Get Caught

Students, let me catch you. Reading, that is. I want to catch you in the act of reading. I will be on patrol with my camera to look for students who are reading. If you are one of those, I may take your picture to post on a bulletin board, and/or this blog. So remember to keep your library or AR book handy and take every chance you can to read. You never know when I might show up with my camera.

HINT: Remember, if you come to school before 7:45 and wait in the halls, you are supposed to be reading during that time. That is an excellent time for me to "catch you reading".

How to find out if a book has an AR quiz

If you would like to find out if the book your child wants to read has an AR quiz, just follow these simple steps:

In your computer's search engine, go to the following address: www.renlearn.com . Click on "Visit our on-line store". In the Quiz Store box, click on "Quiz Search". In the drop-down box you may search by Title, Author, Quiz number, or ISBN number.


That's all there is to it!! Have fun with your search.

Computer Day!

Wow, what a hectic, productive day today. Thanks to David Cochran and the University of Alabama, Gadsden Center, for the loan of 30 computers. Mrs. Goodwin and I, along with our system technology gurus spent the day moving, placing and installing the computers in our computer lab and in classrooms. These machines will replace older machines and computers the University Center had loaned us previously. Although these machines aren't "new", they are new to us and are a great addition to our available technology. We are very fortunate to have David as a parent at our school and as a member of the Technology Committee. Thank you, David. Thanks also to our system technology team for the extras hands. We aren't quite finished with the set up, but we made lots of progress today.

DIBELing Time

We began our DIBELS assessments today for grades K - 3. DIBELS, Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, is administered three times a year, at the beginning of the school year, at mid-year, and at the end of the school year to help assess students basic literacy skills. This assessment gives teachers valuable information about students' reading abilities and helps to guide instruction in reading. When the tests are completed, you will receive information about your child's performance and tips on how to help your child in areas in which they may need improvement. You may also check this blog for further information and links to helpful sites you and your child might enjoy visiting together. Please remember that the benchmark scores are the MINIMUM scores . Our school has high expectations for our students and we strive to help our students score above the minimum benchmarks. As a parent, you are invaluable in helping your child achieve his/her best.

Morning Traffic

I am finally going to begin using this blog for what I had intended it for...

For any parent who might have stumbled upon this blog, here is a little information about the morning school traffic. Mrs. Piazza, our school counselor, and I will be out front most mornings to help with the traffic flow. We have five helpful young ladies who will be opening car doors and helping your student get into the building. We ask that you unload in the mornings in a manner similar to the afternoons by pulling up to the most far position on the curb. By doing this, we should be able to unload more children, more quickly. For your child's safety, only use the lane closest to the sidewalk for unloading, having your child exit the car on the right, next to the sidewalk. The lane to the outside, nearer to Noccalula Road should be kept clear for moving traffic that needs to park or to drive on to the parking area near the gym.

Please remember that the parks directly in front of the school are reserved for the faculty. There are parking areas available for parents in the upper parking lot and the parking area near the gym. Never park or leave your vehicle next to the curb beside the sidewalk. This area is only for loading or unloading your children. Parking is this area blocks traffic flow and causes an inconvenience for all.

I am sure that you have noticed the trees from the front of the building have disappeared. They will soon be replaced with an awning which will help protect your student from the weather. We're all looking forward to having some shade again!!

Thanks in advance for your help and cooperation with our traffic. With cooperation by all, dropping off your children in the mornings should move smoothly and quickly.

Back at it

Well, school is back is session and it has been nonstop since last Monday. I haven't had time to even slow down long enough to catch my breathe, and I know everyone else at school feels the same way. Once school begins, it is nonstop. Maybe we'll get a little breather at Thanksgiving, when we have our first break.

I have been so busy trying to get everyone's computers ready for the new AR we're putting into place this year that I haven't been able to really begin my "real" job. Maybe I can get the tech stuff mostly finished tomorrow, then I might can really begin doing what I need to be doing. Sometimes it's very frustrating to wear two hats...

At the beach for my son's wedding

Down to the Wire!

Well, school will begin in just a couple of weeks and here I am in the middle of a painting and remodeling project at home. I guess I work better under pressure and the pressure is on to get as much done as I can before I go back to work. I normally would not have waited so late in the summer to begin, but I couldn't get my son to come clean out his old bedroom! So now, here I am trying to get as far along with it as I can. I have the painting almost completed, and I hope to begin sewing the curtains later this week.

I am also feeling some pressure to get this blog up and running like I had intended to do, so if you happen to be reading this, bear with me. Sometimes it takes me several running starts before I get my momentum going.

School will begin before I'm ready. As soon as school begins, life will become hectic and there will be no slowing down until we break for Christmas. There is so much to do in the upcoming school year. I have several new and donated computers to get set up in teachers' classrooms. I feel that I need to be at the school working on that right now, but its really hard to set up machines without the teacher being there, because, more than likely, whereever I might place them , they'll want them moved! Double work!

Learning to do this!

Well, I am trying something new. We'll see how this goes. I hope to use this as a means of communication with parents and students about reading.