WALTER J's NEWS YOU CAN USE

Effective communication between school and home is vital for the success of our students. Our school newsletter will serve as a platform to keep you informed about upcoming events, important reminders, and the achievements of our students and staff. It is my hope that this newsletter will help strengthen our sense of community and keep us all connected.

I am proud to be the principal of this wonderful school and look forward to working with all of you to ensure a positive and fulfilling year for our students. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or any member of the school staff if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Let us embark on this new school year with enthusiasm and a commitment to excellence!

Warm regards,

Mrs. Diedra Barnett

SEPTEMBER 7th PTO MEETING@5:30pm (IN PERSON AND VIRTUAL)

SEPTEMBER 11th PATRIOT DAY (WEAR RED.WHITE AND BLUE)

SEPTEMBER 11-14th GRANDPARENTS DAY (LUNCH WITH YOUR GRAND CHILD)

SEPTEMBER 15th SCHOOLS CLOSED FOR STUDENTS

SEPTEMBER 27th TWO-HOUR EARLY DISMISSAL

SEPTEMBER 27th OPEN HOUSE (FAMILIES LAST NAME ENDING A-L 4:00 - 4:45pm; M-Z 5:00 - 5:45PM)

What does it take to become a skilled reader? Literacy researcher Hollis Scarborough created a metaphor for explaining the processes involved in reading. She described reading by comparing it to the strands of a rope. This graphic illustrates the strands that fluent reading comprises. All the components together form what Scarborough calls skilled reading. Skilled reading happens when students are able to read text fluently while simultaneously comprehending it. The stronger each strand of the rope, the more skilled and strategic the student becomes. There are two main strands, Language Comprehension and Word Recognition, that are woven together. The language comprehension strand contains background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge. The word recognition strand contains phonological awareness, decoding, and sight recognition.

Any opportunity for reading aloud and discussing a story or book with your child will improve their background knowledge, vocabulary, and verbal reasoning. Engaging in discussion and having guidance on what they should be thinking about will help your child practice some of the skills needed to become a skilled reader.

Illustrative Mathematics - A Problem Based Curriculum

Students in K-5 spend most of their time in class working on carefully crafted and sequenced problems. Teachers help students understand the problems, ask questions to push their thinking, and orchestrate discussions to be sure that the mathematical takeaways are clear. Learners gain a rich and lasting understanding of mathematical concepts and procedures and experience applying this knowledge to new situations. Students frequently collaborate with their classmates—they talk about math, listen to each other’s ideas, justify their thinking, and critique the reasoning of others. They gain experience communicating their ideas both verbally and in writing, developing skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Gifted & Testing

I am excited to kick off this school year. The Learning Resource Teacher’s role is to coordinate gifted programming and school-wide testing. I work directly with students, collaborate with teachers, meet with small groups, and monitor instruction for students who need gifted services. I also oversee all aspects of testing, including state and county assessments. It is my goal to promote a challenging instructional program for students and to support classroom teachers as they deliver advanced curricula. You can learn more about gifted education and enrichment opportunities on our website at http://www.ccboe.com/index.php/gifted-education-services. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns during the year. I can be reached at hsmigal@ccboe.com.

• Car riders should enter the lower parking lot, off Willow Lane, forming three lines and waiting at the stop sign. Mr. Margolis will direct you when to pull up and drop off curbside. During dismissal, we will load nine cars at a time. Students should enter/exit curbside where a Mitchell staff member will greet them. Parents should remain in their car and should refrain from passing other vehicles. If your child requires assistance with buckling their seatbelt, please inform a staff member and we will direct you to our seatbelt zone. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
  
• Our school day begins at 8:45 AM. Students being dropped off prior to 8:45 AM are not supervised by our staff. It is encouraged that students not be dropped off prior to our arrival time.

• When visiting the school, picture IDs are required for all visitors. Please do not hold doors open, each person entering will need to have their identification checked.

• Phone calls will not be permitted as a method to change your child’s dismissal routines. We require this notification in writing by 1:00 PM to both office secretaries, Deanna Gomez (dgomez@ccboe.com) and Kristina Young (kcyoung@ccboe.com). Please also include the classroom teacher.
  

• If you need to pick up your child early from school, please do so by 2:45 PM. In addition, if you are sending someone else to pick up your child, you MUST follow the same procedure stated above - send an email to both office secretaries and your child's classroom teacher.
  

• Students in grades 2-5 will utilize agenda books in their classes. This is a great tool for organization and communication. Agenda books have arrived and are available for purchase through classroom teachers. Please make a $5.00 check payable to Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School.
  

• Students in Kindergarten will be utilizing Scholastic magazine to enhance the curriculum this year. Please send in $6.00 to your student's teacher.