Next week, we will hold our final Parent-Teacher Conferences for this school year. Conferences will be held on Thursday from 3:50 to 7:00 pm and on Friday from 8:15 to 3:45. We encourage you to bring your child to the conference. If you have not signed up for a conference, it is not too late. You have until 12 pm on Wednesday to register for a conference. Please click on the link below to access the online conference website:
This past Wednesday marked the final Parent Coffee with the ES Administration. Nineteen parents attended the meeting which focused on Standards-Based Report Cards. The goal of the elementary school is to introduce the new standards based report call in the fall of 2014. While this may seem like a long time from now, the process from moving from our current report card to the new report card will take a minimum of 18 months. The Standards-Based Report Card Committee felt is was very important to share their vision with parents early, and to listen to questions and concerns that parents may have. During one activity, parents previewed a traditional report card (letter grades) and a standard-based report card. Parents commented that the latter report card was more informative.
What are standards? Simply put, standards are statements about what children should be able to know and do. At AISC, we use the AERO Standards (American Education Reaches Out). A standards-based report card lists the most important skills students will learn in each particular subject at each grade level. Instead of letter grades, students receive marks that show how well they have mastered the skill. Parents know exactly how their child is doing based on the standards, and they will understand which
big ideas and concepts their children have studied.
Special thanks to Ms. Megan, Ms. Kristina and Ms. Kristie for leading the meeting.
Besides the these three teachers, the following teachers serve on the Elementary School Standards Based Report Card Committee: Ms. Becky, Ms. Dorcy, Mr. Luca, Ms. Chris, Ms. Brenna and Ms. Andrea.
The Middle School will be hosting a parent information session on Monday, April 22nd from 8:45-9:45 am in the PAC cafeteria. This session may be of particular interest to our Grade 5 parents who have a child in the Elementary School EAL Program. Information will be provided on our new assessment tool (WIDA), an update on some proposed program changes for next year, upcoming professional development that our teachers will be receiving, and some suggestions on what your child can do in the summer to support their English language learning. The session will be led by Mr. Derek Rice, Middle School EAL Coordinator.
Elementary Physical Education News: This is the fifth week of swimming for elementary students (Kindergarten through Grade Five); the unit will end on May 10th. As students have a different swimming background, the skills taught vary from basic to complex. Students are introduced to the following concepts: safety in the pool area, flotation, propulsion, streamlining and drag. These concepts will be applied in drills and game activities. After the initial pre-assessment, students will be placed in different groups depending on their individual needs. Freestyle, backstroke, breast stroke and butterfly styles will be taught, depending on the student’s rate of progression.
Lastly......
Yearbooks are now on sale. Please see the advertisement below for more information.
After-School Activities: Please click on the "After-School Activities" link in the upper right hand section of this page for information about our summer camps.
Roots and Shoots Sari and Shoe Drive: Please click here to learn more about how you may be able to support this wonderful cause.
Yearbooks are now on sale. Please see the advertisement below for more information.
After-School Activities: Please click on the "After-School Activities" link in the upper right hand section of this page for information about our summer camps.
Roots and Shoots Sari and Shoe Drive: Please click here to learn more about how you may be able to support this wonderful cause.
Have a great weekend,
Kevin Hall
Elementary School Principal