Day as Constitution Week. This year, Constitution Day falls on a Sunday and will be observed on Monday, Sept. 18. Constitution Week will be from Monday, Sept. 18 through Sunday, Sept. 24.
During this time, all citizens are encouraged to celebrate our Constitution and reaffirm the rights and obligations of citizens. All educational institutions receiving federal funding are required to hold an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution on that day.
Schools may determine what kind of educational programs are appropriate for their students. Some informational resources pertaining to the Constitution that may be useful in planning educational activities are listed on the USED’s website at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/fund/guid/constitutionday.html. The team at iCivics has a curriculum unit with lessons at http://www.icivics.org/curriculum/road-constitution. Information about citizenship and civics is also available at other nonpartisan websites including the Bill of Rights Institute at http://billofrightsinstitute.org/founding-documents/exploring-constitutional-principles/
If additional information is needed about Constitution Day, please contact Katie Catania, elementary content coordinator, at Katie.Catania@vbschools.com
Please let us know what your plans are for this day. We'd like to celebrate with you. Thanks!
Each one of us has something special to be built upon. Thanks for the reminder Lisa!
The Professional Learning Day totally rocked thanks to #TeamTrantwood and our amazing teacher leaders!
~Kim Catt, Morning Meeting
~Teri Hawley, Learning Inventories & Anecdotal Note Taking
~Tracey Halman, Flexible Seating
~Megan Bailey, Student Agency & 5 C's
~Brooke Martinette, Google Slides and Digital Routines & Procedures
~Hannah Phelps, Quizizz
~Melissa Spivey, Makerspace
~Jan Roewer, Literacy Folders
~Karen Lewis, 5C's overview for Teacher Assistants
~Macy Henry, Quizizz & Global Schools
~Sarah Gannon, Global Schools Partnerships
Double This, Double What?
Learning all about Google Slides & Digital Routines & Procedures - thanks Brooke!
Thanks Jan for helping us use the data from the Literacy folders to start small groups!
Learning Inventories & Anecdotal Note Taking - thanks Teri!
Learning all about Quizizz & Seesaw...thanks Catie, Macy, & Hannah!
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