Spotlight Newsletter
Chapman Elementary School - 02.17.17
Calendar of Events
- 2/20 - Presidents' Day - No School
- 3/2 - Vision & Hearing Screenings: 1st, 3rd, 5th grades
- 3/3 - Chapman Main Roundup & Principal's Coffee
- 3/7 - Math & Science Night
- 3/8 - Ramona Roundup Assembly & Principal's Coffee
- 3/15 - Vision & Hearing Screenings: Kindergarten
- 3/15 - PTA General Meeting
- 3/27-31 - SPRING BREAK - NO SCHOOL
Principal's Message
After a couple of weeks of continual downpours, today was glorious. The camellia outside my window sprouted one flower today out of its plethora of buds. It was a clear reminder that spring is just around the corner! With spring, comes non-stop activity in schools. In Chapman, preparations for our spring musical are underway, incoming kindergarten parents have been visiting the Ramona to learn about the next step in their little ones lives, and we are all eagerly anticipating the return of our student newspaper, the Chapman Swift Current.
Chapman has a Twitter account! This will be a vehicle for you to see pictures of events and exciting activities that are happening here at school. Our handle is @ChapmanGoSwifts. We do realize that not everyone would like their child's photo on the school page and we will not post pictures of students if they are on our our Publicity Denial list. Please contact the school if you would like a copy of the form.
The PTA is sponsoring coffee on Fridays in our new Community Room (Room 6)! They will start this next Friday. If you have a few minutes before or after Round Up, come on in!
We need you! Vote daily and help raise money for Chapman!
Let’s get some help raising money for our new playground! Together Counts – Vote for Chapman online every day until March 24. Together Counts is an organization that will give three schools $30,000 plus a new playground set, and three schools will win $5,000. Anyone in the community can enter on behalf of our school, by entering once/day on the Together Counts link above. Please click on the link and when you get to the empty form, enter our zip code, 97210, and Chapman Elementary school will pop up as a choice. Cast your vote, tell your friends and set a reminder to do so every day!
Pamela Van Der Wolf
Principal
Counselor's Corner
I just read an interesting article related to effective ways to ask questions. I am going to try and incorporate these concepts into my daily work with children. I have listed my favorite strategies below in case you would like to try these ideas as well.
- Never say anything that a kid can say. Instead, put facts into question form. For example, what time do we go to lunch?
- Ask open-ended questions. Avoid yes and no responses. Such as, what is another math equation with the same digits?
- Ask process questions. For example, how did you arrive at your answer?
- Avoid lecture-based speaking with kids. Instead, check in every several sentences in order to check for understanding.
- Share with kids why you ask the questions you ask.
- If a child gets stuck, ask the question in different ways until it can be answered.
- Avoid judgment and save your “wow” reactions for special responses.
- This next one is hard for me. Avoid repeating children’s answers. Groups of kids become much better listeners when they are responsible for their own listening.
- If a child doesn’t understand the question, have them ask clarifying questions until they get it.
- When asking problem-solving questions ask for a variety of ways to solve the same problem.
- In group situations ask all the kids to show a thumbs-up if they agree and a sideways thumb if they want to add to the response.
- Direct questions to the whole group and provide wait time before looking to an individual child for the answer.
- Help kids develop the skill of being ready with their own individual answers. Save whole group responses for occasional games and activities.
- Explain to kids that blurting out answers shortens thinking time and the rights of others to respond.
- I have saved the hardest one for last. Extend wait time and avoid filling in the quiet. Often the greatest problem-solving occurs when there is a long awkward silence and when no one is speaking.
For more questioning techniques check out Steve Reinhart’s website at steveJeinhart@wetn.pbs.org. Steve is a middle school math teacher in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
Keep asking questions,
Stephanie Cox
Stay Connected
- Friendly House Summer Camp 2017
- Lincoln Youth Baseball & Softball
- Saturday Academy Spring Break Classes & Summer Camps
- Karate/Martial Arts Classes by Activ Stars
- Spring into Soccer at Chapman Elementary / Soccer Shots
- Farm Camp on Sauvie Island
- Science Matters - Under the Sea
- Lincoln Girls Youth Lacrosse
- Medium Cool Film School
Chapman Main Campus
Website: www.pps.net/chapman
Location: 1445 NW 26th Ave, Portland, OR, United States
Phone: (503) 916-6295
Twitter: @chapmangoswifts
Chapman @ The Ramona
Location: 1545 NW 13th Ave, Portland, OR, United States
Phone: (503) 916-5360
District policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, color, creed, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation. BP 1.801.020. Not all outside groups comply with the District’s non-discrimination policy. Families are strongly encouraged to review all materials closely.