Happy New Year!
I hope that everyone had a wonderful winter break, and enjoyed time with family and friends.
As we turn our attention to the second half of the school year, teachers are beginning to administer mid-year, benchmark assessments in reading and writing. This new data will provide valuable information to help guide instruction for the remainder of the year. While staff regularly engages in frequent, informal evaluations of student progress, these benchmark assessments (given 3 times per year) offer a deeper analysis of student strengths and areas that need improvement. Additionally, we have entered into our winter assessment window for MAP (Measurement of Academic Progress). Classes are rotating through the computer labs, being tested on broad reading and math skills. These results will be sent home in February.
Classroom Highlights:
K4 - The dinosaurs are coming! Students are excited about an upcoming unit on these prehistoric beasts!
K5 - As the year has progressed, kindergartners are becoming more comfortable with the Daily Five framework for reading. During the Daily Five, students circulate between "centers", focusing on writing, word work, partner/independent reading, listening/computer, and guided reading. This framework is used in grades K5-Grade 5. The children in K5 are enjoying more time in guided reading, as they emerge as readers.
Grade 1 - The students are engaged in non-fiction writing and creating "All About" books. This is their opportunity to use research skills to learn more about something that they really enjoy. Parents of first graders, look for these special books to come home in the coming weeks!
Grade 2 - The second graders are beginning a new unit on animals. This is always of favorite topic in science class!
Grade 3 - Third graders are studying America's earliest communities. They will be creating models of houses or dwellings. Feel free to take a look at these masterpieces as they start to come in towards the end of the month. They will be on display in the third grade hallway.
Whole School Activity:
In celebration of Martin Luther King Day, students are creating a timeline of Dr. King’s life in the long hallway outside of the gym.
Students chose an event from Dr. King's life, researched it, and then
wrote a short paragraph about it. They will place their contribution on the timeline. (Kindergartners are making "doves for peace".) Please stop in and see this terrific display focusing on Martin Luther King!
Lastly, our next Parent Advisory Council meeting will take place on January 22 at 6:00pm. I will be sharing information on the math program at Willow Glen. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about student learning experiences, and suggest topics for future PAC meetings. Hope to see you there!
Have a nice (warmer) weekend!
In Partnership,
Laurie Pogorzelski
Principal
