Camp McDowell November 29

 Down to Earth Session

Native American Games

PI Media Center, the Heart of Our School

Media specialist Christi Williamson has made it a priority to purchase electronic books for our library and to share them with students.  Students can download one of approximately 50 ebooks on their Kindles, Nooks, iPads, iPods, etc.  For specific information regarding how to download books, go to https://www.trussvillecityschools.com/Teachers/Christi.Williamson/default.aspx.

P.E. Department Sells T-shirts

Husky t-shirts are available just in time for the holidays.  Our P.E. department is selling short sleeve t-shirts ($10), long sleeve t-shirts ($15), and sweatshirts ($20).  Order forms have been sent electronically to parents by homeroom teachers.  Proceeds will fund new physical education equipment.

Camp McDowell November 28

Camp McDowell November 27

Hiking through the Bankhead National Forest

Exploring the layers of the Earth

Camp McDowell November 26

The first group of fifth graders traveled to the Camp McDowell Environmental Center today where they will study in their outdoor classroom for three days. 

Our Upcoming Week

Nov 26-28     Group 1 to Camp McDowell
Nov 28-30     Group 2 to Camp McDowell
Nov 28          No Drama Practice this Week
Nov 30          Friday Freeze

HT Lacrosse Day

Please join Trussville Parks & Recreation and the

Greater Birmingham Youth Lacrosse Association

Hewitt-Trussville Lacrosse Day!

Saturday, December 1^st 2012

10:00am – 12:00pm

 Trussville Athletic Center

601 Parkway Drive, Trussville, Al.

                                  

Come experience the fastest game on two feet!

Boys & Girls 3^rd – 12thgrades

No Experience necessary!

Visit us online at www.gbyla.org

For more information contact Hunter Faulconer, hunter@gbyla.org

Or Susie Margotta, smargotta@charter.net

Check us out on our face book page at Trussville Lacrosse (Sports League)

Help Us Build a New Playground!

Paine Intermediate is selling popular silicone wristbands to help finance our new playground.  The wristbands are approximately 3/4 of an inch wide with BEHOLD THE POWER OF HUSKY written on them.  We are selling two different wristbands in our school colors for $5 each.  Thank you in advance for helping us achieve our fundraising goal!

Student Name __________________________    Teacher ________

Number of gray wristbands __________ Amount ________________

Number of red wristbands ______­_____ Amount ________________

Total Amount ________________

PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM WITH YOUR PAYMENT

Students Enjoy Alabama/Auburn Tailgate Party for Reading

Students who read at least six books for the Alabama Education Association sponsored reading initiative had the opportunity to be randomly chosen to attend a delicious and fun-filled tailgate party with their teachers on Tuesday, November 20. 

November Students of the Month

Counselors Lauren Blake and Christy Naylor announced the November 2012 Students of the Month in a ceremony on November 20.  Teachers selected students with exemplary behavior and character for this honor.  The Students of the Month were awarded certificates, ribbons, pencils, and gift certificates. 

Our Upcoming Week

Monday, Nov. 19          C Day  (PTO Meeting @ 10:00; Early dismissal @ 2:00)
Tuesday, Nov. 20          D Day  (Alabama/Auburn Tailgate Party)
Wednesday, Nov. 21     School Closed
Thursday, Nov. 22         School Closed
Friday, Nov. 23             School Closed

Thanksgiving Holidays

Paine Intermediate and all Trussville City Schools will close for Thanksgiving holidays Wednesday, November 21, through Friday, November 23.  We hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Successful Food Drive

Paine Intermediate students collected nonperishable food items for TEAM, Trussville's food bank.  Husky Helpers gathered and organized the items on Thursday for the Trussville Fire Department to pick up and deliver to TEAM.  Counselors, Lauren Blake and Christy Naylor, sponsor the Husky Helpers and coordinated the annual food drive. 

Report Cards Sent Home on Thursday, November 15

This Thursday report cards will be sent home.  The new standards based reports are different in many ways.  The reports are a shift from rewarding or reprimanding students for their averages in subjects to reporting strengths and areas of need regarding important skills, habits, and abilities.  Students are encouraged and expected to receive 3s on all standards by the end of the school year.  Because we are only one third of the way through this school year, some students will receive 2s on some standards.  We will continue to work with students and encourage them as we work toward mastery of all standards for all students.  Students who are achieving significantly below grade level on standards will receive 1s.  A score of 4 will be assigned to standards of students who are working consistently above grade level expectations. 

Traditional report cards often mask problems that are not obvious to the student and parent, thus making improvement more challenging.  Students who may have made all A's and B's in the past may receive some 2s on the SBRC.  This should be perceived as positive communication between the teacher and the student and parents.  Students can't correct a deficit if it is not identified.  By working together, we can help our students achieve success. 

Student "Millionaires" Honored

Students who have read a million words or more according to data from Accelerated Reader celebrated with a delicious breakfast on Friday, November 15.  Media specialist, Christi Williamson, and reading coach, Kelly McGough, served pancakes, fruit, and juice to the nine students who have joined the Millionaires Club.  Naturally, the conversations centered around favorite books, like The Hunger Games. 

Art Fundraiser

The art fundraiser is coming to a close.  Thursday, November 15, is the deadline for ordering your child's beautiful artwork. 

Veterans Honored at Paine Intermediate

Paine Intermediate family members who served in the United States Armed Forces were invited to join their students for lunch on Friday.  Pictures of veterans were hung in a display alongside the school's traditional Veterans Day Tree.  Students clapped as each veteran entered the cafeteria.

After the celebration, a teacher wrote,  "I am so very thankful to teach in a school where Veterans are truly honored.  I have an aunt who teaches in another state.  They haven't said the Pledge or done anything patriotic in about a decade."

Assistant Principal Kristi Stacks said, at the end of the day, "This was a great experience for our students whether they had a veteran come to visit today or not.  One of the men who was leaving today stopped me to say he was very impressed by the respect that our students had shown today.  As he was talking to me, a little girl passed by and said, 'Thank you,' to the veteran. It was really a special moment."

A parent emailed to say,  "I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the children at Paine for honoring our men and women in the armed forces.  It was a humbling experience that I won't forget.  You are to be commended for helping to teach these important values."

A member of our staff relayed the following incident: "A gentleman passed by wearing a sticker identifying him as a veteran.  I hugged him and told him, 'Thank you,' for his service to our country and for coming to our program today.  He had tears on his face as he said, 'I've been out of Vietnam for 40 years, and this is the first time anyone has said thank you (in a personal way) to me.'  He said, 'This program and these kids are so awesome.  This made my service all worth it.' "

Paine Intermediate Students Vote for President

Paine Intermediate students exercised their right to vote on Tuesday, electing Govenor Romney for president.  The students cast 143 votes for President Obama and 769 votes for Govenor Romney.

Raising a Reader

My child just doesn't like to read. What can a parent do to help?
The best time to begin to raise a reader is in infancy. Reading aloud to infants and young children develops a positive attitude about books and reading, develops vocabulary and content knowledge, develops a longer attention span, and increases the chances that the child will succeed in school. However, it is never too late to help your child become a reader! If your child isn't already an avid reader, it will take some extra effort. But it can and will happen! Ask yourself these questions.
• As an adult, do I model reading for my child? Does he see me reading on a regular basis? Do I share books that I am reading with my child? Do I talk to my child and answer his questions? Do I read aloud to my child? (Your child is NOT too old to enjoy a read-aloud with their parent.)
• At night when it is time for my child to read, what is going on in the home? Do I tell my child to go to his room and read while I sit in front of the television? Am I sending the message to my child that reading is a punishment just for school children? Is he getting the message that reading isn't a satisfying activity and that when he becomes an adult he will no longer have to read?
• If my child is a struggling reader, do I ask him to read independently, without my assistance? (Students who struggle with fluency need to read aloud to an adult every night. That adult needs to correct errors and model fluent reading for the child. Students who struggle to comprehend what they are reading need to read aloud to an adult every night, too. The adult and child need to read a short section, clarify any unknown word meanings, answer any questions the child may have, and summarize the section together before moving on to another section. These strategies can help emerging readers organize their thoughts and comprehend the text.)
• What is my attitude about helping my child read? Do I encourage my child and make our time together pleasant?

Simply put,
• Condition your child to associate reading with pleasure.
• Talk to your child and create background knowledge. The less we know about a subject, the slower we read and the less we understand.
• Be a reading role model.

If you are having problems helping your child become an independent reader, please contact your child's teacher or our reading coach, Kelly McGough. We want to help every child succeed.

WPIN Information

Parents of Fourth and Fifth Graders,

We will be holding WPIN (Watch Paine Intermediate News) auditions to fill positions for our spring semester cast. This is open to fourth and fifth graders who are interested in helping to broadcast morning announcements. Students are being informed about WPIN and the job opportunities during Computer Class. They will be given an informational letter and audition form that parents must fill out and sign. Students are being asked to choose the two jobs that they feel they will do the best. Information about their audition times are in the document. If you wish to submit an electronic application, you can using this link. http://goo.gl/VQ547 If you have questions please contact Miss Rush at Kelly.rush@trussvillecityschools.com.

Paine Intermediate Food Drive

Paine Intermediate students will collect food for TEAM, Trussville's food bank, from November 5 through November 15.  Any nonperishable food item will be accepted - jars, cans, boxes, packages.  High demand items are cereal, peanut butter, jelly, canned meats like ravioli, tuna, and chicken, and spaghetti and sauce.  Each classroom will have a box for collecting the donated items.  Husky Helpers will collect and organize the donations on November 15.  Help us Feed the Need! 

Standards Based Report Card Update

Report cards will be sent home on Thursday,  November 15.  The report card will look different to students and parents.  For the last year, Paine Intermediate teachers have researched and designed and redesigned reports that will provide parents and students valuable information about the students’ progress in meeting state standards.  The new report card communicates whether or not a student’s work exceeds grade level standards with consistent accuracy (4), a student’s work meets grade level standards (3), a student’s work is developing, but is not meeting grade level expectations (2),  or a student’s work is significantly below expectations (1).  If a student has not completely mastered a concept and his work does not demonstrate mastery, the student will not receive a “3” on the report card for that standard.  The student will have an opportunity to continue to work toward mastery throughout the school year. 

The standards based report card is helpful in several ways.  First, it assures more consistency of expectations from teacher to teacher.  It helps teachers and students focus on the standards from the very beginning of the school year, giving students the opportunity to get help early if they are not making adequate progress.  Finally, it gives parents information on how their student is doing based on the standards. 

Before making a determination regarding student proficiency and marking it on the report card, teachers will analyze a student’s progress over the course of the reporting period.  It is important to note that teachers have been reviewing the results of assessments and student work throughout the reporting period to determine next steps for instruction.  Students’ work has been assessed and sent home each week for parents and students to review and correct. 

If you have questions about SBRC, please email Beth Bruno at beth.bruno@trussvillecityschools.com.

Gifted and Talented Students Grow Vegetables

Gifted and talented students in Sue Koch's and Niki Linclon's classes are growing vegetable gardens this year.  After studying Thomas Jefferson and his gardening techniques and researching plants that grow during the fall in Alabama, students planted, tend, and keep data on their own gardens here at Paine Intermediate. 

Third graders skyped with Sarah Koch from DIG to learn about gardening in Africa.  To see part of the interview, click on the link below. 

https://www.trussvillecityschools.com/Staff/Beth.Bruno/Videos/Forms/DispForm.aspx?ID=1