Howbert Happenings
April 10, 2022
Messages from Principal Lefere
CMAS Assessments Begin Tuesday, April 12th for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade
TIPS TO HELP YOUR CHILD PREPARE FOR THE UPCOMING STATE ASSESSMENTS
1. Talk to your child about test taking
The purpose and goals of testing are not always obvious, even to the students who take them. Especially with new test-takers, it’s easy to be intimidated by testing or simply not feel motivated to put forth a lot of effort. Have open, ongoing conversations with your child to explain the benefits of testing, focusing on how it helps them, their teacher, their school, and other educators understand their strengths and weaknesses and figure out the most effective ways to teach. You can also use this opportunity to ask your students how they feel about testing, and offer reassurance or perspective if they have any anxiety around testing.
2. Offer positive reinforcement
A little encouragement can go a long way in helping students walk into testing days feeling confident—which, in turn, can have a huge effect on their performance. Praise your child for the work that he or she does to prepare for testing, and share in his or her excitement when he or she has success with a new concept or skill. Similarly, when he or she is struggling with a topic, point out the progress that he or she has made and encourage him or her to continue working. Having already experienced success with the material that he or she will be tested on will help your child avoid test anxiety and perform to the best of his or her ability on testing day.
3. Support healthy habits
Sleep and nutrition can have a huge impact on your child’s ability to focus and retain information. One of the most helpful things that you can do as a parent is focus on supporting these basic needs. Well-rounded meals and a regular sleep schedule will help your child succeed in the classroom on a day-to-day basis. On testing days, it’s especially important to make sure that your child gets a good night’s sleep, starts the day with a filling breakfast, and goes to school with a water bottle to help stay hydrated.
4. Keep testing in perspective
No single test is that important. Avoid putting too much emphasis on your child’s test scores—doing so can make your child feel pressure that will ultimately only affect his or her performance negatively. It’s also important to not be upset by a single test score. Low test scores can occur for any number of reasons; it may have just been an off day for your child.
5. Debrief after each testing day
After each testing day, talk with your child about how he or she felt about the test. By discussing his or her answers, thought processes, and feelings, you can gain further insight into what he or she is struggling with and excelling at and then help him or her better prepare next test. Talking about testing can also help your child process the experience and overcome any anxiety that he or she might have had.
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Below you will see the schedule for this year's Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) testing for grades 3, 4, and 5.Click here for an overview of the CMAS assessment at the Colorado Department of Education.
Sherry Kalbach and Brandon Comfort notified us that Howbert Elementary will be recommended to the BOE as an outdoor learning pathway school!
- The board may review the recommendations on March 27th as non-action and then on May 11th as an action item.
- We may need a parent volunteer to attend the March 27th board meetings to provide support for our program.
- If you are interested and willing to volunteer to attend, please notify Toby Lefere.
The staff at Howbert have begun working on creating classes for next school year. Two pieces of information that are critical in helping us create classes that are best for all students are:
- The Intent to Return Questionnaire
- Parent/Guardian Insight Form
We are asking for your help by completing the questionnaire and form linked below for your child/children as soon as possible.
Please contact the front office (328-4200) if you have any questions.
Youth Mental Health - I Matter.
Dear Howbert Families,
The I Matter program, launched by the State of Colorado, provides access to mental health services for youth. The program is open to youth 18 years of age or younger or 21 years of age or younger if receiving special education services. At this time, they are offering up to SIX FREE sessions (some in-person sessions available).
You can visit the website below to take a confidential online survey about your child's mental health and schedule sessions with a licensed clinician.
https://imattercolorado.org/
This event is being provided by the Howbert PTO.
Click the link below and register to attend the Family Tech Talk on Tuesday, May 10th beginning at 6:00 p.m. (virtual).
Field Day Volunteers Needed
Howbert Field Day is Thursday, May 19th from 7:30-10:30 AM. The students need your help running events. Please sign up for a primary event (K-2) or an intermediate event(3-5). Lunch will be provided for all helpers.
Kindergarten Field Trip to The Dinosaur Resource Center
Kinder
Playground
Recess
Howbert Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)
CLICK THE FILE BELOW to view our PTO Newsletter
PTO MEETINGS
The Howbert PTO meets the 2nd Thursday of every month at 4pm. We will be meeting in-person but will also have a virtual option for those that would prefer to attend on WebEx (click here to join).
*** Our next meeting is on Thursday, April 14 @ 4pm ***
We would love to see you at the meetings! It is a great way to share your thoughts, hear about happenings in the school and support the Howbert staff and students. And you don't have to commit to anything! Come to as many or as few meetings as works for you and your schedule.
OPEN BOARD POSITIONS
Are you interested in getting more involved? We have several board positions open that need to be filled in order for the PTO to run effectively:
- Vice President
- Membership
- Luncheon Host
If you are interested in one of these positions, please let us know at a meeting or email howbertPTO@gmail.com .
Check out these fun April activity calendars!
📞Howbert Contact Info📱
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday 7:30am - 3:30pm
School Hours:
Monday - Friday 8am - 2:30pm
Email addresses:
Principal: tobin.lefere@d11.org
Attendance: amandajo.nelson@d11.org
Front Office: shanda.lloyd@d11.org
Tech Help: lisa.schott@d11.org
Website: d11.org/howbert
Location: 1023 North 31st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Phone: 719-328-4200
Facebook: facebook.com/howbertelementary
Twitter: @howberthornet