Friday, November 6, 2015

Week of November 2

Our annual Fall Harvest Parade was enjoyed by all!  In the event you were unable to join us last Friday afternoon, please follow me on Twitter...I posted several pictures of the students!

Classroom Highlights

K4 - The children are learning about numbers 0-5.  This includes counting groups of these amounts and sequencing the numbers.  The students are also learning the following letters: Bb, Li, Tt.  Learning about fall and Thanksgiving are also highlights in K4!

K5 - The students are finishing up on their science unit about trees and leaves.  In Social Studies, they are discussing communities, community helpers, and where they live.

Grade 1 - In math class, the children are learning about visual patterns and number patterns.  They are also continuing to develop their time-telling and money-counting skills. During Writer's Workshop, first graders are publishing small moment stories, and they are looking forward to their upcoming writer's celebration.  The children are using Chrome Books during Gator Time, in which they are have the opportunity to engage with Compass Learning.

Grade 2 - The second graders are practicing collecting data.  They are using tallies to record their findings, and then creating picture and bar graphs to display the information. In writing, students are learning a variety of technology skills as they type their stories using Google Docs.  They have been writing small moment stories, and are practicing important keyboarding skills to publish their documents, including how to import pictures and making drawings on the finished piece.  This adds a fun visual effect to their completed work!

Grade 3 - Third grades celebrated their small moment stories last week.  They are looking forward to researching animals for their upcoming non-fiction books that they will be publishing.  In science, the students are excited about hands on experiments, in which they are learning about water and climate.

Friday, October 23, 2015

Week of October 19


We are all looking forward to our Annual Fall Harvest Day Parade to be held at 2:00pm on Thursday, October 29!

Hope to see you there!

Pictures will be Tweeted!




Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Week of October 12


Time for some...

Classroom Happenings...

K4:  Our youngest Gators are learning Mother Goose rhymes and working with shapes and patterns in math class.

K5:  Kindergartners are busy learning about trees and leaves.  They enjoyed a visit from the St. Francis Fire Department, as they learned about fire safety.

Grade 1:  First grade students are learning about sound and  light.  In writer's workshop, they are writing personal narratives. They are also gaining confidence and skill in selecting their "good fit books" for independent reading time.

Grade 2:  We have geologists in second grade! Students are studying the properties of rocks, and learning about their composition and history...Every rock has a story!  In writer's workshop, children are stretching their wonderful moments into narratives.  They will be publishing these narratives using Google Docs.

Grade 3:  Third graders are completing their personal narratives.  They are learning about the revision process and adding various types of "author's craft techniques" to their stories.  In reading, they are connecting deeply with the characters in their fiction books by asking questions, and examining character traits.

Friday, October 2, 2015

Week of September 28

Happy October!

Last week we enjoyed our first PTO meeting.  Visitors learned about current events at Willow Glen and Deer Creek, as well as participated in making decisions regarding classroom financial requests.  The group was also introduced to our new Superintendent, Blake Peuse. Everyone was treated to pizza, compliments of Palermo's!
Please consider joining us for the next gathering.  Watch the weekly folders for the next opportunity!

The month of October brings many fall activities, sprinkled into learning.  I will capture some of the highlights and Tweet them out.  What a fun time of year!

Friday, September 18, 2015

Week of September 14

Parent Advisory Committee Updates

The purpose of the Willow Glen PAC is to share information regarding educational opportunities, and areas of high interest.  It is also an opportunity for me to gain valuable parent insight required to inform decisions and programming related to instruction and culture.

The first PAC meeting of the year was scheduled for September 17.  The agenda included the following:

  • District Communication Guidelines
  • School Goals
  • Literacy and Math Framework
In the event that you missed this gathering, but would like information on any or all of the topics mentioned above, please feel free to give me a call.  I'd be happy to meet with you.

Our next PAC meeting is scheduled for November 12.  All are welcome to attend!  Watch for more information in our school newsletter.


Fall Assessments
This is the time of year that teachers spend getting to know your students, as learners. Children in grades K5-3 are engaging in literacy, math and writing assessments, during the month of September.  Staff will use this data to plan for instruction, as well as to identify students who may be in need of additional support or of extensions.  The results of these assessments will be discussed at parent-teacher conferences.  

Spirit Days
Fridays are designated as spirit wear days.  Students are invited to wear school/sport/activity spirit wear.  These are enjoyable days to show pride in particular interests!

Friday, September 11, 2015

Week of September 7

Thank you to all our parents who attended Open House last week!  The teachers enjoyed the opportunity to share classroom information with you, and answer any questions that you may have.  Please do not hesitate to contact the school if there is anything that we can help you with!


Here are some highlights from the week...

Open House - "How to Help Your Child Succeed in School"


Our first Early Release Day was a success!  Students were released one hour early, as teachers engaged in professional development.  The staff spent time learning more about the online features of our new science program.  They also collaborated on the integration of technology standards into their instruction.  The time was well spent, and the students are benefiting from the new learning by adults!



Second Grade students engaged with Chromebooks



Thank you for visiting my blog!



Thursday, September 3, 2015

Welcome Back to School!

The 2015-2016 School Year is off to a great start!  

You may chose to follow me on Twitter, as I often post pictures of our amazing Willow Glen students.  I can be found at Laurie Pogorzelski@wg-principal.

Here are a few highlights from our first week:


Open House - Sept. 3, 5:00-7:30
     Our Annual Open House also includes a Literacy Meeting.  This is an opportunity for parents, in all grade levels, to learn how to best support their young readers at home.  In the event you are unable to attend, the presentation will be posted on our district website.

PBIS All-School Assembly/Kick-off  -  Sept. 3, 2:30pm (Students and Staff)
     This is a special event planned to renew the excitement around PBIS.  All schools in our district were awarded, "School/s of Merit" for our successful implementation of this program. We will revisit behavior expectations, and discuss celebrations for making good choices.

Newsletter - The first Wednesday of each month, you will find a "Principal's Corner" newsletter.  This piece of communication will provide you with school information on the coming month.  The newsletter also offers articles in Reading and/or Math.  These articles give parents and caregivers suggestions on how to extend learning into the homes. Partnering with one another, contributes to high achieving boys and girls!

Please stop back to this blog weekly.  I update it on Fridays, and you will frequently find the most current updates on the wonderful things happening at Willow Glen!