Sunday, October 26, 2008
Working Together and A Time to Give Thanks!
Our annual Thanksgiving Sing is Friday, November 21st at 2:45 in the gym. The doors will open to parents and other family members at 2:30. As I’ve said many times before this is a wonderful way to start the holiday season and is one more example of the many things we have to be thankful for!
Parent-Teacher Conferences will follow a somewhat new schedule this school year. In addition to the afternoon and evening sessions, we have added a morning session. The purpose for this is two-fold: to provide an opportunity for those parents to attend for whom a morning session works best and to better balance the number of instructional days between the AM and PM Kindergarten sections. To accomplish this, the traditional number of afternoon sessions has been reduced and a morning session has been added.
Students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade will not be involved in the fall conferences. 4th and 5th grade students will be involved in the conferences in most instances, but the amount of their involvement is determined by the individual teacher to best meet their goals for the conferences. Teachers also try to provide some time with the parent to speak privately without the student present. The difficulty lies in the schedule - we only have about 20 minutes per conference allotted due to the number of conferences that each teacher must accommodate in the 4 sessions. We truly appreciate your cooperation with being on time and respecting the time that the teacher has available for your child's conference. If you feel that you need more time to meet with the teacher following the conference, please schedule an additional meeting with him/her at a mutually convenient time. Our goal is to meet your needs for information about your child as well as to work with you in meeting your child's educational needs. We know that this can only be accomplished through open and frequent communication.
The schedule for the November Parent-Teacher Conferences is:
• Thurs., Nov. 6 AM School Only P-T Conferences 12:30-3:30 & 5:00-8:00
• Thurs., Nov. 13 PM School Only P-T Conferences 8:30-11:30 & 5:00-8:00
Setting goals truly does motivate children to do their best! Maybe they want to improve their grades, or perhaps they want to be the President of Student Council. Helping kids set goals is the first step to achieving their dreams. Here are some tips:
• Be specific: Saying, “I want to earn good grades” won’t get the job done. Help them be specific, “I will review spelling words 15 minutes every day.”
• Think high: The higher the goal, the higher the performance. There are limits of course. Help your child set realistic, achievable goals.
• Write them down: The difference between a dream and a goal is the written word. Post them where they will see them often!
• Review goals regularly: Help your child get into the habit of looking over their goals each day. Remembering that they have set a goal of passing the next math test with a “B” will make it easier to tackle their math first.
We look forward to meeting with you for the mutual benefit of your child. Please leave younger siblings home so that you can devote your full attention to your child's conference. Thank you for partnering with us as we work together to help your child become the best that they can be!
Parent-Teacher Conferences will follow a somewhat new schedule this school year. In addition to the afternoon and evening sessions, we have added a morning session. The purpose for this is two-fold: to provide an opportunity for those parents to attend for whom a morning session works best and to better balance the number of instructional days between the AM and PM Kindergarten sections. To accomplish this, the traditional number of afternoon sessions has been reduced and a morning session has been added.
Students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade will not be involved in the fall conferences. 4th and 5th grade students will be involved in the conferences in most instances, but the amount of their involvement is determined by the individual teacher to best meet their goals for the conferences. Teachers also try to provide some time with the parent to speak privately without the student present. The difficulty lies in the schedule - we only have about 20 minutes per conference allotted due to the number of conferences that each teacher must accommodate in the 4 sessions. We truly appreciate your cooperation with being on time and respecting the time that the teacher has available for your child's conference. If you feel that you need more time to meet with the teacher following the conference, please schedule an additional meeting with him/her at a mutually convenient time. Our goal is to meet your needs for information about your child as well as to work with you in meeting your child's educational needs. We know that this can only be accomplished through open and frequent communication.
The schedule for the November Parent-Teacher Conferences is:
• Thurs., Nov. 6 AM School Only P-T Conferences 12:30-3:30 & 5:00-8:00
• Thurs., Nov. 13 PM School Only P-T Conferences 8:30-11:30 & 5:00-8:00
Setting goals truly does motivate children to do their best! Maybe they want to improve their grades, or perhaps they want to be the President of Student Council. Helping kids set goals is the first step to achieving their dreams. Here are some tips:
• Be specific: Saying, “I want to earn good grades” won’t get the job done. Help them be specific, “I will review spelling words 15 minutes every day.”
• Think high: The higher the goal, the higher the performance. There are limits of course. Help your child set realistic, achievable goals.
• Write them down: The difference between a dream and a goal is the written word. Post them where they will see them often!
• Review goals regularly: Help your child get into the habit of looking over their goals each day. Remembering that they have set a goal of passing the next math test with a “B” will make it easier to tackle their math first.
We look forward to meeting with you for the mutual benefit of your child. Please leave younger siblings home so that you can devote your full attention to your child's conference. Thank you for partnering with us as we work together to help your child become the best that they can be!
