Dear Parents:
It is difficult to believe that we are four weeks away from the end of the 2nd trimester, but here we are! Thank you in advance for attending your student’s upcoming SEP conference and working with your student’s teacher toward your student’s success! Teachers will be scheduling SEP times with you, but the majority of these meetings will be held on February 24th and 25th. Look for information in the “Monday Folder”. The end of the trimester is March 5th, and report cards will be going home on March 8th in the “Monday Folder”. Our value for the month of February is Caring, and as with all other important learning, the “art of caring” begins young and first, at home. Involving your student in projects that help others is a great way to reinforce Caring. One of our students has recently demonstrated his caring in spear-heading a current “chuck your change” drive at our school for the victims in Haiti.
Your student will be bringing home a yearly ISQ Parent Survey in their Monday Folder today. We would like to have your student return the survey tomorrow. This feedback is very important in helping us improve school quality, and we appreciate your taking the time to fill it out. If you have more than one child in our school, you need fill out only one survey.
Students and teachers have also shown that their commitment to student learning is paying off. Our mid-year NWEA, DIBELS and YPP scores show excellent progress for the school in reading, language and math. The classrooms of today look very much different than in years past. Gone are the straight rows and “one size fits all” instruction. The data our teachers have gained through the NWEA, YPP, DIBLES testing, and now “Compass Learning” has helped them group and teach students based on skills assessment and need. Differentiated instruction is fast becoming the norm.
We are holding our next Community Council Meeting at 3:30 P.M. on Tuesday, Feb. 9th. We invite any parents to attend our meeting. We are having a difficult time recruiting and maintaining our Community Council parents. We are always anxious to hear how we can improve our school to better meet the needs of students.
Reminder: There will be no school on Monday, February 15th, President’s Day, or on Tuesday, Feb. 16th, a professional development day. Monthly calendar on back.
Finally, thank you for checking your student’s planner, providing a quiet place for homework, and reinforcing reading every night – as well as making sure your student is in regular school attendance. You are the single most important influence in your child’s life, and we appreciate all that you do to help ensure your student’s success!
Kathleen Hawkins, Principal, and Discovery Staff
Parent Quiz – Are you helping your child learn good work habits? The habits children develop when they are young will help them be successful all their lives. Give yourself five points for something you do, zero points for something you never do – or any score in between. ___1. I teach my child that he can do anything if he works hard. ___2. We write due dates for schoolwork on my calendar and his planner. ___3. I encourage my child to check his work. I check it, too. ___4. We don’t procrastinate. ___5. We have a regular time for schoolwork and reading every day. How did you score? Above 20 pts. = teaching children well good work habits 15- 19 = average. Below 15? Try the ideas in the quiz.
Discipline Tip: ‘If – Then’ Statements for Effective, Consistent Discipline
Kids are smart. They figure out just how long they can ignore what their parents say. They also know that the more parents talk, the more likely kids are able to wear them down until they finally just give up. Instead of giving up, use “if-then” statements when you discipline your child. If your child does one thing, then something else will follow. But the key to make sure that you follow through with what you say.
Instead of reminding your child to turn off the TV 15 times, say, “Jacob, ifyou don’t turn off the TV, then I will turn it off and it will stay off for the rest of the day.” When you turn off the TV and keep it off, your child will learn that you mean what you say. That’s why the then has to be something you will actually do. If you don’t follow through with the consequence (even just once), your child won’t take you seriously. And remember that an “if-then” statement can be positive, too. “If you do your homework now, then we will have time to watch your favorite TV show after dinner.”
A Television in Your Child’s Room May Result in Lower Test Scores
If your child’s standardized test scores are not what you’d hoped, the answer may lie in the bedroom of the child. One study of nearly 400 third graders found that kids with bedroom TV’s (or video games) got lower scores in math, reading, and language arts. They scored eight points lower in math and language arts. During the course of the study, some children added TV’s to their bedrooms. They scored worst of all. Those who had TV sets taken out of their rooms saw their scores go up.
To Thomas Robinson, one of the authors of the study, the results are clear. “Educators and parents are looking for ways to improve standardized test scores. This study suggest that something as logical and straightforward as taking TV sets out of kids’ bedrooms, or not putting them there in the first place, may be a possible, logical solution.
2009-2010 Newsletters
February 2010
February Calendar 2010
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