Wildcat Weekly

Lanier School for Inquiry, Investigation, and Innovation

October 21, 2025

🗓️Upcoming Dates 🗓️

October 21: Tier 3 Meetings - In Conference Room

October 23: 1st ELL TPC Meeting (1st grade)

October 24: ELL TPC Meetings During Grade Level Planning - Hunt, Souther & Schmus (Except 1st)

October 24: Always Changing Class - 4th Grade Girls 12:45 & 5th Grade Boys 1:30 (Nurse Jones)

November 7: Wildcat Way Day

November 24-28: Thanksgiving Break

December 2: School Spelling Bee

December 4: PTO Winter Festival 5:30 - 7:30

December 5: Wildcat Way Day

December 5: MOY MAP Testing Meeting in PL Room During Planning (K-5 teachers, Moss, and B. Jones)

December 9: MOY ELA MAP Growth

December 10: MOY Math MAP Growth

December 15: Tier 3 Meetings (Moved from December 9)

From Principal, Alli

Here we are, coming up on the end of October! While I can't believe it, I am confident that we are ALL working as hard as we can to make every day count. 🍂

Please remember that it is imperative for teachers and staff to be spread out across the playground(s). We do not have full camera access out there so when something happens and we have to investigate, we need to have as many eyes spaced out as possible. I am linking the suggested locations HERE. I know several grade level have rotation charts and while that isn't required, it is certainly helpful in the event of an emergency.

Mrs. Schmus and I are enjoying coming into your classes and are trying to send the Feedback Focus form to you after each visit. We are also leaving you with a pink slip of paper that poses the question "How confident are you that all students in this room can meet TODAY'S learning target?" This is for your reflection and while it is not required for you to return it to us, it is required for you to take some time to HONESTLY ask yourself the question and act accordingly. It may even be a good idea to ask some of your students that question at the closing of your lesson. We will continue to have visitors from the district and from other schools come in and observe and give us feedback on the 3 E's. Please let us know if you have questions and we will continue to talk about the 3 E's in collaborative plannings.

Let us know how we can support you! 🤝

From Assistant Principal, Beth

Fall is a beautiful time of year, with the colors, fun traditions, and the holidays. Please remember to stay the course and keep your routines and structures in place because that is where we thrive. Student collaboration allows students to have thought partners and allows students to make sense of what they are learning, clarify misconceptions, and deepen their understanding. There are approximately 31 more instructional days until the mid-year MAP testing window opens, and every minute of instruction counts!

Please read over the list below and complete each one as needed. Reach out with any questions.

Make sure your students are getting their Amira and i-Ready minutes! Please give incentives to these students - DOJO points are great and free, or you can purchase incentives with your incentive cards
- - i-Ready students - Two - 25-minute sessions PER subject area
  - Amira Students - Two - 15-minute sessions per week
November TOTM and SMOM Survey - Complete by 10/29/25
Feedback Focus Survey - This survey is an instrument that Alli and I are using as we visit classrooms in between your walk-throughs and formative assessments.
Please remember to use the links to the left - Especially the PAWSITIVE Office Referrals

All new K-3rd-grade students must be assessed on the Amira Platform within 10 days of enrolling in school. Once you assess the student, send Beth an email that the assessment is complete.

🍧Bruster's Ice Dates🍧

November 14, December 12, January 9, February 13, March 13, April 17, May 8

From Instructional Coach, Kate ♥

We had some great PL last week that gave you with a few things to immediately put into practice. Please click on and review information from last week as a reminder.
All PL Resources from our PL Day on October 15, 2025 and Inquiry on October 16th

Counselor Links:

Link to Counselor Corner
Classroom Lesson Sign Up
Personal Phone #: 678-617-4869
Work Extension #: 06-10080

From Olivia, School Counselor

Lessons:
- Safer, Smarter Kids will begin soon! I do our safety lessons early because I want to get in at least some of the lessons before the kids go out for Thanksgiving and Christmas Break.
- Thank you all for having me come into your rooms for my Kindness lessons!! Sign up HERE if you have not!

Be Kind, Be Strong, Be Well Spirit Week:
- Flyer Linked HERE
- This year, Hall County wants us to do the Be Kind, Be Strong, Be Well week to follow along with our new Character Strong curriculum. Please help promote this week with your families!
- It will be October 27th-31st:
  - - Monday Oct 27th: Be Kind
      - Bring a Donation to the Donation Drive (canned goods, hygiene products, winter coats) *all canned goods will go to the Georgia Mountain Food Bank
    - Tuesday Oct 28th: Be Strong
      - Dress in your favorite team jersey or shirt
    - Wednesday Oct 29th: Be Well
      - Wellness Wednesday: Wellness choice board in classroom linked HERE
    - Thursday Oct 30th: Be YOU
      - Wear your Favorite Color
    - Friday Oct 31st: Be a Wildcat
      - Wear a Lanier shirt or Lanier colors

Your Well-Being Matters, Too!
- This job is hard and it can be taxing, especially with all of the things you already have on your plate! You guys spend all of your time caring for others, that it can be easy to forget to care for yourself, too.
- If you ever notice that it is getting too much, my door is always open! I can help you find an outside counselor or just be a listening ear.
- Hall County has counseling for all employees at this link.

Learning Commons Reservations

WCAT is our student news broadcast. It's a 5-10 minute video with weekly announcements, menus, and a few fun segments. I send the link out in the Learning Commons weekly email. This allows you to show the broadcast at your convenience.

Cyber Safety Lessons in the Learning Commons

We are required to teach Cyber Safety lessons to 1st, 3rd & 5th grade students. There are 4 lessons for each grade level and we will be spreading them out over the next few months to keep things interesting and avoid information fatigue. 1st & 5th: Please click here to schedule your class's Cyber Safety Lessons

Here is the schedule. Please let me know if we need to adjust any of these dates:

1st Grade: November 10-14, December 1-5, January 6-9, & February 2-6
3rd Grade: October 20-24, November 3-7, December 8-12 & January 11-16
5th Grade: October 27-31, November 17-21, January 26-30, & February 23-27

Calendly Calendar for Scheduling Lessons in the Learning Commons

In an effort to make scheduling Learning Commons lessons & check-out easier for everyone we have turned to Calendly. Simply choose the type of visit you are making, select a time and then fill out the form. For weekly visits you will be able to schedule your visits two weeks in advance. This assures a flexible schedule and availability for all classes.

Here is the Calendly scheduling page: https://calendly.com/lsi3learningcommons

November 21
January 16
February 20
April 17

Southern Baked Savory Pies for Lunch?

The 3rd Friday of each month is our Southern Baked Pie Day. Our next order is November 21 . Pies are $12 each and you get a free slice of dessert pie with each savory pie ordered. The order and payment have to be submitted by 9am the day before so if you intend to order please follow the link below fill out the order form & Venmo your $12 payment to @Allyson-David before November 19.

Pie Order Form

Venmo Payment

ESOL

Grading Guidelines for English Learners (taken from Hall County ESOL Handbook)

Grading EL students can be challenging, especially when modified work or accommodations are involved. Remember, these supports are meant to level the playing field—not lower expectations. If a student performs well on modified assignments, they should earn an “A”. High grades do not mean modifications are no longer needed.

Key Guidelines:

Grades of “D” or “F” (or number grade equivalent) should not be given solely due to limited English proficiency.
Lower grades should only reflect lack of effort or progress on modified work (e.g., incomplete or missing assignments).
At the elementary level, consider marking grades with an asterisk (*) and noting that they are based on modified work.

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