It’s hard to believe that we are on the cusp of the holiday season. Where has the time gone?
I want to start my article by saying thank you. Thank you to all of the parents, staff and community members that played a role in getting the referendum passed. The staff and students are excited to start a new chapter in the Central Elementary School history books. Thank you for showing your support of our schools, students, and staff.
Mid January will signal the end of the second quarter. The half way mark if you will. At the mid-point of the year it is time to take a pulse on students learning. Not only will report cards be coming home, but we will embark on another round of NWEA testing, DIBELS testing and STAR Reading. All designed to help us pin point your child’s needs. I am very anxious to see the data that we collect from our students this time around for many reasons, but one very specific reason. The teachers have been working very hard this year under the direction of Jody Rodine to implement Guided Reading. Guided reading is a strategy that helps students become good readers. The teacher provides support for small groups of readers as they learn to use various reading strategies (context clues, letter and sound relationships, word structure,
and so forth). Although guided reading has been traditionally associated with primary grades it can be modified and used successfully in all grade levels. For example, older students may need to learn new strategies to understand how to read an information book in a way that is going to give them access to the information they are seeking.
Our teachers have been meeting every Wednesday morning at 7:oo AM since the beginning of the year with one goal in mind. Learn how to effectively use Guided Reading in their classrooms. From what I have seen and from what I have been hearing they are doing a great job of using this new tool to take students to new levels.
Be sure to keep your eye open for more information on how your child is doing. Once you know where they are I ask that you ask yourself the same question our teachers ask themselves. What can I do to take them to the next level?
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