RIDGEFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
PROGRAM NEWSLETTER
Newsletter
Primary Grades Edition: Learn more about programming in grades K - 2
Website: http://www.ridgefieldschools.com/domain/112
Location: 555 Chestnut Street, Ridgefield, NJ
Phone: 201-945-7747
Where We've Been
Over the past three years, we have implemented several new academic programs at this level. In the area of ELA, the teachers have been trained in Recipe for Reading, a phonics/word study program that provides students with a multi-sensory approach to learning how to read and decode words. This program provides students with the skills to attack larger words as they progress through the grade levels. Students are also exposed to explicit writing instruction with the implementation of the Being a Writer Program.
Teachers have also been using data to drive their instruction. Through the new Response to Intervention Program (RTI), students are assessed according to grade level standards. This information is provided to the classroom teachers to guide them in individualizing instruction and providing remediation in areas that it is needed. The students who require further assistance to meet the requirements of the grade level are provided with small group and pull-out instruction from an RTI specialist. This data has allowed the teachers to address student needs much more quickly and determine student levels.
Where we are now
This year, we are continuing the growth of our primary programs in the areas of reading and math. The primary teachers continue to work with Reader's and Writer's Workshop. This year, the classes have received a new program to help them better implement this model of instruction. Students will be working with the Mondo Bookshop program in all three grades. Teachers are receiving ongoing training on best practices for program implementation in order to tailor reading to every student.
We have also implemented the new Envisions 2.0 program in grades K - 2. This is the continuation and modernization of the Envisions program that was implemented in the classrooms over the past five years. This program better aligns to the latest standards and engages students in constructing understanding and applying their math skills to problems. Teachers are also receiving continued professional development in the most effective methods to implement problem solving with students in the younger grades.
Later this year, we will be providing our parents with workshops to better understand our new programming and some methods for supporting instruction at home.
Spotlight on our Special Services
Mrs. Walsh and Mrs. Lara collaborated on a sensory-motor Halloween lesson for all the Learning Center students entitled "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party". The lesson had three parts: 1) Students were encouraged to smell, taste and touch apples with cinnamon and created apple art work using “cinnamon glue” to heighten the senses; 2) A sensory box of popcorn kernels contained mini pumpkins and toy spiders. Students worked on labeling, matching, inclusion and exclusion; 3) Because many of our students do not tolerate masks, sensory friendly Mickey and Minnie Masks were made on paper sticks and body parts will be targeted for another lesson.
Fun times were enjoyed by all and fine motor, sensory-motor and language goals were addressed. Mrs. Abene also assisted during this lesson, as she helped with the mask creations encouraging the students to follow directions and use their best speech and language skills.
where we are going: Our Future Graduates
- Maintain the STEM and Humanities Chairperson in their current role. The continuation and expansion of these vital staff members to provide expertise to the teachers in all grade levels from k - 12 will strengthen vertical alignment of the mathand ELA programs.
- Expand upon the current blended learning program. The expansion of this program will enable teachers to facilitate more individualized learning and allow students to progress at their own pace. This will also provide technology to students at the primary level.
- Provide the funding for curriculum resources to continue to invest and implement in the programs that have begun their implementation over the past two years. Continue to invest in programs such as; Front Row and Aleks to expand the blended learning program into more classrooms. Provide more math classes with the necessary technology to access these programs. Expand the Envisions 2.0 program to the middle school level for great vertical articulation of the math program.
- The Ridgefield Public School District looks to offer students a more practical and robust world language program in order to support student growth and success during and after the K-12 experience. The District hopes to do this by providing a more comprehensive and relevant program in all grades, delivered by highly qualified personnel. This requires the addition of one world language teacher.
- Reinstate an English Langauge Learning (ELL) teacher for optimal programming. Under our current ELL programming, students at the primary level receive initial instruction in a bilingual Kindergarten classroom. This does not provide our wonderfully diverse student population with the opportunity to truly be immersed in school with their English-speaking peers. The reinstatement of one ELL teacher will allow the District to provide students with an intensive ELL program with both pullout and push-in instruction.
- Expand library media, technology, and information literacy by adding two specialists. Currently, the Ridgefield School District has no operating library media centers. It has only one Library Media Specialist for all students in Grades K-12 who delivers part of a newly developed information literacy program. Additional staffing is needed to expand the information literacy program and provide students with a more comprehensive experience and the much needed and valuable instruction, giving students the tools to compete in the 21st century.
The primary grades build a foundation for a students educational life. These plans for the future will provide our students with an even more solid foundation on which to build their education.
Program Highlights: Teaching your Child to Love Learning
Ultimately, we want our kids to love to learn. A passion for learning is quite different from just studying to earn a grade or to please parents or teachers. Students who develop a love of learning at an early age continue the process throughout their lives and can be more successful, interesting, and happier than those who don't. How can we help our students to foster a love of learning:
Talk with your child about the things you read and hear, especially the things you find interesting.
- Ask your kids how they feel about various issues (current events, relationships, values). Allow them to have opinions without passing judgment.
Pursue your own hobbies and interests.
- Share these with your student, but do not require that he or she follow that hobby.
- Encourage your kids to have interests of their own.
Read books.
- Read on your own, which sets a good example. Read to your kids, to get them hooked on books. Have lots of books in the house.
- Play game books.
- Read audiobooks on CD or MP3.
Play "thinking games" with your kids.
- These are games where there is not just one answer. Scrabble and chess are examples. Emphasize the value of thoughtful moves rather than the importance of winning.
Remember that you are your child's best teacher.
- School, educational games and television, and a shelf full of books all can't accomplish what you can in the education of your child. It doesn't take much effort to inspire a child's brain in the everyday world - the place where they need it the most.
Let them know that school is important by being supportive of the school.
- Attend school functions, volunteer in the classroom if possible, and communicate with the teacher.
For more information: http://www.parenting.com/article/how-to-help-your-kids-love-school