Wayne County Elementary Schools

February Updates

2012-02-22T04:39:00.000-08:00

Important Dates to Remember:

March 5-Nine weeks ends

March 5-Last date to request second semester field trips

March 6-Young People's Concert for fifth graders

March 11-Daylight Savings Time begins

March 13-Report cards go home

March 15-Parent conference for elementary 4:00-6:30 p.m.

March 15-17-All State Chorus

March 16-Early release

March 17-Regional Spelling Bee

March 29-All County Chorus

April 2-6-Spring Break

April 11-27-Elementary WESTEST Online Writing Assessment

April 20-ISE Day

April 23-Elementary Midterm ends

April 30-Midterm reports go home

May 2-Kids Day for Pre-School Students

May 8-Primary Election, No School

May 11-Wayne County Relay for Life

May 28-Memorial Day

May 29-ISE Day

May 30-Last Day for Teachers

Pre-KG and Kg Registration

Schools are now taking pre-registration for students that will enter pre-kg and kindergarten for school year 2012-2013. If you have a child that will be four years old before September 1 they are eligible for pre-kg. Your child must be five years old before Sept. 1 to register for kindergarten. Each elementary school has registration forms. Please contact the elementary school in the district in which you live for a form.

You will be contacted by the school for an appointment for screening and complete registration.

Parents will need to provide a birth certificate (issued by the state department of vital statistics), complete immunization record and social security card at the screening.

Wayne County is a universal pre-kg county. That means that we have a space for any four year old that wants to attend one of our pre-kg programs.

Summer Critical Skills Program

Wayne County Schools will offer a free summer critical skills program for students needing additional instruction in reading and math. The dates for the program are June 11, 2012-July 12, 2012. There are two components to the program. The onsite program is for students that have completed third and eighth grade. The online program is for students in grades K-2 and 4-7.

Three sites are available for the third and eighth grade students. They are Tolsia High School, Vinson Middle School and Wayne Middle School. Students will attend each Monday-Thursday from June 11-July 12, 2012 with the exceptions of June 20 and July 4 which are holidays. Classes will be held from 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Breakfast and lunch will be served. Buses will run on the main highways from designated schools.

The online program will consist of reading and/or math instruction delivered online. Students enrolling for the online program must have access to a broadband internet connection. There is no cost for either program. Applications will be available at all elementary and middle schools.

FYI

2011-12-23T09:37:00.000-08:00

Semester Ends
The first semester of school will end on December 23, 2011. All grades must be finalized in LiveGrades by noon on January 5, 2012. Report cards will be sent home with students on January 6, 2012.

Elementary Math Field Day
Math Field Day for elementary students will be held on Thursday, January 12, 2012. This is the rescheduled date. Should school be delayed or cancelled due to inclement weather, field day will be rescheduled.

AIMS Web
The window for AIMS Web is January 2-31, 2012. Benchmark assessments must be completed for all students in grades K-5 in both reading and math by that date. See your principal if you have new students that need to be added. The form must be e-mailed or faxed to Debbie Russell for changes.

Acuity
The testing window for acuity begins on January 17, 2012 for a two week period. All students in grades 3-5 must complete the assessments in both reading/language arts and math.

Holiday
Monday, January 16, 2012 is Martin Luther King Day. There will be no school.

Young Writers Contest
Information regarding this contest will be sent to schools immediately following Christmas break. We would like to see entries from every school. Vickie Smith is the contact for Young Writers.

Essay Contest
Information announcing the fifth annual "When I Grow Up'' essay contest has been faxed to each elementary school. See your school principal for more information.

WV Writes
Each student in grades 3-5 is expected to complete one assignment per month prior to the WESTEST Writing Assessment in April. This is being monitored on a monthly basis.

Tech Steps
Be sure to integrate Tech Steps into your curriculum. Don't forget to assess each activity. Contact Debbie Russell or Lynn Hurt if you need assistance.

February ISE
Training for Pre-KG and KG teachers will be scheduled for February 20, 2012. Information will be sent to each school.

Pre-KG Audit
Thanks to everyone for their help with the audit. A formal report will be received at a later date. Auditors indicated there were no findings.

Pre-KG/KG Roundup
Schools will be taking pre-registration for students that will be in pre-kg or kg in school year 2012-2013. Forms will be sent home with students and available at each school.

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Happy New Year!

September Updates

2011-09-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

LSIC Meetings

The following dates have been set for LSIC meetings with the Board of Education:

Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. at Tolsia High School for THS and feeder schools
Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. at Wayne High School for WHS and feeder schools
Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011 at 6:00 p.m at Spring Valley High School for SVHS and feeder schools

Tech Steps

Tech Steps will not be ready until mid-September. Be on the look out for new passwords that are being sent to the schools.

WV Writes

New site codes have been sent out via the courier. You will also receive a Teacher's Reference Sheet. Teachers should not add new students. Please e-mail your director to have new students added to your school and class. Each class in grades 3-5 are expected to complete one WV Writes assignment per month. Do not make assignments in mass. Make one assignment at a time and have your students complete that assignment.

Upcoming Dates
Sept. 13-Midterm ends
Sept. 16-Early Release
Sept. 20-Midterm reports sent home with students

Midterm reports will be sent to the schools.
Sept. 29-WESTEST results sent home with students

AIMSWEB
The first benchmark testing for AIMSWEB should be complete. Progress monitoring should take place every two weeks for students not making the benchmark score.

Acuity
Lynn Hurt will send Acuity testing dates to the schools. Materials for testing are currently in your schools. Questions regarding Acuity should be directed to Lynn Hurt.

Resource for Math
Thanks to Leslie Sparks for sharing this math resource.
http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/kindergarten-math-activities.html

Welcome Back

2011-08-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to an exciting new school year. Please check out this site frequently for updated information for elementary teachers.

KG Transformation

Kindergarten classrooms will look different this school year as our kindergarten teachers begin working on Next Generation Standards in reading and math with their students. Thirty KG teachers participated in two days of professional development at SVHS on August 8 and 9, 2011.

KG Leadership Team
Regina Craft, Buffalo Elementary
Carla Hager, Ceredo Elementary
Amber Porter, Fort Gay Elementary
Mary Pemberton, Kellogg Elementary
Leslie Sparks, Prichard Elementary
Anne Chadwick, Wayne Elementary
Rebecca Diamond, Wayne Elementary

Remember that in KG We play to learn.

Check out this wonderful resource for reading:

http://www.treasuresreadingteachers.us/

This site contains Smart board lessons, games and activities for our current reading series.

Have a great year working with your students.

Dates To Keep In Mind

2011-07-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

Summer Critical Skills

The summer critical skills program will end on July 21, 2011. Access to the webbased online program will end on this date. Final reports will be provided to the school principal for participating students.

School Year 2011-2012

Elementary principals and secretaries will report back to school on July 19, 2011.

Teacher Academy

All Wayne County teachers will attend the Teacher Academy on Monday, August 8 at Spring Valley High School. Teachers should have completed the online registration prior to the end of the school year. See you at SVHS.

First Day of School

The first day of school for Wayne County students is Thursday, August 11, 2011.

Web Resources for Elementary Students

2011-05-15T15:30:00.001-07:00

The Summer Critical Skills Program is scheduled for June 21-July 21, 2011. Applications have been accepted. Participants will be notified by mail. Information will be sent for third and eighth grade students attending the onsite program at either Tolsia High School, Vinson Middle School or Wayne Middle School. Usernames and password information will be mailed to students in other grades participating in the online program.

Please contact your local public library for information on enrolling in their summer reading program.

Below are websites with resources for elementary students to assist with learning in the summer while school is not in session.

http://pbskids.org Games
http://readwritethink.org Parent/After School Resource/Games
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com Various subjects
http://www.enchangedlearning.com Various subjects and games
http://www.kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids Reading/Science/Social Studies
http://www.starfall.com Reading
http://www.storylineonline.net Stories Read Aloud
http://www.nasa.gov Science
http://www.storynory.com Stories Read Aloud
http://www.tryscience.org Science/New York Hall of Science
http://rif.org/kids/readingplanet.htm Reading
http://www.thinkfinity.com Various subjects
http://www.nimblefingers.com Keyboarding
http://www.uen.org/k-2interactives/abc.shtml Grades K-2
http://www.americaslibrary.gov Library of Congress for Children
http://bbc.co.uk/schools/typing Keyboarding
http://www.factmonster.com Various subjects
http://www.sesamestreet.org Pre-Kg-2
http://www.kidsblogs.nationalgeographic.com/littlekids/ PreKG-KG
http://www.coolmath4kids.com Math
http://www.smithsonian.kids.us/index.html Science/Social Studies
http://www.sciencebug.org Science
http://www.primarygames.com Various subjects
http://www2.fi.edu Franklin Science Museum
http://www.mtna.org/Resources/WebsitesforKids/tabid/320/Default.aspx Music
http://www.aimsedu.org Math and Science
http://www.firstlegoleague.org Lego Robotics
http://www.funbrain.com Math and Reading
http://www.eduplace.com/math/brain Math brain teasers
http://wvde.state.wv.us/learn21 Various Subjects
https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com Math
http://www.waynegiftedprogram.com/resources1.htm Links to Additional Resources
http://funschool.kaboose.com/ Various Subjects
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/learn.jsp Reading and Games
http://www.pbskids.org/lions Between The Lions Reading
http://www.pbskids.org/games Games
http://vves.rocklin.k12.ca.us/kidlinks.htm Links to Additional Resources
http://wayne.wayn.k12.wv.us/resources.htm Links to Additional Resources

Congratulations

2011-04-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

West Virginia Young Writers
Congratulations to Colt Adams a second grade student at Wayne Elementary. Colt's story won first place in the West Virginia Young Writer's competition. He will be honored and read his story in Charleston on May 6.

Williamsburg, VA Music Festival
The Wayne Elementary School Honor Choir won first place in a choir festival in Williamsburg, VA. The choir scored higher than many middle and high schools to win first place honors.

Wayne County Elementary Elementary Choir Festival
Congratulations to the schools that participated in the concert on April 12, 2011. The following schools were represented:
Buffalo Elementary-Joni Suttle, Director
Ceredo and Kenova Elementary Schools-Carol Thorp, Director
Fort Gay Elementary-Ashley Hancock, Director
Prichard Elementary-Abby Frazier, Director
Lavalette and Kellogg Elementary-Ann McDaniel, Director
East Lynn Elementary-Janice Cyfers, Director
Wayne Elementary-Sheri Tadlock, Director

Kudos to these students and the teachers that prepared them so well!

Update

2011-04-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

Critical Skills

Applications for the summer critical skill program are now being accepted. Students in grades 3 and 8 may attend one of the three onsite programs. Sites are Tolsia High School, Wayne Middle School and Vinson Middle School. Students in grades K,1,2,4,5,6, and 7 may participate in the online program in reading and math. See your school principal for an application. The program is for at risk students that are in Tier II or Tier III. Applications must be signed by the school principal and the parent. Applications are due May 6.

WESTEST

WESTEST Prep-Two weeks prior to testing in grades 3-5 focus on making sure all tested CSO’s are covered. Review test taking strategies. Encourage students to do their best. Prioritize so that CSO’s tested more frequently are addressed.

Good luck! Testing is May 16-27, 2011. Encourage your students to get a good night's rest, eat breakfast, be on time, and do their best. Remind your parents not to make medical appointments during testing week.

Elementary Focus for 2011-2012

Student Engagement
Technology Integration-Student usage
Data Analysis and Integration
Professional Learning Communities

Professional Development Opportunities

See your principal for information. There is a summer institute for National Board Preparation workshop offered.

School Year 2011-2012

The first day back for teachers is August 8, 2011. The first day of school for students is August 11, 2011. Elementary principals will be back on July 19, 2011.

Math Field Day

2011-01-26T07:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone that helped make the Elementary Math Field Day a success. Gail Maynard did an excellent job coordinating the event. Thanks to all the school coordinators for helping and to the principals for grading all the tests.

Congratulations to the winners:
Fourth Grade
1st place: Brad Cremeans, Lavalette Elementary
2nd place: Alex Conley, Wayne Elementary
3rd place: Braden Ross, Wayne Elementary
Alternate: Nicholas Bowen, Buffalo Elementary

Fifth Grade
1st place: Noah Frazee, Kellogg Elementary
2nd place: Hannah Hysell, Wayne Elementary
3rd place: Payton Morrone, Kenova Elementary
Alternate: Blake Day, Buffalo Elementary

The winners will compete in the Regional Math Field Day in Logan on March 15. Gail Maynard, Elementary Math Coach will provide more information to the winners, schools and parents regarding the regional math field day.

Art Contest
Your schools were sent information earlier regarding an art contest for the Wayne County Fair. As a reminder entries are due to the Wayne County Extension Office by March 1. You may call the extension office if you have questions.

Acuity/AIMSWEBDue to inclement weather, the window for completing these benchmark assessments has been extended. Please try to complete benchmarks by Feb. 11, 2011.

Pre-KG EnrollmentWayne County Schools are now taking pre-registration for both Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten for school year 2011-2012. Enrollment and screening dates will be posted at a later date.

WV Writes
It is very important that teachers in grades 3-5 use WV Writes to prepare their students for the West Virginia Writing Assessment. It is suggested that all classes complete one assignment each two weeks. See your school principal if you do not have your current log on information. Remember that the Writing Assessment is 40% of the WESTEST. Data indicates that the more practice students have using the WV Writes program the higher their WESTEST scores in RLA.

TechSteps
Don't forget to post assessment scores for TechSteps for each of your students. Students in grades 3-5 will have a technology profile. It's vital that you post their scores according to the rubric. TechAttain reports will indicate class and school usage of TechSteps. This program can be integrated into your existing curriculum.

Summer Critical Skills
Wayne County will be offering the summer critical skills program for students that have completed 3rd and 8th grade. The onsite program in reading and math are for those students that have received Tier 3 interventions or are ready to enter Tier 3. Interventionists should be collecting data and documentation for these students in RTI. Each student recommended for the onsite program must have a SAT meeting completed and parent permission must be obtained. The deadline for making recommendations will be May 1. SAT meetings must be completed prior to the deadling.

Students in grades K,1,2,4 and 5 may be recommended for the online reading and math programs. The online program is for students in Tier II or Tier III. Parent permission must be obtained. The student must have access to high speed internet.

More information will be provided as the program is scheduled.

Make Up Days
School will be in session March 28-April 1, 2011 for make up days lost due to inclement weather. This was built into the calendar that was adopted.

Field Trips
The deadline for requesting field trips for the second semester is March 21. Remember to fill out the form completely including the nurse's signature.

New Leadership Cohort

2010-12-21T12:09:00.000-08:00

RESA2 in collaboration with Marshall University is pleased to announce a second Leadership Cohort for interested participants. There will be two tracks available for participants:
1. Masters in Administration (must meet MU requirements)
2. Certification in Leadership-18 hours (must have Masters)

An informational meeting will be held on April 5, 2011 at the RESA 2 Office, 2001 McCoy Road, Huntington, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Registration is available through the RESA 2 website, clicking on "News and Training" and then current workshops. RESA 2 website is http://resa2.k12.wv.us. If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Watts at RESA 2. The number is 304.529.6205.

Technology Tips

2010-12-17T07:57:00.000-08:00

As our schools utilize more techology in our classrooms comes the responsibility for monitoring and maintenance. Following are a few tips:
1. Teachers must monitor computer usage.
2. Technology integration should be addressed in lesson plans.
3. All computer users must have an Acceptable Usage Agreement on file.
4. All schools should have a protocol for reporting technology issues in their school.
5. All work orders should be entered by the Sys Op or administrator into the online system.

Thanks to Sandy Vickers at Wayne Elementary for the following:
Computer Checklist

If your computer will not power on:
1. Make sure it is plugged into a power supply.
2. Make sure all plugs are plugged tightly in place.
3. Make sure all power strips are on.

If your computer will not connect to the Internet:
1. Make sure the network cable is plugged in (the cable is probably blue).
2. Look at the back of the computer where the cable is plugged in to see if the network lights are on (you should see two lights).
3. If you try connecting to the internet but this message appears "page cannot be displayed" try going to Google...sometimes the address gets changed to one that cannot be brought up.

To keep your computer running efficiently:
1. Frequently go to Windows Update and download all critical and security updates (Windows Update can be found by going to the control panel-windows updated is located on the menu).
2. Check the Add and Remove programs located in the control panel for installed programs-look for any suspicious ones (ones you never use) and uninstall them.
3. Always keep your anti virus program up to date and scan hard drives (Drive C) on a regular basis. If you allow students to bring in disks or flash drives always scan them for viruses before letting them use them on the computer.
4. Do not open any attachment unless your trust the person that sent it!
5. Be wary of software that you download.
6. Remove any programs that you do not need anymore.
7. Put photos on flash drives-remove from computer.

There are links in the Resource section of this blog found at the top of the page to Basic Technology Troubleshooting and to SmartBoard troubleshooting. Check these out if you are having any issues with technology in your classroom. When you click the link to the SmartBoard page there are several help sections. Scroll down until you see the article on Quick Assistance for the SmartBoard 600 Series Interactive Whiteboard. The basic technology link is for computers, printers, network, keyboard, etc.Let's all work together to keep our technology working! Thanks for your help.

Elementary Information

2010-12-17T07:47:00.000-08:00

AIMSWEB

The winter benchmark period for completion of the second AIMSWEB is January 17-January 28, 2011.

ACUITY

The second benchmark period for Acuity is also January 17-28, 2011.

Tests should be arriving at your school after the Christmas break.

SPELLING BEE

The county spelling bee is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011 at 9:30 a.m. at Spring Valley High School. In the event school is cancelled or delayed, the bee will be held the next full day school is in session.

Names of school winners should be sent on the form provided to the school to Debbie Russell prior to Christmas break.

MATH FIELD DAY

The Elementary Math Field Day is scheduled for Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at the Ceredo Baptist Church. Names of school winners are due to Debbie Russell by January 7, 2011.

AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS

All elementary schools have some sort of afterschool or before school program sponsored by the 21st Century Afterschool Program. Please help communicate this to parents particularly to those with students at risk of failure. We need to boost enrollment in most of our programs. This is a great asset to use.

E-Mail Addresses

2010-11-30T07:47:00.000-08:00

We want to make sure your correct e-mail address is on file. If you did not receive an e-mail this week announcing the Elementary Blog page, please e-mail darussel@access.k12.wv.us so you can be added to the distribution list. There will be times when e-mails will be sent to all elementary schools and some to individual schools. We don't want to leave anyone off the list. Thanks for your help.

Math Meeting
Representative teachers from each school will meet on Tuesday, Nov. 30 to discuss the math program. Please e-mail any comments, concerns, ideas, etc. on how to make this program a success in our elementary schools to darussel@access.k12.wv.us

Sorry

2010-11-29T15:22:00.000-08:00

My apologies to Ceredo Elementary. They won the last Attendance Award. Prichard was the winner for the prior month. Thanks to those of you that read the posting. That means it is working!

Elementary Schools

2010-11-24T09:42:00.000-08:00

Congratulations
Congratulations to all elementary schools. Wayne County elementary schools improved Acuity benchmark scores from the first benchmark last year. Keep up the good work!

Data
Principals were provided with data from the universal screener AIMSWEB and for Acuity benchmarking at the November Principal's meeting.

Math Materials
A fax has been sent to all elementary school regarding items still not received from the math program. The company rep has said he will ship all missing materials as soon as possible. Principals were asked to compile grade level teacher needs on one sheet and submit by December 3, 2010.

Congratulations to Prichard Elementary for winning the attendance cup this last month.

Think Central
Think Central is up and running. Soar to Success the intervention program for Math is also functional. Quick Start Guides have been sent to all schools. Teachers can access these quides and tutorial from the website.

AIMSWEBS guides are also on the webpage and available for download from the Download Tab.

FYI
The County Spelling Bee is scheduled for January 6, 2011 at Spring Valley High School. Spelling Bee directors should send in the school winner form before you leave for Christmas Break.

The County Math Field Day is tentatively scheduled for January 25, 2011 at the Ceredo Baptist Church which is located next door to Ceredo Elementary. Gail Maynard is the county coordinator. She will be visiting schools before Christmas with the field day test. The names of the school winners should be sent to Debbie Russell before Christmas break.

Welcome

2010-07-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome Elementary Schools and Teachers;

I wanted to have a forum that I can use to communicate more effectively with elementary schools and teachers. I will use this blog to post information needed, updates, etc. If you would like to communicate with me to request more information or just have questions in general I can be reached at the following:
Phone: 304.272.5116 x 305
Fax: 304.272.3557
E-mail: darussel@access.k12.wv.us

I look forward to visiting with you in your schools to see the exciting things going on in your classrooms.

UpComing Professional Development

July 30-New Textbook Training-Math: Spring Valley High School Academic Center
August 16-18-Wayne County Teacher Academy: Spring Valley High School

First Day of School for Students: August 23, 2010

Enjoy the rest of your summer.