Path to Success is Up and Running--Check Out Our Display!

Parents and Community Members,
We are blazing the trail of success here at Banks Road Elementary. Since July 9th our students and staff members on Tracks 1, 2 and 3 have been learning and "living" the Banks Best Way- Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be Safe! Our students are motivated to be engaged in the classroom and in specials, our teachers are acknowledging our students' great learning attitudes with "Blazer Bucks" and whole class efforts with "Compass Coins." Our entire school community has embraced this program and here is a glimpse of the "Path to Success Wall" that is now on display in main hallway. Thanks to Ms. Davis, Instructional Assistant for her creativity and planning to bring this wall to life! Here you will see how each class will have their picture taken and be on display once they earn their first 25 Compass Coins. Great job students and staff! Mrs. Graf :)

School Messenger July 25, 2013

Good evening Trailblazers,
This is Mrs. Graf the Proud Principal of Banks Road Elementary School!  I have a few announcements for you:
First, tomorrow is the last day of school for our students on Track 3.  Our Track 4 teachers are here getting ready to welcome their students for the first day of school for Track 4 students on Monday, July 29.  On Monday our Track 4 students will participate in our KickOff assembly where they will learn about our school wide expectations and reward system.  We are so pleased with the response about PBIS program from both our students and our parents.  I am sure track 4 will love it just as much!

Our PTA is conducting a snack drive.  If you would like to donate snacks such as granola bars, applesauce or fruit cups, please send them in with your child or drop them off in our donation box in the front foyer.
Mark your calendars for August 6th.  Picture Day for students on Tracks 1 & 2 will be Tuesday, August 6th. 

Monday will also be the first day of staggered entry for our Kindergarten students on Track 4.  All rising Kindergarten students should  have been assigned a date for their initial assessments.  Kindergarten Track 4 Meet the Teacher is Friday, August 2nd from 4:30-5:30 p.m. 

I have posted this information on the school website and on the Principal's Desk blog.  Please call the school if you have any questions.  That's it Trailblazers.  Have a great evening!  Your Proud Principal, Mrs. Graf

Learning school expectations...at all grade levels!

Here is a great example of how a first grade class embedded an English Language Arts lesson to include teaching and reinforcing appropriate school expectations. Check out how our students made "David" faces after reading "No, David, No!" by David Shannon. Follow this link to watch a video of the story via YouTube with your child. It's a great conversation starter for you and your child-no matter what grade they are in! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QV1X3u1o3c

"I can..." Statements at Banks Road Elementary

I love to share the wonderful learning and teaching processes that go on here at BRES each day. I want to take a moment to share with you "I can..." statements. You may notice these statements up in the hallway by student work or on the whiteboards or smartboards in classrooms. These statements make the learning objectives easy to understand for our students. These statements are written in student friendly terms and support students in "making sense" of the curriculum expectation for them.

Here is an example of a first grade classroom that I visited today. Students in this classroom were given the goal for their academic work today. "I can..." statments are not just limited to the classroom. You can see from the other photos that our Specialists are using the statements for specials time and teaching their unique curriculum and skills for their specialized areas.

"I can..." statements at Banks Road Elementary are another way our teachers are blazing the trail to success!

Back to School Night Fun!

It was hot outside but "cool" and fun at the BRES Back to School Blast! Many Trailblazer families came out to see old friends and make new ones. Our students and families played kickball, threw some water balloons and just "hung out!" Check out the pictures of the great fun we had!

mClass is here at Banks in all over NC!

Your children may come home and share that they were given assessments over the past few days.  Banks Road Elementary teachers in all grades K-5 are using the new mClass Reading Diagnostic 3D system.  The system is being used in every elementary school in North Carolina as instructed by the North Carolina Department of Instruction.  Our teachers have participated in training on administering the assessments.  We will continue our training with using the system to run reports and interpreting the mClass assessment data. 

 

What does this mean for you?  You will receive mClass scores for your child.  You may also receive a parent handout explaining the assessment and how you can support your child at home with foundational reading skills.  It is our goal that each child be a confident and proficient reader!

 

Teachers will use mClass system to guide their reading instruction with your child.  Teachers record observations with a running record and are able to quickly understand how students find meaning in text, and then assign reading levels and monitor progress to support comprehension at every level.

• Quickly log observations and easily identify error patterns for any level.
• Compare student progress with predictive, research-based benchmark goals.
• Translate assessment data into instructional support.
• Track progress and target instruction to individual student needs.

I will share more about this new assesment tool as information becomes available.  Mrs. Graf

BRES is getting a MASCOT!

It's true!  We are finally ready to narrow our choices down for a mascot.  We have created a bulletin board in the 2nd and 3rd hallway for students to see.  Ms. O'Grady and Mrs. McCool will be supporting students with the voting process next week.  Check out our mascot options below and pick your favorite! Don't worry Track 4 students, you will have an opportunity vote when you get back in on Monday!

Check out Ms. Stephenson's latest Art Blog Post...PBIS is being integrated throughout our building even in Specials!

This post is from Ms. Stephenson, Art Teacher Extraordinaire for Banks Road Elementary! Another year!! Posted: 17 Jul 2013 11:45 AM PDT Its another new year for the Banks Road Art Room, and we have some exciting new additions and changes. Banks Road is going full force into implementing our new Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS). The art room is embracing this with the use of Compass Coins and Blazer Bucks. Classes earn Compass Coins at the end of class when they work as a team to meet our classroom expectations. Individual students are earning Blazer Bucks for their personal contributions to being Responsible, Respectful and Safe in the art room. The students can then use the Blazer Bucks that they earn in the classroom and anywhere around the school to purchase art from our NEW Art Store! I've also added a daily warm-up to our class procedures. Each day, the students enter the classroom, find their seats, and immediately get started by looking at the "Warm-Up" section of the board. The warm-up will always consist of a picture of a piece of artwork, some information about that artwork and something for the students to do in relation to the artwork. Some days they may talk with their table or a partner, other days they may write or draw in response to a question or prompt pertaining to the work. This will help prepare our minds and eyes for looking at artwork, thinking about it, connecting it to other subjects, cultures, times, etc. and sharing our ideas with others. I am looking forward to this year and seeing how our new additions will make the art room experience even more fun! Art Room Expectations: Respectful: -Treat others the way you would like to be treated. -Listen when others are talking -Listen during instructions -Speak constructively about other artists’ work -Treat art supplies and tools with care Responsible: -Find your seat quickly -Follow directions -Put things back where they belong -Clean up your work area -Keep your table basket tidy -Help keep our art studio/classroom organized and clean Safe: -Walk - Clean up spills -Use tools appropriately -Follow sink safety rules -Keep hands and feet to yourself -Sit properly on your stool

Early Checkout Reminder

Checking Out
If parents need to check students out of school early for an appointment, the student must be checked out in the office by 3:00 p.m.. The office will be closed at 3:00 p.m. each day for student check out. The reason for this procedure is student safety. In case of an emergency, parents may call the office at 890-7333.  A staff member will return your call if necessary. We discourage early check outs and late arrivals but understand that they may happen a few times each year.

Lunch Time Visitors Information

Parents are always welcome at Banks Road Elementary to enjoy lunch with their children. While visiting at lunchtime, we ask that all visitors observe the following guidelines:

1.              Sign-in at the office and wear your Visitor’s Badge in a prominent and visible location;

2.              Meet your child in the cafeteria when he/she arrives with his/her class, please do not walk to the classroom;

3.              Sit at the Visitor’s Table with your child only (for safety and security, students are not permitted to invite friends to eat with them);

4.              Allow your child to return to class when his/her teacher arrives to pick up the class; and

5.              Check-out at the office after lunch, remove badge, and place in trash before exiting the office.

Banks Road Elementary and Child Nutrition Services encourage healthy lifestyles and healthy food choices. Parents may bring in outside food and drink for their child, but may not bring lunch for another child.

School Messenger July 15, 2013

Blogger is back and the error has been corrected!  I can blog again from my desk top again!  Here is the message that went out last night.  Please call the school at 919-890-7333 should you have any questions.
:)  Mrs. Graf

Good evening Trailblazers!  This is Mrs. Graf with several important announcements. 

Last year we had a successful inaugural year with our Student Council.  We are looking for Officers for the new school year.  Is your child interested in running for our Student Council?  Student Council Applications due this Friday to homeroom teachers.

Safety Patrol Applications were due today to the office.  Safety Patrol students will be notified within the next week of their positions and dates of service.

Back to School Blast & Snack Food Drive:  Please join us on July 18^th for an evening of free popcorn, water balloons, kick ball and fun!  This is a great opportunity for everyone to meet new families to Banks Road Elementary or catch up with familiar ones.  Our first General PTA meeting will be at 6:00 p.m. so we can approve the new budget for the school year.  You are more than welcome to bring dinner for your family to eat at the event.  Please be sure to bring your own blanket or chairs for seating.   There will be slushies for sale as well.  Our PTA is collecting snacks for the first quarter. If you would like to donate a prepackaged snack item such as granola bars or fruit cups, please send them to school or bring them to the Back to School blast!

Lost Items from 2012-2013:  We are overflowing with lost and found items from the 2012-13 school year.  We have washed many items and have them ready to be reunited with a child.  If your child lost an item last year please stop by the school to claim the item.  All items not claimed by this Friday will be donated to the Guardian Angel Thrift Shop. 

Chorus Auditions: It’s time for the Banks Boomers to unite once again.  This Tuesday July 16^th (tomorrow) and Friday July 19^th at 8:00 a.m. in the Music Room.  Please see Ms. Loftin blog and website for additional information. 

Ident-i-kid Pictures Tracks 1, 2 and 3:  Identikid Day is July 19^th.  Identikid will be on campus beginning at 9:20.  If you choose to participate in this program, please return your application form to school by Thursday afternoon. 

Congratulations to our Kindergarten families.  Today was the first full day of school of Kindergarten students.  They had a great day!  Track 4 Kindergarten Staggered Entry  on July  29-August 1.  Meet the Teacher for Kindergarten  Track 4 on  August 2^nd from 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Volunteering at Banks Any continuing volunteer must reactivate his/her status no later than 4:00 p.m. on October 31, 2013.

Reactivation for Continuing Volunteers All continuing volunteers approved for the 2012-2013 school year MUST reactivate as a volunteer no later than 4:00 p.m. on October 31, 2013 at a school site. Volunteers may go to any WCPSS site and register through the intranet.  Access to the volunteer system is:  WCPSS Intranet – Business Applications – Volunteer Registration.

• After October 31, 2013, individuals previously approved may not volunteer without a new criminal record check.  No later than October 31, 2013.
• The volunteer system will be open daily for reactivation/registration from July 1, 2013, through October 31, 2013 for 24 hours a day.
• From November 4, 2013, through May 19, 2014, the volunteer system will be open on Mondays only, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.  However, during this time period, the volunteer system will be closed on the following Mondays:  November 11, 2013, December 23, 2013, December 30, 2013, and January 20, 2014.

That’s it Trailblazers! Please call the school with any questions or see our school website.  Have a great evening!  Mrs. Graf

Learning the Expectations at BRES

The first day of school is exciting and wonderful at Banks Road Elementary School. We kicked off the day with assemblies for all students to teach and review the universal expectations for student conduct. Ms. Livengood led the way by teaching behavior expectations for the cafeteria, voice levels and carpool dismissal. A visual for voice levels was taught to all students. This should support us in strengthening our cafeteria expectations. Additionally, We have a easy to remember jingle that will help out in remembering our expectations:

Path to Success Song

We're Trailblazers on the path to success
Learning, leading every day
We're Trailblazers on the path to success
Responsible, Respectful, Safe
That's Right!
Responsible, Respectful, Safe

Check our these pictures of our visuals that are displayed in multiple locations in our building!

Banks Road has Twitter!!

For the most up to the minute information on Bus Routes and transportation information FOLLOW us on Twitter! Our username is @BanksRoadBuses. We will "tweet" each bus time as it departs. If buses run late, we will tweet the departure time as well. If transportation notifies us of a bus change or delay, we will tweet it out to you!

Make it a "tweet-i-ful day!" Mrs. Graf

Back to School Blast is Coming!

Just a reminder about out Back to School Blast next Thursday. Join us on the 18th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for an evening of FREE popcorn, water balloons, kickball and fun! This is a great opportunity for everyone to meet new families at Banks Road or catch up with familiar ones.

Our first General PTA Meeting will start at 6:00 p.m. It will be brief and we will propose the budget for the 2013-2014 school year.

You are welcome to bring your own dinner for your family to eat at this event. Please be sure to bring your own blanket or chairs for seating.

I can't wait to see everyone! Mrs. Graf

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Information for parents...

Parents,
It's a new school year and I know you may have questions regarding processes and procedures.  Here is a link to the updated "Parents Page" on the WCPSS website.  There are links to bus information, lunch, HomeBase, school calnedars and much more: http://www.wcpss.net/parents/

Just a reminder that the first day of school is tomorrow, Monday July 8th for all 1st-5th grade students on Tracks 1, 2 and 3! It's finally here! 

Have a great Sunday! Mrs. Graf

Back to School Blast!

Mark you calendars for our Back to School Blast and PTA General Meeting on July 18th from 5:30-7:30 p.m.  Join us in the courtyard for kickball, water balloons and slushies.  Help us vote for the PTA Budget for the 2013-2014 school year!  Join PTA, visit with other Trailblazer families, you can even bring your dinner and picnic in the courtyard!  Come on out for our Back to School Blast! ~ Mrs. Graf

1st Day of School!

I can't believe it's here!  The first day of school for all students in Grade 1-5 on Tracks 1, 2 and 3 is Monday, July 8th.  Carpool and bus procedures are the same as last year.  Doors will open at 8:45 a.m.
Kindergarten Staggered Entry begins on Monday, July 8th.  Postcards for all students were mailed home in June for all students on Tracks 1, 2 and 3.  Please call the school should you have any questions.  I can't wait to see everyone on Monday! Mrs. Graf