The Principal's Day

Laptops, Ipads, Ipods, Iphones, smart phones and more!

Email, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, Pinterest, Instagram, and then…

Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

We have lots of ways to communicate in 2012.  Do you ever feel overwhelmed?  Do you ever just ignore or even delete those emails? What do you like? When do you say enough is enough?  I spent some time over the break cleaning up my home email inbox. I started unsubscribing to all those newsletters and companies that sucked me in in the beginning.  The ones that convinced me my life would be better by reading their insights or tips, and getting their coupons every day or week .  I am trying to simplify my life starting with my inbox!  Can you relate?

At VPE we must prepare our kids for the technology of the future! Our new standards include a communication strand… writing in blogs, emails, and more. We begin internet safety starting in kindergarten.   My 17 year-old son announced last night that fax machines are dinosaurs and he did not in fact see why we really needed paper at all.  I am sure that as he was explaining it to us he was writing a profound tweet on twitter about it too! Today, I just got off the phone with a college professor whose students’ first assignment is to blog about the way they like to communicate!  We know that our students today will be communicating tomorrow in ways that have not even been invented yet!

So at VPE we are trying lots of new ways to communicate with our families!  All classrooms have websites, some are creating blogs, PTA has Facebook, and I am using the Instagram smartphone app for quick snapshots! Pick them all, or the ones you like! Just get plugged into technology at VPE, and help us prepare our students for the future!

Check out the Instagram pictures below taken last week!

It is that time of year… New Year’s Resolutions!

Here is my list:

1. Take more time for my family - I do have a senior in high school so I guess I should try to enjoy his last days at home…. Can you enjoy a teenage boy and all his friends? Smile!!!!
2. Make sure I know every child’s name at VPE - The research is clear that every children need to have adults in their lives who make personal connections with them every day.  There is a scary study out there that says over 40% of high school students don’t know if their teachers know their names.  I am going to make sure my kids at VPE know I know their names.
3. Visit every classroom twice a day - I want to visit every class every day but sometimes the paperwork, emails, meetings, conferences, and phone calls trap me! I am going to try to put those things in my early morning and after school routines!
4. Smile more - What can go wrong if you are smiling?
5. Listen more - Sometimes, if we listened more, the answers would come easier.
6. Complain less - New standards will continue to come, assessments at the state and national levels will continue to change. Let’s just make a difference at VPE, with VPE kids, and everything else will be all right!
7. Celebrate the little successes more - Our kids excel every day in reading, writing, math, art, music, sports, and more! We aren’t all going to be the same, so let’s make sure we celebrate our successes!
8. Blog every week - Follow me at http://amybmcvey.edublogs.org/
9. Read more books!
10. Take an instagram  picture every day -Follow VPE in pictures with the free Instagram smart phone app, username: VPEINACTION.  Here is today’s picture:
    

    Brrr... Arrival was chilly but smooth on January 3! No Tardies!

Okay… Okay… ten is too many, but I sure hope I can do a few things to make a difference for my family and VPE in 2012!

Okay… I was really going to blog every week this year and I have failed miserably!
During the first week of December, I went to an INNOVATIVE SUMMIT – I am ready to go again.

MOTIVATED!!!!

I want my blog to be all about  the great things that go on daily at VPE!

Here are just a few of the great things I have observed in December…

• Blogging Professional Development with 9 teachers – Trying to take the next steps to ensure that our students are ready for the technology skills they will need next week, next year and beyond!
•  SBDM Meeting – Parents and teachers talking about how to get more parents  at VPE!
• Winter Chorus Program – Every child that wanted to sing, dance or speak got a part! WOW!
• Orchestra Program – 80+ students, one of the largest orchestra programs in the district and they sounded FABULOUS!
• Lower Primary Students  – Caroling at Local Nursing Homes! Over 100 students loaded on buses for a morning to learn what it means to just smile, sing and be nice to lonely people!
• Annual Food Drive -  Second to none; Literally -Once again we won the local food drive AND donated the $1000 right back to God’s Pantry to help other needy families!
• 5th grade – I took an algebra test and did not do very well.. oh dear!  The great thing about the test was that I could have my answers checked, correct my mistakes  AND  still get half credit!  So could the students! It was not all about grades but all about learning; AND I LEARN LOTS! Did you do problems like this in 5th grade?  I did not!
  Solve for X…
  3x-100>4x+10
• Upper Primary Teachers working together – Team teachers pouring over the new standards, comparing their students’ work to the standards.  They are determined that every child will be prepared to meet the new challenges of the new standards!
• 4th Grade Students  - dissecting owl pellets – Not my favorite activity, but they could explain the adaptations of the barn owl, and the food chain with easy! They won’t forget that learning.

Luckiest person in the world?  That’s me! I get to shake hands and talk to all 674 students!

After today, every homeroom class will have visited me in my office.  Their homework is to go home and tell their parents that they have been to the principal’s office, wait for the shock… and then explain it was only for a good reason. It is a great tradition that I do every year.  I get to meet the new students and practice names of our returning ones.  I get to answer questions and explain exactly what a principal does…

Here are some of the common questions I am asked, along with some new ones that were really good this year. Remember they will ask anything…

Q:      How many years have you been a principal at VPE?
A:      I am starting my 8^th year.

Q:      What did you do before you were a principal? 
A:      I taught kindergarten, 1^st, 2^nd, and 5^th grades.  I even taught lower primary with Ms. Lindeman when VPE opened 15 years ago.

Q.      Can we have more homework?
A.      You can always read some extra books, or get on our website and check out the technology websites and games.  Don’t forget that practicing your addition, subtraction and multiplication facts is always good, too!

Q.      Why can’t our parents walk us to our classrooms every day?A.      Two reasons:
1. Logistics – with 674 students there just isn’t enough parking or room in the building to get everyone in and out every morning and begin our day by 7:45 a.m.
2.  Academics – When students come to their classrooms independently, our teachers can give them their undivided attention from the minute they enter the room. The learning starts right away!

Q.      What do your parents do?
A.      My mom is a retired teacher, and my dad is a retired elementary principal.  They live in Mt. Sterling and love to visit VPE!

Q.      How many teachers have you fired?
A.      None, we only hire the best!

Q.      Is that your brother in that picture with you?
A.      No, that’s my 17 year old son and his girlfriend!!!!!! 

Had to stop with this one since it made me feel so young…
I love my job! The kids are so much fun!

Stay tuned for news about our different assessments next week!

• Kindergarten Kickoff – Check!
• New Student Orientation – Check!
• Back2School Bash – Check!
• First Day of School – Check!
• Everyone Home Safe & Sound – Check!

As we reflect on all the activities we have had in just a few short weeks I can’t say thank you enough for the great teamwork among the staff, PTA, parents, and our community!

At VPE, we try so very hard to make everyone feel welcome!! It takes the whole team to pull that off, from the custodians working tirelessly all summer to make our school look brand new school again, to the teachers and assistants who go over the top, spending late nights and weekends at VPE to make the classrooms look their very best.  Of course we can’t leave out our PTA who pulls off a bigger and better BACK2SCHOOL Bash each year. They also welcome new parents, stuff folders, chalk sidewalks with welcome back messages and more, EVERYONE HAS AN IMPORTANT JOB!

So this morning 90 staff members and 670+ students arrived shedding only a few tears (by mostly parents).  As I quietly walked through the building at 8:45 a.m., the learning was already well underway… reading, writing, and math with technology integrated into all of it!  One lower primary student looked up at me and said, “My mom said I would learn a lot today but she had no idea how much!  I can’t wait to tell her I should be able to read by next week at this rate!” 

I know I speak for my staff when I say, “We can’t wait to do it all again tomorrow!!” 

WATCH US SHINE! IT IS GOING TO BE A SUPER YEAR AT VETERANS PARK ELEMENTARY!

Today we got see our incoming Kindergarteners! They came in all shapes and sizes and while some arrived hanging on to parents for dear life with worried looks, I am proud to report they all left with smiles, high fives and laughter! This is all thanks to our fabulous staff and welcoming PTA! One parent even popped her back into the library to say this is such a happy place!

Going back to school doesn’t have to mean homework fights and bedtime protests. Talk about homework rules and daily routines before school starts. Then, enforce family rules consistently. Brown Conroy, the author of 20 Secrets to Success With Your Child, also advises parents to think ahead to what difficult situations their children may encounter, such as making new friends, and to talk about ways to deal with these situations before they occur.

School will be a great place for your child if you approach it with a positive attitude, build relationships with our teachers and work together!

SEE YOU REAL SOON!

• Lots of training on the new standards (Check out the new standards here!) for our teachers and a multitude of hours of technology training, too… please be patient with our new website, remember the entire district changed!
• Hired a wonderful new librarian, Ms. Ault! Congratulations to Ms. Simpson, who retired!
• Hired a new PSA, Ms. Puckett, This is her 15th  year at VPE so it will be a smooth transition! Congratulations to Ms. Roberts, who retired.
• Hired  a new Music Teacher, Ms. Bishop! Best wishes to Ms. Bosworth, who will going to the new elementary school.
• Hired 2 new upper primary teachers, Ms. Fox and Ms. Kenney! I can’t wait for you to meet them! Congratulations to Ms. Bradley, who retired!
• Added snow guards for the roof!
• Replaced the damaged bricks all around the building (actually this project won’t be done until Labor Day!)
• Resurfaced the parking lots.
• Updated the court yard pond with a waterfall. Thanks Ms. Lindeman!
• Cleaned all the classrooms including the carpet!
• Scrubbed and added 6 new coats  of wax on all the tile floors! WATCH THEM SHINE!
• Hung the VPE BARN QUILT on Mrs. McVey’s Parents Barn in Mt. Sterling.  Stay tuned for directions if your family would like to take a trip to visit!

The office staff is all about supporting our students!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have talked to all our classes about our state testing over the past week.  I always ask them, ”Why do we test?”  A zealous 3rd grader summed it up best… “So our parents know what we learned this year!”  And learned they have! We are so proud of the progress that we see on our MAP testing and are sure the CATS test will show the progress as well.   I have celebrated HUGE jumps on MAP tests with many students and even called some parents to celebrate!   Yesterday  we had a teacher in tears because of the remarkable progress every single student has made this year! Our staff  is always proud of the excellent student achievement data each year, but we are more proud of the life long learners that we are helping to mold. 

 

As the testing goes along please remember that going to bed early and eating breakfast make a big difference.  The only homework students have is reading so that they can get outside and exercise in the afternoons (if it every stops raining)! 

I always end my discussion with students about testing by telling them that they have the best teachers and parents in the world and they won’t see anything new on the tests! IT IS THEIR TIME TO SHINE! As the testing window continues, encourage your students to do their best every single day! We are so very proud!

The lower primary classes are looking for their Gingerbread Men that ran away!  Check out the one my parents found in Florida.  Remember my Dad is a retired elementary principal so he totally understands that learning can be fun no matter your age! Enjoy!

http://www.veterans.fcps.net/Project_Documents/gbreadman.pdf

Welcome to Snow Day # 6!  One snow day here and there is fun but I think we are bordering on too much of a good thing!!  I love to look out at the beautiful white stuff but enough is enough!   We miss working with our students and helping them learn all that they can in our 177 days of school each year!

What can you do with your child on a on a snow day?
Here are just a few ideas….
Read a book!
Check out the VPE technology page - Link to the VPE technology page!
Play game!
Practice math facts!
Write a story!
Start a journal!
Draw a story map!
Paint a picture!

Time to update the calendars… the last day of school is now June 2!  We will have school on February 11 & March 4 now as well. Stay tuned for an official up-to-date calendar coming home next week!