Panther Updates
NEWS, RESOURCES AND LEARNING FOR PANTHER STAFF, 12/4/17
Congratulations!!!
Congrats also goes out to Cathy Nanni for receipt of her Nearpod Educator Certification.
Much appreciation goes out to the entire staff for taking student learning to the next level with many non-traditional innovative projects and activities. It's exciting to see all that you are doing throughout the school.
Please share any notables here at school and with your families. It's exciting to hear how our school family is doing.
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 4-DECEMBER 8, 2017
SAFE JOURNEY:
Safe journey and all of our thoughts and prayers go out to Regina McKearney who travels north to be with her mother as she recovers from a recent stroke.
WELCOME:
Welcome to Rachel McCarty, CCK TA. Rachel is familiar with our school as a parent of two students at PUE. Rachel will be based in Ms. Gosnell's classroom and following inclusion students to the kindergarten on track 4.
STAFF MEETING/UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER DATE CHANGES:
Please move the December Staff Meeting date from Thursday, December 14th to Wednesday, December 20th. We will also move Ugly Christmas Sweater to that day. We will have a catered breakfast and time to enjoy the staff fellowship. We will also move Ugly Christmas Sweater to the 20th.
HOLIDAY DECORATIONS:
This is a friendly reminder to include all holidays or use generic decorations for holiday displays. No plug in stringed lights should be in use. Battery powered lights are okay if the battery packs are not accessible to small students.
REQUESTS FOR TESTING/SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES:
If a parent requests an “IEP meeting” or anything related to special education services, please email the Administration and/or Deb Andrews. Depending on what is requested, there is a time factor involved in meeting the parents’ request. If you are unsure, let us know. Remember to discuss with parents that their is a Tier Process that is used in Wake County. This continuum from Tier 1 (Classroom Core Instruction) to Tier 2 (Interventions that are progress monitored and tied to a PEP), to Tier 3 (Formal meeting with the Intervention Team for further intervention goals/strategies) is a MUST before a student is referred for formal testing via the DEC 1 protocol. A student must be shown to be intervention resistant before consideration of Special Education. Typically 80% of your students will be in Tier 1, 10-15% in Tier 2 and only 1-5% in Tier 3.
LOCKDOWN DRILL:
We did well during our lockdown drill!! Thank you for remaining calm and following directions! One way we can improve: if you have substitute, remember to include information about lockdowns in your sub plans. If there is a substitute on your grade level, please touch base with the person to make sure they know what to do and where to go. The more of us that communicate with those that may not know the “system” the better prepared we will be for an emergency.
LOST AND FOUND:
The lost and found in the front hallway will be taken to Good Will next Friday, December 8th. Encourage students to check for lost items (not to shop for items they like) before they are gone. If you know of a child that needs a coat, see Mrs. Fricke before Friday.
PIECES OF GOLD TRYOUTS:
Please help support Ms. Freer and the PUE chorus as the compete in the Pieces of Gold competition on Wednesday, December 6th at 5:20 PM at River Bend Middle School. Be early, as they often begin 30 minutes before they are to perform. Best of Luck to Ms. Freer and the chorus!
TEAM WORK:
The specialists came together to help Ms. Freer with the Holiday Concerts in many ways this week. Ms. Hopper created and Mr. Stern and Ms. Hymel and all worked on the back drop. Mr. Stern helped before, during, and after the the performance. Ms. Hymel took pictures for the yearbook. Ms. Hopper watched two classes in the art room so that a teacher could have a "special." Even Beverly Martin "helped" posthumously by providing snow flakes she made prior to her passing. It is good to see a team that cares for one another and the school as a whole. Thank you.
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GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR UP TO 10,000---4Cs GRANT
In support of the Wake County Public School System’s Strategic Plan, we are pleased to once again offer an opportunity for teachers to apply for the 4C Fund. Established in 2015, this grant program emphasizes the importance of collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. Applicants may request up to $10,000. Click here to find out more about this year's opportunity.
The last information session will for interested applicants will be held at the WCPSS Central Office (5625 Dillard Drive, Cary, NC 27518) in the Crossroads I building, room 2003 on Thursday, December 14 from 4:00 - 5:00pm.
For interested applicants who may not be able to attend the information sessions, each meeting will also be available via Google Hangout. Please RSVP to Cindy DeFoor (cdefoor@wcpss.net) at least 48 hours prior to the start of the session in order to get the access code. In addition, the Office of Grants created a video overview of the 4C Fund. Please click here for a taped review of the 4C Fund and application requirements.
Should you have questions or need additional information, please contact Dr. Angie Wright with the Office of Grants and Strategic Advancement at awright@wcpss.net or (919) 533-7722.
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Mark Your Calendars
Monday, Dec. 4
- Holiday Shop Tracks 2, 3, 4
Tuesday, Dec. 5
- Holiday Shop Tracks 2, 3, 4
Wednesday, Dec. 6
- 5:20 Pieces of Gold Audition at Riverbend Middle School
- 10:00 New to PUE Tours (See Website for details.)
Thursday, Dec. 7
- Polar Express Family Fun Night-Movie begins at 6:30
- 6:30 PTA Meeting: 18-19 Class Size Presentation/Discussion
Friday, Dec. 8
- 6:30-9:30 Parents Night Out
Tuesday, Dec. 12
- 8:00 am 3-5 Lego Club in Media Center
Wednesday, Dec. 13
- 8:00 am K-2 Lego Club in Media Center
- 10:00 New to PUE Tours (See Website for details.)
Thursday, Dec. 14
- 11:45 First Grade Tracks 2 and 4 Holiday Music Performance
- 1:15 Kindergarten Tracks 2 and 4, Holiday Music Performance
Friday, Dec. 15
- PTA Staff Appreciation Cookie Exchange
- 12:30- 1:30 or so, Learning Rounds
Tuesday, Dec. 19
- 8:15 PTA Meeting
Thursday, Dec. 21
- Early Release Day-Students Dismissed at 1:15
- Holiday Break Begins (Friday, Dec. 22-Monday, Dec. 1)
Tuesday, Jan. 2
- Tracks 1, 2, and 3 return from holidays
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DUTIES FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 4-DECEMBER 8, 2017
AM Breakfast: Renfrow (Work with students regarding lunch numbers, encourage students to eat and get directly to class.)
AM Bus: Lavin (Write down arrival times of buses. Work with Fricke to disembark students, trouble-shoot issues.)
Lunch Duty: Fitzgerald, Lavin, Crum, Newman, Renfrow, Bednar, Narvaez
(Start the track in period with consistent behavior expectations. Work with one another to use the "warning" behavior system, train students to pick up trash/sweep, and inform teachers of issues. Do not allow students to flip bottles/get up without permission. Do not hesitate to move a student to a separate seat or to inform the office of repeated issues. Update the seating charts in the notebook as needed. The office will contact you (support staff) if necessary for coverage. THANK YOU FOR DOING LUNCH DUTY.
PM Hallway: Barber (Check all students for tags in the bus line. If a student does not have a tag, inform Fricke and Ms. Britt ASAP. )
PM Carpool: Garrett, Crum, Perry (outside), Fitzgerald, Cooper (inside) Roberts/Hymel(Specialists fill in- contact office is there is a change and to let us know who is covering) (Call carpool numbers. If a parent doesn't have a carpool tag, PLEASE INFORM THE PARENT that they should get one from the office. Personnel can change around who is inside/outside if needed, but please communicate the changes to Biles/Fricke/Perry and cover all areas.
PM Bus: Clark (Call one bus at a time. Write down arrival times. CHECK FOR BUS TAGS ON EACH CHILD'S BOOKBAG. Work with Britt and Andrews to trouble-shoot, solve issues. IF YOU HAVE CONFERENCES ETC... LET THE OFFICE KNOW ON MONDAY MORNING.)
**If someone is not available, staff members that are available may be called to assist.*