North Side Family Flyer
January 2024
North Side Family Flyer, February 2024
INSPIRE, ENGAGE, EMPOWER!
GROWING GREATNESS through focusing on "Skill Groups", not reading levels
For years now, we believed that a student's reading level has helped us to determine how well they are able to read and at what grade level. Within this past year, the Indiana Department of Education has brought the awareness of the "Science of Reading" to school districts. Legislation is now starting to pass bills that are in support of the science behind how we ALL learn to read according to research studies done by multiple sources including: Neuroscientists, educators, psychologists, and linguistic anthropologists.
When reading levels first came around, the intent was to give books a reading level of difficulty. However, this is subjective and is not always accurate. Over time, the reading level system has moved from ranking books to labeling students. Labeling students at a reading level locks them into a small range of books they can read and this was not the purpose. If a student finds a book of interest that may be challenging, we would want them to try it out. Along with reading levels, as educators we were taught to teach children cueing strategies when learning to read. These strategies include: using the pictures, looking at the beginning sound and asking what makes sense, using the context of the sentence to guess the word, or looking at the grammatical structure of the sentence. This is not how our brain works when learning how to read.
With the Science of Reading research, it is said that everyone can learn to read. The instruction approach needs to align to the way our brains work. The five essential components necessary for effective reading instruction are:
- Phonological Awareness - understanding the awareness of the sound structure of words
- *Phonics* - correlating sounds with letters or groups of letters
- Fluency - accuracy, rate, and expression while reading
- Vocabulary - the body of words a child has learned
- Reading Comprehension - the understanding and interpretations of what is read
*The real KEY that makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE is phonics - learning to read by sounding out words.
Here at North Side, we are moving away from the focus on reading levels. Our attention is moving to "Skill Groups". Students must have the skills (understanding that letters make sounds, being able to blend sounds to make words, learning and understanding the many language rules, becoming fluent at reading using decodables, learning and increasing their vocabulary and comprehending what they read) to become successful readers.
Conferences are later this month, please speak with your child's teacher about the skills they should work on to continue building their reading skills.
Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions.
Yours in education,
Stephanie Leasure
Stem Night - Making Owl Hand Warmers
Skittles Rainbows
Color Run
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday, January 30th - Yearbook GROUP Pictures
Monday, February 5th - Science Fair Projects due to school
Tuesday, February 6th - Science Fair Judging
Thursday, February 8th - Robotics Meet @ ENMS, 4 p.m.
Friday, February 9th - Kindergarten Field Trip to Science Central
Friday, February 9th - PTO's Sweetheart Dance, 6-8 p.m.
Saturday, February 17th - Robotics Tournament @ WC
Monday, February 19th - No School, President's Day
Tuesday, February 20th - End of Trimester 2
Tuesday, February 20th - PTO Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 22nd - Robotics Meet @ ENMS, 4 p.m.
Thursday, February 22nd - Report Cards sent home with students
Friday, February 23rd - No School for students, PD Day for staff
Tuesday, February 27th - NEHS Induction Ceremony, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 29th - Parent/Teacher Conferences, 3:30-7:30 p.m.
March 4th - 6th - IREAD-3 Assessment for 2nd and 3rd graders
Building with 100 cups
Creating a 100's chart
Stamping 100 things
Front Office Guidance from Mrs. Hilterbrand and Miss Myers:
Now that the second half of the school year has arrived, this means field trip season is approaching. If you would like to be a chaperone on a field trip, please check and make sure that you have a completed and passed background check with our school district. You may pick up background check paperwork in the office. A copy of your drivers license is required with the completed form.
We all know how Indiana weather can be...it has its ups and downs. Please make sure to send a coat to school with your child each day. Many children did not wear coats to school last Friday and it was too cold at recess for them. We do not have many coats in the office to hand out to students for recess time. Please know that students will go outside for recess if the temperature (including windchill) is above 10 degrees and it is not raining. We appreciate your help with this!
If your child is ill, please make sure to call your child(ren) in sick to school. You may call before school hours and leave us a message, if needed. Our number is (260) 347-1354. If we do not hear from you, we will call to check in on your child. Please remember the 24 hour rule, they should be fever free, vomit free, and diarrhea free for 24 hours before returning to school.
*Please make sure to call our office BEFORE 2:00 p.m. if you need to change your child's transportation on the way home for that day. This allows us time to share this information with both the teacher and your child before dismissal begins at 2:40 p.m. Your child's safety and making it home is our #1 priority. We appreciate you helping us with this!
Miss Bixby's class dressed up as the 101 Dalmations
Robotics Meet
Robotics Competition
Student Learning with Miss T
As we continue to work together to provide the best possible education for your child, I wanted to take a moment to share some information about an essential aspect of our literacy program—phonics.
Phonics is a method of teaching children to read by correlating sounds with individual letters or groups of letters. It lays the foundation for strong reading and spelling skills. I believe it's crucial for parents to understand the significance of phonics in your child's early literacy development.
Here are some key points to consider:
Building Blocks of Reading:
Phonics helps children understand the relationship between letters and sounds. By breaking down words into individual phonemes (sounds), children learn to decode and read words more easily. This skill is fundamental in developing reading fluency.
Spelling Proficiency:
Learning phonics not only improves reading but also enhances spelling abilities. When children grasp the connection between sounds and letters, they can apply this knowledge to spell words accurately.
Vocabulary Expansion:
Phonics instruction contributes to the expansion of a child's vocabulary. As they become proficient in decoding words, they are better equipped to understand and use a wider range of words in their spoken and written language.
Confidence and Independence:
Mastering phonics empowers children to approach reading with confidence. It gives them the tools to tackle unfamiliar words independently, fostering a sense of achievement and autonomy.
Reading Comprehension:
Phonics lays the groundwork for strong reading comprehension skills. As children become more skilled at decoding words, they can focus on understanding the meaning behind the text, leading to improved comprehension.
We incorporate phonics into our daily activities and lessons to ensure that your child receives comprehensive and effective literacy instruction. We encourage you to reinforce these skills at home through activities such as reading together, playing word games, and practicing phonetic exercises.
In Tune with Attendance and Safety with Mr. Perlich:
Attendance:
January was a crazy month for attendance with all the virtual learning taking place. Please understand that your student needs to be on the live thread or completing a math and reading assignment to be counted present. Attendance is still taken on these days and part of their overall school attendance. Please refer to the EN attendance policy if you ever have questions as to why you are getting letters or being asked to come in for an attendance meeting. If you ever have questions, please call me and I would be happy to walk you through the process. Communication is an essential part of working together!
Safety:
January was a month that we were able to practice a Lockdown and Fire drill. State Law requires all schools to practice these drills on a regular basis each month. We practice drills to make sure all staff and students are prepared in case we are ever faced with an emergency. We continue to look for ways to make our practices better. We take safety seriously and want to make sure your children feel safe while at North Side. If you should ever have questions, please feel free to reach out to me at jperlich@eastnoble.net.
The Nurse's Nook:
Please make sure your child is wearing a coat to school. If your child does not have a coat and you need assistance getting one, please reach out!!! I have resources and would love to assist you in making sure your child stays warm this winter.
- Side note – be sure to write your child’s name in their coat, hat and gloves. These items are misplaced often. This helps us to make sure we can locate the owners of lost coats and gloves 😊
Friendly reminders:
- Your child must be fever-free, without fever-reducing medication, for 24 hours before returning to school. The same applies to vomiting and diarrhea.
- Please send a change of clothes in your child’s backpack for those occasional accidents or spills. I will do my best to provide your child with a change of clothes, but if I do not have the appropriate size, I will have to call home and ask for a change of clothes.
- If your child has clothes that they have outgrown, I am always accepting clothing donations!! This is how I keep my “extra clothes” stocked. I am always in need of pants and underwear, sizes 6-12. Don’t worry, clothes are always washed before I give them to students 😊
PTO CORNER - Please come join us for our February meeting.
More 100 Day activity fun
Building a house in Knight's Play
Laying on their furniture inside their house, so creative!.
Nutrition Notice with Mrs. Yates:
Please help us to follow and pass the state requirements. Students may not wear coats or backpacks when going through the breakfast or lunch line. If students bring food from home to eat with their school lunch, they must first put this food at their lunch table, then go through the school lunch line. Food from home may not go through the line per state regulations. If you could speak with your child about these requirements and helping the cafeteria out, it would be greatly appreciated!