Report Cards

By the end of this week, report cards will go home.  A reminder to parents that the report cards show your student's development at this point in time in each standards area.  This is not indicative of a finishing point, but rather a snapshot of the first quarter.  Please contact your child's teacher or me with any questions.

Also included in the envelop is each student's MAP data along with an introductory letter.  Once again, please contact me with any questions. 

We Remember...

We all remember.  I do.  The first collision.  Was it a tragic accident?  Then the second.  There was no longer any doubt.  We were under attack.  My first year as principal of GKMS.  Trying to balance parent concerns with student needs.  Getting flashes and bits and pieces of news.  Staff playing a solid, calming role on that day and the days that followed.

We remember.  Our students do not.  Our role now is to teach appropriately for student age levels be it 2nd or 8th grade.  To share the sadness and pride and unity we felt as a nation.   That period in time when we all shared the true feeling of patriotism.  No dogmatic slogans, no esoteric political bickering, no "my flag is bigger than yours."

For that period of time, we truly were united as patriots.  Patriot Day is a responsibility to remember. To teach. To share.  To honor.  To ensure our kids learn.  To ensure that we never forget.

Our students singing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" also known as "America" in the front foyer:

Open House

We look forward to meeting all our KES families at Open House on Thursday, September 6th from 6:30 - 7:45.

It is a great opportunity to meet teachers, tour the school, and learn about core curriculum.  Students will have a chance to run the obstacle course (tickets will be handed out in school that day), pick out their favorites at the Book Fair, and enjoy complimentary cookies!

Open House is a great opportunity for kids, parents, and teachers to build and strengthen relationships and communication.

MAP Testing

MAP testing will take place at KES between August 27th and September 7th.  During this testing window, each student will participate in one Math and one Reading assessment.

The Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test is taken on a computer.  Students answer questions and show mastery.  The program continues to raise the expectations until students reach their highest current level.

Teachers receive almost instant feedback on student scores and use that data to target specific growth goals for individual kids.  MAP has proven to be an excellent assessment that allows teachers and kids to better focus on specific learning needs.

Welcome... and Welcome Back

We have been meeting many new families and seeing some old friends the past two weeks. We appreciate so many families coming in to register. It has been great seeing you all. We invite any families that have not yet registered to come in Friday, Monday and Tuesday. Everyone is excited for our first half day on Wednesday! We are looking forward to another great year at KES!

Year's End / New Beginnings

I shared this story last year. It seems to come to mind again now. Remembering my middle son on the first day of summer vacation years ago.

He just finished first grade and the world lay stretched before him. He had his brand new RED gym shoes and the temporary "cornrows" in his hair (remember Allan Iverson) running down the hill towards the neighbor's house on a perfect summer day.

Ten years ago and it is like I am standing there now. The smell of lilacs. The dark green grass. The cloudless, bright blue sky. The brand new red shoes. The blond, goofy looking hair. Blue shirt, red shorts. The group of kids yelling his name and jumping around as he got smaller and smaller in view running down that hill as fast as he possibly could. I really don't think it ever gets better than that. The whole summer was in front of him with endless possibilities, and second grade was a thought too far into the future for him to even try to conceive.

I guess we all remember that feeling. In education, it is important for us to finish the year on a strong note. To make sure that we lay the ground work for continued growth next year - when summer vacation does inevitably come to an end. This summer will be spent working on school improvement and curriculum so that when your child comes back next year, we will be a better and stronger school.

Here is another list of apps I think parents may find useful - top 50 free educational apps: http://www.appstoreapps.com/top-50-free-education-apps/

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More Apps!

I have had several parents ask me about the free apps posted last time. At their request, I will continue to find apps I think kids might have interest in and share them. Perhaps all will be useful to your child, perhaps only one or two. Either way, it is a great educational opportunity for kids.

From ikidapps.com:

Learning from the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch can add a whole new dimension to education. As children become engaged in educational iPhone apps, they will remain interested while expanding their minds. Fortunately, parents don’t have to spend a fortune on pricey iPhone apps to give their children a stimulating educational experience with free apps for kids. In fact, some of the very best educational apps are free!

On this day…
Price: 1.99
Not free, but I thought still worth sharing.

Keep track of fun historical events with this nifty historical reference app. Each day, users can reference a listing of events and famous birthdays that happened on that day in history. You can also view any day of the year’s events by selecting a date from the calendar interface page. This would be a fun way for students to take a peek at famous figures they share a birthday with, or simply recognize the significance of each new day!

Flashcards+
Price: Free
Flaschards+ is completely free and offers users access to an interface with the Quizlet database of pre-made flashcards. If the desired subject isn’t already available in a deck of cards, users can also create their own custom flashcards. The simple interface of Flashcards+ makes it an ideal learning tool for students in first grade, or their freshman year.

Free Spanish Tutor
Price: Free
Students who are working on learning Spanish as a second language in high school, or parents who like to keep their children engaged with bi-lingual learning will get great use out of this Spanish language tutoring app. After looking over information sheets, users can practice the language by taking fill-in-the-blank style quizzes and confirm their pronunciation by listening to recordings of phrases spoken by native Spanish speakers. Hola, amigos!

ABC Phonics Animals Lite
Price: Free
Young learners will find fun ways to help develop their vocabulary and word recognition with ABC Phonics Animals Lite. A series of adorable flash cards display popular sight words for children as a recorded voice reads the pronunciation of the word. Other activities ask children to identify specific letters after they have heard their phonetic sounds, or identify the animal associated with a specific noise. Beware, however, that there is a full version of the app advertised within this free lite version. Watch wandering little hands, or turn off in-app purchases, to avoid accidental purchase.

BrainPop Featured Movie
Price: Free
BrainPop offers a daily educational video via this interactive app. Focusing on a wide array of subjects ranging from history to science and everything in between. After watching the daily educational video feature, users are encouraged to take an interactive quiz to test their understanding of the video. Apps like this are a fantastic way to help children improve their comprehension skills for a wide variety of subjects as they refine the ability to absorb, retain and repeat information.

I hope you find some or all of these helpful.