Munhall Bulletin
August 28, 2020
Munhall Elementary School
Email: heather.miller@d303.org
Website: http://munhall.d303.org/
Location: 1400 South 13th Avenue
Phone: 331-228-2600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Munhall-Elementary-1459358344296891/
Twitter: @MunhallD303
Principal Note
It was another great week for our students and staff! Our remote students are getting more comfortable with their teachers, classmates, technology, etc. I want to give a huge Munhall Horseshoe shout-out to our remote teachers, students, and parents. I am seeing evidence of grit, problem-solving, and perseverance as we continue to build relationships, establish community, and create structures for meaningful learning. Our in-person students are getting very familiar with all of the new routines: arrival, dismissal, lunch, recess, restroom, morning meeting, what group work looks like, etc.
Today’s Munhall Bulletin will feature many important items for our parents, as the next few weeks get very busy.
Curriculum Night
Our annual Curriculum Night event will be held on Tuesday, September 8th and Thursday, September 10th.
Remote Learners: A) All K-2 remote students will have their Curriculum Night on Tuesday, September 8th. Your child’s remote teacher will communicate the exact time, including the link for the virtual meeting. B) All 3rd-5th grade remote students’ Curriculum Night event will be held on Thursday, September 10th. Again, your child’s classroom teacher will communicate specific information to you when all details are confirmed.
In-Person Learners: Please see the schedule below for our Curriculum Night for in-person learners:
September 8
- 6:00-6:25 Kindergarten
- 6:30-6:55 1st Grade
- 7:00-7:25 2nd Grade
September 10
- 6:00-6:25 3rd Grade
- 6:30-6:55 4th Grade
- 7:00-7:25 5th Grade
Parents will receive an invite to their email account on file for the specific date and time listed above. Parents will have a live session with their child’s teacher, where he or she will share information about the curriculum, daily schedule, expectations and procedures, information about communication between home and school, etc., while also providing an opportunity to see the learning environment.
iReady Diagnostic Assessment—Math and Reading
Starting this week, the fall administration window for our 1st-5th grade students has opened for our iReady Assessment. The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will result in slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning. Adaptive assessments are designed to determine what standards students show competency in and which ones the student should continue to learn.
More information regarding the iReady program is provided below from the D303 Department of Assessment and Accountability:
August 2020
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are excited to share that District 303 is implementing a Mathematics and Reading program called i-Ready. Below, you will find information about the program and how we will be using it in the classroom. Last year students took Performance Series, i-Ready is replacing Performance Series.
What is i-Ready?
i-Ready is an online program that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction.
The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will result in slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning. Adaptive assessments are designed to determine what standards students show competency in and which ones the student should continue to learn.
i-Ready Instruction provides students with lessons based on their individual strengths and areas for growth. These lessons are interactive and provide strategic supports to keep your child engaged as they learn. The lessons will be fitted to your child based on the results of the diagnostic test. Your child’s teacher will monitor progress and can assign lessons based on how your student is progressing through the lessons.
What can I do to help?
To help prepare your child for the i-Ready Diagnostic, encourage them to:
- Get a good night’s sleep and eat a full breakfast the day of the assessment.
- Try their best on each question and try not to rush.
- Try not to worry about questions they do not know—remind them that it is expected they will get only about half of the questions correct.
- Be respectful of other students who take longer to finish.
- Use your paper and pencil to work out the math questions and come up with your best answer.
If your child is experiencing computer issues while at home:
- Make sure your child is using their D303 provided device.
- For D303 computer support go to: https://district.d303.org/elearning-tech-support
- To help understand and prepare to take the i-Ready diagnostic assessment more information is posted at https://sites.google.com/d303.org/i-readyresources/home
To support your child’s learning in Online Instruction, you can:
- Discuss your child’s progress on their i-Ready lessons.
- Celebrate your child’s learning and growth.
- Encourage them to follow through and complete lessons.
- They will need access to a computer or iPad®, internet, and their login information. District devices are managed to support the i-Ready platform, for more information on how students log in to i-Ready go to: https://sites.google.com/d303.org/i-readyresources/home
Thank you for your continued support and for being a partner in your child’s learning! I look forward to sharing information with you throughout the year. If you have any questions about i-Ready, please do not hesitate to contact me or your child’s teachers. You can also learn more about i-Ready by visiting https://sites.google.com/d303.org/i-readyresources/home .
Sincerely,
David Chiszar
Executive Director of Assessment and Accountability
St Charles School District 303
Identifying Social/Emotional Learning Strengths and Areas for Growth
St. Charles Community Unit School District 303 strives to provide all students with the best opportunity to succeed academically, socially, and behaviorally in school. As part of this commitment, District 303 is enhancing our Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) across the district for the 2020-2021 school year.
This year, students in grades 2-5 and students in 6-12 will be completing a universal screening tool to assess their academic, social, and emotional learning skills. The use of universal screening allows us to refine and strengthen our efforts to help all students achieve success by taking positive and preventative measures as early as possible. This also provides us with the opportunity to assist students who may need additional support with academic, social, and emotional learning.
One of the universal screening tools used by the District is the ECRA SEL Survey, which focuses on the following areas:
- Responsible Decision Making
- Self-Regulation
- Social/Relationships
The ECRA SEL Survey will be completed three times this school year during the weeks of August 31st through September 10, January 18 through January 29, and April 26 through May 7. If a screening shows that a student will benefit from additional skill development, parents will be contacted and will work in collaboration with school staff to problem-solve and determine next steps.
Additional information about this screener and other assessments in District 303 may be found on our website at http://district.d303.org/assessment-accountability. Thank you for your support and assistance in ensuring each of our students has the opportunity to achieve academic and social-emotional success.
Please feel free to contact your building principal or me if you have questions.
Sincerely,
David Chiszar
Executive Director of Assessment and Accountability
331-228-4919
Arriving Late to School
If your child arrives to school after 8:00, please proceed to the main entrance for entry into the school. Our supervision at all entry doors concludes at 8:00, and all doors are locked throughout the day.
13th Avenue Carpool Lane—PM Dismissal
As we have now welcomed back all of our in-person learners, we are able to evaluate the safety and efficiency of the 13th Avenue carpool lane at the 1:40 dismissal. We have more students using the carpool lane than ever before due to the large decrease in number of students using D303 transportation. Therefore, to make our carpool lane as safe and efficient as possible, please adhere to the following guidelines:
- Parents should remain in their vehicle at all times.
- If at all possible, students should enter the vehicle on the sidewalk side of the car.
- Parents will pull forward as far as possible once entered into the carpool lane. Therefore, we can easily fit six cars in the lane at one time.
- Parents will use safe speeds and extreme caution when pulling in and out of the carpool lane.
- Remind your child to be looking for your car.
- It is very helpful for our supervision crew if you have your child’s name and grade level visible from your dash.
September 4th Institute Day
Next Friday, September 4th, there will be no school for all in-person and remote learners. All teachers will take part in an Institute Day, which will be used to engage in meaningful professional development. In addition, there will be no school on Monday, September 7th for Labor Day.
Have a great weekend!
Jarrod Buxton, Principal