Friday, May 31, 2013

For the Week of June 3rd

Have a Wonderful Summer!

I hope each family has a wonderful summer. I am looking forward to next school year. Be safe.

End of Year School Picnic  
In the interest of ensuring that all students remain safe while having fun during the school picnic, gym shoes will be the only acceptable foot wear of the day.  Little toes and feet cannot play when bruised and abraded. If feet are not in proper attire, students will not be allowed to participate in outdoor activities.  Thank you.

Friday, May 24, 2013

For the Week of May 27th

Looking Back

At the end of one school year there are a lot of things to get ready for the next school year. One of the things we do is review the data on each child. Where did they start this school year and where did they end? It is hard to measure growth on a daily basis because you may not be able to notice it. But when you look at the beginning and ending data you can see that they really did learn a lot this year. They worked hard. They know more. They are more mature. They can handle more responsibilities on their own. Thank  you for  another great school year with your children!

Prairieview Picnic


The PV picnic is scheduled for Monday, June 3.  The PTO is asking that students NOT wear flip flops that day due to the scheduled activities.

Friday, May 17, 2013

For the Week of May 20th

Summer Reading - It is not too early to begin thinking how you, as parents, are going to keep your child reading this summer. Many libraries have summer book clubs that help to encourage summer reading. If your child is a stubborn reader, it may help to hire an older student to come at a set time to read with your child each day. A junior high student would be perfect for this job, (maybe some budding teacher), and would probably be willing to work for a relatively small amount of money. Another idea is to have a set family reading time when everyone sits down and reads. This can be especially helpful if everyone gets a chance to tell the other members of the family what they have just read about or a favorite part of what they have read. So, I encourage you to be proactive about your child's summer reading program. Think carefully about what would fit into your family's schedule and plan ahead to make reading an important part of your child's summer activities.

Friday, May 10, 2013

For the Week of May 13th

Early Dismissal

Friday, May 17th is early dismissal. Students will be dismissed at 11:00 a.m.



MAP tests - I have been studying the MAP tests results and one trend I have noticed is that many student's scores go down in the fall after being away from school all summer. This doesn't have to happen. Providing children with fun but meaningful activities during the summer can help them to retain what they have learned. Some examples of ideas are to work on projects together which require reading and math. Baking can help their measurement and fraction skills along with reading and following directions. Making projects out of wood could require reading the directions and measuring accurately. Having your child plan and plant a small vegetable or flower garden where they have to read the directions about when to plant, how deep and how far apart can help them with their reading, and measuring. Maybe you want to teach your child about baseball averages and how they work. Planning your family vacation can be a very worthwhile learning adventure as the child figures out how far it is between stops, and how long it will take. They can research places of interest that your family might enjoy visiting. These examples will not seem like to school to your child, but will require them to do the same types of learning activities that we require of them. That is a win-win combination.


Summer Reading - It is not too early to begin thinking how you, as parents, are going to keep your child reading this summer. Many libraries have summer book clubs that help to encourage summer reading. If your child is a stubborn reader, it may help to hire an older student to come at a set time to read with your child each day. A junior high student would be perfect for this job, (maybe some budding teacher), and would probably be willing to work for a relatively small amount of money. Another idea is to have a set family reading time when everyone sits down and reads. This can be especially helpful if everyone gets a chance to tell the other members of the family what they have just read about or a favorite part of what they have read. So, I encourage you to be proactive about your child's summer reading program. Think carefully about what would fit into your family's schedule and plan ahead to make reading an important part of your child's summer activities.

Friday, May 3, 2013

For the Week of May 6th


MAP tests - I have been studying the MAP tests results and one trend I have noticed is that many student's scores go down in the fall after being away from school all summer. This doesn't have to happen. Providing children with fun but meaningful activities during the summer can help them to retain what they have learned. Some examples of ideas are to work on projects together which require reading and math. Baking can help their measurement and fraction skills along with reading and following directions. Making projects out of wood could require reading the directions and measuring accurately. Having your child plan and plant a small vegetable or flower garden where they have to read the directions about when to plant, how deep and how far apart can help them with their reading, and measuring. Maybe you want to teach your child about baseball averages and how they work. Planning your family vacation can be a very worthwhile learning adventure as the child figures out how far it is between stops, and how long it will take. They can research places of interest that your family might enjoy visiting. These examples will not seem like to school to your child, but will require them to do the same types of learning activities that we require of them. That is a win-win combination.


Summer Reading - It is not too early to begin thinking how you, as parents, are going to keep your child reading this summer. Many libraries have summer book clubs that help to encourage summer reading. If your child is a stubborn reader, it may help to hire an older student to come at a set time to read with your child each day. A junior high student would be perfect for this job, (maybe some budding teacher), and would probably be willing to work for a relatively small amount of money. Another idea is to have a set family reading time when everyone sits down and reads. This can be especially helpful if everyone gets a chance to tell the other members of the family what they have just read about or a favorite part of what they have read. So, I encourage you to be proactive about your child's summer reading program. Think carefully about what would fit into your family's schedule and plan ahead to make reading an important part of your child's summer activities.