Chess Club Begins
We had an overwhelming response for joining Chess Club. For that reason we had to divide the group into four clubs. To make it easy for students to tell which club they are in, I numbered the clubs 1-4.Please make sure your child memorizes which club they are in and remind them the morning of the club that they have chess club that day.
Club #1 meets this Wednesday, October 5th from 2:25-3:25.
Club #3 meets this Thursday, October 6th from 2:25-3:25.
The following are the dates for all of the clubs.
Club #1 - Wednesday Oct. 5, 19; Nov. 2, 16; Dec. 7
Club #2 - Wednesday Oct. 12, 26; Nov. 9, 30; Dec 14
Club #3 - Thursday Oct. 6, 20; Nov. 10; Dec. 1, 15
Club #4 - Thursday Oct. 13; Tuesday Oct. 25; Thursday Nov. 3, 17; Dec. 8
Friday, September 30, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
For the Week of September 26th
Chess Club
Sheets are due in to sign-up for Chess Club by this Tuesday, September 27th. Groups will be formed. We will have one group of beginners and another group of those who already know how to play. Groups will alternate weeks. The first club will meet October 6th. I will be sending home the details by the end of the week.
SIP Day - Early Dismissal
School will be dismissed at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 30th.
Helping your Student at Home
Parents have been asking me for ways to help their children at home. If you want to help your child to read better at home I have two resources for you. The first is a computer program called Lexia that Prairiview has purchased. If you email me, I will send an information sheet about how to download this program onto your home computer. Another thing I have is a list of sight words your child should learn. These words do not follow the phonics rules so need to be memorized. You could have your child read you the words. Any words that they miss could be put on note cards. Then they could be drilled for a couple of minutes each night until all words are learned. You can also write the sight word in a 3-4 word phrase and have your child read the phrases to you. For example, tongue is a sight word. So the phrase could be "bit his tongue."
Sheets are due in to sign-up for Chess Club by this Tuesday, September 27th. Groups will be formed. We will have one group of beginners and another group of those who already know how to play. Groups will alternate weeks. The first club will meet October 6th. I will be sending home the details by the end of the week.
SIP Day - Early Dismissal
School will be dismissed at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 30th.
Helping your Student at Home
Parents have been asking me for ways to help their children at home. If you want to help your child to read better at home I have two resources for you. The first is a computer program called Lexia that Prairiview has purchased. If you email me, I will send an information sheet about how to download this program onto your home computer. Another thing I have is a list of sight words your child should learn. These words do not follow the phonics rules so need to be memorized. You could have your child read you the words. Any words that they miss could be put on note cards. Then they could be drilled for a couple of minutes each night until all words are learned. You can also write the sight word in a 3-4 word phrase and have your child read the phrases to you. For example, tongue is a sight word. So the phrase could be "bit his tongue."
Friday, September 16, 2011
For the Week of September 19th
Informational Books
Illinois is in the process of adopting new standards. These standards will have a strong emphasis on reading informational texts. The teachers at Prairieview are already discussing how to incorporate more informational texts into the curriculum. I suggest that when purchasing or getting books out of the library for your children, if they usually select fiction, decide to occasionally select a nonfiction book. Like all free reading, these books should be about something that interests your child. You might even show them how to find just the information they are really interested in and read only that part of the book. When we read to gather information, we usually only read until we find the answers to the questions we have. Unlike novels, informational texts do not need to be read cover-to-cover.
Illinois is in the process of adopting new standards. These standards will have a strong emphasis on reading informational texts. The teachers at Prairieview are already discussing how to incorporate more informational texts into the curriculum. I suggest that when purchasing or getting books out of the library for your children, if they usually select fiction, decide to occasionally select a nonfiction book. Like all free reading, these books should be about something that interests your child. You might even show them how to find just the information they are really interested in and read only that part of the book. When we read to gather information, we usually only read until we find the answers to the questions we have. Unlike novels, informational texts do not need to be read cover-to-cover.
Friday, September 9, 2011
For the Week of September 12th
MAP Testing
Our two weeks of MAP testing went very smoothly. We are now in the process of reviewing the results and analyzing how best to help students make gains for this school year.
9/11
On Monday we are planning on remembering what happened on 9/11 by wearing red, white and blue. The classroom teachers have various activities planned to inspire us to move forward as a country and remember those who parished.
Our two weeks of MAP testing went very smoothly. We are now in the process of reviewing the results and analyzing how best to help students make gains for this school year.
9/11
On Monday we are planning on remembering what happened on 9/11 by wearing red, white and blue. The classroom teachers have various activities planned to inspire us to move forward as a country and remember those who parished.
Friday, September 2, 2011
For the Week of September 5th
Read Alouds
Reading aloud to your children is very important for their vocabulary development. Writers commonly use words that are not part of people's everyday vocabulary. It is crucial to learn these words and a good way to learn them is by listening to well-written literature read aloud. Besides being important for vocabulary development, it is also fun and can be a bonding time for the family. Listening also helps children's creativity. Children have to use visualization in order to see the story happening in their minds. This is a much more active process compared to sitting in front of the television and having the images flashed on the screen. If you do not feel that you are a strong enough reader to read aloud to your children, I suggest that you get books on CD out of the library and listen as a family. Everyone's vocabularies will improve and you will have fun at the same time!
MAP Testing this Week
MAP Testing is this week. Please make sure that your student has a good night's sleep and a nutritious breakfast so that they will do their best on the tests. We will be looking closely at these scores to see how we can help your student to grow in their reading and math understanding and knowledge
Reading aloud to your children is very important for their vocabulary development. Writers commonly use words that are not part of people's everyday vocabulary. It is crucial to learn these words and a good way to learn them is by listening to well-written literature read aloud. Besides being important for vocabulary development, it is also fun and can be a bonding time for the family. Listening also helps children's creativity. Children have to use visualization in order to see the story happening in their minds. This is a much more active process compared to sitting in front of the television and having the images flashed on the screen. If you do not feel that you are a strong enough reader to read aloud to your children, I suggest that you get books on CD out of the library and listen as a family. Everyone's vocabularies will improve and you will have fun at the same time!
MAP Testing this Week
MAP Testing is this week. Please make sure that your student has a good night's sleep and a nutritious breakfast so that they will do their best on the tests. We will be looking closely at these scores to see how we can help your student to grow in their reading and math understanding and knowledge
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