Ravine Drive School
September Newsletter
A message from Mrs. Janover
It has been a very busy summer at Ravine Drive School. We are so fortunate to have a fully air conditioned building! The custodial staff has been working hard preparing for the first day!
In addition to this monthly newsletter, I will continue to send home Ravine Drive School's Weekly Virtual Backpack. The e-blast will be sent home every Wednesday, providing parents with week-to-week information regarding school news, upcoming events, and information regarding flyers and notices. I encourage you to periodically review your contacts in the Realtime Parent Portal to confirm that you have your current email address and phone numbers listed, as well as the names of any adults you would like to allow to pick up your child. The Parent Portal also contains information regarding your child's schedule, grades, and attendance. Information regarding your chid's teacher for the 2019-2020 school year will be available on the Parent Portal on August 24th.
I am looking forward to a fantastic new school year. As always, I encourage you to stay in touch with your child's teachers and be a part of our PTO. As a reminder, our Back to School Night has been scheduled for Thursday, September 12th at 7:00.
The Portal Goes Live on Saturday, August 24, 2019
Kindergarten Orientation
Back to School Night at Ravine Drive School
Welcome to our new staff!
Morning Arrival
Breakfast is served every morning!
Breakfast is served each morning between 9:10 and 9:20 in the cafeteria. Students can proceed directly to the cafeteria to enjoy breakfast prior to going to their homeroom.
Link-It Testing
School lunches in the Cafeteria
Follow Ravine Drive School on Twitter!
Security Vestibule
Our Kindergarten and Grade 1 students will continue to utilize Fundations this school year!
Wilson Fundations is a multisensory K-3 structured language program.
The systematic program emphasizes:
Phonemic awareness
Phonics/word study
High frequency word study
Reading fluency
Vocabulary
Comprehension strategies
Handwriting
Spelling
The instructional principles that are the basis for all of Wilson’s programs help learners to gain literacy skills and provide a common framework for those who need further intervention to make progress.
For students in grades K-3
The Fundations curriculum provides multisensory lessons that benefit every student in the classroom, starting early to prevent reading and spelling failure.
How Can Parents Assist Their Child?
Parental involvement in developing literacy skills is encouraged—and is even built into Fundations. Fundations Home Support Packs make it easy for teachers to send updates to parents about the concepts students are currently learning and activities that should be done with children to reinforce instruction. Home Support Packs are available for each Level of Fundations, with English and Spanish options to facilitate communication with diverse home environments.
For every child, home activities that foster development of vocabulary and comprehension skills are important. When parents read aloud to their children and have discussions about the meaning of the text, children are exposed to more advanced concepts, even though they may not yet be able to read the material themselves. Listening to audiobooks is another great way to build comprehension and support classroom learning.
Encouraging children to speak up, express themselves, and think critically develops oral and mental skills that can later be translated into writing and composition abilities. Creativity and achievements in other areas should also be celebrated. Students who are struggling with reading or have been diagnosed with dyslexia may develop self-image issues and stop exerting effort into trying to read, so parental support and advocacy are especially important.
Taken from: http://www.wilsonlanguage.com/parents/
Our Literacy Program in 2nd and 3rd Grade!
As you may aware, the district previously adopted Literacy by Design, a Houghton Mifflin Harcourt literacy framework, to support reading and writing instruction in grades two and three during the 2018-19 school year.
Literacy by Design (LBD) is a research-based reading and writing framework which utilizes whole class, small group and independent reading to meet the needs of all students. Literacy skills in LBD are linked to science and social studies content which are aligned to the NJ Student Learning Standards. This integrated approach helps students make connections and foster deeper levels of understanding.
Literacy by Design Reading instruction includes the five elements of reading - phonemic awareness, phonics (word study) vocabulary, fluency and comprehension which are delivered through an integrated approach to support student learning. Teachers will continue to provide small group guided reading instruction, and students will continue to engage in daily literacy centers as they always have.
The writing aspect of Literacy by Design includes the core elements of writing instruction, including writing forms, organizational patterns, writing traits and the writing process. Direct writing instruction, mentor texts and sustained daily writing are all implemented to spark an appreciation for writing. Writing instruction will continue to follow a workshop model.
Literacy by Design provides differentiated resources to support English Language Learners and Special Education students, allowing teachers to target and address the needs of all learners.
Teach Your Child How to Make Friends
A child who is struggling to make friends may dream of being part of the popular crowd. She may think that she will instantly become popular, too. Things rarely work that way.
A better way to make friends is to look for other children who are seeking friendships, too. Encourage your child to:
- Seek out a “friendly face.” Some children don’t say much, but show by their body language that they would like to make friends. Teach your child to look for a child who smiles, who makes room for other children in line, who moves over in the cafeteria so someone else can sit down. All these gestures indicate a child who wants to make friends.
- Ask questions. Most people are flattered when others ask them about their interests. For example, your child could ask, “Amanda, I always see you carrying that case around. What instrument do you play?” Showing interest in others and then listening to what they have to say is a great way to make friends.
- Take it slow. Like flowers, new friendships need room to grow. Another child may feel smothered if your child suddenly begins sticking to her like glue. A good guideline is for your child to reach out with a phone call or invitation, and then wait for her friend to return the favor.
- The Parent Institute
Play an 'Eggs'-ellent Math Game
When it comes to mastering math facts, practice makes perfect. An empty egg carton can help you make a fun game that will reinforce the math facts your child needs to learn.
Print a different number on the inside bottom of each cup of the egg carton. With young children, use the numbers 0 through 11. For older children, you can use higher numbers (or more egg cartons).
Now cut out pieces of paper in the shape of eggs. Write a math problem on each. The answers to the problems should be numbers from 0 to 11, but don't write the answers on the eggs. Have your child solve the math problem on each egg and put it in the cup with the correct answer.
You can adapt this idea as your child's math skills progress. You might write fractions on the bottom of the cups. Write other fractions that have the same value on the paper eggs.
For example, one section might be labeled 1/2. The paper eggs could include fractions like 3/6, 4/8 and 5/10. Your child can put the fractions with the same value in the proper cups.
-The Parent Institute
School Pictures
Idea of the Day
Build Skills and Bond Over Reading Aloud
No matter how young or old your child is, reading aloud together is a great way to build her reading and language skills. Here are some tips:
- Read the title and author's name before you begin.
- Use plenty of expression in your voice. Change your voice for each character.
- Talk about the illustrations.
- Ask relatives who live far away to record stories.
- Read stories you both enjoy.
Copyright (c) 2019 The Parent Institute, a Division of NIS, Inc.
Testing Dates - 2019 - 2020
Fall - September 16 - 20, 2019
Winter - March 2 - 6, 2020
iReady - Reading
Fall - October 2 - 4, 2019 - Gr. 1 - 3
Winter - January 6 - 7, 2020 - Gr. 1 - 3
Spring - April 1 - 2, 2020 - Gr. K - 3
Dibels - Reading - K - 3
Fall - September 9 - 13, 2019
Winter - December 9 - 13, 2019
Spring - June 8 - 12, 2020
CogAT - March 17 - 19, 2020 - Gr. 2
NJSLA - ELA.- May 6 - 7, 2020 - Gr. 3
NJSLA - Math - May 12 - 14, 2020 - Gr. 3
Upcoming Events
September 4 - Kindergarten Orientation - 2:00 - 2:45
September 5 - First Day of School
September 6 - School Spirit Day
September 9 - 13 - Dibels Reading Assessment administered to all K - 3 students
September 12 - Back to School Night
September 16 - 20 - Link-It Testing Grades 1 - 3
September 30 & October 1 - School Closed