Winter Wishes!

In just one month we will say goodbye to 2009 and welcome the year 2010. It is hard to believe that the "new millenium" is already a decade old!! Wow, time flies when you are having such a wonderful life...

Over the Thanksgiving holiday I had the opportunity to play "Rock Band" on an xBox system. This may be surprising to many of you who know that I am not a big TV or video game proponent. As an educator I have often complained about the negative influnce of video games on children, but I must admit, the experience has changed my thinking a bit. I still feel that playing games in excess will impact learning, but the playing of the game itself certainly has the potential to develop some great skills. What I found is that the players need to have great hand-eye coordination, be focused on their learning, monitor their own progress, and plan ahead. These are all critical skills that we try very hard to develop in students, so if this game can help us do that, then let's encourage kids to play them (in moderation of course, and only after they have finished their homework)! It certainly gives me the language I need to talk to students about how learning to read and do math compares to learning how to play the video game "Rock Band."

Our Superintendent, Rick Miller, has challenged all of us to ensure that our students make significant growth this year, which will guarantee that our school and our district move out of Program Improvement. As was discussed in other posts, we almost made it out this year, but the State later announced that we were still a few proficient scores short of the goal in math. We are disappointed, but our determination is now doubled to make it out of Program Improvement in the next two years (we need to meet our goals for two consecutive years).

The staff is looking at the common practices in successful schools around the country and have been studying the research on "90-90-90 Schools." These are schools that have 90% of their students on free and reduced lunch, 90% of the students who are from ethnic minorities, and 90% or more who are meeting district or statewide standards in reading! In these schools everyone has a laser-like focus on student achievement, which includes posting scores and data for everyone to see. Making the data public ensures that not only staff, but also parents and students recognize the monumental efforts needed to make sure every child is succeeding.

That is why you will see data from our district assessments posted in front of the school from now on. I encourage every parent to come to the school and really examine these charts. Are the students at your child's grade level making the level of proficiency you would be proud of and expect? Is your child proficient? If you cannot answer yes to both questions, then contact your child's teacher and find out what you can do to help. It takes a village...and we need your involvement to get the job done.

We will also start posting how many students are meeting their Treasure Reading and Accelerated Reader goals by classroom. Your child should be reading at least 15-30 minutes every night, and then taking quizzes on the computer, either at home or school. Children who read consistently every night do better in school.

Another attribute of high achieving schools is that students in those schools do lots of writing. They write throughout the day in all subjects--math, science, reading, etc. Teachers are implementing this practice now, and I am encouraging students to do their best so their writing can be posted on the bulletin board in the front office. Again, when you visit school, look at the writing on the board to determine if your child is giving his or her best effort in comparison. We score writing using a rubric, so students receive a number 1-4 based on the criteria in each rubric. A 1 means students are not meeting expectations. A 4 is for students who are writing beyond the expectations at that grade level. The papers that we choose to post are all 3s and 4s, proficient or advanced for the grade level.

Obviously, these two practices alone will not ensure every student is proficient. The teacher, working in close connection with the parents, can and does make the difference. Teachers are experts who are held to the California Standards for the Teaching Profession, so they plan lessons thoroughly to engage all learners. They monitor students as they are learning new skills, and reteach right away when necessary. They know how to make learning meaningful, even for students who do not speak English proficiently. They assess student work and determine what skills are lacking. This is very tough work, and they need your support so they can help your child be successful.

I know I seem like a broken record, but truly, children cannot learn to their greatest potential when they are absent from school frequently or leave early. They must be in school, and they must pay attention in school. Our attendance level dropped severely that last month, partially due to the flu, but we still have way too many students out of school who tell us, "we went to Disneyland," or "I had to stay home to help my mom with the sick kids." Please--children need to be in school everyday, on-time, and all day. Thank you.

We have just three weeks left until Winter Break, so make the most of the opportunities to learn!

November News

November 14, 2009

Next week all parents are invited to attend a Parent-Teacher Conference to discuss the learning progress of their children (you have received a time to attend on either Thursday, November 19 or Friday, November 20). At this conference teachers will share student work, talk about each student's progress toward meeting grade level standards, and answer any questions you might have. This is the only formal conference we will schedule this year, but you are always encouraged to call the teacher to schedule a conference at other times as needed. It is imperative that every parent attend the conference next week, but also, stay in touch with the teacher all year.

Starting next week I will be posting grade level achievement scores in the front office. Students take district language arts assessments every 6 weeks, and a district math assessment three times a year. It is important for parents to be aware of how our school is performing on these assessments in relation to the district average, because we are all stake-holders in this school. We each play a part: the administrators, the teachers, the students, and the parents. If student scores are low it is not just one person's fault; we have all failed to do our part. Administrators need to monitor, teachers must be ready to teach, students have to be at school and ready to learn, and parents need to be informed and engaged in the learning of their child.

Next week we will also hold our first Reading Incentive Assembly on Wednesday, November 18. Each trimester we expect every student to set reading goals, and to read 15-30 minutes each night in order to reach those goals. Students who meet or exceed their goals will be able to attend the special assembly, which is a mime group this time. I am sure the students are going to enjoy this very unique form of entertainment, something I suspect many have never seen before. I will also post how many students in each class met their goals on that achievement bulletin board in the front office.

In just 5 short months we will again be taking State tests and it is critical that we have over 58% of our students scoring proficient. That is the work of the entire school community, so we will expect everyone to give 100% to the effort. This includes: being at school on time everyday; staying at school and not leaving early for appointments; doing homework each night; reading 15-30 minutes every night; memorizing math facts when they are taught; attending conferences and keeping in touch with the teacher; and requiring that children follow school rules and allow everyone to learn uninterrupted.

If your child is not doing well in school you have several options:

...stop by the front office for information about free tutoring
...sign up to attend our HEARTS afterschool program
...talk to the teacher about online reteaching and practice resources
...take advantage of services at the public libraries or the cybrary
...talk to the principal or assistant-principal if you do not feel your child is getting the help s/he needs.

We are here to support children in their learning, so come to school and get involved.

Happy Halloween!

We just had the nicest Halloween Parade at school!! We had timidly been anticipating the day filled with LOTS of activity, but I am more than pleasantly surprised at how smoothly the day went. We started with the Citizenship Awards ceremony, moved on to "Eat Lunch with Your Child," and then finished with the big parade and parties. By all rights, it had all the ingredients necessary to be one super CRAZY day!! Instead, the weather was gorgeous (no winter winds that had been around all week), the children were absolutely fantastic, even though they came dressed in their costumes, and there was a pleasant calm in the atmosphere all day!! Wow. I attribute this to all the hard work our staff has done to "Capture Kids Hearts" and treat everyone with respect and dignity.

The Halloween Parade is a Highland tradition (the school opened on Halloween in 1958) and the kids are always so excited to particpate. But I have to say, this is the first year that it felt like a real old-fashioned, gentle and fun parade. The costumes were cute and creative, and there were none that were overly violent or grotesque. It just made my heart feel so good to see children being children, and having a great time cheering each other on!! Thank you to parents, too, for raising such thoughtful children.

Well, here we are already moving into November, the time when we hold official parent conferences. Soon you will be receiving an invitation from your child's teacher asking you to come to school to discuss his or her progress. You must attend the conference in order to receive your child's first report card, too. Please arrange to accept the invitation at the time the teacher schedules for you as they have made time for each parent. If you change the time, the teacher has to re-adjust all the other conferences. Please do not ask teachers to meet later in the evening--they have families too, and many are trying to attend the conferences at their childrens' schools, too. (Employers are required to allow you time off to attend school meetings.)

Check the list of dates in the right column of this page for all the special events this month. There is a lot going on and you don't want to miss out!! Remember, there is no school at all during the week of Thanksgiving. This allows all families to spend quality time together as we begin the holiday season.

Enjoy your longer weekend!!

Lia Boucher, Principal

Parent Volunteers

October 12, 2009

This month we are recruiting parent volunteers to support the activities in our classrooms. Just as sports teams have a "Team Parent" to coordinate the snacks and practice schedules, we are asking for "Room Parents" to perform similar duties. Many parents have already responded, but a few classrooms are still lacking a parent to help the teacher out in this way. The room parent duties include planning class parties, calling other parents to bring in items for the parties, and in primary rooms, helping to total the minutes on the Treasure Reading logs. We only have a few parties each year, so the time commitment is minimal, but having this parent available to the teacher is a great help. Please consider volunteering if you have not already done so.

Parent involvement in school activities is one element successful students have in common. When parents volunteer at the school, or communicate with the teacher regularly, the children of those parents have higher achievement scores. This just makes sense--if the parent is interested in what his or her child is doing in school, they tend to support the learning at home. We have many, many opportunities for parents to become involved, and none of them are scary!! We will work with you to make your experiences here comfortable and give you tasks that you will feel successful doing. What you do is less important than just being here and being involved, because the message you are sending to your child is critical--I care about you and about you doing well in school.

We are entering the flu season, and are definitely seeing many more sick children at school. Please help control the spread of germs by teaching your child good health habits.

1. Always cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. Many teachers have children cough or sneeze into their elbows so they don't carry the germs on their hands.

2. Reinforce the rule at school that students not share food. Again, those hands are carrying lots of germs, so sharing food is sharing germs!

3. Expect your child to wash hands before every meal.

If your child has a fever or is vomiting s/he must stay home. A child needs to be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. That is why we tell parents, if we send a student home with a fever they must stay home the next day, too. School attendance is very important, but we certainly understand that sick children must be at home, or else everyone just keeps spreading germs around.

We have tried many ways to discourage parents from picking children up from school early, but some continue to do so, even when they know this is taking children away from critical instruction. In order to control this problem we are going to need to start keeping track of students being picked up early and refer these parents to the School Attendance Review Board when the problem becomes excessive (more than three times each trimester). I cannot stress enough how disruptive it is to the entire class when we have to interrupt the room to call a single child out to go home. It is not fair to all students to have their learning affected by parents who continually pick students up early.

Background knowledge and varied experiences are a critical component of helping children learn, so be sure to take advantage of the teachable moments around you. Take walks together and talk about the changing season--leaves falling, cooler weather, fall decorations in front of houses. Read chapter books together each night and discuss the story elements--character, setting, problem and solution. Rake fallen leaves into a big pile and let children jump into them!! Everything you do together with your child has learning opportunities so be sure to capitalize on them!

Enjoy this lovely season!

Ms. Boucher

Fall is Here!

Wow! This has been a busy month, so I apologize for not making my weekly blog posts. I'll try to do better from now on.

For those of you keeping up with my pet stories, I have adopted a new miniature schnauzer named Chelsea who is about 6 years old. I had to fill out adoption papers, meet my new pet at an adoption fair, and then pass a "home visit" to make sure that I would provide a safe and loving home for Chelsea. I am happy to say I was approved and Chelsea and I are enjoying each other's company. She loves to take walks every morning and evening, so she is a great influence on me!!

Just like my dog is a good influence on me, we hope as adults that we can be a positive influence in our children's lives. Our actions communicate to children what is important to us, and what is of value to us, so it is critical that we choose our actions carefully. For example, if we choose to set aside a quiet time each night when all family members sit down and read, your children will learn that you value reading. Another example, which is a negative one, if we park in the school lot illegally or cross the parking lot unsafely between parked cars, we are teaching our children not to follow rules. That is not a value we should be teaching our children. Here are some more examples of how you can be a positive influence in your child's life:

--Check your child's homework each night.
--Teach him or her to say please and thank you.
--Speak to your children in complete sentences and model how to use big words.
--Expect your child to speak to you in complete sentences.
--Visit the public library every couple of weeks and check out new books to read.
--Even older kids still like to be read to, so find a book the family enjoys and read a chapter of it out loud to each other each night.
--Model for your children the value you place on helping others and giving back to the community. Recycle, volunteer to serve meals, or help a neighbor with a job around their house.

We will soon be sending home a Progress Report with every child. The first trimester is about half over, and the Progress Report will let you know whether or not your child is meeting grade level standards up to this point. If he or she falls behind during the first trimester, they will have a very difficult time catching up, so look for this report to come home and immediately meet with the teacher if it indicates your child is falling behind. How you respond to the Progress Report is another opportunity to let your child know that you value their efforts in school.

In order to make adequate progress each year and get out of Program Improvement we must have children in school. Teaching and learning occurs every minute of the day, so when children miss class they are not learning the state standards. If they do not have an opportunity to learn, they cannot pass the state tests at the end of the year. Our school depends on every student passing their tests so we can show adequate yearly progress.

The only reason students should miss school is for illness or family emergency. PLEASE limit the number of early pick-ups by making appointments after 2:05 on Thursdays, our early release days. To give you an example of the problem we face with early pick-ups, here is the data for just today:

**4 students were picked up 3 hours early, which = 12 hours of missed instruction and 4 teachers who were disturbed by phone calls to send students to the office.

**7 students were picked up 2 hours early, which = 14 hours of missed instruction and 7 teachers who were disturbed by phone calls to send students to the office.

**6 students were picked up 1 hour early, which = 6 hours of missed instruction and 5 teachers who were disturbed by phone calls to send students to the office.

These numbers were for just one day, so all told, 32 hours of instruction were missed by 17 students, and 17 teachers were interrupted while they were trying to teach. We cannot do our job with so many parents taking children out of school early. And, when you take a child out of school early it is not just your child who loses out. The entire class has to stop for the phone call, and your child is called out to gather all his or her belongings to go home early. That takes learning time away from everyone. Please help us solve this very serious problem.

Last week we awarded over 60 students with Citizenship Awards!! These are students who are working hard in class to attain grade level standards. The parents attended this special ceremony and students received certificates, free pizza coupons, and pencils! Following the awards ceremony we held our first "Eat Lunch with Your Child" event. It was a very busy and very exciting week for all!!

If you would like to volunteer to be a Room Parent please send the blue information sheet back to school with your child.

Have a great week, and be sure to be a positive influence in the lives of your children!!

--Ms. Boucher

Friday, September 18

We are at the end of another busy week here at Highland! Last night we had a great turn-out for the PTA sponsored, Art Night. This event was brought to families as the result of a fabulous collaboration of parents and staff who taught children about photography, painting, collage, and creative writing. Many families participated, so we look forward to receiving many entries in the PTA Reflections Art Contest later this month.

Friday was picture day, and this year Highland was a pilot school for a new photo package being offered by LifeTouch. Each student was photographed in two poses, and the resulting photographs will include a collage of both photos. Please let us know what you think of the new style when pictures come back in a few weeks.

We received some disappointing news this week. Although the estimates had indicated that Highland made significant growth for all sub-groups on last year's state tests (CSTs), it now appears that we fell just a bit short in the area of math for Students with Disabilities. Not having made the expected growth in this area, that means Highland does not come out of Program Improvement, and instead will move into Year 2. Each year that we do not make growth in all sub-groups we will have more sanctions placed upon us. This year it means that parents have a choice to move to another school, or can secure free outside tutoring, all at school expense.

We will continue to work harder than ever to help all students score proficient. It is imperative that parents support this work, too, by ensuring that students are at school, that they do their homework each night, and that extra-time is spent at home studying key skills. At the end of the year we sent out a list of computer resources that can help in this area. I will post those resources again on our school website.

Everyone at school works incredibly hard, so this news is difficult for all of us. We will increase our efforts to reach the new levels of expected proficiency this year, which grow by another 10%. We are starting a new after-school program designed just for students learning English to provide them with 3 more hours a day of language instruction, because at year's end, they must all take their state tests in ENGLISH, whether they are proficient in the language or not. We are going to do everything we can to get them to proficiency.

I met with Steve Libring from the City of Riverside to discuss the parking lot issues that several parents have talked to me about. He said we were doing about all we could in the front lot, and could only suggest that we include pick-up spots in the back lot, as well. The PTA suggested that we create a visual diagram of traffic flow, and pick-up options, to distribute to all parents, so I will work on that, too. As always, we depend on families and the drivers of the vehicles to work with us to keep children safe.

Monday, September 7

Happy Labor Day Holiday. I hope you have enjoyed your long weekend and are ready to return to another great week of school tomorrow. My holiday weekends have not been so great lately--I lost my 14 year old dog to old age on Saturday, so I am looking to adopt another miniature schnauzer from local shelters or rescue groups. The house is too quiet without the canine energy and companionship.

Highland School just received word that we are the recipient of a new grant from the federal government to serve an additional 101 students in our after-school program, HEARTS. Since this is such a large expansion of the program, we have decided to focus on enrolling as many of our English learners as possible, who will benefit greatly from three extra hours of school each day. Imagine the impact of 3 additional hours of language immersion everyday! Unfortunately, the learning gap between other sub-groups and English learners is significant, so this intervention program will help us close that gap. Applications will go home this week, and there will also be plenty of room in our current state funded HEARTS program for other interested students in grades 1st through 6th.

Last week was terribly hot, and I think the temperature got the best of some people. We had many complaints about the parking lot and the lack of consideration for others. Although we have worked very hard to communicate parking etiquette to parents through announcements in the first day of school packet, and many notices last year, we still have people double and triple parking and ignoring the direction of staff and volunteers working in the parking lot at heavy traffic times. We are doing our best to keep the traffic moving smoothly, but drivers must cooperate. Please park only in marked spaces--either in the white boxes around the island, or the lined spaces along the edges of the parking lot. No cars should ever park in yellow, red or blue curbs. Remember--our goal is to keep children safe. It may not be as convenient for the driver, but everyone needs to keep their focus on the children--not adult convenience. We will be discussing the parking lot at the first School Site Council Meeting this Thursday at 3:30, so please join us. The meeting will be held in the school office.

I will be taking a class tomorrow to learn how to update our school website, so be sure to keep checking the site often to stay current on what is happening at Highland School. My goal this year is to get every class online with a page to update parents on homework and expectations and allow you to communicate frequently with the teacher through email. Maybe the students can start a Blog, too.

Many teachers will be "going to school" this Saturday with a consultant, Rick Morris, who is going to teach us more about establishing positive routines and practices which will in turn save time that can be used to focus on learning. If you happen to drive by school on Saturday and see lots of cars in the lot, that will be why they are there.

Hopefully many families have taken the challenge to get their children to school on-time every day. Our attendance contest, "We Otter Be Here!" is going strong, and some classes are getting very close to receiving Otter Pops. Each day every child in the class is present, and on-time (in other words, the class has perfect attendance at the start of class at 9:00 a.m.) they get to color in one of the letters in the theme phrase above. After coloring in every letter, and the exclamation point, the class has earned the Otter Pops, and gets a new paper to start again. Which class will earn the most Otter Pop parties, I wonder? Could it be yours?

This is our parent meeting week, so join us at one or all of them. All meetings are held in the school office:

*****Wednesday is the PTA meeting at 5:30 p.m.
*****Thursday is the School Site Council meeting at 3:30 p.m.
*****Friday is the English Learner Advisory Council meeting at 9:30 a.m.

Enjoy your week!

--Ms. Boucher