"Week At A Glance"

The mission of Mitchell Road Elementary School is to educate all students in a safe, inclusive learning environment while challenging them to be lifelong learners, prepared for their future as compassionate, respectful, and self-disciplined citizens.

• Janice Tucker on October 2 (3K)
• Jessica Biggert on October 6 (intervention)
  
• Katie Lee on October 11 (first grade)
  
• Maria Rodriguez on October 16 (custodian)
  
• Sarah Harris on October 18 (permanent sub)
  
• Matt Sears on October 20 (first grade)
  
• Danielle Rementeria on October 21 (cafeteria)
  
• Christine Schuver on October 29 (first grade)
• 🎉🎉🎉HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 🎉🎉🎉
  

From Jennifer: Thank you all for a smooth return to school for our students! It is good to have everyone back in the building. Thank you to Faculty Council for your focus during our meeting last week as we discussed several very important topics!

Below are the links to the parent messenger that I send out each Sunday. You are welcome to share the link, part of the information, graphics, etc. in your parent communication and on your website.

Week 1: August 11, 2024

Week 2: August 18, 2024

Week 3: August 25, 2024

Week 4: September 2, 2024

Week 5: September 8, 2024

Week 6: September 15, 2024

Week 7: September 22, 2024

Week 8: October 8, 2024

Week 9: October 14, 2024

It is time to do our beginning of the year CKH survey. Everyone who has been trained in CKH should have access to the online system of resources. The survey should be on the left hand side when you sign in. There are only 4 questions to the survey. I need you to email me once you have completed it.

If you have not looked at the tips for October, please do so to help you in planning for this month. This will help you quickly find some ideas to keep CKH alive and well in your own classroom. Please share with me if you find something new you want to try out. I would love to come see it!

• UPDATE: The SLO fall due date has been extended to Friday, October 25.
• All teachers are asked to complete the SLO form in Classroom Mosaic this year. There is a place in Mosaic to upload data, but you will not be uploading the SLO Form (the form is linked for your use in seeing the different sections). A resource for teachers to help navigate Classroom Mosaic can be found here:
• Classroom Mosaic and SLO Guide for Teachers
  
• Teachers should choose a specific interval of instruction. For example, a specific unit that identifies certain power standards/indicators or a reasonable period of time (at a minimum 6- 9 weeks) to master the learning.
• There are three sections to complete in October:
• Student Learning Objective
• Baseline Data
• Preliminary Conference (when you meet with your administrator)
• Three SLO conferences will occur:
• Pre-interval of instruction conference prior to the SLO due date. Principals, Instructional Coaches and Teachers may want to use the SLO Quality Review Tool to review the SLO.
• Mid-Interval of Instruction Review conference held midway through the interval of instruction.
• Final review conference should be held no later than early-mid April. Teachers not being formally evaluated will complete the SLO Data Review form. The SLO will be scored using the rubric on the form.

As a reminder, teachers will have the opportunity to decide to do an ELA or math goal. The goal needs to be on an area where your students need improvement. If majority of your students score high on the pre-assessment, it isn't an appropriate growth goal. The period of time for the goal can be from now until April or a six to nine week period. SLOs will be submitted this year through Classroom Mosaic. SLO conferences will start to be scheduled this week. Both Lori Anne and I will send out a sign-up sheet with times for each of our groups. You can see who your administrator is below.

From MRES

**IMPORTANT UPDATE: Lesson Plans

After meeting with all grade levels and discussing school progress with the leadership team, we recognize the need to take steps to move forward in our preparations for lesson planning. I wanted to share some specific guidelines we will follow now for lesson plans. To be sure everyone is prepared to teach, it is critical that lesson plans are well developed so that instruction remains focused, engaging, and effective. All teachers need to be sure that the guidelines found here are followed each week. It is important that everyone share their portion of the plans by THURSDAY of the week prior to instruction so that teammates can make any needed adjustments and/or ask questions. Moving forward, the leadership team will be providing feedback on lesson plans so that we can ensure high quality instruction is being prepared for each day.

Digital Citizenship Week

This week is Digital Citizenship Week! Here are some resources you may find useful that Mrs. Cloer shared:

https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship-week

Elementary School Calendar

From the District

Open Enrollment - Update

The district has assigned a make up day to Mitchell Road for Open Enrollment due to the storm. The make up day will be 10/25 and the appointments will all be by phone call. This is now open in the system.

Open Enrollment Meetings are no longer mandatory. All coverages other than MoneyPlus Spending Accounts will rollover to 2025. Employees must re-enroll in MoneyPlus Spending Accounts annually. Those plans will NOT carryover to 2025.

All employees that need to make a change to their benefits will have that opportunity. Employees can make changes directly with PEBA through their MyBenefits website at any time through 10/31/2024. Late enrollments WILL NOT be accepted. You can also contact Ward Services for any voluntary benefit changes at 1-800-673-6472. In addition, we will have walk-in appointments at the Central Office on 10/30/2024 and 10/31/2024 to assist you.

If you need assistance scheduling an appointment through the online scheduler, please contact Ward Services at 1-844-533-2022. We do have some Saturday call center options available as well.

To schedule your appointment to confirm coverage, enroll or make changes for 2025 please following the instructions below.

1. Visit wardservices.com/greenville
2. Select your location, date and time for your appointment*
3. Enter your contact information to confirm your selection

*If there are no appointments for your location, please change the Appointment Type to Call Center and select an option. We are adding Phone Appointments as quickly as we can.

If you have a concern related to a benefits change, please contact the Benefits Department at 864-355-0960 or benefits@greenville.k12.sc.us and we will be happy to assist you.

Impact Leadership GCS With Furman University

In partnership with Furman University, Greenville County Schools is offering a new tuition assistance for a selected Educational Leadership Cohort. Furman University’s Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in School Leadership is best suited for experienced teachers ready to expand their leadership opportunities outside of the traditional classroom and it leads to SC certification as a building level leader. This opportunity is open to professionally certified Greenville County Schools employees who have not already completed certification in building leadership. Interested teachers should contact Kay Goodwin for assistance with the application process. For more information, you can listen to the Furman Information Session. We have REVISED the Furman Timeline for Impact Leadership Cohort given the missed days of school.
Links: Furman Impact Leadership Program | Furman’s Graduate Application

DEADLINE EXTENDED Employee Spotlight Nominations

This is an opportunity for ANY employee to nominate a fellow GCS employee who deserves to have light shown on their contributions and accomplishments within their work at GCS. Any GCS employee in good standing may be nominated. The application includes a description of why the nominee is deserving, how the nominee goes above and beyond to exceed expectations, and what is different, better or improved because of the nominee. The deadline is Monday, October 14.
Link: Nomination Form Contact: Matt Moore, 355-0821

Virtual Parent Event

SmartSocial, in partnership with GCS, will be hosting a LIVE, virtual event for parents on October 17. A sign-up link and information you can share with parents in English and Spanish are below. Session Summary: Combating Online Bullying - Supporting Positive Student Behaviors at School and at Home. Are you concerned about the impact of online bullying in the classroom and at home? You’re not alone! SmartSocial will be hosting a LIVE, virtual event designed to provide parents with tips, strategies, and ways to reduce cyberbullying behaviors and foster positive student behaviors. Get a $5 Starbucks gift card for coming to the event to learn how to better support your child, your school, and your community navigate the dangers of cyberbullying. Tuesday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m.
Link: Event Registration | English Flyer | Spanish Flyer

From MRES

MRES Staff Shout Out Form

Anyone can submit a staff shout out for another staff member by using this SHOUT OUT GOOGLE FORM.

Parent Conferences

It is time for our first round of parent/teacher conferences. District policy requires all homeroom teachers provide two conferences for parents per year. It is best that these conferences be held in person. If there are scheduling conflicts, a Google Meet or phone conference is allowed. The phone conference should be considered a last resort. Teachers can start scheduling these conferences as you see fit. You can either hold them during your planning period, before school, after school, or teacher workday (if applicable). Due to our weather days, conferences need to be complete by the end of the first week in November. Here are some friendly reminders for holding your conferences.

*If you have a conference scheduled for 3:45pm or after, you will need to meet the parent in the office because there will not be anyone there to let the parent inside the building.

Flu Clinic

Our Flu Clinic has been rescheduled for Wednesday, October 16 at 10:00am. We must have 20 people signed up to hold this for our staff. The sign up sheet is still beside the mailboxes. Please add your name if you are interested so that we have an accurate count.

LETRS Training

As a reminder, we will have unit 3 LETRS training on Monday, October 14. If you have not completed unit 2, you have until October 30 to finish that work. Be sure you are also keeping up with your portfolio tasks. We have to monitor the completion of the work and portfolio case studies. If you have questions or need assistance, see Karen.

Health Room Availability at End of Day

As we discussed in our PD before the storm, please be aware that starting at 1:45pm each day, the Health Room will be open only for emergencies, urgent needs, or scheduled medication administration. This time is reserved for the school nurse to complete essential reporting tasks without interruptions. Emergencies and urgent needs include, but are not limited to, new injuries requiring immediate care, active vomiting or diarrhea, and signs of fever. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation with this update.

Dreambox

Congratulations to Mitchell Road for having an average of 5 or more lessons in Dreambox for the month of September! As a reminder, students should be completing 5-8 lessons in Dreambox per week. Teachers need to monitor that data to be sure enough lessons but not too many lessons are being done each week. Please have a system for that.

Reflex

Our Reflex subscription has been renewed. Kayla will be reaching out to all new teachers to be sure your class has access. If anyone has trouble with Reflex, talk with Kayla.

United Way

Our United Way Campaign will be Oct. 16 - 25. Details will be shared before our PD on Wednesday, October 16.

From the District

Important Terminology Update

Per direction from the district, we will longer use the term SEL. In South Carolina, we will be using the term “Character and Resilience Education.” Please ensure the term SEL is not on your websites or schedules or used as a reference term.

Lockdown Drill Reminder

The lockdown drills with law enforcement will be starting soon. Please make sure you review those procedures with your students and have that information at the start of your lesson plans and emergency plans.

Dreambox

Be sure that your students are completing 5-8 lessons per week on Dreambox. The leadership team is monitoring this data. Students should not be going beyond 8 lessons. Here is a PD opportunity coming up soon:

The district will be offering a deeper dive into Dreambox on the dates below. This will be a virtual PD from 3:00-4:00pm and links will be sent the morning of the PD to registered participants. These sessions will include how teachers can use the assignment feature based on Power Standards. There are three options for teachers to choose from. Click on the date that works best for you to register.

Using Dreambox to Support Power Standards (click on a date to register - same session offered three times)

October 10th
October 15th
October 22nd

Report Cards

Monday, October 21- Q1 Ends

Tuesday, October 22- Verification Reports due to Bradford by 2:45

Monday, October 28- Report Cards go home

Benchmark Testing

Thursday, October 17: MVPA for grade 2 for ELA

Friday, October 18: MVPA for grade 2 for math

Monday, October 21: MVPA for grades 3-5 for ELA

Tuesday, October 22: MVPA for grades 3-5 for math

Wednesday, October 23: MVPA for grade 4 for science

October 24-25: MVPA makeups

KRA for Kindergarten Students

K5 teachers & Agudelo: KRA is now due on Oct. 21

Amira

Teachers: If you have students with an Amira benchmark score that you think is incorrect, causing their Amira progress monitoring to be at the wrong level, please email Karen with the details. Karen is compiling a list for Amira Support.

Required Training in ACEs and TIPS for New Teachers/Administrators

All new administrators and teachers are required to complete the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) PD and the Trauma-Informed Practices (TIPs) PD. PD date options: 10/21 3:00-5:30 (both ACEs and TIPs) OR 10/28 4:00-5:00 ACEs and either 11/4 4-5:30 TIPs or 11/7 3:30-5:00 TIPs. All sessions will be held at MT Anderson. Note: most GATE teachers completed both PDs in the summer.

Links: 10/21 3-5:30 Registration | 10/28 4-5 Registration | 11/4 Registration | 11/7 Registration

*All new teachers must email me to let me know when you are taking the training.

UPDATE Fall Upbeat Survey

The survey will take place October 21 to November 1. A link to the survey will be shared with you when the survey window opens. The survey is iPhone/device compatible, so feel free to complete the survey in whichever way is easiest for you. A third-party administrator assists the district with survey administration which is anonymous and secure. We appreciate you taking the time to complete the survey, your feedback is very important!

*2024-25 MRES Google Calendar Link

October

Monday, October 14: LETRS Training Day #3 for applicable staff members (teacher workday for other staff)

Wednesday, October 16: Make-up Flu Clinic at MRES (must have 20 people signed up)

Wednesday, October 16: AI Professional Development from 2:45-4:30pm (media center)

October 17 and 18: Donuts for Dads and Other Male Figures in the cafeteria from 7:00-7:45am

Thursday, October 17: MVPA for grade 2 for ELA

Friday, October 18: MVPA for grade 2 for math

Monday, October 21-November 1: Upbeat Survey window

Monday, October 21:End of the first quarter!

Monday, October 21: MVPA for grades 3-5 for ELA

Tuesday-Thursday, October 22-25: CogAt/Iowa testing for second grade

Tuesday, October 22: MVPA for grades 3-5 for math

Wednesday, October 23: MVPA for grade 4 for science

Wednesday, October 23: Professional development in the media center at 2:45pm

Thursday/Friday, October 24-25: MVPA makeups

Thursday, October 24: PTA Skate Night at Taylors Roller Rink from 6:00-8:00pm (cash only - 5 dollars per skater)

Friday, October 25: SIC Meeting at 7:00am

Friday, October 25: PTA Treat Cart

Monday, October 28: First Quarter Report Cards Sent Home

Monday, October 28: PTA general membership meeting and performance by K5, 1st, and 2nd graders at 6:00pm (all teachers of those grade levels must attend)

Tuesday, October 29: Special Education Learning Walks

Wednesday, October 30: Committees in the Media Center at 2:45pm (refreshments provided by kindergarten)

Thursday, October 31: K5 costume parade at 8:30am

Thursday, October 31: Retirement representative available in faculty lounge

Email: jholman@greenville.k12.sc.us
Website: https://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/mitchell/
Location: 4124 East North Street, Greenville, SC, USA
Phone: (864) 355 - 6710
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Mitchell-Road-Elementary-School/100050881973460/
Twitter: @mitchell_road