On Monday January 25th we are at exactly the half way mark of our current school year .
I was a high school athletic coach for 26 consecutive years, and from that I learned many things about the importance of half time. One of which is that in order to be successful in the second half of the game adjustments need to be made with the team in order to finish strong. When I was coaching basketball, strategies were changed to make sure we were stronger in the second half. Something else I learned as a track and field coach. It was that when athletes reach the half way mark of a race and begin to run the 3rd portion, that part of it was always the slowest. It’s very easy right now for students to start coasting and to not put forth a lot of effort. They have just finished some major testing and might be content with their scores and not realize how they must maintain their effort to keep up. Here’s my analogy. Everyone starts off fast and strong at the beginning of the race or school year and also seems to have that sprint towards the finish line or end of school year. What happens is the middle portion of a race, in this case, the school year is vital to how we will finish. So far this year your child has committed to reading for 20 minutes a night or 140 minutes a week. They have also been given a yellow/gold colored homework sheet nearly every night this year that has been completed and checked by the adults they live with daily. I have been so impressed with the support I have received from you. Some students have never missed an assignment and those that do forget to bring it back do that very rarely. Now for the half time adjustments that we need to make for the second half are the following: Starting today, I’d like your child to read for at least 25 minutes a night or 175 minutes a week. You can divide it up however you want. It is also strongly suggested that they master their multiplication facts very soon. I’d also suggest that you try out the websites that I suggested on the class blog if your child has been below grade level in any area. This could make a big difference. If we commit together for the second half I know without a doubt that we’ll see positive results this spring as we finish up our school year. This week the students will be tested much like the beginning of the year. It will tell us where they are as far as below, at or above grade level in Reading and Math. This class has really bonded well together and it’s amazing to see them working together daily. I’m very proud of the accomplishments and how they help one another during our day.
0 Comments
I wanted to wait until the end of the school day before I posted this on our class blog. We had a great first day ... for the third time this year! The students came in and picked up right where they left off from November. The children have changed so much in appearance too. One student said he has outgrown a lot of school clothes from earlier this year and another one said she is up a full shoe size.
To start our week we reviewed routines and also PATH expectations. In Math class I decided to give a quiz on the major concepts taught while the students were in Distance Learning. The results were mixed, but I can see that some major reviewing is in order this week. If you would like to help with some extra practice try these topics. Rounding two digit numbers to the nearest ten. Rounding 3 digit numbers to the nearest hundred. Finally, rounding three digit numbers to the nearest ten. Addition with making new tens and hundreds and subtraction with regrouping. Each evening your child should be reviewing their spelling words which are in their agenda. Remember to also peak at the homework/remembering sheet and send it back the following day. Next week is a big one as we will take our progress tests. We take the tests in September, January and May. The results will be shared with you and also at our Parent Teacher Conferences in March. We're coming back! I can't tell you how excited I was when I heard that news. This week the students will have 3 full days of classes on line with Distance Learning.
On Thursday and Friday I would like them to spend some quality time reading books, practicing their flashcards. They can also spend some time on FRECKLE in the Math sections. Once they return, the iPad will be put on a shelf and they will be using paper, pencil and real books. Thank you again for your partnership in your child's education. I've said it many times that this is a special group of students and I'm very fortunate to be their teacher. On Wednesday I will have the students pack the following in their backpack: Mentor Text (Different Perspectives, Different Points of View) My Word Study White binder Secret Code Cards iPad, charging brick and cord Head phones Journal Math Note Book HAPPY NEW YEAR! Yes, it's finally 2021 and I know we're all looking forward to a fresh start. Looking back I think we're all in agreement that we are a lot stronger from what we have gone through. I'm hopeful for our future and look forward to seeing your child walk through the classroom door very soon.
Our schedule will remain the same for this week. Remind your child to write down their assignments and then check them off in their agenda. That technique of having a list has been very helpful for the students. Also to arrive at the scheduled ZOOM class on time. The room is open at least 5 minutes before class begins. Finally, to get back on a school schedule after break is tough for some kids. The secret is to establish a good bedtime. Our new focus this week is addition with regrouping. I will show the students three different methods. I would love for you to show your child the way you do it too. Tonight, show them how you would add: 45 + 36 --------- It's important to let your child know that there are many ways to come up with answers in Math. The key in all the methods of course is to arrive at the correct answer. |
“I live in a very small house, but my windows look out on a very large world.” Archives
April 2023
Categories |