Color of Our Worlds September 2019
Educating ALL Students for Success!
Curriculum Night
What is curriculum night?
Often confused with parent-teacher interviews (though they, too, are on the horizon), curriculum night is an educational open house hosted at your child’s school. It takes place across all levels, including elementary and high schools, public and private schools alike.
At curriculum night, you should expect:
- teacher presentations on curriculum
- teachers providing an outline for routines and expectations—a great help in getting students prepared for a successful school year
- time to meet and talk briefly with your child’s teacher and establish a good working relationship from the get-go
Retrieved from https://helpwevegotkids.com/national/article/education/10-reasons-to-attend-curriculum-night-at-your-childs-school/, August 9, 2019.
Why should I go to curriculum night?
1. Meet your child’s teacher and school administration.
Take this opportunity to be proactive and meet the teacher and school team in advance of Parent-Teacher Interview Night and progress report time.
2. Network with parents and participate in Q&As.
Use the occasion to meet the parents of your child’s peers and participate in a group question and answer period. Sometimes parents learn the most from the questions asked by others.
3. See firsthand what students will be learning.
Get a glimpse of the timetable, routine and curriculum breakdown of what will be covered throughout the year. This will also include highlights, field trips, and other topics students will look forward to.
4. Understand homework expectations and evaluation practices.
Learn about homework and organizational expectations, as well as what students need to bring to school to be successful.
5. Get familiar with your child’s learning environment.
Presentations tend to be in the classroom that your child will learn in throughout the year. This is an opportunity to sit in their seat, literally!
6. Start a one-on-one dialogue with the teacher.
Although this is not a formal meeting, it’s a time to ask any questions or provide the teacher with any critical information that will benefit you child’s learning throughout the year.
7. Learn about the teacher’s communication strategy.
By meeting the teacher firsthand you will get a sense of their teaching style as well as their communication strategy. Teachers will explain how they plan to interact with students and parents throughout the year, whether by letters, emails, agendas, or blogs. It’s also an opportunity to give your e-mail to the teacher if there is a class list.
8. Be informed on school policies and rules.
Use this time to get information on school safety routines, as well as pick-up and drop off expectations.
9. Find out how to get involved and volunteer.
If you’re interested in volunteering, use this evening as a chance to learn how to become involved in your child’s school.
10. Send your child a message that you care.
This may be the most important reason to attend: You’ll show your child that you are interested in their experiences as a student and in what they are learning.
Retrieved from https://helpwevegotkids.com/national/article/education/10-reasons-to-attend-curriculum-night-at-your-childs-school/, August 9, 2019.
September 12: Grades 3-5
September 12: Grades 3-5
September 12: Grades 3-5
September 12: Grades 3-5
September 12: Grades 3-5
September 12: Grades 3-5
August 29: Grades 6-8
Develop a partnership with your child's teachers and school staff
1. Meet your child's teacher. As soon as the school year starts, try to find a way to meet your child's teacher. Let the teacher know you want to help your child learn. Make it clear that you want the teacher to contact you if any problems develop with your child. Talk with your child's teacher offers some great tips for developing a partnership with your child's teacher.
If you feel uncomfortable speaking English, don't let a language barrier stop you. What you have to say is more important than the language you say it in! Ask the school to find someone who can interpret for you. There may be a teacher or parent liaison who can help. Or you can bring a bilingual friend or relative with you.
2. Get to know who's who at your child's school. There are many people at your child's school who are there to help your child learn, grow socially and emotionally, and navigate the school environment. Who's Who at Your Child's School describes the responsibilities of teachers, administrators, and district staff. Each school is different but this article will offer a general introduction to personnel of your child's school.
3. Attend parent-teacher conferences and keep in touch with your child's teacher.Schools usually have one or two parent-teacher conferences each year. You can bring a friend to interpret for you or ask the school to provide an interpreter. You can also ask to meet with your child's teacher any time during the year. If you have a concern and can't meet face-to-face, send the teacher a short note or set up a time to talk on the phone. For more ideas about how to prepare for parent-teacher conferences, see Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences at Your Child's School.
(Retrieved from https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/twenty-ways-you-can-help-your-children-succeed-school.)
10 Facts About School Attendance
Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school.
Over 8 million U.S. students miss nearly a month of school each year.
- Absenteeism and its ill effects start early. One in 10 kindergarten and first grade students are chronically absent.
- Poor attendance can influence whether children read proficiently by the end of third grade or be held back.
- By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
- Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That’s just two days a month and that’s known as chronic absence.
- Students who live in communities with high levels of poverty are four times more likely to be chronically absent than others often for reasons beyond their control, such as unstable housing, unreliable transportation and a lack of access to health care.
- When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating.
- Attendance improves when schools engage students and parents in positive ways and when schools provide mentors for chronically absent students.
- Most school districts and states don’t look at all the right data to improve school attendance. They track how many students show up every day and how many are skipping school without an excuse, but not how many are missing so many days in excused and unexcused absence that they are headed off track academically.
(Retrieved from https://www.attendanceworks.org/chronic-absence/the-problem/10-facts-about-school-attendance/.)
Jeff Kinney
Parent Resources
What is Your Why?
When we believe in our children, we help them learn to believe in themselves.
School Happenings
2019 Kiwanis of Stuart Back to School Picnic
Critical thinking, teaching and learning are taking place from Day One at Indiantown Middle School!
Warfield Students are Stars!
Mrs. Skerven’s Scientists at Indiantown Middle School are Ready to Soar!
It's GREAT to Be a Rocket at J. D. Parker Elementary School!
Growing Hearts & Minds - Hobe Sound Elementary - Teachers and Administrators at School Board Meeting for their Pilot Project!
4th grade Warfield students in Ms.Wardell's Class are engaging in math turn and talks with their peers.
Florida Chancellor of Public Schools Visited Indiantown Middle School!
ClassLink SingleSignOn
Google G-Suite
Focus School Software
Community Resources
Martin County School District Title I Schools and Program Staff
Elementary Schools:
Hobe Sound Elementary
JD Parker Elementary School
Pinewood Elementary School
Port Salerno Elementary School
Seawind Elementary School
Warfield Elementary School
Secondary Schools:
David Anderson Middle School
Indiantown Middle School
Spectrum Academy
Willoughby Learning Center
Title I Program Staff
Shela Khanal, Director of Title I Programs
Debra George, Coordinator of Title I Programs
Deb Stull, Coordinator District Title Programs: ELL, Immigrant, and FIT
Casey Vasko, Federal Programs/ Equitable Services Liaison
Yvonne Blanco, Title I Department Secretary
Website: https://fl02202359.schoolwires.net/Domain/360
Phone: 772-219-1200