Peek Week: Thanks to all of the parents who attended Mr. Tynes’ annual PE gymnastics event this past week. Students were thrilled to demonstrate their balancing prowess on the beam, their flips on the rings and horizontal bars, and their high flying vaults. The 30/45 minute demonstration culminated in a coordinated class routine designed to showcase students’ flexibility and core strength all within a framework that encourages personal growth and risk taking. Thanks to Mr. Tynes and to the students for all their hard work.
Winter Concert: 4th and 5th grade members of the band and orchestra ensembles, along with members of the 5th grade chorus all came out to perform a selection of songs at two performances this week. Thanks to Megan Lotz and Geoff Wadsworth for their efforts to prepare the students. From Elvis Presley to Harry Potter, students showed their dedication to their instrument as well as an ability to collaborate on a wide range of musical selections. Thanks to all of the parents who came out to view the performance.
Winter Reminders for Parents: Every so often, I try to provide tips for parents as they navigate challenges that come with the ups and downs of the school year. I hope they are helpful.
- Focus on strengths: When your child brings home a test, talk first about what he or she did well. Then talk about what can be improved. Praise specific strengths. Don’t just criticize things that were done wrong.
- Follow up with consequences for misbehavior: Sometimes parents say things in anger that don’t curb the behavior in the long run. You might say, “Because of what you did, no television for a month.” Both you and your child know that after one or two days the TV will go back on. Decide on consequences that are fair, and then carry them out.
- Ask children how they feel: When you ask your child about his or her feelings, the message is that feelings matter and you care (this doesn't mean that our kids always get what they want).
- Find ways to stay calm when angry: It’s normal to get angry or irritated sometimes. Learn to recognize “trigger situations” and do something about them before you lose control. Try taking deep breaths for a few moments. Consider having a “quiet area” where people can go when they are upset. Or you can just stop talking and leave the room for a while. Sit down as a family and talk about what everyone can do to stay calm.
- Avoid humiliating or mocking your child: This can make children feel bad about themselves. It can lead to a lack of self-confidence and, in turn, problems with schoolwork, illness, and trouble getting along with friends. Unfair criticism and sarcasm also hurts the bond of trust between children and parents. Be mindful of how you speak to your children. Give them the room to make mistakes as they learn new skills.
- Be willing to apologize: Parents need to be able to apologize to their children if what they said was not what they meant. Calmly explain what you really wanted to say. By doing this you’re being a good role model. You’re showing how important it is to apologize after hurting someone. You’re teaching that it’s possible to work through problems with respect for the other person.
- Give children choices and respect their wishes: When children have a chance to make choices, they learn how to solve problems. If you make all their choices for them, they’ll never learn this key skill. Giving children ways to express preferences and make decisions shows that their ideas and feelings matter.
- Ask questions that help children solve problems on their own: When parents hear their child has a problem, it’s tempting to step in and take over. But this can harm a child’s ability to find solutions on his or her own. A helpful approach is to ask good questions. Examples include, “What do you think you can do in this situation?” and “If you choose a particular solution, what will be the consequences of that choice?”
- Read books and stories together: Reading stories aloud is a way to share something enjoyable and learn together about other people. For example, stories can be a way to explore how people deal with common issues like making or losing friends or handling conflicts. Ask your child’s teacher or a librarian to recommend stories on themes that interest you and your children.
Progress Reports: Progress Reports will be available online for all families on Monday, February 6th. Access information will be emailed from the district shortly before that date. This report is designed to describe your child’s performance in relation to Newton’s mid-year expectations for each grade level. Specific skills, strategies, and knowledge in each of the major content areas are listed on the report. Teachers then assess whether your child has made the expected progress in that area. Each student’s achievement is rated according to his or her individual performance as compared to the expected standard. If a student is meeting grade level expectations for this time of year, a student will receive a rating of 3 on that standard. If a student is not at grade level in that particular area, the rating will be 1 or 2, depending upon the student’s level of performance. There is also a possible rating of 4, for achievement that is significantly above grade level for that area. Since the use of 4 is reserved for students whose achievement is well above grade level, 4’s will be very rare. Progress reports will also include a teacher written narrative coming at the end of the report, and will include comments about social development and work habits as well as the general academic performance of each child.
Progress reports are intended to be just one of the ways that we communicate with you about your child’s academic and social progress in school. Conferences with your child’s teacher are scheduled for March and April, so that you will have the opportunity to discuss your child’s continued progress at that time. There will then be a final progress report for the year sent home in June. Please contact your teacher (or me) if you have any questions or concerns about the progress report.
Next Generation MCAS Schedule: Students in Newton will be taking yet another new standardized assessment this spring in grades 3-5. This year’s test will be a combination of MCAS and PARCC. 3rd and 5th grade students will take a paper version of the test, while 4th grade students are mandated to take the computer based version. We will provide students with some exposure to the test content and formatting, but our hope is to minimize stress. We ask that parents join us in this effort by not placing any particular emphasis on the outcome of this test…Please review the schedule of testing below:
ELA (Reading/Writing)
Grade 3 - April 25th, April 26th, and April 28th
Grade 4 - April 3rd, April 5th, and April 6th
Grade 5 - April 7th, April 10th, and April 13th
MATH
Grade 3 - May 4th and May 5th
Grade 4 - May 15th and May 16th
Grade 5 - May 1st and May 3rd
