Notes from Back-to-School Parent Night

Back to School Night
Thursday, September, 23, 2010

Events
A. Field Trips
.....Need Drivers: 9/29 to OMSI at 10:15 to noon and 10/20 to NWCT from 9:30 to 11:30
.....Please turn in field trip permission slips

B. Sleep Under 9/30
.....Begins at 6:00, go home at 8:30 pm
.....Event for kids in grades 1-2; parents can stay if they want
.....Includes pizza dinner, games and fun; return in the morning for breakfast

Curriculum Focus
A. Reading
1. Methods
.....Want to develop love of reading and strategies
.....Use “Growing Readers” by Kathy Collins as guide
.....“Read Well” program for kids needing extra help with phonics
2. Classroom Help
.....Please sign up to help with Read Well program or with literature circles.

B. Writing
.....Making books is a primary writing focus
.....Inventive Spelling: Encourage your children to be “brave spellers;” don't just tell them how to spell a word. We go into editing later and help kids get to conventional spelling.
.....Need volunteers to make books and copy the books created by kids.

C. Math
.....Investigations Curriculum -- card games, dice games, practical math in real life.
.....Number talks -- write a simple equation, and ask students to show "silent thumbs" (quiet thumbs-up sign in front of chest) when have an answer. Then ask for all the answers, without reference to accuracy, and ask students to explain their reasoning -- how they got to the answer. OK to change their answer as they continue to think or talk their way through the problem.
.....Students grouped by ability for math; studies show math is an area where ability grouping really helps

Art, Music, Garden, Physical Education, Science, Service
A. Most of these subjects are in the mornings.
B. Service projects will likely be in and around school grounds.

Clubs
A. Clubs will be on Fridays; grades 1-2 combining with 3-4-5 students.
B. Will have several choices (chess, jump rope/hula hoop, etc.)
C. Some clubs are just one week; some require a commitment for a few weeks.

Parent Volunteers
A. Sign up sheets outside the class.
B. Some things can be done at home, such as book assembly, etc.
C. Volunteer opportunities at school:
.....driving for field trips
.....assisting with classroom work such as reading, writing, math
helping with clubs
.....photocopying, folding and stapling, other misc. tasks

Snacks
Please bring one for your child every day.

Performances
A. Times:
.....in December in the Multipurpose Room
.....in June outside, with a potluck.
B. Make sure your child comes! We work really hard for those days.

Dates to Remember: September 2010

We're just getting rolling in the 2010-2011 school year; here are a few dates to remember in September.

• 9/20, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Trillium Board Meeting. All are welcome.
• 9/21, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Together for Trillium (TFT) meeting; parents encouraged to attend. Childcare is available; sign up in the front office.
• 9/23, 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Back-to-School Parent Meeting, for grades 1-2.
• 9/30, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Pizza dinner, fun activities and games for the evening, then students go home to sleep. Return for a group breakfast in the morning.
  
• 10/1, 8:30 - 9:30. TFT Coffee Klatch on 1st Friday of every month. Tea, coffee and "some sort of refined sugar-laden, nutritionally deficient carbohydrate product" available.