K I N D E R G A R T E N , 1 S T & 2 N D G R A D E S

PARENTS ARE PARTNERS PARENT EDUCATION MEETING

FOCUSING ON OUR CULTURE

Culture of Thinking

Focus on literacy, engaging instruction, student portfolios

Culture of Respect Modeling respect at all times and in all relationships, bullying

awareness

Culture of Open Communication Informative websites, Grade Speed updated, timely e-mail

communications, daily agendas posted, planners

A FEW GROUND RULES…

~WORKING TOGETHER…LEARNING TOGETHER~

MEETING GROUND RULES

• Speak one at a time • Listen to one another; limit speaking time to allow others to

share; respectfully disagree, when needed • Refrain from speaking about a particular teacher or other

children • Refrain from speaking about issues that affect only to your

child (those that should be addressed individually) • Establish a community of trust and respect by maintaining

confidentiality with information shared in this meeting

GETTING TO KNOW YOU & YOURS

~ICEBREAKER~

NEW & IMPROVED

~WHAT TO EXPECT TH IS YEAR~

WHAT’S NEW & IMPROVED THIS YEAR?

Visible Thinking • “Visible thinking“ generally refers to thinking that is available to the senses, not

just what you can see with your eyes. We watch, we listen, we imitate, we adapt what we find to our own styles and interests, we build from there.

• These are shapers of a classroom’s culture and consist of language, time, environment, opportunities, routines, modeling, interactions, and expectations.

• Teachers make time for thinking, develop and use a language of thinking, and make the classroom environment rich with the documents of thinking processes.

• They also look for opportunities for student thoughtfulness, use thinking routines as supports and scaffolds, model and make their own thinking visible, interact with students in a way that demonstrates an interest in and respect for students’ thinking, and send clear expectations about the importance and value of thinking in learning.

Take a look... http://www.visiblethinkingpz.org/VisibleThinking_html_files/01_VisibleThinking

InAction/01c_VTPoP.html

WHAT’S NEW & IMPROVED THIS YEAR?

Literacy by 3 • Assessments are built in throughout the year to

inform instruction. • Teachers will have at least 3 key data points to

measure students’ reading levels - beginning, middle, and end-of-year through iStation (all grades) and DRA (Kinder)

• Guided reading is a small-group instructional approach to providing reading support to students at a similar reading level with challenging texts they can read with some fluency.

• Integrating writing across all content areas.

WHAT’S NEW & IMPROVED THIS YEAR?

Go Math! • Digital connection with instructional videos to engage

students • Problem-solving strategies embedded throughout • Online and write-in student edition http://samples.hmhco.com/nl_go_math_2012/index.php

Science Fusion • Inquiry lessons found in every unit • STEM units and lab activities using the Engineering

Design Process – Find a problem, plan and build, test and improve, redesign, communicate

• Online and write-in student edition

WHAT’S NEW & IMPROVED THIS YEAR?

Iowa Tests • Norm-referenced assessment, similar to Stanford 10 • Measures student growth and progress from year to

year • Provides information to parents about individual and

collective student performance, including strengths and areas where additional emphasis is needed

• K-2 sub-tests include Vocabulary, Word Analysis, Language, Reading Comprehension, Math, Listening, Science and Social Studies

• Testing time ranges from 20-30 minutes for a sub-test, with testing items ranging from 27-34

WHAT’S NEW & IMPROVED THIS YEAR?

Fall & Spring Parent Conferences • Time for you to receive in-depth progress checks

on your child’s overall academic performance and social development

• Clarify expectations for the class/course • Discuss your child’s progress, strengths and

weaknesses • Gather highlights and announcements of

upcoming projects and/or special experiences for the class/grade level

• Receive recommendations for summer enrichment (Spring)

WHAT’S NEW & IMPROVED THIS YEAR?

Fall & Spring Parent Conferences (continued)

For the most effective and efficient conference, remember these important protocol reminders: • Schedule a time for your conference by the specified deadline and via

the requested medium. • Be on time. Wait in the chair outside the door until the previous

conference ends and you are invited in by the teachers. • Review your child’s Grade Speed report the day before your

appointment. • Attend alone or with your spouse, but without younger siblings. • Prepare any questions you have before the conference and prioritize

these questions to ensure the most important ones are addressed. • End the conference at the scheduled time. • Send a follow-up e-mail, if necessary, for pending questions.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR YOUNG LEARNER

~ACADEMIC~

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

• New year, new friends • Adjusting to a longer, more demanding school day • Increasingly more subject-matter concepts and

skills • Increased expectations for independence and

academic demands • Travel many places throughout the day • Learning day by day his/her personal capabilities

and a deeper sense of self • Put forth best learning effort throughout the day

LITERACY & NUMERACY

Our goal is to nurture literate students who exude a love for learning and are willing take academic risks in an environment that pushes them to achieve high academic expectations. From what students should know to what they should know how to do

LITERACY

We strive to support our students’ literacy development in many ways, including:

• Meeting the students where they are and move upward

• Language development – WORDS, WORDS, WORDS!

• Supporting them in their development in the steps of reading – phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension Steps must be taken in sync or your child’s reading will be out of sync!

• Reading with sufficient fluency – speed, accuracy, prosody, expression –

Goal: 97% accuracy

• Remember, reading is developmental and experiential

• Reading “Just-Right” books...Easy reading makes reading easy

• Reading a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts

NUMERACY

• Create, identify, and extend numerical and geometric patterns

• Use problem solving processes that incorporate understanding a problem, making a plan, carrying out a plan , and evaluating the solution for reasonableness

• Name, compare, and order integers and fractional parts of a whole

• Use and interpret data from a variety of measurement tools, i.e., thermometer, clock, balance, etc.

• Justify thinking using objects, pictures, and numbers

PARENTS AS PARTNERS

• Literacy -Read aloud from a variety of text and stop to ask questions -Listen to your child read aloud and stop to ask questions -Know your child’s Lexile range and help him choose appropriate texts -Play word games with your child and interact with words regularly -Set weekly reading goals -Read, read, read, then write about it -Keep your limitations confidential -Visit the public library often

• Numeracy -Have your child find and create patterns using pictures from magazines, clothing, coins, buttons

-Conduct a survey of family/friends and create a visual representation of the data

-Play board games that require your child to make choices

-Look for math situations in every day life

-Set aside time to do daily math homework and/or interact with numbers

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR YOUNG LEARNER

~SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL~

5 COMPETENCIES

http://www.casel.org/

SCHOOL COUNSELING

• A comprehensive program supporting ALL

students in achievement of academic,

social, and personal success. The primary

role of a school counselor is delivering

student services.

DIRECT STUDENT SERVICES

Curriculum

Second Step, MindUp, Stop Bullying Now!, Café Manners,

Peer Mediator Training, College and Career Readiness

DIRECT STUDENT SERVICES

Responsive Services

Individual counseling,

group counseling,

skills workshops, supervision

of peer mediation,

crisis response

INDIRECT STUDENT SERVICES

Referrals to community-based services for students and families

Collaboration with intervention assistance team (IAT) members

Consultation with teachers and parents regarding student performance and wellbeing

Parent dialogues and workshops

Presentations and professional development opportunities for

staff

GUIDANCE LESSON UNITS

• Skills for Learning

• Learning to Listen

• Focusing Attention

• Following Directions

• Being Assertive

•Managing Emotions

• Identifying Feelings

• Calming Down

• Managing Embarrassment

• Managing Anxious Feelings

GUIDANCE LESSON UNITS

•Empathy

• Identifying Others’ Feelings

• Showing Compassion

• Showing Care and Concern

• Respecting Different Preferences

GUIDANCE LESSON UNITS

•Problem Solving

• Fair Ways to Play

• Resisting Revenge

• Seeking Help

• Disagreeing Respectfully

GUIDANCE LESSON UNITS

BUILDING A CULTURE OF THINKING, COMMUNICATION, AND RESPECT

The guidance curriculum alignment:

Fostering a growth mindset rather than versus a fixed mindset

Encouraging students to THINK differently about challenges, the learning process, and success

Teaching the COMMUNICATION skills crucial for success in diverse settings

Providing strategies for conflict resolution and interpersonal problem-solving

Practicing specific behaviors and social skills to foster a community of RESPECT

Modeling ways to prevent and combat bullying

SUPPLEMENTAL GUIDANCE PROGRAMS AND CHARACTER ENRICHMENT

• Café Manners

• Bullying Prevention

• No Place for Hate

• Buddies

• Peer Mediation

IMPORTANT WEBSITES

http://www.houstonisd.org/domain/9917

http://secondstep.org/

FOSTERING INDEPENDENCE

~PURPOSEFUL PREPARAT ION~

WHY INDEPENDENCE IS IMPORTANT

• Developing independence promotes positive self-esteem and confidence • With the proper guidance, we foster good decision making skills in our

children when we allow them to consider options, take risks, and make mistakes

• When we give our children leeway to make decisions and try new things on their own, whether simple or complex, we are fostering a deeper sense of trust and a stronger parent-child bond

• A dependent, over protected child is highly likely to perpetuate a cycle of dependence, developing a helpless, “I can’t do it” attitude when confronted with challenging tasks

• Focus on EMPOWERMENT over ENABLING...every time you do something for your child that he/she can do for himself, you are taking away an opportunity for him to achieve success

• Ask yourself daily, “What am I doing for my child today that he can do for himself?”

HOW TO FOSTER INDEPENDENCE

• Give children responsibilities -Making their own bed -Setting the dinner table -Preparing personal belongings for school the next day -Sorting laundry and delivering dirty clothes to the laundry room -Feeding pets

• Allow your child to be involved in family decisions, where appropriate

• Listen to your child’s ideas and feelings • Encourage problem solving in frustrating or controversial

situations • Discuss viable solutions • Let them make mistakes as long as they are safe and healthy

PARENT SUPPORT & COLLABORATION

~INTENT IONAL & CONSISTENT~

SUPPORT

• Read Ram News and teachers’ websites weekly

• E-mail questions or concerns to teachers

• Read your child’s planner for daily assignments/class notes

• Attend Fall & Spring parent conferences

• Try to schedule appointments outside of the school day

• Communicate plans (bus/carpool changes) to your child and teacher in writing ahead of time

• Read, read, read, then...write about it!

• Three keys to success: sleep, nutrition, and water

COLLABORATION

• Conference with teachers during enrichment time

PALS – 8:25-9:10

Kinder –9:10-9:55 3rd – 12:40-1:25

1st – 9:55-10:40 4th – 1:25-2:10

2nd – 11:40-12:35 5th – 2:10-2:55

• Schedule conference with teachers in advance

• Review classwork/test and prepare questions

• Agree on follow-up dates, if needed

• Keep communication lines open – phone call, e-mail, meet

• For safety reasons, please refrain from discussing detailed matters with teachers in the hallway, cafeteria, playground, and in carpool. They are on duty supervising our students!

AVAILABLE RESOURCES & HIGHLIGHTS

• Even Geniuses Work Hard ASCD Educational Leadership magazine, September 2010 • The Learning Myth: Why I’ll Never Tell My Son He’s Smart Salman Khan, August 2014 https://www.khanacademy.org/about/blog/post/95208400815/the-learning-myth-why-ill-never-tell-my-son-hes • Thinking Fast and Slow Daniel Kahneman, 2011 • Bright Beginnings for Boys Debby Zambo and William Brozo, 1999 • Parents As Writing Partners ADCD Educational Leadership, 2014 • The Top 10 Colleges Students Really Want to Attend http://www.time.com/money • Social-Emotional Learning is the New Smart Committee for Children, 2014 http://www.cfchildren.org/second-step/social-emotional-learning/sel-is-the-new-smart.aspx

• Ashley Pringle, Counselor

apringl2@houstonisd.org

• Ileana Cortes, Clerk

icortes@houstonisd.org

• Christian Winn, Assistant Principal

cwinn@houstonisd.org

Phone:

(713) 917-3565

Website:

www. www.houstonisd.org/rogersms

T. H. ROGERS ELEMENTARY

STAFF

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

Important Dates Events

Sept. 23 Parent Advisory Council (7:45AM)

Sept. 23 Progress Reports

Sept. 24 Early Dismissal (12:45)

Sept. 25 Deaf Awareness Program (9:30AM)

Sept. 26 Donuts with Dad (7:15AM)

Oct. 3 Fall Holiday (NO SCHOOL)

Oct. 13-20 Elementary Fall Conferences

A WORD FROM PTO

PTO Co-Presidents

Sadaf Ebrahim sadafebrahim@hotmail.com Smitha Saraswathy smithu_s@yahoo.com

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