21 -27 April 2008
Vicenza Elementary School
Attention: I currently have 2 known participants in the School Science Fair: Lucy Combs and Malik Donald. Please let me know if your child will be participating so I can reserve them a display spot with the Science Fair Sponsor. VES Science Fair on Th/F: 1-2 May! Just write me @ elizabeth.petty@eu.dodea.edu . Thank you!
School Improvement Goals:
Goal 1: All students will improve written communication across the curriculum.
Goal 2: All students will improve mathematical reasoning.
This is a very long post, so please read to the end. Thank you!
Monday: 21 April -Art-C.O.W -Computer Lab p.m.
Tuesday: 22 April Music/Bring back your library books!!/Computer Lab a.m.
PLEASE send back the permission slip for Ms. Hartwig and the VES 50th Birthday Celebration! I'll send it home today, so return tomorrow, on Wednesday, please.
Wednesday: 23 April -P.E./Library Book Check-Out
Thursday: 24 April -Host Nation
Friday: 25 April-Host Nation: Computer Lab p.m.
Congratulations, parents! Our class had 100% parent and student attendance at our recent portfolio conferences last Thursday and Friday. I was so pleased with how the students were able to host and hostess their 'tour' of 1st grade learning. They had so much to share, and are so proud of their learning. I have seen them grow, change and take control of their time at school and the feedback certainly taught me that you feel the same way, as do your children. Thank you so much for a successful year this year.
Interestingly enough, our last day of school this year will be the 10th of June. Please mark this date on your calendar, as it is a change from the original school calendar, as you'll notice. As of today, you'll count only 35 days of instruction remaining. In some ways, I just don't believe it, in others, perhaps they're ready to 'fly' on their own to 2nd grade next fall. We'll push through to the last day, and, of course, have a bit of fun on the way.
This is the last week left on our trial with the IXL math site. Please overuse this at home, and for those of you that have had trouble, please continue to make an attempt to connect. You're welcome to sign up for your own month-long trial at the web-site. It would definitely be worth your time.
http://www.ixl.com/math/ Check it out! If you would like to purchase the sight license, it also has that available.
The Summer Months Are Coming!!
Our blog will have only four more posts after this one. The last post will be entered on 18 May, where you will find all the summer links for your use and continued work throughout the summer days.
I will also be sending you a custom electronic book list for your child. This list will include leveled books listed below, at, and above your child's current level of guided reading. Many of the books can be found at the post library. Check out this site on Summmer Reading Loss from Reading Rockets. Research shows delays and loss, if students are reading over the summer.
I would also encourage participation in the summer library reading program the U.S. Army offers. The announcement of this program is soon to be published, so register your student and use the book list I provide for some of the reading over the summer.
Do not neglect your student's math achievement over the summer, either. Some of the links posted for the summer will include math practice and access to the math worksheet web-site, where you can copy off practice sheets in all areas of math standards.
Excerpt from:
Author: Cooper, Harris
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education Champaign IL
"The meta-analysis also found differences in the effect of summer vacation on different skill areas. Summer loss was more pronounced for math facts and spelling than for other tested skill areas. The explanation of this result was based on the observation that both math computation and spelling skills involve the acquisition of factual and procedural knowledge, whereas other skill areas, especially math concepts, problem solving, and reading comprehension, are conceptually based. Findings in cognitive psychology suggest that without practice, facts and procedural skills are most susceptible to forgetting (e.g., Cooper & Sweller, 1987). Summer loss was more pronounced for math overall than for reading overall. The authors speculated that children's home environments might provide more opportunities to practice reading skills than to practice mathematics. Parents may be more attuned to the importance of reading, so they pay attention to keeping their children reading over summer."
Continue working on the links, read a little more and final assessments for the year in reading and math will begin and continue throughout the next four weeks. Once again, thank you for your support and attention to your student's progress.
Sincerely, Mrs. Petty
