August 30, 2013

Dear Parents,

Next week, we look forward to welcoming two writing workshop trainers from Columbia University in New York City. They will begin their work with homeroom and EAL teachers on Monday which is a Staff Development Day, so there is no school for students. During this “home grown” writing institute, the trainers will focus on:

·    The central role of curriculum development and planning in the teaching of writing

·    Units of study across the year in the writing workshop

·    Methods of holding students accountable for doing their best work

·    Assessing and planning for work with individuals and small groups

·    Using literature to help students craft their writing

·    Classroom structures that support inquiry and collaboration

Source: http://readingandwritingproject.com/institutes/home-grown-institutes.html

We look forward to this wonderful week of learning.

Specialist teachers will be meeting with their fellow K-12 department teachers to work on curriculum alignment, unit planning and assessment.

Color groupings in Grades 3-5: Over the past couple of weeks, we have received a few questions from parents asking us what is a color group and why we have them this year. Simply put, a color group is a designation (class) of students. Students from all classes within a grade level belong to a color group and travel to specials with other students in the same color group. Why did we introduce color groups? The idea of color groups was one of the recommendations made in the report written by the World Language consultant who visited AISC last year. This recommendation was made primarily for two reasons. First, by taking children from all classes within a grade level and dividing them among color groups, we are now able to balance the number of children in the Spanish and French classes. Second, color groups allow us to group kids by skill and content mastery as they enter the 5th grade.  The students will be able to advance through the elementary program, which feeds into and supports the Middle School program, and eventually the High School program.  

Elementary children in each color group travel to all specials together, which is unique in that they have an opportunity to interact with students from other classes in the grade level.  This builds social connections and is a lovely bridge to Middle School, where children mix with a variety of students over the course of the day.

News from the PE Department

The Elementary PE Department has started off the school year strong by completing their introductory unit of community building activities. Students in Lower Elementary spent time in the gym cheering each other on as they learned about basketball related skills; which include passing, dribbling, shooting and running. Upper Elementary built community by passing the ball around while playing Team Handball. Next up, the Elementary PE Department will be hosting the Jogging Club, which will take place every Wednesday at 8:00 to 8:20 AM on the soccer field, starting on September 4th. Currently, the Elementary School students are practicing soccer related skills on the field. The next unit will take place in the pool!

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Tests: Twice a year, students in grades 2 through 5 write the MAP tests. The first round of MAP testing begins on Tuesday, September 10^th.  MAP tests are computer-based tests that take generally 45 minutes to complete. Students will write four tests over the course of the testing period: math, reading, language usage, and new this year, science. MAP tests provide detailed, actionable data about where each child is on their unique learning path. MAP tests scores are not recorded on the report cards, but parents do receive a testing report a few weeks after the testing is complete. New parents often ask how their children can study for these tests. Really, the best ways to prepare for these tests are to make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep the night before a test and has breakfast the morning of the test. These are healthy practices in general. Students cannot study for a MAP test. I will write more about MAP tests in next week’s Principal’s Notes. The focus of this week’s notes is student-led conferencing, which is our topic for the upcoming ES Parent Coffee with the Administration.

Parent Coffee with the ES Administration: Please join Ms. Sweet and me on Tuesday, September 10^th for our first coffee morning of the year. Our topic will be student-led conferences. This year marks the first time that we have run student-led conferences. Teachers from our Student-Led Conference Committee will lead this presentation, and there will be an opportunity for parents to ask questions. Below are some frequently asked questions about student-led conferences. Please also look in your child’s Friday Folder for further information.

When Are the Conferences?

The conferences will take place on Thursday, September 26^th and Friday, September 27^th. There are no classes on these two days. Conferences will be 20 minutes in length. Children are asked to take their parents to visit two specialist classes either before or after their conference.  Specialist visits do not need to be scheduled, and they give students an opportunity to share what they are learning outside of the homeroom.

What Are Student-Led Conferences?

Traditional conferences are between parents and the teacher.  Student-led conferences involve the parents, core teachers (Homeroom, EAL and LRC), and the student.

Why Student-Led Conferences?

The purpose of student-led conferencing is to actively involve students, parents, and teachers in celebrating students’ learning and give direction for future learning.

How Do I Sign-Up for a Conference?

Please read the September 13^th Principal’s Notes and click on the link provided which will direct you to the online conference sign-up website.

What Are the Benefits of Student-Led Conferences?

For everyone...

·         Goal-setting is now viewed as a team approach between teachers, students, and parents

·         Increased communication between all stakeholders- student, parents, and teachers

For students...

·         Students can practice real-life skills: communication, leadership, organization, presentation

·         Students learn self-reflection and self-evaluation skills

·         Students see and share their progress over time

·         Students learn to set and reflect on attainable goals

·         Students become more motivated, reflective, and evaluative

For parents....

·         Parents have an opportunity to learn more about their child’s strengths and areas for growth, hearing their child’s perspective as well as the teacher’s.

·         There is increased academic communication between school and home due to increased attendance at conferences.

·         Parents and teachers build open relationships concerning student progress, and work together to develop student accountability and independence

Please note that students may be on campus only for their scheduled conference time, and must be supervised by a parent at all times.  Siblings may wait on a chair outside the room where the conference is being held if they are old enough to do so without supervision, or in a separate part of the classroom.

Have a great weekend,

Kevin Hall

Elementary School Principal