Jefferson Elementary Newsletter
May, 2018
Message from Principal Kluver
Welcome to spring, at least I hope it’s here for good! This has been a busy year at Jefferson. One of our biggest projects has been getting ready to implement standards based grading for reading next year. I’d like to use my article this month to explain the difference between standards based and traditional grading and why we are making this transition.
What is standards based grading? Standards based grading communicates how students perform on a set of clearly defined learning targets or standards. The purpose of standards based grading is to identify what a student knows, or is able to do, in relation to standards, as opposed to simply averaging grades or scores over the course of a grading period.
How does standards based grading differ from traditional grading? A standards based grading system measures a student’s mastery of grade level standards by making the student’s most recent performance the priority for grading. A student who may have struggled when instruction was just beginning may still be able to demonstrate mastery by the end of a grading period.
In a traditional grading system, a student’s performance for an entire grading period is averaged together. Early scores that may be low are averaged with stronger performance later in the grading period, resulting in a lower overall performance than the student’s current performance.
Standards based report cards separate academic performance from work habits and behavior in order to provide parents a more accurate view of a student’s progress in both. Things like effort, participation, cooperation and attitude are reported separately, not as an indicator of a student’s academic performance.
How often will families be informed about students’ progress? Elementary school families will receive report cards at the end of each trimester, approximately every 12 weeks. Washington Learning Center and Jefferson Elementary will join New Ulm Middle School on a trimester reporting schedule beginning with the 2018-2019 school year.
How are my student’s marks determined? A student’s performance on assessments will be used to determine overall mastery. Practice assignments (homework) are just that, practice, and thus should serve primarily as a source of feedback and instructional support for both student and teacher. Scores on practice assignments will not be used as a major component of a student’s academic grade. Teachers may require students to complete all of their practice work prior to allowing them to take or retake an assessment.
What will each of the numbers in the 4 point scale represent? A score of (4) would indicate that a student is at the “Extending” level of performance. This means that a student has an in-depth understanding of grade level performance standards at this point of the school year. A (4) means that student has advanced understanding and academically superior skills in that specific area. This student applies learning and concepts in new and varied ways.
A score of (3) would indicate that a student is at the “Achieving” level of performance. This means that a student is meeting the grade level performance standards expected at this point of the school year. A (3) means that student has a proficient understanding and meets grade level expectations. A student receiving a (3) is right on track with our academic expectations.
A score of (2) would indicate that a student is at the “Progressing” level of performance. This means that a student has basic understanding and is partially proficient at meeting grade level expectations. A student receiving a (2) understands the basic concept or skill, but has not yet reached the proficient level.
A score of (1) would indicate that a student is at the “Beginning” level of performance. This means that a student is not yet meeting grade level performance standards expected at this point of the year. A (1) means that the student has minimal understanding and does not meet grade level expectations. Performance may be inconsistent, even with guidance and support, will need additional support and/or interventions to learn the material and progress toward meeting the standards.
A helpful way to understand the performance indicators is to think about the progression of skills needed to learn how to ride a bicycle.
Is it possible to achieve a grade of 4? Yes, it is. However, a score of (4) means performance that is consistently above what is expected for mastery at that point in the school year. A (4) would indicate a much deeper understanding of a standard, the ability to apply that knowledge, make connections, and extend learning beyond the goal. Receiving a (4) does not guarantee that a student’s performance would remain at that level across all reporting periods, or for all standards.
Will every subject area be reported on in this way? Eventually, for the 2018-2019 school year however, it will be reading only. We will make the transition to standards based grading with other subject areas over time. That means for next school year, your child may receive two report cards: a standards based report card for reading and a traditional report card for other subjects, until all subjects become standard based.
Walk/Bike to school day is May 9th
Upcoming Events
May 2- PBIS assembly
May 7- No school (workshop day)
May 7-11- National Teacher Week
May 8- 4th grade students tour the middle school
May 8-18- FAST Assessments Grades 1-4
May 9- Walk to school day
May 10- Ag day
May 14-16- 2nd grade visits Wanda Gag house
May 17-18- Bridge builder visits 2nd grade
May 23- 3rd grade field trip to Minnesota Zoo
May 24- Recorder Recital (classes of Dolter & Mack at 9:25)
May 24- Recorder Recital (classes of Brown & Rewitzer at 9:55)
May 24-25- Public Library visit for summer reading program
May 25- Recorder Recital (classes of Moe & Santaella at 9:25)
May 25- Recorder Recital (class of Rodning at 9:55)
May 25- 4th grade picnic at North Park
May 25- 2nd grade field trip to Children's Museum of Mankato
May 28- No school (Memorial Day)
May 30- 1st grade picnic at Harman Park
May 31- Celebration Day
June 1- 2nd and 3rd grade picnics at Harman Park
June 1- Last day of school!
1st Grade
This month first grade has been continuing to learn what good readers do with interactive read alouds with using a mentor texts. Some of the favorite stories this month have been “The Easter Bunny’s Assistant”, “Piggie Pie” and “Tops and Bottoms”. In each story we have been working with character traits: thinking about the character’s words, actions and feelings. We have been using proof from the book to show what we know about each character’s traits! We have also been working on retelling the beginning, middle and end of a story AND the main idea and details. All of our comprehension work is helping us turn our learning to read into reading to learn!
In Phonics and Word Work we have been reviewing vowel teams and consonant blends. First graders love showing off their new reading skills! We will be ending the year exploring nonfiction text and text features. We will be learning how to research and write using our nonfiction books with an “All About” book written by each student.
In math first graders have been working with telling time and simple fractions. Up next we are building on what we have learned about addition and subtraction with single digit facts by moving into stacking and adding double digit numbers. We will be practicing this rhyme to help us remember what to do once the numbers are stacked. “If it is 9 or less let it rest. If it’s 10 or more carry it next door!”
First grade scientists have been busy learning about landforms, habitats and animal groups! This ties in nicely with our “All About” writing project. Students are very motivated to learn about how animals get what they need to live from their habitats. Up next we will be focusing on plants.
We have had a busy school year filled with many “firsts”, but we are looking forward to what new things we can explore and learn as we move on to being second graders. This time of year every first grader is blooming and growing so much! It has been great to see so much growth!
2nd Grade
The second graders have been working hard to prepare for third grade. They are using evidence from the text to prove their ideas and they’re also making predictions and inferences based on what they know and read. In math they are adding and subtracting bigger numbers and will be learning about fractions.
Jefferson’s second graders really enjoyed the “Teach Children to Save “ lesson from Citizen’s Bank on April 19. We learned about interest and compound interest and why saving money is a good idea. We also learned about how a community works in our Junior Achievement lessons. We appreciate the community volunteers that brought these lessons to us.
The second grade classes have many other special events scheduled before the end of the year. We’ll learn about Wanda Gag and enjoy her many books before touring her childhood home and the Brown County Museum. Dr. Frank Kelso from the U of M will be helping us understand some math and engineering concepts as we build a bridge we can all crawl across. On May 25th the second graders will travel to the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota and then onto Sibley Park for lunch and more learning opportunities. Celebration Day and an afternoon of fun on the last day of school at Harman Park will finish off our second grade year together.
Good-bye from Mrs. Furth:
I am retiring at the end of the year after 36 years at New Ulm Public Schools. In addition to teaching first, second, and third grade, I have worked as a substitute teacher and paraprofessional at Jefferson School. I even student taught here! I will certainly miss watching my students grow as learners but am looking forward to more family time. Don’t be surprised to see me helping out at Jefferson next year. I plan to do some volunteering and substitute teaching, too.
3rd Grade
We have been working hard on our MCA’s and we are soon to be done! This is very exciting as it was our first year taking them. The 3rd grade team had a lot of confidence in their students as they SOAR to do their best on the test! Now that testing is near the end, we can enjoy the rest of the year of fun and laughter!
Reading: To end our year of fun reading activities and learning, we will be reading about animal homes and animals of the southwest. We are also reading books like The Great Kapok Tree, Pesos Bill and the Ten Gallon Hat, and What Really Happened to Humpty. We will be talking about point of view, drawing conclusions, inferencing, main idea and details, and sequencing.
Math: We are learning about fractions, ordering fractions, and fractions on a number line. In addition, we are working together to solve multi-digit multiplication problems. To add some fun to the mix, we are reviewing old math skills by working in small groups with math board games!
Social Studies: The beginning of our country has been our focus in Social Studies this month. The students learned about George Washington, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, a little about the American Revolution and the Branches of our Government.
Science: We're engaging ourselves in learning about animal habitats and will be creating habitat dioramas. Later in the month of May, we will be going to the Minnesota Zoo to see the animals in their natural habitat!
Meet Ms. Pechacek: I graduated Luther College in January 2017. I spent the remainder of the 2017 academic year in a long-term substitute position for a preschool in my hometown of Willmar, MN. This is my first year teaching in New Ulm and next year, I plan to stay in New Ulm and continue to work with this growing community.
Favorite candy: Anything chocolate and Milky Way
Favorite food: Pizza!
Favorite subject: Science and Math
Favorite animal: Penguin!
4th Grade
Math
We have been reviewing concepts for the MCA test. In the spring, fourth graders focus on fractions, decimals, three dimensional shapes, and probability in math. Students are applying their multiplication, division, and fact family skills in finding common denominators, simplifying fractions, finding equivalents of fractions and decimals, and calculating surface area and volume of 3-D figures.
Reading
4th grade students were able to meet the author, Avi, at MLC on April 4th. In reading this month we have been reviewing concepts for the MCA test. We hope that students continue independent reading and utilize the public library this summer. This will help them stay sharp for 5th grade.
Writing
We have been communicating with our 5th grade buddies to get our students ready to tour the middle school. Students have been writing friendly letters back and forth to each other. They can’t wait to meet their Pen Pal on May 8th during their NUMS tour!
Science
We have been finishing up our unit on rocks and minerals. Now, we will be starting Life Science and our plant unit. Fourth graders focus on pollination and plant reproduction. On May 11th, local scientists from Brown County will be visiting Jefferson and presenting information on Water & the Environment. This is in place of the annual Water Festival that we missed this year.
Social Studies
They have been learning the capitals, states, and other information about the Western states. This in our final region of the United States.
Upcoming Events:
Middle School Tour on May 8th
Ag Show on May 10th
Science-Water Presentation on May 11th
Recorder Recitals on May 24th and May 25th during their Music Class
Picnic at North Park on May 25th
Jefferson Celebration Day on May 31st
Jefferson Media Center
Library lessons: As new books are introduced to students, first and second graders are introduced to new authors and new characters, along with the old “favorites”. The third and fourth graders will get the opportunity to write down any of the titles they would like to read either yet this year, or check out from the public library this summer. Kids get so excited about books, but over the time of introduction to checkout and availability, it’s hard to remember, so this lesson comes from a couple of student requests!
We look forward to book making yet this spring and a visit from New Ulm Public Children’s Librarian, Jan Keaveny, as she shares what is happening for the summer reading program.
REMINDER: ALL JEFFERSON BOOKS WILL BE DUE ON MAY 18! If you have lost a book and need to pay for a replacement, please do so by then. Thank you!
Technology: 1st grade-Wrapping up the year with facts4me.com website, ipad apps like Quiver, abcya.com and QR codes. 2nd grade-The year will end with kids working on their Google slideshow of their “favorite things”, recording a poem they read on Spark video, and using QR codes. 3rd and 4th grade lessons will remind students to have good digital citizenship using Kahoot, use Spark video to create a poem, record it and add pictures, and hopefully have time to try Plickers, and Quiver. If you haven’t been to the Jefferson Technology webpage, try this link! Jefferson Tech webpage
Art
Front- Allie Nelson, Janessa Ellanson, Isaac Beranek, Caiya Hopp
STEM
The Jefferson School garden will have a new addition this spring. High school students, under the direction of Mr. Kevin Briggs, will be building a wonderful new outdoor learning center for all teachers and students to use. This structure was funded with donations and grants such as the generous $2,000 grant that the Friends of Jefferson presented to us this week.
The garden will also be enlarged this summer through grants from Annie’s Homegrown and the Whole Foods Foundation. We will be adding apple trees, berries, trellises and more raised beds. This will be a beautiful space for students to learn outside.
Literacy Corner
We will continue with our 20 Ways to Raise a Reader this month. The 20 Ways to Raise a Reader sheets will come home with your child the first week in May. Please watch your child’s backpack for the challenge topics. Please feel free to share your pictures as your child completes the challenges using the hashtag #NUEaglesRead on our social media pages. This challenge that can be done by the whole family! Work together to see how many literacy challenges you and your child can complete. Let's see some pictures!
Book recommendations: The Last Firehawk: The Ember Stone by Katrina Charman- Kids will love this early chapter book animals are using magic to save their home. This book has gotten rave reviews from our students!
Jefferson Reading Tutors Needed! Do you enjoy working with kids? Do you have a heart to serve and help others? Check out the Reading Corps website for more information. https://minnesotareadingcorps.org/
Title I
Greetings from the Title 1 Department!
Many children forget some of what they have learned or slip out of practice during the summer months. Try these strategies to help your reader improve his/her reading during the summer months:
Six books to summer success: Research shows that reading just six book during the summer may keep a reader from regressing. When choosing the six, be sure that they are just right - not too hard and not too easy. Take advantage of your local library. Ask for help selecting books that match your child’s age, interests, and abilities.
Read something everyday: Encourage your child to take advantage of every opportunity to read. Find them throughout the day:
Morning-The newspaper- even if it is just the comics or the weather.
Daytime: Schedules, magazines, online resources, etc.
Evening: End each day by having your child read to you from the book he is currently reading (one of the six books, above.)
3. Keep reading aloud: Reading aloud benefits all children and teens. One benefit is that you can read books your child can’t, so he will build comprehension skills. This will increase knowledge and expand his experience with text, so that he will do a better job when he reads on his own.
Math is everywhere, not just in the classroom. Summer is a great time to learn how math relates in the real world. Shopping and cooking together is a fun and simple way to learn math skills. Choosing ingredients, comparing cost and paying with real money at the register can build money skills. Later, when cooking, your child can read recipes, measure ingredients and time the cooking process.
Enjoy the summer!
Your Title 1 Team,
Jean Jore, Dawn Portner, Lisa Thorson
Counseling Connection
The 2017-2018 school year flew by in what seemed like a blink of an eye! Let’s take a look back, and share some updated stats from the Counseling department (data includes services up until April 23rd, 2018) --
Indirect
Meetings -- 82
Consultation with staff and parents - not tracking a specific number, but this happens numerous times daily
Check-in/Check-out Program facilitation - 20 students in program; data collections
504 coordinator - 5 current plans
Direct
Classroom lessons (ranging from 30 minutes to 1 hour in length) -- 98
Crisis Response -- numerous
Individual sessions - 1450
Small group sessions - 180
As always if you have concerns regarding your child, do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail or by phone. If your student expresses any problems, encourage them to come speak with me.
Jenna Helget
Licensed School Counselor
P: 233-3503
Nurse's Notes
As the school year comes to an end, it's time to start cleaning out the medicine cabinets! If your child has prescription or over the counter medication in the nurse's office, they will need to be picked up or sent home by the end of the school year. You will be getting a letter soon with more details. We will not keep medication from one year to the next, so any medication that is not removed by a certain deadline will be destroyed.
Please watch your regular mail for a letter. Call the nurse's office at your school if you have questions.
Have a safe, fun summer break!
Special Education
Summer is just around the corner. There are many things that you can do as a family to enhance your child’s speech and language skills over the summer. Conversation is one of the best ways to improve your child’s articulation and language skills. As you notice articulation errors, repeat the sentence correctly, emphasizing the errored sounds. Language is everywhere! Here are some ideas for you to do over the summer to continue working on your child’s speech and language.
S ay words with your child’s speech sounds
U se each new word in a sentence
M ake a craft and talk about the steps
M ake memories. Take some pictures and talk about them
E xplore your environment with a scavenger hunt
R ead! Read! Read!
T alk, talk, talk!
I nternet break - limit screen time
M emory games
E njoy getting ready for a new school year!
Have a great summer!
Angie Anderson & Michelle Hopp
Cafeteria
Pennies for Patients
Pennies for Patients-A Leukemia and Lymphoma Society fundraiser for curing blood cancer.
During March, Jefferson students, families and staff worked together to find pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and even half dollars and dollar coins to help earn money for kids who have leukemia or lymphoma.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world’s largest non-profit health organization dedicated to finding cures for blood cancers. The Pennies for Patients program is for elementary and middle schools that would like to support the mission to create a world without cancer by conducting a fundraising campaign. Donations support LLS research, patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services.
Each day during the week there were different coin theme days, along with morning announcements that included facts about leukemia, lymphoma or money.
Our goal for this fundraiser was $750 for the two week campaign. We are thrilled that working together our students, families and staff shattered our goal! The total for this fundraiser to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society was $3000!! Thank you so much!