BARBER BULLETIN
Week of January 11-January 15
MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS VISIT
Career development is important and we DO need students who want to be teachers!! So, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing our wonderful middle school students to shadow you at Pontiac Elementary.
This is an exciting day for MS students! Usually 95% of them participate!
Please remember a few things:
1. If a middle school student requests to shadow you, this must be approved by K.Barber. We are limited in the number of students we can accept. In fact, the district recommendation is that we do not accept more than one visitor per grade level.
2. Students must stay on campus for the entire school day.
3. An agreement must be signed prior to their Shadowing Day.
4. The shadowing days vary depending on the middle school the student attends. These days are scheduled during the first week of February with the exception of Dent that is February 19.
5. All students must be approved in advance. We cannot accept late requests.
Have you met Kelli Williams?
Kelli Williams is in her 5th year of teaching Primary Montessori here at Pontiac. She is a graduate of Lander University and a recent Masters graduate from Columbia College. Although she didn't graduate a Tiger she married a Clemson man and has been a die hard Tiger Fan ever since. She and her husband Jordan have one fur baby, Tilly the Pit Bull and are waiting on the arrival of their first human baby in the end of April. She is the master refinisher and can turn any trash into treasure and she loves all aspects of interior design!!
A visit from the Fire Marshal is expected!
Recently, one of our elementary schools was visited by the fire marshal. Due to the number of fire safety violations, the school is now subject to random unannounced visits from the fire marshal. At some point, the fire marshal will visit Pontiac to conduct an inspection. In an attempt to be proactive, here a few non-negotiable items that we can take care of prior to our inspection so that we don't find ourselves in a similar situation.
1. Classroom bathrooms can't be used as storage rooms.
2. Since windows might need to be used as emergency exits, nothing should be blocking the windows. This includes: tables, chairs, bookshelves, desk, etc.
3. Curtains are fine. However, they must be sprayed with flame retardant. This will be purchased by the school and we'll let you know as soon as we have it available.
4. Remove all artificial plants from the classroom. We are not allowed to have these.
5. Storage rooms and work rooms need to be de-cluttered. We know storage space is limited, but take the time and look at the things you're storing. If you haven't used it in a while, consider getting rid of it, or finding a new use for it.
If you need to have the building open on the weekend to remove items, rearrange storage areas, or rearrange your classroom, please let us know and we can make that happen. Also, let me know If you have any questions or concerns.
As a reminder, as you begin to declutter your classrooms in preparation for the Fire Marshal visit, please keep in mind that Pontiac has an account at Roundabouts consignment shop if you would like to donate any items we will make a profit for the school. Please take your items to Roundabouts.
SAFETY REMINDERS
Our next fire safety drill is coming soon! Here are a few things to remember:
1. Have colored safety cards in your emergency folder. Let Mr. Robinson know if you are in need of another set of cards.
2, We have enrolled several new students. Make sure you have an up to date roster with you during the drill. In a true emergency situation we would need to use the roster to account for all students.
3. Make sure sub plans have the location of your emergency folder listed. The substitute would definitely need the roster to make sure all students made it out of the building safety.
4. In your designated areas, make sure to move as far away from the building as possible.
A LOOK AT OUR WEEK AHEAD:
11:30am Pontiac hosts Dept of Defense meeting in media center.
3:30pm Technology PD in media center focused on the 4 C's
FEEL FREE TO WEAR JEANS AND TIGER COLORS FOR THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! Can you Carolina fans do it?
Tuesday: F day
Elementary Writing Team meets at R2 Conference Center
Wednesday: A Day
7:30am Tech Team meeting
6:30pm Montessori Information night
Thursday: B Day END OF THE 9 WEEKS GRADING PERIOD
11:30am Early Dismissal
11:30am-3:00pm Individual planning and/or grade level collaboration
Please use this time to finalize grades, as necessary, as grades are due by 3pm on Friday.
Friday: Teacher PD day
Professional Development focused on Critical Thinking hosted by Inspire and Engage Consulting from 8:00am-3:00pm. This is one of our required PD days for the school year.
Jeans are welcome!
Saturday: LEGO Robotics competition at Doby's Mill Elementary. Please consider dropping by to support our team!
RICHLAND TWO EMPLOYEE CHOICE
Employee Choice is a benefit that allows full-time Richland School District Two employees to enroll their child(ren) into the Richland Two school of choice.
If you qualify for this option, there is no need for you to apply for Expanded Choice. However, Employee Choice does not include enrollment into magnet programs or magnet centers.
If you fall into one of the following two categories, then you need to complete the 2016-2017 Employee Choice Form:
1) You are a full-time employee, do not reside in the district but want to enroll your child in a Richland Two school.
2) You are a full-time employee, reside in the district, but you want to send your child to a school other than your residentially zoned school.
Every employee utilizing the Employee Choice option must complete the application process each school year. Now is the time to complete the form online:
The deadline for submitting your form is February 19, 2016. Remember, if you are a resident that resides out of Richland School District Two and wish to use the Employee Choice Option, you will need to obtain a release from your residential school district. The Employee Choice page attached to the link listed above will take you to a page that will explain the details of the Employee Choice application process.