As a parent, you are your child’s first and most important teacher. You and your child’s school have something in common: You both want your child to learn and do well. On December 14, 2022 parent teacher conferences will give you an opportunity to share important information about your child’s talents and needs. Hopefully you will learn something new about your child and how to assist with their education. As parent-teacher conferences will be both in-person and virtual again this year, here are some ways that you can make the most of parent-teacher conferences so that everyone wins, especially your child.

Like all good conversations, parent–teacher conferences are best when both people talk and listen. The conference is a time for you to learn about your child’s progress in school: Ask to see data about your child’s attendance, grades, and test scores. Find out whether your child is meeting school expectations and academic standards. This is also a time for the teacher to learn about what your child is like at home. When you tell the teacher about your child’s skills, interests, needs, and dreams, the teacher can help your child more. Good parent–teacher conferences focus on how well the child is doing in school. They also talk about how the child can do even better. To get ready for the conversation, look at your child’s homework, tests, and notices before the conference.

Just like you, teachers want your children to succeed. You will probably hear positive feedback about your child’s progress and areas for improvement. Be prepared by thinking about your child’s strengths and challenges beforehand. Be ready to ask questions about ways you and the teacher can help your child succeed.

What should you talk to the teacher about?

Progress. Find out how your child is doing by asking questions like: Is my child performing at grade level? How is he or she doing compared to the rest of the class? What do you see as his or her strengths? How could he or she improve?

Assignments and assessments. Ask to see examples of your child’s work and how they are assessed.

Your thoughts about your child. Be sure to share your thoughts and feelings about your child. Tell the teacher what you think your child is good at. Explain what he or she needs more help with.

Support learning at home. Ask what you can do at home to help your child learn. Ask if the teacher knows of other programs or services in the community that could also help your child.

Support learning at school. Find out what services are available at the school to help your child. Ask how the teacher will both challenge your child and support your child when he or she needs it.

Clear Stream students and adults will consume about 2,000 to 3,000 calories during Thanksgiving dinner this year. Add in pre-meal snacks and a serving of your family's famous pie, and that number can easily reach upwards of 4,500 calories.

To burn off all that food, you would have to run a marathon or more! In an effort to burn off as many calories as possible before eating your holiday dinner. That is where our Turkey Trot comes in. Turkey Trots are popular during this time of year to raise money for charities or to bring awareness to a specific cause. We wanted to teach our students the importance of staying healthy during a time where we tend to overeat.

Mr. Greiss and Mr. Hansen devised a plan for our children to keep track of how far they ran using little paper cups. Every six cups represented a mile. In total Clear Stream Students ran 366 miles. That is the equivalent of driving to Virginia Beach. We even included live shots from the Turkey Trot in the CSA Thanksgiving spoof video below. Congratulations on being fit and staying healthy! Gobble -gobble!

Getting students up and actively working together, while living through a pandemic has been difficult. Students who are in the same class sit behind their desks with little movement. As we moved to week seven, the 6th grade team and Mr. Greiss created some team building activities for our seniors to build collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking. Students rotated around 6 stations, each uniquely designed to assist with a different aspect of working together. Here are four favorites that we thought we would highlight:

WATCH YOUR STEP

One player begins at the designated start point with a blindfold on. The other players are stationed alongside the obstacle course. By using specific words and providing verbal cues the team must talk the blindfolded player through the obstacle course with minimal objects falling.

CLEARSTREAM'S ARK

Small groups must pass the animals one at a time using the parachutes provided. The creatures must pass through all of the parachutes without falling. Finally they get delivered to the bucket for safety. Parachuters may not leave their designated zones so you must launch the creatures with accuracy. If a creature falls, it goes back to the beginning.

ISLANDS ADVENTURE

Use your plutonium step stones to create a path you can navigate to safety. Deliver the nuclear capsule but do not touch it. Use the paddle to transport the capsule. Anything that falls on the grass goes back to the radioactive force field. All team members must get across to succeed. But without the nuclear capsule, we will not survive.

TRAIN TRACKS

Build a long set of train tracks with the orange bucket lying down at the end so the ball rolls right in. The chair must be at the beginning of our tracks. When 2 PVC pieces are hooked to the chair bars a decline track will be created. This will allow momentum so the ball rolls with force and reaches the end of the tracks. If the train falls off the tracks then make necessary adjustments and try again.

This year for Veterans Day, the November Sunshine Committee honored the veterans in our families by posting their name and/or photo on our hallway bulletin board. This project was spearheaded by Mrs. Neri.Students and staff members were asked to send in a photo of their family member that is/was a veteran. The photos were displayed on our bulletin board with the name and rank of each person who served. We are very proud of our Veterans and we honor their service.

The Clear Stream Cares Club under the direction of Mrs. Lopez organized a food drive collection for Holy Name of Mary Food Pantry. Every year the pantry makes sure that deserving families receive a turkey and all of the side trimmings during Thanksgiving. We were so happy to participate this year by delivering a truckload of dry and canned goods for the pantry. For each item a student donated, they received a raffle ticket for a chance to win a gift card. This worthwhile venture taught our students the importance of giving and coming together to support the community. Great job Clear Stream Cares.

Most of you have heard of Build-A-Bear Workshop. But have you ever heard of Build-A-Bear Bridge? Our students are learning how to become young engineers by applying the engineering design process and flipping it in reverse. Students are learning how to problem solve by looking at the problem, discovering what it takes in order to solve the problem and then designing a solution. In Mrs. Neri’s science class, students were asked to build a bridge that could support 21 miniature plastic bears for at least 60 seconds. They were given various materials to test, including tongue depressors, construction paper, aluminum foil, straws, paper plates and rubber bands. Students researched the properties and placements of materials that help bridges remain sturdy. The young engineers drew their design and tested their hypothesis. If it didn't work they troubleshooted and went back to the drawing board to design a stronger bridge. In the end, one group was able to create a bridge that met the criteria. I urge parents to support this time of learning and problem solving at home. Have your child assist you with a problem and have them give you feedback to solve it!

Students in Mrs. Simpson-O'Neal's class create a bridge that can hold 21 bears.

Holiday Boutique December 8 & 9

Parent Teacher Conference December 14 / Half Day 11:00 am Dismissal

Clear Stream Winter Concert December 15 @ 7:00pm

CSA Breakfast with Santa December 17 @ 10am - 12 noon

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