A Message from Ms. Lilly
RNE Newsletter September 15th, 2016
The Principal's Office
Dear RNE Family,
This week has gone by very quickly! I must say, as I visit classrooms, I am very pleased with the work students are completing. Our students are becoming writers through their daily writer’s workshop lessons. I will be sharing more information about student writing next week. Teachers are working to push students’ thinking just by asking the question why. Such a little word makes such a big impact on students.
This week, our second and fourth grade teachers spent time with our consultant Jen Jones. The teachers worked to ensure students are becoming the best readers possible! I am working on securing a date for a Lunch and Learn for parents with Jen.
I hope many of you have cleared your calendar for our first Lunch and Learn next week. I have included the information below. You won’t want to miss this event! Also, please remember picture day will take place next week. First, third, and fifth graders will have their pictures taken on September 21st and preK, kindergarten, 2nd, and 4th graders will have their pictures take on September 22nd.
It looks like another beautiful summer-like weekend is on schedule for us. Take time to make memories with your family and ask your child why!
Best,
Maureen
Box Tops Fall Collection Drive Starts Next Week!
Box Tops are an easy way to earn cash & supplies for RNE! Our Fall Collection Drive runs September 19 - 30. Simply cut out Box Tops from any participating product and place them in a plastic sandwich bag. Send them to school with your child by Friday, September 30. If you have any questions, please contact Marcela Clinton at mrclinton5@gmail.com. Thank you for your help!
DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS AND SOCIAL MEDIA Shared from Commonssensemedia.org
Today’s social media makes photo sharing easy. Kids love to follow friends’ photos, share casual moments visually, and simply stay in touch. However, kids don’t always think through what they post. Photos they thought were private can easily go public. Likewise, their choice of photos can affect others as well. Together, discuss the importance of showing respect to oneself and others when sharing photos online.
• Set boundaries together. Discuss your family’s values and expectations around photo sharing. Photos that show illegal behavior (for example, underage drinking or texting while driving) are clearly a no-go. But agreeing where to draw the line on certain other photos — for example, pictures of your daughter in her bikini or your son making a rude gesture to the camera — may pose a challenge. Start by discussing the possible consequences of posting these types of pictures. How will they affect your kids’ reputation? Remind your kids that once they post a picture online, it’s out of their control — such photos could be seen by a friend’s parent, a college admissions counselor, or a future employer. Online content is easily searchable and often ends up in hands of those we didn’t intend it for. And it is easily taken out of context. Lastly, it also is permanent, meaning it can resurface at any time.
• Remind your kids to consider the impact of a photo on the people in the picture. It may not be realistic to expect your kids to get everyone’s permission before they upload an image, but it’s a worthy goal. When they’re about to upload a picture that someone has just snapped, encourage them to stop and ask, “Hey — I’m going to put this on Instagram, is that okay with everyone?” Ask your kid to think honestly if every person in the photograph would be comfortable with the photo going online. If she misjudges and someone asks her to take a photo down, tell her it is her responsibility to remove the photograph. The best way to drive this concept home is to set an example. If you want to upload a photo of your child from a recent family vacation, first ask permission to do so or ask for her feedback. This can also offer a great opportunity to model this type of respect with your child.
• Encourage your kid to talk face-to-face with a person who posts an unflattering photo. Online photo sharing is a part of our world today, and opting out is unlikely. Even if your kids choose not to share photos online, their friends might upload photos of them. But it can be difficult to ask others not to post or to take down photographs. If your child is struggling with what to say, you can offer the following as an example, “Hey, I already untagged myself from the photo you put up, but I was wondering if you would be okay with taking it down. It’s not my favorite picture and I’d rather if it wasn’t on [Facebook/ Instagram/etc.]. I’d really appreciate it.” It may be helpful to have the conversation offline, face-to-face, so that it doesn’t end up further perpetuating a digital problem.
Are You Smarter than a RNE Student?
I think we all agree that school work looks much different than when we were a student. To help illustrate the differences, I want to challenge all parents and caregivers to answer a typical question RNE students are asked to answer on math evaluations.
Solve the following equation using two different methods. Please show your work.
24+16 =
Not sure how to answer?
To help explain the new rigor in math and answer parent questions, Angela Ergle, Fulton County math and STEM specialist, will be featured at our first “Lunch and Learn” this year. Angela will be able to address in-depth curriculum questions and help provide an understanding for how the transition in the math curriculum will ensure our students are receiving the critical thinking and problem solving skills essential for middle school, high school and college, giving them a competitive edge in the global workforce after graduation.
Lunch and Learn – Are you Smarter than an RNE Student?
Date: Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Time: 12:00 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. (Please bring a lunch!)
Location: Media Center
If you are unable to attend this session, we will be hosting another session during the evening one day in October.
Solve the following equation using two different methods. Please show your work. 24+16 =
The method many of use is the traditional way of lining up the equation and adding by columns. For this question, students are expected to go one step further to explain their approach to solving the equation. Sample correct answers are listed below.
24
+ 16
40
Method #1
Our students are being taught to look at the equation in a much different way. The first method would be to group the tens and ones and then do the addition.
24 + 16 =
(20 + 10) + (4 + 6) =
(30) + (10) = 40
Method #2
Another option would be to divide each number in the equation by tens and ones and then do the addition.
24 + 16 =
(20 + 4) + (10+6) =
30 + 10 = 40
Method 3
A third option would be to create visual groups of tens and ones.
10 10 10 1111111111 = 40
As demonstrated by this sample math equation above, our curriculum standards are teaching children to incorporate algebraic thinking into solving addition equations. The goal is for students to have a deeper understanding of number sense and relationships and encourage problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Because many parents and caregivers were not taught to approach math problems using these skills, it becomes difficult to help our children with math and understand the reasons behind the new approach to math problems.