Symmes Elementary School
Symmesational News!
Friday, March 16, 2018
Important Dates for your Calendar
Mar. 20 - MAP Testing for Gr. 1 - 4 - 9:30 - 11:30 am
Mar. 21 - MAP Testing for Gr. 1 - 4 - 9:30 - 11:30 am
Mar. 26 - Mar. 30 NO SCHOOL - Spring Break
Apr. 2 - Return from Spring Break
Apr. 11- 4th Grade Growth and Development Parent Night 7:00 pm
Apr. 12 - PTO Meeting - 9:30 am
Apr. 16 - NO SCHOOL for students...Professional Day for teachers
Apr. 28 - Nature Trail Volunteer Day (changed from May 5th) 10:00 - 2:00
MAP TESTING
ANNOUNCEMENT OF SPRING OPTIONAL TESTING FOR IDENTIFICATION OF GIFTED STUDENTS
Although your child may or may not have taken the CogAT in December, you may request that your child be tested on the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT). If you wish to have your child participate in this round of testing, all requests must be made through the below online link by March 21, 2018. In order to decrease disruption to your child's instruction, this testing opportunity will take place prior to the start of the school day. We have scheduled this 45-50 minute testing session to be administered from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. on April 2, 2018 at Symmes Elementary.
Please note it is the parents' responsibility to provide transportation the morning of testing to your child’s building. Additionally, know that Sycamore cannot use kindergarten or first grade scores for gifted placement.
"SHED THE EXCESS THREADS" CLOTHES BIN CHALLENGE (1 more week to bring items!)
Who: All 7 Sycamore Schools competing to be the winner
How: Collect the most textiles during the challenge period
What: Shoes, clothing, rags, towels, blankets, sheets, stuffed animals, etc.
Why: 85% of textiles end up in the landfill. These will be recycled and our schools will earn 7 cents for every pound. Collect more, earn more! Money goes into the school accounts!
Winning school will be recognized with an award and featured on social media.
*Did you know??? The average American discards approximately 70 pounds of clothes, shoes and textiles each year. Most of these items end up in the local landfills, which amounts to an astounding 16.9 billion pounds of preventable waste each year. We need your help to reduce this number!
4th Grade Growth and Development Parent Night
PTO would like to highlight the following sunshine staff members this week:
Jill Evans
Rick Razzano
David Wright
Missy Houston
Check them out on our Sunshine Board, located in the main hallway, across from room 15.
Thank you, Symmes Staff Appreciation Committee
How Parents Can Instill Growth Mindset at Home
Parenting is really hard.
Having a growth mindset helps.
Research shows that parents can have a powerful impact on their childrens’ mindsets. The language you use and the actions you take show your children what you expect. Giving process praise, talking about the brain, accepting mistakes as learning opportunities, and understanding the role of emotions in learning are all practices you can begin today.
The way we praise our children can have a profound impact on their mindset. Research on praise and mindsets shows that when we praise children for being smart, it promotes a fixed mindset. It sends a message that their accomplishments are trait-based, and tied to something innate. In contrast, praising kids for working hard promotes a growth mindset. It sends a message that the child’s effort is what led them to success. Want more tips on what to say, and what not to say, when praising your kids?
Say This..........Not That!
“I can see you worked so hard on this!”.......... "You are so smart!”
“It seems like it’s time to try a new strategy.”..........“It’s okay. Maybe you’re just not cut out for this!”
“I like watching you do that.”..........“You're a natural at that!”
“It looks like that was too easy for you. Let’s find you something challenging so your brain can grow.”..........“That’s right! You did that so quickly and easily; great job!”
“That’s not right. You don’t understand this yet. What strategies can you try to understand it better?”..........“That’s not right. Are you paying attention in class? It seems like you’re not even trying.“
“That was really hard. Your effort has paid off! Next time you’ll be ready for this kind of challenge!”..........“That was really hard. I’m so glad it’s over and you don’t have to do that again.”
“You’ve worked hard to become a good writer. You should challenge yourself with an advanced class, and learn something you don’t know how to do yet.”.........“You have a real talent for writing. You should take a creative writing class because you’re so good at it.”
Talk About the Brain
The brain is far more malleable than we once thought. Teaching our kids that they actually have control over growing their brains through the actions they take is empowering! Tell your children that when they work hard, that’s the feeling of their neurons connecting. The dendrites are reaching out to other dendrites, trying to connect to make a stronger brain. What strengthens those connections is practice, asking questions, and actively participating in learning. When children learn that their brains physically change with effort, it leads to increased motivation and achievement. Show your kids this Brain Animation video to explain!
Accept Mistakes as Learning Opportunities
One of the best ways you can model a growth mindset is to speak candidly about the mistakes you’ve made, and what you’ve learned from them. Speak positively about your mistakes and struggles, and this will show your children that taking risks and making mistakes are a natural part of the learning process. Explain to your children that trying hard things is what helps us grow, and you can’t be perfect when you try something hard!
Understand the Role of Emotions in Learning
When we get angry, scared, or feel threatened, our fight or flight response is activated. This can happen anytime, whether we’re scared of a spider or scared of math! Our brains are wired to protect us when we feel threatened, and stress symptoms such as sweating, stomach cramps, and your mind going blank are completely normal. There are strategies we can use when the fight or flight response tries to take over, to help us learn. One of those strategies is called Square Breathing and it helps to break down the adrenaline that is flooding the bloodstream and preventing learning from occurring.