Have a Holly Jolly Learning Filled Week. December 8th-12th

Congratulations to Miss Stevenson who became engaged this weekend!😊  We are so excited for her.

We Need Volunteers:)

We will be loading food bags in room 200 after school on Tuesday afternoon.  It goes really quickly and we can use as many faculty members as possible to help.  We will have Home Moravian volunteers as well.  They have worked very hard to shop for this abundance of food.   Each person will grab a bag and go around the room til you fill your bag.  These bags will be given out on Thursday night after the musical.  We appreciate you all so much.

Day of Caring- We are asking families and faculty to bring in a canned good and/or a box of cereal to be donated to the Food Bank Thursday evening and/or Friday.  We will have Salem Baptist join us for our dress rehearsal on Thursday afternoon.  They are bringing lots of clothing donations for our students.  Please expect about 50 fifth and sixth grade students.

Administrator's Days of Joy! Cheryl and I would like to show you all how much we love and appreciate you all so we would like to bring a little joy to your week, next week.

Every day next week, we will have a treat beginning with a Hot Chocolate Bar with all the fixings.  On Tuesday, we are teaming with hospitality to order soup and breadsticks from Olive Garden for our meeting  We will have a fun faculty meeting devoted to fellowship.   You will have your choice of two soups.  The cost will be four dollars to be collected by Mrs. Kennedy.  She has also put up a sign up sheet.  In order to get the four dollar price, we need to  have as many people participate as possible.  We would also like anyone who wants to participate in a fun game, to bring a wrapped gift and we will do a fun game.  The gift can be a re-gift or a gag gift or a gift you get from the dollar store.  It is a fun game where we pass the presents back and forth to the left and right.  There is a 5 dollar limit if you buy a gift but that is not necessary.  Last year's gift included used holiday mugs, candy, ornaments, used decorations, a traffic cone and other creative gifts.  Just make sure the person can take the gift home.  Cheryl and I will provide dessert.  We will have Reindeer Mix one day as well.

REMINDER-DON"T FORGET TO VOTE FOR TOY AND FINISH YOUR MID YEAR PDP! 

Jingle through the week-December 8th-December 12th

Math fun for the family. Great job Miss Prato. A special thank you to your mom and brother who helped out as well. Our families and students learned a lot.  Great job. 

Students rotated to different centers with their families to engage in challenging math activites.  There was such a great turnout for a rainy night. I am proud of Miss Prato, her students and their families.  What a great night!

Happy Thanksgiving November 24th and 25th

I hope that everyone has a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving Break filled with loved ones, laughter and delicious food!

IMPORTANT:

We need your help.  In preparation for the year: We need to know what you feel your needs are for Professional Development.  What is it that you really believe you need PD in?  I need EVERYONE to give us feedback on what you truly feel your needs are so we can continue to plan and get you the support you need. Please write in the comments section at the end of blog.  You can just list.  For example: Guided Reading, Writing, Classroom Management, Math Strategies, Dibels Training, Technology, 21st century skill infusion and on and on.  All Support Staff, your PD Needs are very important to us as well.  You will find a Heading on the White Board that says PD Needs for Support Staff. Please write on the board your needs for Professional Development. 

Also, I would like everyone to visit Room 200 sometime on Monday or Tuesday. There are boards that list the 3 Strategic Goals we voted on for our SIP Plan.  The Action Steps are listed.  I would like to know what you are specifically doing for each goal.  If you are on  SIT, we will be doing this at our meeting on Monday. Those of you who have been at DL, you'll remember that we did something similar to this with chart paper. It helped us to visually see where we were and were not meeting the goals of our plan.  We must execute our SIP with fidelity and amend it as necessary.  This part is important.  Use sticky notes to add your evidence but I need you to write in different colors on your sticky notes.  

pre-k- use a red marker

K-use a green marker

1-use a blue marker

2-use an orange marker

3-use a black marker

4-use a purple marker

5-use a brown marker

Everyone else, please use a pink marker

If you have questions, please let me know.  

THANK YOU Mrs. Perry for the great job with Testing this past week.  A special thank you to all of you for helping to make testing a success:)

Two Week Blog - November 17-28th

Lunch With Your Grandparents

As always, all family members are very important to our students, so we thought it would be a great idea to invite our grandparents to have lunch with our students.  I am thankful for Ms. Kennedy who created the flier and will be doing a phone reminder with Ana,  and to Ms. Hubbard for working it out with Chartwells so we could do a $4 special lunch.  I hope that we have a lot of proud grandparents visiting.  Grandparents are special!

Why Reading Education Matters in Academics; It Might Not Be What You Think by Gregg Goodhart

Lisa Morris so generously shared this article with me a few weeks ago. It is a great article that talks about teaching the arts and brain function. The article talks about research which says that focused training in any of the arts whether it be music, dance or theater, strengthens the brain's attention system, which in turn can improve cognition. The article goes on to say that music training can indeed change brain circuitry and improve general cognition.  Anytime we improve focus and work through the frustration we sometimes have in learning something new, we improve self-discipline and cognitive functioning. This holds true for arts education and general academics. This article is worth reading and I am sure Lisa will share it.  It is from American String Teacher Journal Vol. 64 No. 3.

Thank Lisa for sharing! Another example of  Great Leadership.

nprED

Thank you Julie Magness for sharing an NPR audio clip on Common Core Reading:The High Achievers, November 13th, 2014.  This is one part of a four part series on Reading in the Common Core Era.  Please take 5 minutes to listen to this clip. It is very interesting and insightful.  You can hear students talk about learning with common core.   Another example of shared leadership, thank you Julie! Take a listen:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2014/11/13/356358135/common-core-reading-the-high-achievers

I will forward you the link Julie sent me in an email as well.

• Dr. Frazier is doing well and sends her regards to all of you. I know we all miss her and she is in our thoughts and prayers.
• Continue to keep Mrs. Hopson and Mrs. Gilliam and Bill (Maeretha's brother) from Budd Services in our prayers as they continue to go though therapy. Therapy and recovery are difficult processes. We miss them all very much.
• The last update I had from Mrs. Asbury was to say that Emily did well with the transplant. The next three weeks will be a very critical time as doctors wait to see if her body accepts the new cells.  She is undergoing Chemotherapy.  Please send prayers to Emily and her entire family as they face this most difficult challenge!!!  She is so very young to undergo such a long series of procedures.   Her family will be at the Hospital until very close to Christmas or longer depending upon recovery time.  I am planning on putting together some type of basket with toys, socks, snacks, etc.. for the family. If you would like to contribute, drop your items off in my office and I will put the basket together the first week in December.
• Prayers to all of our school family who have sick loved ones or who are facing difficult life challenges. We are here for you.
• 4th/5th Grade Brass Assembly at 10:15.  Please be in the gym and ready to go no later than 10:10.
• Cannon to Principal's Meeting Tuesday 11/18/14
• Pre-K Night 11/18
• Faculty Meeting 3:10
• Eat with your Grandchildren 11/18 and 11/19
• Staff Holiday Lunch on the 20th.  Make sure to sign-up to bring something and join in on the festivities.  Thank you Hospitality for organizing this:)
• 11/19 Home Moravian Hoe Down!  5:30 Fellowship Hall
• 11/21 Completion of Grade 3-5 Class Spelling Bees. 
• 11/21 All Newsletters Due and Last day for UNCG Interns. Our Interns are AWESOME!!!

Last Chance - Please Let me know if you had Perfect Attendance for Quarter 1.  Also, let Mrs. Kennedy know which of your children made honor roll and principal's list for Q1, grades 3-5. She will ready their medals. We will also recognize Perfect Attendance.  We need to collaboratively come with an idea to recognize k-2.  We can talk about this at our faculty meeting. Please send me any ideas you might have:) I would love your feedback.

Kudos to Tryla Green for taking on the role of Tutoring Facilitator. This is an important job as is the role of a tutor. It is a critical position in which we target specific learning challenges for each child based on the data we have.  We will all need to collaborate to make sure the work we are doing after school is purposeful and data driven.  I know Tryla has called a meeting for this Thursday afternoon for tutors and subs. Thank you all for doing this very important work. You are appreciated.

Home Moravian Hoe-Down November 19th at 5:30

 Please make sure that you have signed the clipboard as to your intentions for coming by Monday Morning. Home Church needs a good count. Our students and our Arts Team will be performing. You are welcome to bring family and guests. Please add them to our clipboard list. I look forward to seeing you there. All donations come back to our school. We are very grateful to Home Church. Thank you for your time. It should be a fun evening and the food is delicious.

Thank You Ms. Beaver for putting up Bulletin Boards in the Office and outside of the Teacher's Lounge. You Rock! The boards are terrific!

 Giving Thanks........

This is my Fourth year at Diggs-Latham Elementary.  I feel this is a calling for me. I am passionate about working together with you all as a team to grow our students and give them the best start possible. We have had many challenges and many accomplishments during our past four years.  We have been recognized in our community as being a school that has a climate of collaboration and mutual respect. We love our students and it shows.  We seek out treasured community partners, and volunteers to support our students and staff. You all have done such a great job engaging our parents, whether it be academics or the arts. We all work hard everyday and I am extremely thankful for each and everyone of you. You are a staff that has fun, supports each other and sets high expectations for both yourselves and students. I love seeing the smiles everyday, even when you are leaving at the end of a long day or week. We all have the same vision and goals for our students. Besides our faculty and entire staff, I am thankful for our coaches, our cafeteria staff, our bus drivers, our central office program managers,  instructional support, and student services.  I am also thankful for Dr. Emory, Steve Oates and Kenneth Simington who support all of our endeavors.  Of course, I am very thankful for my family who are very understanding,  patient, and supportive as I do the job I love.  I know you feel the same way about your families.  Working in a school in any capacity takes dedication, hard work, and a big heart!

In two or three sentences, please comment at the end of the blog pertaining to what you are most thankful for at our school.

November 10-14th, 2014

November 10-14th, 2014

It's A Brand New Week:)

Things to think about.......

• In regards to Monitoring: What mid-course corrections are needed?  
• How are you celebrating incremental results in student progress?
• Are your selected strategies being implemented as intended?
• Are you getting results?
• What evidence will you use to determine if strategies and interventions are working?
• Remember to give the Y, your grades for this quarter for any students that attend the Y program. Also, make sure that you send a list of all students who made Honor Roll and Principal's List so that we can give them their medals.  Have the list to the Y and Mrs. Kennedy by this Friday.  I will also ask Mrs. Wolfe to give me a list of all students who have had perfect attendance this quarter so they can be celebrated. If YOU have had perfect attendance this quarter, let me know as I will celebrate you as well!  We value attendance.

HAPPY NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS To...............

• November 5th-Mary Tarlton and Gwen Wolfe
• November 7th-Susan Ingram
• November 9-Jennifer Hart
• November 15-Gerri Thierbach
• November 21 Angela Roane
• November 25-Nohora Martinez
• November 26-Vicky Beaver

Reminder that there is NO School on November 11th. It is Veteran's Day.  We thank all those in our school and community who serve or who have served our country. We feel a deep sense of gratitude for your commitment and service. Thank you to Mr. Holmes and Mr. Stover and all of our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, volunteers and neighbors who have served their country to protect us and our freedom.

Home Moravian Fall Hoe-Down Dinner to Benefit Diggs-Latham Elementary

November 19th at 5:30

These are pictures from last year's events in which Home Moravian raised $3000. to help our school with Teacher Gift Cards, Parent Engagement Nights, Food, Clothes, Literacy, and Field Trips.  They are always here for us when we need them.  They will work hard to cook and serve home-made soup, bread, desserts, etc... for a small donation.  They invite their church members and I invite you.  Let's give back and attend.  We will have students performing. Please plan to attend. The event will be at their Fellowship Hall where we had our opening of school breakfast.  You may bring your families.  Many of us will be participating in volunteering for Candle Tea as well. This is always a lot of fun and another great way for us to give back.  I appreciate your support. It was wonderful to see so many of you there last year.

November 13th-Mrs. Baccari will hold a Family Engagement Math Night from 5:45-6:45 this Thursday Night!  Thank you for engaging and educating our families. Several other teachers and have done this as well or plan to. We appreciate this effort. This is a great support for our families. Speaking of Engagement......Melissa's son who is a student at UNCG just got engaged!!!!! Congratulations to the happy couple! Hooray for Melissa and her family!

I know it seems like sometimes I am  Super Woman...That not being the case, I Need YOU! Dr. Frazier will be out beginning Tuesday and not return until after the Thanksgiving Break.  We will need all hands on deck to fill her shoes. We are a school of leaders and will be able to do this working together, just as you do when I am out. You are awesome and I can always count on you. Thank you. Please keep Dr. Frazier in your thoughts and prayers as she prepares for her procedure. Privacy is requested, thank you.  

 Completion of all Classroom Spelling Bees in Grades 3-5 should be completed by November 21st.  Our School Spelling Bee will be held December 5th at 9:00.

CRAZY SOCK DAY will be this Friday the 14th of November! Wear Yours! Remind Students to wear their Crazy Socks as well!

We will be sending a note home with students that we will be having a Come Eat Lunch with your Grandchild Day.  There will be two days: K-2 Students can bring their Grandparents on the 18th of November and 3-5 students can bring their Grandparents on the 19th. The Grandparents will check in at the office, come eat with their students and then leave unless you would like them to come back to your rooms to read, listen to their grandchildren read or to see the class, etc.. but this part is NOT required. If you do want to do something after lunch with the grandparents, that is up to you and please send a note home to that effect. Also, let me know.  We are working with the cafeteria manager to come up with a set price for lunch. She will let me know this week.

It is that time again to select our new Teacher of the Year. Our SIT Chairs will be organizing and announcing the Selection Process for this Year and will get this information out to you in the next few weeks.  The Nomination and Selection Process should be complete by December 14th and the winner announced at the December 18th Faculty Meeting. I know you will respect the process and choose an individual who exemplifies the characteristics of a great teacher and leader. This will be a very hard decision to make:)

 We Need your help.  Many teachers and students in our school have allergies, asthma and or specific breathing difficulties.  The usage of aerosol air fresheners, strong cologne, etc... can cause a severe breathing reaction. Please refrain from using these items in excess.  Be wary of others who may have to follow you in the bathroom. Also, please discourage your students from wearing any kind of perfume or cologne that could trigger an asthma or breathing attack.  We will make an announcement and put it in the Parent Engagement Blog as well. Thank you for your assistance with this problem before it becomes an issue.  Just a reminder that the Fire Marshall prohibits us from using plug ins of any kind. If you have these in your room, please remove as soon as possible. We could be fined. Thank you.

I would like to thank everyone for the Great Job that was done in the preparation and execution of FALL FESTIVAL.  It was a great success and it could not have been accomplished without careful planning and attention to detail.  I would like to thank all of the members of the Fall Festival Committee. Job Well Done!  I would also like to thank all of our volunteers and sponsors.  The feedback I received from our students was very positive.

Peer Evaluations

In accordance with State Board Policy, all of our teachers who are initially licensed and hold an SP1 or SP2 license have to have an observation completed by a peer/mentor.  We prefer a peer but we will  leave that decision to you.  You may choose the peer/mentor and make a decision as to when this observation can be accomplished.  You will use the current Rubric. You should utilize a pre-conference, evaluation and a post conference.  The evaluator will complete the rubric and you will both sign off on all necessary parts. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.. I would like to have these observations complete by Christmas Break if possible.  

Mid-Year PDP Progress

I know that many of you are well on your way to completing your PDPs and some of you have actually completed one of your goals. Please go into Powerschool and complete the section on how you are progressing with your PDP midyear. This will not take long. You will list evidences that you are working towards accomplishing your goal.  We will meet to sign off on your Mid-Year PDP. I would also like to accomplish this before our December Holiday Break if possible.  When you have completed your mid-year progress tab, please let me know so we can go ahead and schedule a meeting.  This is a very important component of your overall evaluation so think it through. Remember you can bring evidences to show me and/or upload any artifacts you might have collected.

Let's Talk MATH!           

FEEDBACK WANTED.....

IMPORTANT-Valuing Student Thinking is important.  I just read a great article I will share with you by Allison Hintz and Elham Kazemi.  It is called, "Talking About Math".  Please comment on your answer to this question:  "Through open and targeted sharing, discussion can build students' understanding of mathematical content" The author states that it only takes 5 words (How Did You Get That?) for math teachers to engage and create opportunities for students to share their thinking. My question is one posed in the article" How can teachers keep kids from getting lost or disengaged when when many different ideas are shared?  Please add a comment to the end of the blog.  Thank you!

October 20-24th, 2014 AND October 27-31st Two Weeks of Blogging!

Support our School Vision-It's all about Building Relationships, Caring for Students and Increasing Rigor!

A Busy Weekend For All.......                       

 Look Who Came Back To Visit!

Late Friday afternoon, I was visited by some Diggs-Latham Family.  Elena brought Julissa and Jenny over to the office. Ms. Hart and I were thrilled to see them.  They wanted you all to know that they miss you all and our school very much.  We reminisced and had a lot of laughs.  Of course, we had to take a selfie and one picture to commemorate the visit. Jenny is happy to be in one grade level working with first graders. I know she is making an impact on her students. Julissa is enjoying High School and says it is a real change.  We miss both these ladies. You can leave Diggs-Latham but you are always welcome back as part of our family:) 

 2014 Heart and Stroke Walk at Tanglewood

I spent my Saturday volunteering for a great cause that is near and dear to my heart, the American Heart Association's Heart and Stroke Walk.  I helped to educate people on the signs of a heart attack, the importance of exercise and a healthy diet and the need to get regular check-ups.  Here are some tips on how to spot a stroke

F.A.S.T.

Face Drooping-Does one side of the face droop or seem numb?

Arm Weakness-Does one arm feel weak or drift downward when raised?

Speech Difficulty-Does the person have trouble speaking or repeating a sentence?

Time to cal 911-Call immediately, time counts.

CONGRATULATIONS To Our Diggs-Latham Families

• Barbie's son was married this past weekend in Florida.  Barbie worked for months creating all of the decorations for an incredible Rehearsal Dinner. It was spectacular! She texted  me that it went well and the kids loved it. I am sure they did as Barbie attended to every detail with love and perfection!  Can't wait to hear all about the wedding when she returns.
• Lisa O'Brien's son Zac, who is a Financial Planner with Thrivent Financial is a 2014 Award Recipient for WS LEADERSHIP <40.  Hooray. I know Lisa is very proud.
• Gloria's son, Jeffrey was featured in Relish Magazine, this past week as a part of the WS Journal.  He is an artist and has a degree in Art from UNCG. He  studied at the Cranbook Academy of Art in Detroit.You can check out his incredible work by going to jeffreypubantz.com     The Pubantz family are very proud of Jeffrey.
• If you have any good news about your family and you want to share, please do, so that I can add it to our weekly blog.  Families are important!

So you think you know what teachers do. Right? Wrong.

Article from the Washington Post

Since we have been sharing professional articles, Megan Shoaf sent this to me to read and I have emailed a copy of it to you all. Thanks Megan! Take a minute to read it. I think you will find it quite interesting!  Let me know your thoughts about the article and the end of the blog under comments. I would also like to thank all of you who not only read, but participate in our Blog Learning Community. Your comments have been insightful, collaborative and inspiring. Thank you.

Week At A Glance

Both Dr. Frazier and I are working very hard completing Pre-Conferences, Evaluations and Post Conferences. We are literally working round the clock, dawn to dusk to be able to provide you with quality feedback and quality conferences that we feel will help you grow.  There are a lot of you and we are doing our best to work around everyone's schedules. We have been very proud of the work you are doing with our students. Thank you.  The observations and conferences continue this week as we continue t schedule.

Read To Achieve Local Assessment This Week

Monday-

• 7:30-Observation-Post Conference
• 8:00 Meeting with Eva Phillips-District/KBR Early Learning Specialist
• Observation 9:25
• Observation 10:00
• Post Conference 10:50
• Observation-1:20-2:00
• Post-Conference 3:10

Tuesday-

• 8:30-9:30 Observation
• 9:30-10:15 Observation
• 10-50-11:30 Post Conference
• 1:55 Post Conference
• SIT Meeting at 3:10-SIT Chairs will send out agenda and notify Schorer,Smith and newest member. (You can get her information from PTA President)

Wednesday-Early Release Day

• District Reading Task Force to meet at Diggs-Latham @ 8:00, in Room 200 We will have district officials in our building this morning.
• Early Release at 12:50-Please make sure you know how students are getting home before 11:30. Thank you for your help with this. You might want to send a short transportation questionnaire home on Tuesday afternoon. We will do an alert now call as well.
• We will start our meeting in the gym at exactly 1:20 and be done at 3:20.
• During this ERD, we will be working on making decision and strategic plans by grade levels and groups as to how we will improve reading on our grade levels based on our Smart Goal. More information to follow.
• I will provide snacks for you this afternoon at our meeting:) We hope to conclude by 3:20.

Thursday-

• FAVORITE TEAM DAY-Wear apparel from your favorite team. Any Sport, Any team!
• 8:20-9:00 Observation
• 9:00-9:45 Observation
• 3:10 Post Observation Conference
• Book Fair Delivered today

Friday-

• EOQ-3rd Grade Math
• Post Conferences/Evaluations, continue

 I Love Picture Day! Isn't he just adorable?

Thank You Home Moravian for the $50 Gift Cards for Teacher Resources!

I have passed out most of the cards. Remember to save the original envelope to put your receipts in with your name on the receipt.  Put your thank you cards and your receipts in the BROWN envelope outside my door no later than November 4th, 2014. Thank you:)

Notes:  Looking Ahead to next week....

1. Monday, October 27th EOQ 4th and 5th grade Math
2. Tuesday, October 28, 4th and 5th grade Reading
3. Wednesday, October 29, 5th grade on-line Science
4. Newsletters Due to Administrators on the 29th
5. October 30th End of First Quarter and Fall Festival
6. October 31-No School RS Day Teacher Workday
7. If I have missed anything, please inform me.  Thanks:)

Saturday's Bully Walk Was A Great Start To Our Week......October 13th-October 17th 2014

 Families had a wonderful time at Family Arts Night........October 9, 2014

 Thank you so much to all of our Arts Team for an incredible evening of Arts.  Community members were able to create beautiful art, play and learn about soccer, Dance, practice and play band instruments,sing and participate in Media activities.  They also learned tips in Orchestra. This night was great fun for all. Thank you Arts Team.  I would also like to thank Ms. Pullen, Ms. Baccari, Ms. Taylor, Barbie Brown, Lisette Prato, Lisa O'Brien and Katie McGregor for lending their support to a great event.  We were also fortunate to have WFU with us that night.

 Annual Bully Prevention Walk!

Diggs-Latham Elementary "Stepped Up" on Saturday to help stamp out BULLYING! Our Students performed under the direction of Ann Farthing. Our girls sang 2 songs (atop the DASH Dugout) dealing with Character and Respect. They rocked the stage. Ms. Farthing did an excellent job teaching and rehearsing these songs on a minutes notice. Our girls performed in front of hundreds and Dr. Emory was in the front row.  Thank you so much to teachers for being flexible and realizing that this was really a big deal for our students and our school. We were specifically asked to do this. It was an honor. Performances take rehearsal and practice just as academics do. They are both important. I know we are short on time for both, but when we work together, our school is a better place! Balancing time between academics and the arts is a challenge for us all because both are so important but remembering that we are an Arts Magnet is important. There will other times throughout the year when kids will have to be pulled to rehearse. We keep this to a minimum, but it is important.  Thank you to all the families, teachers and friends who came out to support us.  A big thank you to Mrs. Studevent who helped coordinate the event and to Amanda Gordon who created the "Diggs-Latham Stepped Up" banner, and took great pictures for us.  She also did this on short notice. The posters were great as well.  Thanks to Zenyth and her husband and Katie, Charlie and Holland for all coming out to support us.  We also had several families:)  It was a Great Day at the Ballpark!

I love this quote!  It is so true, we make an impact on our colleagues, students, families and communities everyday. We want it to be a positive impact.  Our students and colleagues are facing a lot, some things you know about, some things you don't.  Keep that in mind as you go through your day. Know how important your smile, compassion and encouragement truly is to both our students and our colleagues. I have seen kid's faces light up when you give them a compliment or "brag" on them.   They know that you care about them. Thank you!  This is just one of the things that makes our school a great place to work.  Did you know that someone can gain information on the climate of a school after only being in the building 5 minutes?  They look to see how people interact with each other. Do the students seem happy?  Are there smiles in the classroom for a job well done?  Is the school safe and orderly?  Is there quality student work posted, Are hallway displays well thought out and content based? All these things MATTER:)

Looking Ahead:

• Make sure you are up to date on your PEPs
• 3-5 teachers, please make sure that you have read emails from Mrs. Wolfe concerning gradebooks. Ask questions now if you need help and we will be happy to help. Grades and graded work should go home weekly.
• Start planning your conferences for Quarter 1. The end of quarter 1 is October 30th.
• Fall Portraits on the 17th-Dr. Frazier will send out a schedule.
• Everyone can wear their Favorite Team Apparel on Favorite Team Day, Thursday, 10/23.
• Have you changed your hallway displays?  Add the content standard in the corner:)
• October 18th-Cannon will volunteer at Heart and Stroke Walk-Hope to see you out there! Tanglewood Park 7:00-11:00
• Early Release Day is October 22nd.
• Read to Achieve Local Assessment the week of October 19th
• Please pay close attention to Mrs. Perry's emails as important testing dates, etc.. are enclosed
• Have you joined our PTA?  We need you.
• The United Way Campaign is underway-See Alisha if you have questions:) We would love to have 100% participation. You can donate as much as you want or just a dollar.  Every penny counts for great causes. You can choose where you want your money to go
• SIT Meeting on the 21st
• Week of 26th Book Fair-Fall Festival will be October 30
• October 31 is a teacher workday-RS
• Nov. 3-Teacher of the Year Banquet at Old Salem-Mr. Powelson would have gone. Looks like I have no date for the evening:)  Congratulations to Mr. Powelson. We miss him.

Report Card Administrator Assignments, Tips, etc...

When turning your report cards in for review, firstly, you should make sure they are on time.  Secondly, put them in a folder with your name and grade clearly marked on it. Place in the folder a class roster. THIS IS NEW. The reason we are asking for this is because in the past we have been short report cards by accident. We want to help you by making sure that all students have cards. Please check to make sure that attendance, all grades, correctly spelled student names are included and the report card is complete. Switch with a coworker to proofread. It will save you from having to reprint the cards later after editing.  We waste a lot of paper if we keep having to reprint. If a child receives a poor grade, your comments should address this. If a child is doing a great job, put forth a lot of effort or has shown great character, your comments should reflect such. Comments are important. If grades and/or behavior are needing improvement, ask for a parent conference. Teachers often ask Dr. Frazier and I to sit in on conferences for support. We are happy to do so. Staying connected to families is important.  Dr. Frazier and I do our best to get the cards back to you quickly. We read every card. We glean a lot of valuable information from our work.

QUARTER 1-

End of Quarter 1 is October 30th

November 4th-Grade Verification to Mrs. Wolfe-It is also her Birthday!

November 6th-Report Cards Due to Administrators

Quarter 1 K-2 report cards go to Frazier and 3-5 Cards go to Cannon

Since we are off on the 11th for Veteran's Day, we will send cards home on the 12th

Would Love Your Feedback! Please respond to my comment at the end of the blog:) Thank You.

The Fair is Here and So is Fall! October 6-10th 2014

Diggs-Latham Shows Off Artistic Ability at the Dixie Classic Fair

A big thank you and congratulations to Mrs. Amanda Gordon and her Art Students for representing Diggs-Latham in Grand Fashion.  This display takes a lot of effort and we truly appreciate the work put in by students and Mrs. Gordon. A special thanks to colleague Zenyth Thomas who helped Mrs. Gordon with setup.  Now that is TEAMWORK!

Bully Walk This Saturday and Our Choral Students Are Performing!  WSFCS Bully Prevention Walk 10/11/14 at 8:15 am. We hope that you will all join us as we walk the mile to stamp out Bullying.  Last year we had a good size group of students, faculty members, staff, family members, etc...All are Welcome!  This is a photo from last year's walk.  

Diggs-Latham Dodge Ball-Thanks Ross and Emily!

We all had a great time last week at the Dodge Ball Game. DL staff floated in and out and a great workout was had by all.  This was also a great stress reliever!  Thank you to everyone who participated. Great Idea Ross!

Thank You to All Who Participated in Diggs-Latham Grounds Pride on Saturday Morning!

Thank you so much to the Grounds Committee for planning this terrific event. Students and staff coming together to beautify our grounds is truly admirable. It was a beautiful day and as a school, we so appreciate your giving up a Saturday.  I understand there are photos and I will put them on next week's blog!  Thank you Mrs. Ochoa, Mrs. Wright, Ms. Wynns, Ms. Magness, Mr. Wright and Mrs. Baccari.  If I left anyone off, please let me know as I am going by Dr. Frazier's list.  Thank you Dr. Frazier for having the building unlocked. I would have loved to have been there but my parents just sold their house and have to be moved in three weeks. I was helping them get ready for the big move to Florida:)  I am proud of you all for stepping up for our school!  THANK YOU.

Looking Ahead.........

10/6-Observations/Walk-Throughs     ITBS this week

10/7-4th and 5th grade Strings-WE WILL NOT CALL YOU. Be in the gym, seated and ready to go by 10:10.

10/7-Faculty Meeting 3:10  BRING your GREEN BOOK and be familiar with chapters 1 and 2.

10/9-Family Arts Night for Specialists, attendance is not mandatory for staff unless you are volunteering to help the specialists out:)

10/10 Book Worms Meeting for corporate volunteers at 9:00

10/11 Bully Prevention Walk at the Dash Stadium! COME JOIN US!

Family Affairs......Prayers and hugs to Mrs. Gilliam, Mrs. Hopson and Mr. Holmes as they continue to recover. We miss them all:)

Please Note: We will have workmen tackling the challenge of the erosion by the educator warehouse.  They will bring in some fill dirt, regrade and seed.  Keep your fingers crossed.  They will also be spreading the piles of mulch they left on the playground. They have been short handed.

September Is Coming To A Close-September 29th-October 3rd

Congratulations to Emily and Ross!!!!

It was a glorious day for a wedding and we all had an awesome time. The bride was beautiful and Ross was very handsome. It was a very beautiful setting and the reception was incredible. All of our Diggs-Latham Family that attended had a great time:)  Another DL wedding?....Who will be next?

 

PDPs and Self Assessment and Orientation Sign Off

Please try to get these things done today.  I have been working with the mentor sign off for PDPs and think I got it to work. Give it a try. Don't forget to sign-finalize and mark complete.  

Mentor Logs are due to Miss Kennedy on the 30th.  Make sure mentor and mentee fill in comments. List every time you met formally and informally and your reactions.

NEW SIP PLAN VOTE- We have taken all of your comments and suggestions so far and put them into the plan with the exception of how we will better utilize PRTs. The faculty is a bit split on that so we will table it for now and revisit it next meeting.  Please read the the goals, strategies and action steps and vote yes or no on the ballot.  The plan will be sent to you Monday Morning.  There will be a paper copy and an electronic copy put out as well.  Please vote in the conference room by ballot. Please make suggestions/all are welcome. Check your name off after you vote.  We will send the plan to Steve Oates and Title I on the 30th in the am.  Please vote in the conference room by 3:30 Monday afternoon. Remember that this is a working plan and it can be everchanging to meet our needs.

Week at a Glance:

• Pre-k and K teachers, be sure to see Ms. Kennedy to sign off on your NCAEYC documentation asap.
• Cannon to District Targeted Reading Mtg. Monday
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• CoGat Testing this week/See Mrs. Perry's email for details. She has the planning down to a science. If you are not sure how testing will effect you, please ask Mrs. Perry
• Mrs. Cannon will have her Principal of the Year Interview on Tuesday morning
• 9/30 SIT Plan Due
• 10/1 We will have Early Release Day beginning at about 1:20 in order to get everybody here. Please remind your students again.
• DL Grounds Pride this Saturday, October 4th.
• Arts Night coming up on the 9th.  
• Fall Protraits the 17th
• ALL Newsletters should be submitted already.

WE WILL HAVE A FIRE DRILL ONE DAY THIS WEEK!

DID You Know?

Ross and Leslie, in collaboration with Fleet Feet will be creating and conducting a Running Club for our students. Fleet Feet will provide each child with a free pair of specially fitted running shoes. The goal is to get the students to run a 5K.  Thanks for the leadership Leslie and Ross. You ROCK!  Thank you Fleet Feet as well!!!!!