Elementary Essentials

It feels like we have come a long way since August, when it comes to utilizing Wit & Wisdom to teach language comprehension. Last week a small group of us were invited to Havencroft and Manchester Park to watch Wit & Wisdom lessons “live” in classrooms. A huge thank you to all the teachers that opened their doors to us so that we could observe the work by teachers and students. It was wonderful to see grade levels collaborating and all teachers at a grade level teaching similar lessons. To think that all K-5 students across the district are receiving access to the same materials and instruction is fantastic. We appreciate all of the time and effort that teachers have put in to make these materials come to life in classrooms!

You should find yourself approaching the middle of the Module 2. It is usually during this time that the End-of-Module (EOM) Task enters into instruction. I will be collecting three samples from each grade level at each school to get a sense of the quality of writing students are producing. This will give us a baseline for the writing development of our students. This will provide us some exemplars that could be used next year for the success criteria of the EOM Task. More information will come out later about how to submit those writing samples. However, I wanted to put this on your radar screen as you are working through the lessons in Module 2.

The work of this committee is to create a yearlong ELA timeline for each grade level as well as pacing guides for the four quarters of the school year. The committee will change each year and will meet this spring. This will allow for the yearly scope and sequence as well as the pacing guides to be available to teachers before the end of the school year.

It is that time of the year when students are enrolling in courses for the upcoming school year in our secondary buildings. For 5th grade students and their parents and guardians, this often brings questions regarding their 6th grade math placement, which is why I wanted to share the criteria with you prior to February Conferences.

Before sharing the criteria, it is very important that parents understand that Math 6 is a rigorous course which covers many foundational 6th grade standards. These standards are essential for future success in middle and high school math courses.

Students enrolling in Math 6 Plus will be instructed over all 6th grade standards and half of 7th grade standards in one school year. Students in 6 Plus are expected to maintain a B or higher as a measure to indicate that they are appropriately placed in the course and are able to successfully master the necessary foundational standards and skills.

Families will receive notification via email in the late spring (after the district receives and processes state assessment data) as to whether their student qualifies for Math 6 Plus.

Placement in Math 6 Plus depends on high levels of proficiency on both of the following two criteria from 5th grade*:

1. Student scores a Level 4 on the fifth grade Kansas Math Assessment
2. Student scores in the 85th percentile or higher on FastBridge aMath

*Standardized assessments typically report a standard error of measurement (SEM), which means that if a student is to retake the assessment, they would likely fall within the range of that SEM from their original score. For example, a student scoring at the 88%ile on an assessment with a SEM of 3%, it would not be highly improbable for that student to score 91%ile on a retake. For that reason, we consider the SEM of each assessment and lower the cut score slightly of each assessment accordingly.

Please note that our district's protocol does not permit high-achieving students to skip a grade level in math. Mastery of standards at each grade level is essential to building a strong mathematical foundation. Students who successfully progress through the Plus courses or advanced track will have access to the highest-level math courses offered in high school.

Advancing students through standards at an accelerated pace is not equivalent to engaging them deeply in grade-level content. Therefore, please do not present grade skipping as an option to parents or guardians. In the rare event of an exceptional circumstance, please consult with your administrator. If they determine that further discussion is warranted, they will reach out to Kelly Ulmer and Dr. Rachelle Waters for guidance. Thank you.

The Kiewit Engineering Group has donated plant seed kits to 2nd graders to engage in a hands-on plant lab! Each kit has two dirt disks, two containers, pea seeds and full instructions to observe and record how the pea seeds grow in light vs darkness. These kits will have everything needed for the seed growing experience, except for the water!

This aligns well with Module 6: Plants and Their Needs, which includes the Performance Expectation 2LS2-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow. These kits could be used now or saved for Module 6, as this would be an activity where students may wonder, ask questions, and collect data via measurement, photos, draw pictures, etc., that could be discussed in your classes. The data collected could then be revisited when doing Module 6.

There are still plants available! If you are interested in receiving these, please email Julie Miller with the number of students in your class.

Ad Astra per Aspera! Happy Kansas Day - Happy 164th Birthday to Kansas! Please check out the 2024-25 social studies newsletter for important social studies related items such as Kansas Day Resources.

Did you know social studies can be a powerful tool for building literacy skills? Join Rachel Swearengin (MP-5) for Making Time for Social Studies to learn how social studies can deepen reading, writing, and critical thinking in your classroom on February 18, at 7:00pm, for this FREE event! Learn how to register in the newsletter. Sponsored by the Reading League of Kansas.

Black History Month:

Black History Month is celebrated each year from Feb. 1st to Mar. 1st. Check out the newsletter for more information and resources.

Social Studies Assessment for 4th Grade:

Please check out the newsletter for more information about the 2024-25 HGSS Assessment. Assessment scores are due no later than March 14, 2025.

3rd Grade Teachers:

If your class is not attending the 3rd grade City of Olathe field trip, but you would still like to request Learning About Olathe Books please email Alice Miller @ amillerirc@olatheschools.org with your building and quantity needed.

Thank you for all you do!