Mason Gazette
December 1, 2017
Dear Mason Families,
Please review the reminders below to ensure your 15 minute conference with your child's teacher is maximized.
1. We can only talk about your child. There are FERPA (The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and HIPPA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ) Laws that forbid us from talking to you about other students and their educational progress. Please help us out by not asking us to break these rules.
2. We are all a work in progress and it is important that we focus on the strengths of your learner. What we focus on as adults, our students will focus on as well. Let's continue to encourage our students to strive for success and highlight all the things that are going well at Mason.
3. We are all learners-adults included. Conferences are an opportunity for our staff and parents to both learn from each other. Everyone knows that sometimes a child might act completely different at home than they do at school and that is okay. Please work with us to give us a snapshot of what is working at home so we can utilize some of the same strategies at school. Our goal is to also share what we are seeing at school. The more cohesive our language around school can be, the more successful our learners will be.
4. Conferences are just a snapshot of your learner's academic, social and emotional progress. At Mason, we value all three equally. Every child grows and soars at their own pace. Comparing your child to someone else or to another one of your children can make academic progress harder on your learner.
5. We are a TEAM.(Together Everyone Achieve More). Please let us know what we can do to help support you and your child during their educational journey. Statistics over the years have shown us that the more involved parents are in their child's educational process, the more successful they will be as a citizen.
Thanks for your continued support,
Roy
Educational Vocabulary/Phrases you might hear during conferences:
Formative Assessment- Is a range of formal and informal assessment procedures conducted by teachers during the learning process in order to modify teaching and learning activities to improve student attainment.
Summative Assessment- Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period—typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year.
NWEA-Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) creates a personalized assessment experience by adapting to each student's learning level—precisely measuring student progress and growth for each individual. Students participate in this testing 3 times a year.
M-STEP- State mandated online test given to 3rd-5th graders during the Spring of every school year. It is designed to gauge how well students are mastering state standards.
Flexible Seating Arrangements- Allowing student choice and variety as it relates to seating focused on empowering others through student choice, increase student engagement, and improve student participation.
Differentiated Instruction- Tailoring instruction to meet individual needs of students within the classroom.
I-RIPS- Grosse Pointe Public Schools is now required to inform you of your rights and the potential consequences of the Michigan Third Grade Reading Law (MCL 380.1280f), enacted by the State of Michigan Legislature in 2016. This law requires that students who receive Multi-Tiered System Supports (MTSS) to have the interventions documented in an Individualized Reading Plan. Students who are below the 30th percentile on NWEA, qualify for reading support, or are identified by the classroom teacher through a review of other data that show a deficiency in reading, will receive an Individualized Reading Improvement Plan.
This Individualized Reading Improvement Plan, simply documents the support that your child is already receiving.
Dinner Conversations:
-What should we expect to hear from your teachers at conferences?
-What did you enjoy doing at school this week?
-Who are some of your good friends at school?
Diversity Calendars produced with Grosse Pointe Board of Realtors
100% of the proceeds from the What Diversity Looks Like 2018 Calendar will go to the GPPSS Diversity program. All artwork was created by GPPSS students. Calendars are $10 each and only 500 copies will be printed. Reserve yours today with your credit card using this secure order form on the district website. Orders must be in by 12/8/17.
Fun Writing Opportunity for December:
Mr. Bishop is going to give a special prize to anyone who is able to give him one or more paragraphs about one of the topics below: Please turn your writing assignment into the office before December 21st to receive your special prize.
1. What is your favorite book?
2. What book are you currently reading?
3. What is one thing you can do to read more at home?
December’s Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) Focus
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures- Arriving on time and ready to learn. Departing safely and following school rules at the end of the day.
December's Character Word of the Month: Citizenship
Stay Informed by …
-regularly checking our Mason Elementary School webpage
-signing up for for Mason Elementary Community Remind text messages by texting the message @f69f4d to 81010 from your mobile device
-receiving and reading Mr. Bishop ’s Weekly Update email
-following us on Twitter (@masonelemgp) and FaceBook (@masonparents)
December PBIS Behavior is Attendance Awareness - Office Challenge
Our Character word for the month of December is Citizenship and our PBIS Focus is Arrival/Departure. Starting Monday, December 4th we would like to challenge and reward all students who make it till Christmas break without a single tardy or absence of any kind with a special attendance tag.
Mason Winter Vocal Concert
Monday, December 11, 2017
Grades 1, 3, 5, and Mason Choir
LOCATION:
PARCELLS MIDDLE SCHOOL – VERNIER AND MACK, GPW
PARKING:
BACK PARKING LOT, OFF OF SUNNINGDALE
(Be prepared to park along Sunningdale when Parking Lot fills.)
DRESS REHEARSAL:
Monday, December 11th, during PM classes. The rehearsal is at Parcells.
EVENING PERFORMANCE:
6:30 ARRIVAL FOR CHOIR, 6:45 ALL OTHERS, CONCERT BEGINS AT 7:00.
DRESS:
CHOIR – Navy Blazer, choir T-shirt, Khaki Pants, Dark Shoes. Boys will tuck in their shirt and wear a belt. Girls will use a hair tie on the back of the shirt.
ALL OTHERS -- “Winter Dressy.” No Jeans, Sandals, or Athletic Shoes. Girls please keep heels to a minimum. All hair should be neat and off the face. All Shirts tucked in. Please look your best!
December Dates To Remember
Dec 6 - Evening conferences
Dec 7 - 1/2 day AM only - Dismissal 11:36 AM
Afternoon and Evening Conferences
Dec 9 - Merry Morning at Mason - See above for information
Dec 11 - Winter Vocal Concert - 7pm @ Parcells - Grades 1,3,5 and both choirs
Dec 12 - Jets Night 4-8 Pm Mack Ave. location - don't forget to mention Mason
PTO Mtg 7-9 PM - Library
Dec 20 - Strings Extravaganza - 7-8 PM @ South
Dec 21 - Band-O-Rama - 7-8 PM @ North
Dec 23 - Jan 2 - NO SCHOOL - Winter Break - Happy Holidays
Mason Elementary School
Website: https://mi01000971.schoolwires.net/gpmason
Location: 1640 Vernier Road, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, United States
Phone: (313)432-4400
Twitter: @MasonelemGP