Summer Update

I hope everyone is having a great summer! Things are busy here as the custodial staff continues to do a great job with getting the building cleaned, waxed and ready for a new year and the office staff works on scheduling, handbooks, new registrations, etc. Things are starting to come together for the new school year!
Teachers will pick up their rosters soon and will be mailing postcards to students at the end of July. Just a reminder, our Back to School activities will be on Thursday, August 13th from 4:30 - 6:30. We hope you will be able to join us as students and their families get to visit their classroom and meet their new teachers.
Just a reminder for our students; please remember to do your summer reading as your class will be having some activities based on the summer reading books.
Enjoy the remainder of your summer and I look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Finish Strong

With our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade awards program completed this morning, we have now finished our major end of the year events. During the early dismissal days next week school will be dismissed at 11:00. On Monday, June 1st we will have our summer reading kick-off. We will have a Reader's Theater performance by several of our staff members and then the students will pick out their book for summer reading. We will also have popsicles for all the students to get them in the mood for summer (although the majority is already in the mood for summer!). On Tuesday, June 2nd we will have a school meeting for our 4th and 5th grade students to recognize those who participated in some of the extracurricular activities that we did not recognize at the awards day because of time constraints.
I want to share a video that a friend sent me. It is entitled "Are you going to finish strong?" I hope you will take the time to watch it because it will really make you think about things.
Thanks to everyone for making it another great year! Enjoy your summer and I look forward to seeing everyone in August!

PASS Testing

On Tuesday, May 12th we will begin our second round of PASS testing. PASS stands for the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards. Our students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade will participate in this state-wide testing. This round will include testing in English/Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies. Students in 4th grade will take all four tests while students in 3rd and 5th grade with take ELA, Math, and either Science or Social Studies. Students will also participate in field testing next week.
Mrs. Simmons, our Assistant Principal for Instruction, and I have met with the students who are participating. We have encourage them to do their best and they have signed a "PASS Pledge" stating they will do so. If you have a child participating in testing, please encourage them to work hard and give their best efforts. Our teachers, staff, students and families have worked hard to prepare for testing and now it is time to show what we know.

PTST Meeting and Student Performances

Thanks to everyone who attended our PTST meeting last night. Terri Wilbanks, our PTST President, shared information with the group. She announced that through the hard work of the PTST board, many members and community businesses, our Spring Carnival raised over $5000! The PTST is currently taking nominations for next year's board so let us know if you are interested in serving. After Mrs. Wilbanks finished the business part of the meeting, Lisa Simmons, our Assistant Principal for Instruction, shared PASS testing information and tips for parents.

The final part of our meeting consisted of performances from our 4th grade recorder students, our Chorus, and our five young ladies who were chosen for the SC Elementary All-State Choir. What a great show of talent by all of our students who participated. We have some very talented students! A special thanks to Ms. Judy Bonham, our music teacher, for her hard work and dedication and her ability to lead our students in their musical endeavors.

After the meeting and the performances, the book fair was open until 8:00 pm and we had a number of family visit and purchase books. This is our half price book fair and it will be open until Thursday if you would like to join us.

A Fun-filled Family Saturday

This past Saturday, April 4th, we held our 5th annual Family Fun Run. We had both a one mile event and a 5K event. We had 124 people sign up for the events and had 90 participants. It was a great way to promote physical fitness and a family activity at the same time. The money raised from the Fun Run will help sponsor our SIC Family Nights and also pay for a visiting author later this month. Thanks to all the sponsors (listed below), SIC members and participants.
Our Parent, Teacher, Student Team (PTST) also held our first annual (I think) Spring Carnival. It was a tremendous success! There were games, bouncy rides, food, and so much more. One of the biggest hits was the dunking booth where a number of staff members, including me, took turns getting dunked. It was a fun time for everyone and I would like to thank the PTST Board members, especially our President Terri Wilbanks, and our staff members who volunteered for their hard work before, during and after the carnival. I would also like to thank the many sponsors of our Spring Carnival. Without their generosity, the event would not have been possible.
If you missed these two events, you missed a great time. The weather was great, the activities were fun and a good time was had by all!

Fun Run Sponsors:
Timken, Walhalla Elementary SIC, Culbertson Construction, Fairfield Grocery, Vickery Outdoor Power Equipment, Heritage Horseshoeing, The Grooming Center, All About Children, Chrissy Adams – Tenth Circuit Solicitor, Stoudemire & Sprouse PA, Blue Ridge Bank, CHENAB ONE, One Flush Plumbing, Inc, Foothills Grading, David Ayers Stoneworks, Golden Corner Family Practice, Head's Superette

4th Nine Weeks

It is hard to believe we are starting the 4th nine weeks of the school year! Things seem to move quicker each year. I am very excited to announce that our school was recently named a winner of the Palmetto Silver Award for improving test scores among a historically underachieving group. We are very excited to receive the award and very proud of the efforts of our students, staff and families.

On Saturday, April 4th we will have our 5th annual Family Fun Run. There will be a 1 mile walk/run and a 5K walk/run. You can still register by contacting the school. The events will begin at 8:45 am on the 4th. From 11:00 - 2:00 on April 4th, our PTST will sponsor a Spring Carnival. There will be games, food, bouncy rides, and more for everyone to enjoy. We hope you can join us for this fun-filled Saturday!

PASS Testing

Tomorrow our students in grades 3 -5 begin taking the new PASS test for the state. The PASS test replaced the PACT test that our students used to take. On Tuesday and Wednesday we will be taking the writing portion of the PASS. This is the earliest we have taken the state standardized tests. The reason for that is so that we can get the results earlier. Our students will take the other sections (ELA, science, social studies, math) in May. We are proud of the hard work that our students, staff and families have put in as we prepare for the PASS test and look forward to the positive results.

Our School Report Card

School report card information was released by the state on Friday. The original release date was in November but had to be adjusted because of errors. We are excited that we received an Absolute rating of "Good" and disappointed that our Improvement rating was "Below Average." We were one of only two elementary schools in our district to get a "Good" absolute rating. The "Below Average" improvement rating actually means our students scored the same as the previous year. The state assigns the "Below Average" improvement rating if a school maintains, but doesn't gain, on the PACT tests from the previous year. We are excited that our students scored well enough to receive the "Good" rating and we will continue to work on ways to maximize improvement. The reality is that when you score well to begin with, it is difficult to show the necessary improvement. With that being said, we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure our students are receiving the best educational experience possible.

PTST Meeting and Math and Science Night

Tonight at 6:30 we will host our PTST meeting for the 3rd nine weeks. I hope that you will be able to attend to hear what is going on with our PTST. They are in the process of planning a spring carnival and the group is looking for sponsors and volunteers to help with this project. If you are unable to attend the meeting but able to help, please call the school to let us know.

We will also host our Math and Science night this evening. Family members will have the opportunity to learn more about the Everyday Math series and the games and activities that reinforce the math skills and concepts from the series. Science fair boards and projects will also be on display.

Come join us for a fun night of math and science!

Science Fair

Last Friday, our 5th grade students competed in the final part of our school science fair. Winners from the classroom level competed and nine school winners were chosen. These students will compete in the district science fair on Monday, February 2nd. The following students were judged as school winners:

Daniel Charles
Erica Herndon
Tristan Hightower
Jordan Moran
Seth Rosier
Mary Grace Estes
Josie Sanders
Brion Schwery
Zach Vaughn

Best wishes to these students as they move to the next level of competition and congratulations to all of our students for their work on their science fair projects. You can check out their good work at our Math and Science Night on Monday, February 9th starting at 6:30 pm.

MAP Testing

I want to let everyone know our winter session of Measuring Academic Progress (MAP) testing begins on Monday. Over the next three weeks students in grades 2 - 5 will take computerized tests in reading, math and language usage. Our staff uses the data from these tests to individualize student instruction, look for trends and patterns within classes and grade levels, plan for remediation, and to share suggestions for improvement with our parents. You can help your child perform his/her best by ensuring they have a good night's rest before testing and that they have a good breakfast. Please also encourage them to do their best on the test.
After the testing cycle is complete, please contact your child's teacher to schedule a time to discuss the results.

The New Year

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We are off and running on the second half of the school year. We actually have a few days left in the first semester, but close enough! We have had a pretty good start after the holidays. It takes a little time to get everyone back in the swing of things but we are making progress.
Report cards will be sent home on January 21st. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's academic performance, please contact the teacher to schedule a conference. We will have an extended day for conferences on January 26th. Teachers will be available to meet with you until 6:30 that evening. Please contact your child's teacher to schedule a conference for this day or any other day that fits your schedule.
I want to share something I have noticed throughout my time in education. Generally, if a child is going to have a drop in academic performance, it happens during the 3rd nine weeks. It is after the holidays and we generally have fewer breaks during that time and that tends to wear on the students (and staff). Please work with us to be sure that is not the case for your child.
Have a great 2009!