Maxwell Elementary PTA

Have you heard an acronym at Maxwell and didn't know what it was?  Check out this glossary to help you figure out what it all means.

• ARC - The Admissions and Rlease Committee is a team of people, including parents and educators, who meet to determine if a student is eligible for special services and to determine how best to serve a child with special needs.
• AYP - Adequate Yearly Progress is the term to indicate that a school or school district has met federal accountability requirements.  Three components determine whether a school or school district achieves AYP.  (1) Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO) in reading and mathematics (2) Participation rate (3) Other academic indicators.
• Battle of the Books - An annual event encouraging children to read.
• BSMS/BSTMS - Bryan Station Traditional Middle School, home of the Spanish Immersion Program at the middle school level.
• BSHS - Bryan Station High School - home of the Spanish Immersion Program at the high school level.
• CATS - Commonwealth Accountability Testing System, student assessment system used in Kentucky.
• Centers - A classroom method where different activities are set up at different locations in the classroom. The children are divided into groups which move from one activity/location to another.
• Communication folders - Also known as PTA folders. There is one folder for each family at Maxwell and it is passed from school to home and back again through the youngest sibling's backpack. It is sent home each week with various notices, announcements, flyers, etc. Many are for informational purposes while other ask the parents/guardians to return something (i.e. filled out form) back to school in the folder.
• CSIP - Pronounced "sea-sip".  The Comprehensive School Improvement Plan is the document that outlines what a school is going to do to meet the needs of all students.  CSIP is driven by assessment data.
• DARE - Drug Abuse Resistance Education.  A program of the Lexington Police Department that is presented to the 5th grade students each year.
• DIBELS - Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills.  A test used to measure literacy skills including accuracy and fluency, pronunciation, and vocabulary.
  
• Directory - An annual publication that includes contact information for staf and families in the Spanish Immersion Program.  Inclusion in the directory is optional.
• Educational Enhancement Form - Form that is submitted to request that an absence be excused to attend or participate in an educational activity. 
• ESL - English as a second language referes to the educational aand support services offered to qualifying students whose native language is not English.
• ESP - Extended School Program.  The after-school program provided for families that need after-school care for their children at Maxwell.  There is a fee for participation in the program.
• FCPS - Fayette County Public Schools, the official name of our school district.
• Fluency - Being able to 'read like you talk' by using correct pronunciation, emotion, accuracy, and speed.
  
• FRYSC - Pronounced "frisky".  Family Resource and Youth Services Centers help students and their families link to community resources and overcome social, emotional, and financial barriers to success in school.  Maxwell does not qualify for a FRYSC center.
• IAKSS - It's About Kids Support Services (formerly known as Central Office) is a team of administrators and staff focused on supporting the work of schools and students.
• IC Parent Portal - see Infinite Campus
• IEP - An individual education program is a yearly plan written together by the ARC committee to outline learning goals and educational services for a student with special needs.
• Infinite Campus - also knonwn as the IC Parent Portal, Infinite Campus provides information to parents about their child's attendance records for all students and grade information for 4th and 5th graders).  Accessed through the school's web page.
• Intermediate Grades - Grades 4 and 5.
• Invest in Your Child - a PTA fundraising initiative that accepts direct donations.  This alternative allows families to help support programs for students without participating in more time-consuming projects such as selling items.
• KCCT - Kentucky Core Content Tests.  Assessments in reading, math, science, social studies, and writing.
• KDE - Kentucky Department of Education.  State agency that oversees local schools in Kentucky.
• KERA - Pronounced "care-uh". Kentucky Education Reform Act, the landmark state law that redesigned Kentucky education in 1990.
• Las Noticias - A periodic newsletter for the entire Spanish Immersion Program.
• Lexile – A numerical value for child based on assessment data that helps identify books that are at your child's reading level.  Book lists at www.lexile.com
  
• Los Amigos - Los Amigos is a parent organization supporting the Spanish Immersion Program at all levels, K-12, in Fayette County Schools.  Much of its energy is focused on the middle and high school levels, where the PTAs are concerned with the student body as a whole rather than just the SIP students.
• Mailroom - A room in the front hallway, past the front office.  The door is next to the water fountain.  Mailboxes for school personnel are there, as well as a mailboxes for PTA and Los Amigos.  One of two copy machines in the school is also located here.
• MAP - Measure of Academic Progress is a test of reading, math, and language arts.  This computer based test adjusts the level of difficulty of questions as the student progresses to determine what level they are actually at whereas other tests determine if they have mastered the grade-level content.  Also determines their Lexile reading level.
• Meal Pay Plus - The online tool where parents can check the balance of their child's cafeteria account as well as add additional money to their account.  Checking the balance is free, there is a surcharge to add money online.  Checks or cash can also be taken to the cafeteria to add to a student's account.
  
• Morning News - The student led morning news program that airs each day before school. 
  
• Multi-purpose Room - Also known as the gym.  The large room downstairs which includes the gym, the stage, as well as offices and storage space.
• NCLB - No Child Left Behind Act signed into law in 2002 with the aim of strengthening schools and improving student achievement.
• NRT - Norm referenced tests allow us to compare the performance of a school or district to a national sample of students who took the same test.
• ORQ - Open response question
  
• PD - Professional development activities are designed to help teachers, administrators, and staff hone their skills and improve their classroom instruction.
• Phonemic awareness – "Listeners are able to hear, identify and manipulate phonemes, the smallest units of sound that can differentiate meaning. Separating the spoken word "cat" into three distinct phonemes, /k/, /æ/, and /t/, requires phonemic awareness skill." (From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonemic_awareness)
• Primary Grades - Grades K, 1, 2, and 3.
• Primary Talent Pool - Selection to the Primary Talent Pool (grades K-3) is an informal process based on a minimum of three sources of informal documentation that may include samples of student work, anecdotal records, teacher recommendations, parent questionnaires, and available diagnostic data.  No standardized tests are required for the selection to the Primary Talent Pool.
• PSA - the Professional Staff Assistant is a master teacher who serves as an assistant to an elementary school principal.
• PTA Folders - See communication folders above.
• Quest - The school district's program for gifted and talented students.
• Rat Pack - An after-school reading group intended to help kids prepare for the Battle of the Books.
• Red star on hand - If you find a red star stamped on your child's hand, it means their cafeteria balance is low and needs a deposit.  They occasionally get stars in P.E. so check with your student to make sure!
• SBDM - School-Based Decision Making councils are an elected team of parents and educators who, along with the principal, are responsible for deciding curriculum, budget, school policies, and personnel decisions.  SBDM Committees support the council and are made up of parents and teachers.  All parents/guardians may join a committee.
• SEEK - Support Education Excellence in Kentucky is the formula that determines how much money local school districts get from the state.
• SIP - Spanish Immersion Program, the entire K-12 program.
• Specials - Classes where arts, humanities, and practical living are taught.  Examples include art, music, physical education, guidance, and instructional media.
• STLP - Student Technology Leadership Program is an opportunity for kids to grow as leaders in their school and community by contributing their expertise with computers, video, and other technologies.
• Teacher's Lounge - A room on the upper floor near the library that contains various things for use by teachers, staff, and volunteers.  It has a refirgerator, microwave, table and chairs, laminating machine, and copier.
• Tiles - A weekly math activity done by most classes.  It involves 10 squares marked with the numbers 0-9 (tiles) and worksheets with math problems that have blank spaces.  The children figure out where to place the tiles to make all the problems work out correctly.  Parent volunteers are needed to check the worksheet when the child is finished, so the child can move on to a new worksheet.
• TOM - Taste of Maxwell.  The annual fall carnival put on by the PTA to raise funds and have fun.  Usually held in October, families can play carnival games, eat great food, and bid on silent auction items.
• Workroom - Also known as the volunteer or PTA workroom, where volunteers can work on projects.   Located next to Mr. Davis' office on the side of the gym.