The school days are off and rolling! With each passing day, I hope that everyone is getting into the groove of the school day/week/year. Hopefully there is a little less grumbling when getting your child/children up in the morning. By this time, both schools have had their curriculum nights. You should have a pretty good idea of your child's curriculum and daily routine. However, should you ever have questions about something going on in your child's classroom, please don't hesitate to contact the teacher. We have awesome teachers who will answer any questions you have about your child and what they are doing in school. There are also a variety of ways to keep up with the activities in each school. Both campuses are now using the SeeSaw app. This is a neat and informative way to keep up with your child. I also encourage you to utilize INow. Through Inow, you can monitor your child's grades. Always look for a weekly newsletter from your child's teacher. This may be in the form of a paper copy sent home in the take home folder, an email or a blog. If you are not sure what your child's teacher is using, its not too late to find out and get on board.
Both the K-3 Campus and 4-6 Campus will be MAP testing during the month of September. This is a test that each student takes on the computer (either iPad or Chrome Book). Each student's test is individualized to where they are on the learning continuum. The teachers have the results within minutes to a few days. These results will be shared with the parents, when all the results have been collected. Because testing can be an anxiety provoking situation, here is a link for helping kids who do have anxiety, when taking big tests. The article was meant for teachers but it has some great advice for parents as well. https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/iteach-third-13897747/8-ways-to-help-ease-your-students-test-anxiety-4776252272 Some other ways to help your child prepare for the testing session are making sure they get enough sleep the night before and a good breakfast that morning. Also, encourage your child to refrain from comparing themselves to another student. God gives each of us gifts and we are all different. Does this mean that we should let kids settle for that lower grade? Absolutely not! I encourage using a growth mindset (refer back to the March 2016 post-lots of good info!) If math is not your child's strong point, let them know that its not their strong point YET! We are all learning which means we are all growing and making gains.
Here is another good link for homework helping apps. http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2016/02/7-great-ipad-apps-to-help-students-with.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_meddium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+educatorstechnology/pDkK+(Educational+Technology+and+Mobile+Learning) Homework can be such a struggle at times. If your child is struggling with homework, please let their teacher know. That doesn't necessarily mean that the homework would be changed but the teachers can help you get to the root of the problem.
So what's going on at the K-3 Campus? The students will begin making their guidance books as we discuss cooperating with everyone. This sounds so simple but can be very difficult. Think about it: we are teaching our children to be independent and accomplish tasks by themselves. Then all of a sudden we tell them that they have to work with other kids and utilize their help? It is a skill that will be utilized throughout their lives so it is very important to start learning now. When I googled "Where does cooperating with others rank in job interview questions?" there were over 37 million results!
The 4-6 Campus is focusing on the MAP testing process. I will be helping with the test this month. Regular guidance classes will begin in the month of October. These lessons will be very grade specific, which I will cover in the upcoming blogs.
As always, please contact me if I can help in any way. It is a joy to serve the Owensboro Catholic Schools. My email: kim.bennett@owensborocatholic.org I can be reached at the K-3 Campus in the mornings: (270) 684-7583, and at the 4-6 Campus in the afternoons: (270) 683-6989.
