SES Sunday Scoop
This week (Dec. 2-6), our school community will focus on the character strength of Kindness. Kindness means being generous to others, never being too busy to help out, and you enjoy doing good deeds for other people. Kindness is based on the belief that everyone deserves care, attention, and compassion. Kind people think about others' needs and feelings and take action to help. They are selfless, helping others because it's the right thing to do, not for any personal gain. People who are kind have a strong sense of duty to care for others. Their acts of kindness inspire more kindness in return.
Next week (Dec. 9-13), our school community will focus on the Other People Mindset of Supporting Others When They Struggle. This means when other people are struggling, we do our best to help them out. Supporting other people when they struggle is a critical part of being human. There are many different approaches to helping people who are struggling. These can include listening while they describe an event and their feelings about it, taking action to help people in need, or simply being there and sitting together in silence. Everyone faces tough days and needs support, and this support leads to a chain of prosocial behavior that makes us feel good about ourselves and our group.
Families can continue the conversation at home by practicing and encourage the traits we are learning in school, at home. Lessons on Kindness & OPM - Supporting Others When They Struggle were added to our VIRTUAL BACKPACK!
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Sagrario Rudecindo-O'Neill will be attending the PTO Meeting on December 2nd to discuss the new curriculum.
We are thrilled to introduce a new and exciting addition to our literacy program: the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Into Reading program in grades 3-5. This research-based curriculum is designed to meet the needs of all students and is aligned with the principles of the Science of Reading, a body of research that focuses on how the brain learns to read and the best practices for teaching reading.
Into Reading integrates the findings of the Science of Reading, providing a structured, systematic approach to literacy skills. This approach focuses on the key components of effective reading instruction, ensuring that every child receives the tools to become proficient readers and critical thinkers.
Key Features of the Into Reading Program:
- Vocabulary and Language Development: Into Reading enhances students' vocabulary through rich, varied texts and interactive activities, building comprehension and communication skills. This program provides explicit morphology instruction to support students’ vocabulary acquisition.
- Fluency and Comprehension: The program fosters reading fluency by encouraging students to read with expression and understanding. It also focuses on developing strong comprehension skills, helping students connect with and analyze what they read.
- Evidence-Based Strategies: Aligned with the Science of Reading, the program is rooted in cognitive science and evidence-based practices that have been proven effective in supporting student success in literacy.
- Differentiated Instruction: Recognizing that every child is unique, the program adapts to different learning styles and reading levels, ensuring students can engage with the material and progress at their own pace.
- Systematic Foundational Instruction: The program emphasizes explicit and sequential phonics instruction, helping students understand the relationship between letters and sounds—an essential element in early reading development. *This component is for students who still need support in this area.
- Culturally Authentic Literature: The Into Reading program offers an array of story selections that are inclusive and diverse and foster representation of all our families.
- Progressing Monitoring and Formative Assessment: The program provides explicit and continuous checks for understanding through the 3-week modules. Students will engage in weekly check-ins and end-of-module assessments that teachers can use to drive their instruction. These common assessments ensure continuity and cohesion across the district.
