Raleigh Hills Newsletter
February 14, 2019
Weekly Message
Dear Raleigh Hills Families and Community Members,
I was so lucky to be able to attend Mary Ehrenworth's speech at Springville on Wednesday night. She is a professor at Columbia University's Teachers College and a co-author of our Language Arts curriculum. She is also one of the most brilliant women I've ever met. She talked about the importance of literacy and how you can support your students at home. I have heard her speak before but she is always inspirational and really makes you think about your role in your student's learning. I so wish I had known about all of this research when my kids were younger. Here are the main things I took away from her talk that I couldn't wait to share with you:
- Every five weeks that students don't read, they drop a reading level. That means two reading levels in the summer.
- It takes until February of the next year to catch them up.
- Kids who make time to ready every day over the summer go up a reading level.
- We need to get our girls reading more nonfiction! Especially high quality nonfiction with diagrams, charts, graphs and timelines.
- You can't discipline kids into reading, you have to love them into it by reading with them.
- The best book for your student is one they find fascinating.
- The most successful students are ones whose parents and guardians read to them and give them the opportunity to work hard.
- Get your students hooked on series books.
I'm including an article that links to much of this research, but you can also read Malcolm Gladwell's great book David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. And be sure to watch the linked video if you have a girl. We know that STEM careers are high paying, but women aren't entering these fields. They're finding that book choice as children can make a difference in how girls view themselves.
Science Says the Most Successful Kids Have Parents Who Do These 3 Things
Malcolm Gladwell: Disadvantages Can Improve Your Chance of Success
Have a lovely long weekend and we'll see you on February 19th.
Warm regards,
Jennifer
Celebration of Student Learning
Book Clubs in 8th Grade
Anemometers in Middle School
Friendship Parties
Announcements
Kindergarten Registration
We are now enrolling kindergartners for the 2020-2021 school year.
Any child who will be five (5) years of age on or before September 1, 2020 is now eligible to enroll for Kindergarten. Online Registration is available for new student enrollment. Parents/guardians will need to provide a birth certificate and immunization record at the time of enrollment. Raleigh Hills will hold our Kindergarten Orientation on April 7th at 6pm. Look for more information as that date draws closer.
For more information on registering your child for Kindergarten, including Immunization Requirements and much more, please visit the Kindergarten Information webpage.
February is “Love the Bus” month and there are certainly many reasons to love your school bus! Did you know around 25% of Beaverton School District elementary students are bus eligible, but still choose to travel by car? Our school buses are 50 times safer than passenger cars, help the environment and increase student attendance. Each school bus takes 36 cars off the road which decreases congestion and traffic around schools while increasing air quality with less car emissions. Everyone can help keep kids safe around the school bus. Here’s how you can help:
Drivers must stop up to 25 feet from the school bus when the stop arm is out and the flashing red lights are on.
It is illegal to pass a school bus within the roadway as it drops off or picks up passengers regardless of the direction of approach unless there is a barrier or unpaved median separating the directional lanes of traffic.
Parents should supervise young children at the bus stop and review safe loading and unloading procedures.
Students should stay three giant steps away from the road until the school bus stops and the doors are open.
Students should always cross in front of the bus, stay five giant steps away, make eye contact with the bus driver and ALWAYS check for passing vehicles before entering the roadway.
Visit American School Bus Council for more information about how you can celebrate your appreciation for your bus driver during #lovethebus mont
Common Middle School Experience
Thanks to the Raleigh Hills families who attended the Common Middle School Listening and Learning Session at Whitford Thursday evening. I hope you found it informative and were able to ask any questions you may have had in order to feel ready to weigh in on this important topic.
As stated in the presentation, all feedback received on this survey will be used to help Superintendent Grotting make a decision about how best to move forward. If you are weren't able to attend, you can still check out the information and take the survey. Here's what you’ll need:
- District website with information: CLICK HERE
- Presentation from the evening: CLICK HERE
- Survey (English): CLICK HERE
- Survey (Spanish): CLICK HERE
As always, feel free to reach out with any additional questions or if you need any more information. Your feedback in this process is greatly appreciated.