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!