Families,
I wanted to take some time this week to shed a little light on part of our reading, writing, and phonics instruction here at Hutchings. In every grade students begin these lessons with a mini lesson. The mini lesson is normally 10-15 minutes long and introduces the students to the concept of the day. If you have a Kindergarten student you could ask them about Mabel the Elephant, who is ALWAYS causing problems that they need to solve, using their phonics skills. After the mini lesson is where students in grades K-2 receive their small group work and students in grades 3-5 receive, what we call, conferring.
It is in the small group work and the conferring that I believe the most work is done for students. Students will meet in different groups throughout the year and have different conferring conferences with their teachers. In K-2 the small groups focus on many of the foundational skills that are needed to be a reader. In grades 3-5 the conferences range a bit more based on the needs of the student. Our teachers still work on topics such as fluency and decoding; however, we also move into more board concepts of comprehension and theme. Sometimes these concepts are easy for students, other times they are very difficult.
The reason I bring this structure up is that in order for the small group or conferring work to be meaningful to the students, they have to be able to accept feedback and put it into practice. We teach accepting feedback to students all the time now, we have them set goals, ask questions, try new things, and then celebrate the success. We also teach them that struggling is normal, having to work hard at something is normal, things that are hard for someone can be easy for someone else, and that giving up isn’t the answer. I often talk to classrooms of students about how I struggled as a speller in school and how I had to work, what felt like four times as hard as anyone else because the letters just didn’t make sense to me. They smile, there is comfort knowing you’re not the only one who struggles with something in school (or life).
If you have time over the long weekend, share a story with your kids about a time where you struggled in school, or on a project you had to work on (insert ANY IKEA story). Share with them how through hard work and asking for help you achieved your goal. It will be an instant memory for your child. I can tell you about the time my dad tried to fix the heat in the house. We had a great night at the Embassy Suites. :)
Tentative Calendar for 2022-2023 School Year
The district has released the tentative calendar for the 2022-2023 school year. Next year, the first day of school will be Wednesday, August 17, 2022. While there may be minor changes to the calendar, the significant dates, such as the first day of school, the last day of school, and our breaks, will not change. To view the 2022-2023 school year calendar, please visit https://bit.ly/3hac0gB.
Counselor’s Corner
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a framework that gives students the skills to recognize and manage emotions, solve problems effectively, and establish positive relationships. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), encouraging SEL gives positive results for students, adults, and schools! Below are some tips from CASEL to nurture SEL at home.
Focus on Strengths: First focus on your child’s strengths, then talk about what can be improved. Be sure to praise specific strengths and don’t just criticize things that went wrong. This can be applied to tests, report cards, school projects, and more!
Ask Children How They Feel: When you ask your children how they feel about something, it gives them the message that their feelings matter and that you care. It also shows the importance of being a good listener and allows children to feel heard. This will help strengthen the parent-child relationship.
Ask Questions To Help Children Solve Problems on Their Own: If a child has a problem, parents often want to step in and solve the problem. This can harm the child’s ability to solve the problem on his or her own. Instead, try asking your child questions like “What do you think you can do in this situation?” or “”If you choose a particular solution, what will be the consequences of that choice?”
Wishing you and your child a joyful journey as they navigate relationships, learn, and grow!
Your Partner in Education,
Sarah Marker