Wildcat News
April
From the Principal's Desk
With seven weeks left in the year I hope that you will take this opportunity to make them as impactful as possible by setting up new or refining old routines in your house. Do you have a consistent study spot? Study time? Study routine? Does your child know how to "study"?
Emerging research sheds light on the best ways to "study" and learn. Cognitive psychologists have discovered that consistent quizzing of important material mixed (think flash cards) helps memories last longer. Any time a person has to recall a piece of information the neuro-pathways to that memory are strengthened, therefore, the more a person retrieves a memory the longer that memory will stick around. This is referred to as retrieval practice. If there is an important test coming up or key lesson to be learned, make flash cards for yourself (or help your child) and quiz them in short bursts daily. The research, however, went further to show that mixing in other details to your quizzing makes the learning that much more powerful. In short - don't limit your studying to only one topic. Mix in other topics as well and your learning will be that much more powerful.
Scientists have also uncovered the power of note taking, especially with pen and paper. The slow nature of the pen and pencil requires greater cognitive functioning while the note taking is occuring because the student has to sift through the information constantly making the decision: Is this worth writing down because I can't get everything? This process of always synthesizing information makes the initial memory last longer. This also then provides a great spring board to making flash cards of key ideas.
Encourage your child to:
- Take notes during lessons
- Distill those notes into flash cards
- Practice daily (Note - One does not have to practice every piece of information every day...mix it up)
I wish you and your child a wonderful end of the school year. Let's make it amazing!
All the best,
Mickey
Kindergarten Round Up
Upcoming Events
North Side Master Calendar April 2016
· Every Sunday Pine Hills Church 7:30 Am to 1:00 PM
· Every Monday and Wednesday HS/MS Archery Practice 5 – 8:30 PM
· Every Tuesday (except 19th) and Thursday Elementary Archer Practice 5:30 – 7 PM
· April 1st thru April 8th Spring Break
· April 11th, Monday STAR 3 – 3:30 PM
· April 12th, Tuesday:
-Spring Pictures
-Crazy 8s Math Club 3 to 4 PM
-Student Council 3 to 4 PM
-PTO Meeting 3:30 PM
· April 13th, Wednesday EMS Camp Presentation 3rd Grade Only 9 AM
· April 15th, Friday Progress Report Grades due into office by 8:30 AM
· April 16th, Saturday North Side TinCaps Reading Program 5:05 PM Game
· April 18th thru May 6th ISTEP Window
· April 18th, Monday
-Progress Reports Sent Home
-Mobile Dentist (Conference Room might not be available)
· April 19th, Tuesday
-Crazy 8s Math Club 3 to 4 PM
-Kindergarten Round-Up 5:30 PM
· April 20th, Wednesday NEHS Meeting 3 to 4 PM
· April 25th, Monday eLearning Day Staff Professional Day
· April 26th, Tuesday Crazy 8s Math Club 3 to 4 PM
· April 29th, Friday PTO Carnival 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Field Trips
- Watch for information coming home about dates/ lunches/ fees/ etc.
- Be sure to get permission slips sent in ahead of time to be safe
- ALL adult chaperones MUST have a background check completed. These can take more than 2 weeks to get back and there are NO exceptions to this rule. If you are hoping to go on a trip please get this form filled out way in advance.
Tools for Success at Home
- Lexia Core 5 (reading) Laptop or iPad
- RAZ Kids (reading) Laptop or iPad
- Sumdog (math) Laptop or iPad
- Khan Academy (math) Laptop or iPad
- Xtra Math (math) iPad only
One of the best ways to help support your child's academic growth is to show them you are invested in their education by checking on their work daily and setting up routines for them to practice their academic skills. Setting a schedule of working on 1 or 2 of these programs for 15-20 minutes a night can really go a long way for a student.
A quick update on eLearning expectations with East Noble Schools
With winter fast approaching here is a quick rundown of where we are with eLearning.
· This year, every closed school day after October 30th will be designated as an eLearning day. October 30th is a professional development day for teachers and will serve as our “trial run” for our new eLearning plan, outlined here.
· All assignments will be posted to your child’s eLearning platform by 9:00am on the canceled school day. This platform will be Google Drive for K-4, and Canvas for 5-6. Our students are very familiar with working from these digital blackboards as they are used daily in their classrooms.
· For students who do not have internet access, our Media Center will remain open for an additional hour for three days following an eLearning day for students to download the content they need onto their devices so they can complete them at home. While the best-case scenario is for a child to complete their e-learning assignments on the date assigned, we understand that your family is busy, and your child may not be able to complete the full work load of e-learning in one day. Teachers are very flexible in allowing time in class for several days following an e-learning day for students to finish their assignments.
· Since the e-learning day does “count” as one of the state-mandated 180 days of school, students do need to attempt to make progress on their e-learning assignments on the actual eLearning day. Students who do not complete any of their e-learning assignments will be counted absent for the day.
· Teachers are available and eager to help students with their assignments and can be contacted through e-mail, Class Dojo, and by other means throughout the day. Each child will have an “eLearning Label” affixed to their agenda or take home folder with pertinent information to help them get the support they need for their eLearning, including teacher contact information, and logins and passwords to their eLearning platforms (Google Drive for K-4 and Canvas for 5-6) as well as other helpful information. Please contact your child’s teacher with questions or concerns or have your child make that contact themselves as they complete their assignments.
· Do not feel compelled to sit next to your child for five hours to complete the eLearning assignments. Our students function independently with the guidance of a teacher and frequent check-ins during their regular school day. Try getting your child started on a task, and walking away to allow them time to complete it or make progress before checking in with them. Obviously, younger students will need more frequent check-ins and support than our older students.
· Please remember, that during the course of a regular school day, your child has multiple “brain breaks” to relieve the stress and anxiety of a rigorous curriculum: recess, lunch, bathroom breaks, specials classes, and the occasional assembly or program, as well as frequent transitions help ease the monotony during the school day. Do not be afraid to allow your child to complete a couple of assignments at a time with frequent opportunities for play in between. After all—to a child, the best part of a snow day is the snow!
We appreciate your flexibility and your input as we continue to work to make the eLearning experience a positive one for our families. Thank you!
North Side Elementary
Dean of Students - Becky Perkins
Counselor - Beth Steury
Email: mwagner@eastnoble.net
Website: ns.eastnoble.net
Location: 302 E Harding Street, Kendallville, IN, United States
Phone: 260-347-1354
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Side-Elementary/718519031529043
Twitter: @NorthSideElem