Tharptown Elementary School

With all the uncertainty, with all the stress, with all the demands, with all the changes, and even with all the problems, you all must still remember why you came to do what you do. You made a committment to students and you make a difference in their lives. You instill hope, dreams, and provide opportunities for students to achieve success. You are a difference maker and a life changer! Even when you get discouraged, always remember why you came into the profession of teaching!

Imagine Math is a wonderful, adaptive online math program that is designed to provide individualized instruction that addresses deficit skill areas in math as well as providing enrichment learning activities for advanced students. The program can be accessed from any Internet accessible computer so students can use it at school or at home.

We are participants in the Imagine Learning Pilot Program Initiative which means they are providing access to the program for no cost. I know many of you have used it and will agree that it is beneficial to your students.

As participants in the pilot program, we are asked to:

• have students complete three benchmark assessments. These are essential to assessing growth for our students.
• Encourage students and provide the opportunity for students to complete 1-2 lessons per week with the overall goal of completing 30 lessons passed per year.

I ask all regular classroom teachers to have their students take the initial math benchmark within the next couple of week and find opportunities for your students to use Imagine Learning in the classroom. It doesn't have to be in long periods of time but can be as short as 15-20 minutes. It can be done when students rotate in stations or small groups or when students complete classroom work and sitting at their desk. You can even use a Chromebook cart and integrate Imagine Math into your whole group math lessons. There may be time at the beginning of the or even while students wait on the bus. The possibilities are endless. Remember that Imagine Learning is not only a formative assessment tool, but it is a great instructional tool designed to address deficit skill areas for our students!

We just want to make sure that we are taking full advantage of this powerful resource for our students. Last year, several teachers did some very creative things with Imagine Math by creating competitions and offering incentives for students. Keep encouraging our students to use Imagine Learning!

Mrs. Vincent will be delivering a baby boy very soon. We will be honoring her with a diapers and wipes shower on October 6th!

Remember, all students in grades 2 - 6 and all school personnel are required to wear masks at school. The mask should cover the mouth and nose areas. Also remember to follow social distancing guidelines. We all want to do all we can to reduce the spread of the virus! Thanks for all of your help!

October 2nd is National School Custodian Appreciation Day. Our custodians do so much for our school and help all of us each day. If you would like to show your appreciation for them by helping us get a gift card, just drop off your money in the front office with Ms. Tverberg no later than September 30.

TVA is offering STEM grants for classroom teachers again this year! Teachers are encouraged to submit their project ideas in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math for a chance to earn a grant for up to $5,000! Applications are now open and close October 16. Visit http://tva.me/h1oy50BqiKD to apply and find more information. Ms. Lucas received this grant last year and she has used the funds to purchase many awesome STEM materials for her classroom!

Health screenings for October 2nd have been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date. They plan to rescheduled in the winter or spring. They will bring Flu shots at a later date in October.

Mrs. Laura Stockton was the winner of the drawing for perfect attendance for the last payroll period! She will be treated to the lunch of her choice. Thank you, Mrs. Stockton for being at work each day! We appreciate all you do!

We will have a fire drill on Monday, September 28th. With the restrictions of Corona Virus, we will be doing the fire drill somewhat different.

• We will sound the fire alarm once in the morning so the students can hear what it sounds like and understand what the alarm means. Do NOT evacuate the building at that time.
• We will be evacuating the buildings by the schedule below and have a fire drill for each building. Please have the students maintain as much social distancing as possible.
• We will annouce the fire drill for each building with the radio so please make sure the radio is charged, volume turned up, and teachers close to their doors so they can hear the drill announcement. Make sure to review the fire drill procedures with your students prior to your scheduled drill.

Fire Drill Schedule

8:40 a.m. - K-1 Building

9:40 a.m. - Main Building

10:00 a.m. - 6th Grade Building

11:00 a.m. - 2nd Grade Building

11:30 a.m. - 3rd Grade Building

A huge thanks to all of you for the wonderful birthday wishes and the amazing gift you gave me! I appreciate all of you so much for thinking of me and making me feel so special! It is great to be surrounded by such a great work family!