Week of January 23

MAP testing is nearly complete in grades K5-3.  Parents can expect reports to be sent home mid-February.  We look forward to seeing how our students have grown in reading and math, since September!

Please take an opportunity to access our school's website and learn more about the proposed calendar for the 2015-2016 school year.  We are in the process of developing a school calendar that will meet the needs of our students, teachers and families.  We are interested in your feedback, as we move through this process.  

Week of January 12, 2015

Children are busy learning at Willow Glen!
Here are some classroom highlights:

K5 - Kindergartners are learning about word families, vowel sounds, winter animal adaptations, and they are writing "All About Animals" books.

Grade 1 - First graders are learning about biographies and autobiographies.  In math, they are adding and subtracting, and they just completed a unit on food chains in science class.

Grade 2 - Second graders are writing "gripping fictional stories"!  They are learning to describe characters, and are beginning a new unit on food chains/predator/prey.

Grade 3 - Third graders are learning how to blog.  They are also working on their Native American projects and building displays.

All grade levels will be participating in MAP (Measurement of Academic Progress) testing this month.  We assess students 3X per year in the areas of reading and math, using this online assessment tool.  Teachers use the data to plan for instruction, in an effort to meet the needs of all their children.  If you would like more information on this, please visit our school website, or contact your child's teacher..

Also, please know that we are very focused on safety at Willow Glen.  Just a friendly reminder to stop in the office and get a visitor pass, if you would like to walk your child to his/her classroom (or pick them up).  We have precious children in our building, and want o ensure safe visiting practices for all!

Our next PTO meeting will be held on January 21.  Watch for more information in your take-home folders!

Week of January 5, 2015

Welcome to 2015!

While it has been a chilly start to the new year, Willow Glen students have been busy in the classrooms.  This week has involved all the regular instructional routines, including readers workshop, writing, math, social studies, science and health.  We all look forward to continued daily learning opportunities in all of these areas!

Over winter break, our computer lab was updated with Chromeboxes.  This will allow the lab to run more efficiently, and respond to common programs/learning and assessment websites, that are a part of our curriculum.  Staff will be trained on this new system on January 14, and students will be using the lab beginning January 15 with the start of winter MAP testing. 

Positive Behavior and Intervention Supports (PBIS) continues to have a positive impact on the culture within the building.  The staff acknowledged students, with Gator Gotchas, nearly 3000 times during the month of November (We are still calculating December data.)!  It is clear that children understand the expectations at Willow Glen, and are living up to being awesome students and friends to others!

Week of December 15

Final Blog of 2014!

A tremendous thank you to all our wonderful Willow Glen families, for providing us with the opportunity to work with your children every day.  We will continue to educate, nurture and guide your children in 2015!

A few tidbits from this past week...

• The students and staff enjoyed our first, all-school PBIS celebration on December 18th. Children gathered in their pajamas for some buddy reading in the library, and then came together as a school community to sing holiday/contemporary songs.  The favorite song of the event was clearly "Let it Go", from the movie Frozen!  Take a look at Twitter, as pictures were posted during the gathering.
• Students put the finishing touches on gifts for parents/caregivers.  They are excited to pass these gifts along to loved ones, during this season of giving.
• Today (Friday) was a fun-filled day for all.  Classroom festivities were centered on learning, friendship, and well yes...A few sweet treats!

The staff and I wish everyone a peaceful and joyous holiday season!

See you in 2015!

Week of November 17-21

Thank you  to all the parents who completed the Willow Glen Parent Survey!  Your feedback is important to us as we continuously seek ways to improve our school and district.

Arrival Clarifications:
We begin to welcome children into the building at 8:10 (bell), and instruction begins shortly thereafter.  The supervisors working the drive-through will be on duty until 8:10 or so. They are assigned to work with students immediately after the bell rings, so they need to transition into the school very quickly.  After 8:10, all students will need to enter the building through the front doors. 

Dismissal Clarifications:
Our school day officially ends at 3:10.  Please plan on seeing your child close to that time, whether you utilize the drive-through or pick up your child.  We will not be dismissing drive through children early, as we value instructional time with our students!

Have a great weekend!

Week of November 10

Thank you to all the parents who have already come to parent-teacher conferences..The teachers have enjoyed sharing important information with you regarding your son/daughter's growth.  Thank you also, for supporting our Book Fair.  We are looking forward to seeing more parents next week!

If you have not already completed the school survey, please consider doing so.  Your feedback is important to us!  You can access the survey from Willow Glen's website, in the upper left hand corner.

There have been great things happening in the classroom this past week, and many more meaningful learning experiences on the way.  Here are some highlights of "Classroom Happenings":

K4

This week the K4 worked very hard at recognizing the letter Bb and the sound it makes.  They came up with 25 words that start with Bb.  Next week, they will be working with the letter Tt for turkey!  They will make the cutest turkeys and learn about the First Thanksgiving.  Students will discuss what is the same, and what is different from our traditions, today.

K5

The kindergarten children are working hard in their reading groups as well as reading their bedtime books at home. They have learned two reading strategies to help them read;  Eagle Eyes and Lips the Fish. They have also been busy learning about their bodies and making healthy choices.

Grade 1

First graders are busy in their Daily Five literacy rotations.  Students are engaged in guided reading groups, writing, read to self, read to partner, computers, and word work.

Grade 2

In second grade the students are learning about animals. Some have backbones like mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians. Some do not,  like insects, spiders and octopuses. They are also learning how animals adapt to their environments. During writing and reading the students are enjoying the world of non-fiction stories about many different things.

Grade 3

In reading, the third graders are working on book series book clubs.  They are reading three books from the same book series and meeting in small groups to discuss thick questions, connections, main ideas and details, and make predictions from their texts.  In science, they are studying animal traits and learning the different characteristics of various vertebrates and invertebrates.

Week of November 3

Thank you to all the parents who came out for the WG Annual Fall Harvest Parade.  While there was a chill in the air, together with strong winds, the weather could not stop us from having a great time.  Our indoor parade, led by the SFHS drum line, was a huge success!
Be sure to follow me on Twitter, as I shared pictures of the afternoon!

Please consider joining us on November 13 at 9:00am for the next Parent Advisory Council Meeting.  We will be discussing how to build success with reading at home, and we will also be talking about PBIS.  This is a wonderful opportunity to further connect the home and school!

Looking forward to seeing everyone at Parent-Teacher conferences this coming week (and the following week)!