Safety Patrol Information

Fifth grade students wishing to sign up for safety patrol for the remainder of the school year may do so by visiting Mrs. Blake’s website, clicking on the school bus in the upper right corner of the page, and completing the form.  Students wishing to be considered for safety patrol must complete the online form by Tuesday, February 5^th.  If you would like more information about safety patrol, visit the Safety Patrol webpage on Mrs. Blake’s site.  The link for the page is on the left toolbar at the bottom.  If you have any questions regarding Safety Patrol, please contact Mrs. Blake, 4^th and 5^th grade counselor, at lauren.blake@trussvillecityschools.com or (205) 228-3387.

Safety Information

Starting on Wednesday, January 23, we began implementing an additional security measure that affects parents and all visitors.  All visitors who proceed to classrooms or to the lunchroom are now asked to sign in and leave their drivers’ licenses with the front office.  Upon signing out, licenses will be returned.  At all times, visitors must have a visible visitor’s pass on them. We have asked all staff members to be diligent in looking for visitors' passes on all visitors in the building.  If a pass is not visible, the staff member will escort the visitor to the office so that they may get a pass.  

Starting immediately, we will implement the following 

• Only those people who are on the approved check-out list in iNow will be allowed to visit the school/classroom or lunchroom.  Please notify the school office by phone or note if you have changes in your child's contact or approved check-out information.  You may also email your changes to katherine.burgin@trussvillecityschools.com.  

IMPORTANT

On Monday morning at 8:15, we will have a fire drill, followed by a tornado drill, followed by a lockdown.  We will announce all of the drills on the intercom prior to the drills.  Teachers will be given a script to read before we have our lockdown drill.  Our goal is to prepare students for a lockdown, without causing stress and anxiety to students.  

Do not hesitate to let me know if you have questions or suggestions.  We appreciate your help as we work to safeguard our students and staff.  

 

Week of January 28

Happenings 

Date	Day	Event
Mon, Jan 28	G Day
Tues, Jan 29	H Day
Wed, Jan 30	A Day	Drama 3:00-4:30
Thurs, Jan 31	Club Day
Fri, Feb 1	B Day
Sat, Feb 2
Sun, Feb 3

Safety Information Update

Safety continues to be the top priority for our schools.  We want to communicate to you the procedures that are in place to ensure school safety.  Each school has a crisis management plan that details how we will respond to crisis situations including fire, dangerous weather, and intruders in the building.  All staff members have been oriented to those procedures, and drills are routinely practiced.  Trussville City Schools, the City of Trussville, and community leaders have collaborated to plan for and provide additional measures to safeguard students and staff.  School officials have recently met multiple times with first responders to discuss and modify safety plans.  All exterior doors to our building are locked during the school day.  A full-time police officer, Josh Payne, has been assigned to the Paine campus.  Officer Payne patrols the halls and car lines, as well as the bus line in front of the school.  Our maintenance department is working to install reinforced doors in all portable buildings on our campus. There are plans to construct interior doors in the foyers of the Paine schools which will significantly increase security of students. 

Starting on Tuesday, January 22, we will implement another security measure.  All visitors who proceed to classrooms or to the lunchroom will be asked to sign in and leave their drivers’ licenses with the front office.  Upon signing out, licenses will be returned.  At all times, visitors must have a visible visitor’s pass on them. 

We know that you rely on us to safely care for your children from the time they leave your doors until they arrive home in the afternoon.  We take this responsibility very seriously. Thank you in advance for your understanding and support.  

Interesting Facts about Children and Reading

From Scholastic:

·        The performance advantage among students whose parents read to them in their early school years is evident regardless of the family's socio-economic background.
( Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) )

·        Students who read magazines and newspapers regularly for enjoyment also tend to be better readers than those who do not. ( Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) )

·        Children who grow up in homes where books are plentiful go further in school than those who don't. Children with low-education families can do as well as children with high-education families if they have access to books at home. (Family scholarly culture and educational success: Books and schooling in 27 nations 2010 )

·        When children are provided with 10 to 20 self-selected children's books at the end of the regular school year, as many as 50 percent not only maintain their skills, but actually make reading gains. (Bridging the Summer Reading Gap, by Anne McGill-Franzen and Richard Allington)

·        Students who read widely and frequently are higher achievers than students who read rarely and narrowly. (Scholastic: Classroom Libraries Work!)

·        Children learn an average of 4,000 to 12,000 new words each year as a result of book reading. (Scholastic: Classroom Libraries Work!)

·        Research has found a relation between the amount of time that children read for fun on their own and reading achievement. (Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts)

·        Children in classrooms without literature collections read 50% less than children in classrooms with such collections. (International Reading Association)

Week of January 21

 

Mon, Jan 21          MLK Day / Schools Closed
Tues, Jan  22         C Day Happy Birthday, Kim Thomas!
Wed, Jan  23         D Day Drama 3:00-4:30                         
Thurs, Jan 24         E Day
Fri, Jan 25             F Day Friday Freeze  Happy Birthday, Danielle Boggis!
Sat, Jan 26            Happy Birthday, Ryan Minisman!
Sun, Jan 27   
     

eLearning Day Assignments

In the event that we have inclement weather and schools are closed, we have a plan for making up instructional time. Dr. Neill recently sent an announcement regarding the waiver Trussville City Schools received from the State Department of Education allowing eLearning days as weather make-up days. If schools are closed due to the weather, an announcement will be sent reminding parents that student assignments are posted on our school website. To access the assignments:

·        Go to the Trussville City Schools website.
·        Click on Schools and then Paine Intermediate.
·        Click on eLearning Weather Day.
·        Click on the appropriate grade.
·        You will see assignments for reading, math, science, and social studies.

Students will have 14 calendar days from the date that we close to complete the assignments. Students who do not have computer access at home may use the computers at the Trussville Public Library to complete their assignments during the 14 day window, or they may complete the assignments in our computer labs before school begins for the day. We will work with each student to ensure that the work is finished.

Once completed, the assignments should be printed or emailed to the teacher within the 14 day make-up window. Should students or parents need help accessing a program, they may email the teacher for assistance.

Counseling Corner

This month in counseling classes, students learned about Habit 4: Think Win-Win.  When we Think Win-Win, we realize that everyone can be successful and we don’t have to put others down to get what we want.  Win-Win thinkers are happy to see others happy.  They like to do nice things for others.  When a problem comes up, win-win thinkers help think of a way to solve it.  At Paine Intermediate, we are striving to Think Win-Win!  While we realize competition is an important part of sports and games, students discussed the fact that competition has no place in friendships and other relationships.  We can become win-win thinkers by recognizing the unique qualities other people possess and think about how our actions may make others feel.  We can all win if we work together and truly respect each other!

Learning About Important Revolutionary War Figures

Recently, fifth graders read and wrote about Revolutionary War figures and their impact on history. They first read articles and recorded important information.  They then drafted expository paragraphs that they edited with a peer.  Students published their paragraphs and designed figures which they shared with classmates.  Students participated in a Revolutionary War scavenger hunt to learn more about each figure's contribution to history.  

Hat Day on Friday

This Friday will be Hat Day at Paine Intermediate.  Students may pay $1 in order to receive a pass to wear a hat on Friday.  Students may bring their money Tuesday - Friday of this week. All proceeds will go toward our new playground fund.  Thank you in advance for your participation and support of our playground.

A Study of Fairy Tales

What do an apple, a brick, a basket, beans, and a bear have in common? Students were asked to write the names of fairy tales that came to mind when they were shown each object. Third graders are studying fairy tales this week, learning about fairy tale elements.  They are also comparing and contrasting fairy tales.

Week of January 14

Happenings 

Mon, Jan 14          F Day  TCS Board Meeting 6:00
Tues, Jan  15         G Day
Wed, Jan 16          H Day Drama 3:00-4:30                       
Thurs, Jan 17        A Day
Fri, Jan 18             B Day
   
                 

Staying Fit at PI