• A Time for Thanksgiving:

As I have written many times before, I thoroughly love Thanksgiving.  It is, without a doubt, my favorite holiday of the year.  I so look forward to Thanksgiving, and it occurred to me why that was so: Family.  It is all about family and being thankful for what we have.  Nothing is more important, more sacred, than our family.  When our lives are so busy, our time together so short, and our families so pulled in so many different directions, it is important to slow things down, take a look at all we have as a family, and cherish our time together.  Spend time with your children, reading, talking, playing games.  Let nothing get in the way of your family time together. 

When so much in our lives is so unclear, so unsteady, so unnerving, children and family provide us with a natural comfort that no one can shake.  Turn off the TV, the computer, the Game Boy, the CD player, and just spend quality time together.  Get back to the basics – make family time a priority – hug your child/children every chance you get. 

• Standards-Based Report Card:

On Monday, November 17, and Tuesday, November 18, you will have the opportunity to conference with your child’s teacher and discuss your child’s progress at school.  You will be receiving a copy of your child’s progress report on Friday for your review.  At the conference, you will have an opportunity to review it with the teacher and ask specific questions. In preparation for receiving the first report card of the year, the elementary principals thought it would be helpful to provide you with some general information about reporting student progress in a standards based learning environment. Additionally, in the next section of this newsletter you will find some tips and idea parents can use when conferencing with teachers.

Our report card reflects that Crane Elementary is a standards-based learning environment.  Schools across the country are centering their teaching on content and learning standards.  To more appropriately address “standards-based” instruction and learning, traditional report cards have been revamped, especially in the elementary years.  This year we have made several revisions to our standards-based reporting system based on parent and teacher input.  If you are already familiar with Rush-Henrietta elementary report cards, you will note that they have been revised to eliminate separate reporting of process skills, following input from parents and teachers.  Teachers will continue to evaluate and monitor student progress toward demonstrating these skills, and their comments and ratings will reflect student proficiency with these.

What is a standards-based report card?  A standards-based report card lists the most important skills students should learn in each content area or subject at a particular grade level. Instead of letter grades, students receive a rating that shows how well they have mastered the skills.  Students also receive separate scores for effort and work habits, which are important for parents to know even if these characteristics are not included in the assessment of a student’s academic skills. 

On a traditional report card, letter grades are often calculated by combining how well a particular student met his or her particular teacher’s expectations, how well he or she performed on the assignments and tests, and how much effort the teacher believes the student has put into the subject.  Letter grades do not tell parents which skills their child has mastered or whether or not they are working at grade level.

Standards-based report cards provide more consistency between teachers than traditional report cards because all children are evaluated on the same grade appropriate skills.  This approach also carries over to classroom assignments, too, as the report card influences the way teachers assess student learning throughout the year.  Teachers share these expectations in the form of rubrics with students, often posting them on the classroom wall.  Now when students receive an assignment, they know exactly what they have to do to be proficient or advanced.

            Still, standards-based teaching and reporting may be unfamiliar territory for parents because it is different than the way teaching or report cards were structured when we went to school. One thing you can expect at your child’s conference is to see samples of your child’s work along with exemplars that are representative of student work at a proficient level. If you have any questions about standards-based teaching or reporting, your first contact should be with your child’s teacher.  As always, you may request a teacher conference at any time to better understand how your child is learning and progressing in school.

• Parent–Teacher Conference Tips:

Be prepared.  Your child’s report card will come home on the Friday before conferences.  Review the report card, and any other school papers you might want to discuss.  Plan to bring the report card to the conference.

Talk with your child.  Find out how he/she is enjoying his studies this year, what he/she is finding easy and what he/she might find challenging.  Ask how things are going with friends, and how he/she has been behaving in class.

Think about questions you want to ask.  Is my child meeting expectations for learning and behavior?  How is he/she performing on homework or tests?  If he/she is struggling, what has been tried to improve her performance?  Is it working?  If something is easy for him/her, what has been tried to help him/her continue to achieve well?  What can be done to help at home or at school?

Be on time.  Parent teacher conferences are often scheduled very tightly, and it is helpful to everyone if you are on time for your appointment.  Try to remain within the timeframe of your conference once you begin so that other parents do not have to wait if your conference goes over.

Be ready to collaborate.  Teachers have your child’s best interests in mind, and want to help him/her do even better in school.  If there are problems or challenges, your child will need you and the teacher to work together as partners to support his/her learning.  You are your child’s first and best teacher, and your child’s teacher needs your input and ideas.

Listen and share.  Listen to what the teacher has to say, and share your own point of view.  Ask questions, and look at samples of your child’s work together.  It is important that you both understand the strengths and needs of your child.

Follow up.  If you and the teacher agree to do something to help your child, follow-up with the teacher to share your observations and how things seem to be going with your child.  Remember, even after the November conference nights are done, you may conference with your child’s teacher at any time throughout the year.

The best conferences are those that allow parents and teachers to develop a deeper understanding of the child, and that help both work more effectively with the child. Please stay in touch with your child’s teacher throughout the year.  Strong parent-teacher partnerships are needed so both can reach our common goal—the best education possible for our children!

• Grade 5 New York Social Studies Assessment:

Our 5^th grade students will be taking the New York Social Studies Assessment on Wednesday, 11/12/08, and Thursday, 11/13/08.  Please make sure your fifth grader is well rested, and eats a well-rounded breakfast in preparation for this assessment.  The boys and girls are very well prepared, and we look forward to seeing them shine on this test.

• Crane Student Yearbook:

Once again our school will have a color yearbook. Currently, Mrs. Petrocci is accepting yearbook advertisements for the back of the book. Parents and businesses can place a 1/8 of a page personal or business message, including text and pictures, for $20.00 each. The 1/8 of a page is about the size of a business card.  Businesses can place 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, and full-page advertisements. For more information contact Mrs. Petrocci at 359-5400 or rpetrocci@rhnet.org.

Students voted for this year’s yearbook cover on Wednesday, October 22. To see the cover that students selected for this year, and for more yearbook information, please check out www.rhnet.org/webpages/dkinney/craneyearbook.cfm. Look for sales information later in the school year.

• PTA Meeting / English Language Arts/Social Studies Family Night:

            On Wednesday, November 5, we will have an abbreviated PTA Meeting followed by our first ever ELA/SS Family Night.  Our PTA meeting begins at 6:30, followed immediately by our ELA/SS Family Night. Information has already been sent home, and we look forward to an exciting, informative, and fun evening.  I hope to see all of you on the 5^th!

Have a wonderful November and a Happy Thanksgiving!