Here is an excellent video that shows actual classrooms implementing the Common Core Standards in Math and English Language Arts. What you see here is very similar to the type of lessons that are already happening in your children’s classrooms, and my hope is that you will see that Common Core does not mean BIG changes in instruction. Instead, it brings a focus and depth that was not previously addressed in the Oregon Content Standards.
Enjoy!
Due to the inclement weather in February, we missed a half day inservice that included much needed teacher training for Professional Learning Communities, a format that will be utilized next year for teacher data teams. We are combining that half day with the scheduled half day on April 14th to create one full day, thereby not adding another day of disruption to the schedule. Thank you for understanding that this time is critical for keeping our teachers trained and focused on best practice within the classroom. Extended Care will be available.
We were so very fortunate to have a visit and presentation from the Lake Oswego Rotary today who brought brand new dictionaries for every third grader at Hallinan! This is a lovely tradition that I have been able to be a part of in the past, and I was so pleased to be presented with the opportunity once again. Students are briefly introduced to the purpose of Rotary, but even more than that, reminded that even as adults, we have appreciation for books and the written word. The students were thrilled. Special thanks to Lake Oswego Rotary! Please come back anytime!
Just in time for Spring Break, here is a new post aimed at helping all of our stakeholders understand the Common Core Standards and Smarter Balanced Assessment (if you haven’t seen the other two, you can check them out in the archives). My goal is to provide you with information that will hopefully alleviate some of the anxiety that seems to be cropping up about what the CCSS will mean for students. One common myth I have heard recently is that the Common Core requires us to teach math skills (such as subtraction) in a new fangled, new age manner that looks pretty confusing to the average person. Keep in mind that the Common Core Standards are just standards – not instructional techniques. They give us guidance about the conceptual and skill based knowledge that students should have taken to a level of mastery within a grade level benchmark. They encourage critical thinking and discourse to discover multiple ways to solve problems – they do not prescribe one way to teach. Please know that we have been preparing for new standards for several years, and our teachers have done an amazing job of implementing appropriate instruction that addresses the changes to come.
The following link provides a list of Common Core myths and the facts behind them. Please read at your leisure. Enjoy!
Click here to read the article!
The Oregonian recently published a study about attendance rates in the greater metropolitan area and the impact of attendance on school success. Hallinan was the only school outside the WLWV school district to make the top ten! This is a direct reflection of the culture and climate in our building. Our students want to be here every day, and that MEANS SO MUCH! Thank you for making it a point to help your students understand the importance of attendance AND for partnering with us to give them everything they need to be successful. Hallinan is, without a doubt, an awesome place to be every day.
Click Here to read the article!
(Click on the best/worst elementary attendance link halfway down the page.)
At the beginning of the year, all parents and guardians fill out an emergency school closure form that notes their personal family plans in case of an unscheduled closure, emergency, or natural disaster. After our last snow day, it became apparent that many parents do not remember what they listed as plans for their children, causing the office to need to make many calls that morning to ensure that students got home safely and according to plans. This will not always be a possibility should there be a unforeseen emergency. I respectfully act that you do the following:
Having up-to-date information helps us to keep all children safe. Thank you!
Report cards will be sent home on March 20th for the Winter Term!
Lisa Huffman, assistant professor of educational psychology at Ball State University, offers these tips for handling report cards. We do not use letter grades in elementary school, but I still think the general point is a good one – consider effort, and talk with your students about realistic goals for improvement and growth. In our case, for example, that would mean going from satisfactory to outstanding or from a 3 to a 2. If you ever have a question or concern about your child’s report card, please contact their teacher to set up an appointment.
1. Keep lines of communication open. Ask your child how he feels about the school term before discussing the report card. For example, is she worried about what her marks may be? Be sure to let children know that discussing concerns is good. This way they will be more likely to let you know if there are any problems.
2. Take report cards seriously. While report cards don’t tell the whole story, they do reflect how a student is progressing. Pay special attention to any grades that come as a surprise (good or bad). Encourage children to talk about school performance, again good or bad.
3. Praise a good report card. Be sure to let your child know that you are proud of his good work and accomplishments. This is a good time to post your child’s work in a prominent place, such as a refrigerator. While celebrating successes also praise improvements in performance and commitments to working hard.
4. Talk about a bad report card. Failure can be scary, but if your child does not do as well as expected talk openly about it. Reassure your child that poor grades do not mean he is a failure. Poor report cards can be a catalyst for change and do not need to be a reason for punishment. You can work to develop a plan of action with goals for improvement.
5. Set realistic goals. It is probably not realistic to go from a “C” to an “A” on the next report card. However, a “B” seems realistic. Maybe completing all homework on time or achieving an “A” on two or more assignments in a particular topic is your goal. Encourage your child to do her best.
6. Don’t assume an “A” reflects your child’s best efforts. Talk to her about the ease with which she completes course work — maybe it is not challenging enough.
7. Look at your child’s work regularly. Report cards only come out a few times a year. Review your student’s work regularly and pay special attention to grades and comments that go along with them. This will help you and your student identify trouble spots before it is too late.
8. Encourage good work habits and effort. Poor grades on report cards may not reflect inability, but rather insufficient effort. When your child is studying or doing homework this is a good time for you also to do something quietly, which will lesson distractions.
9. Be involved in your child’s school. Children who do well in school have parents who are actively involved in their children’s education and their school. Volunteer at school or help your child with her homework.
10. Incentives can be rewarding when children do well or meet goals. However, they should not be bribes. Rather than telling children you will give them money for good grades before they have even earned them, surprise them after the grades are earned with a small gift or some special time. Be sure to praise effort and improvement along with good grades. Children should want good grades out of interest, pride and an understanding that success in school is necessary for success in life. Children should not earn good grades only because they will get a reward.
In the wake of hearing (and seeing) some misinformation being passed around about what the Common Core is, means, or does – I am continuing my pursuit of increasing understanding about what the CCSS is about. Keep in mind, that these are simply a set of standards that guide the content that will be taught in Literacy and Math. They are NOT prescribed teaching methods or instructional strategies. The purpose of these new standards is to promote deeper understanding of concepts as well as promoting academic behaviors that align with a rigorous curriculum.
In this clip, SCOPE Brown Bag speaker and CEO of the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education Yvette Jackson discusses the affinity between the pedagogy of confidence and the Common Core State Standards.
Parent Volunteers Needed!
March 13th, 11:45 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Come join the fun!
Help the Green Team sort and quantify Hallinan’s waste for a day!
The Annual Waste Audit helps Hallinan continue it’s waste reduction efforts and maintain our Oregon Green School Premier Certification.
Contact Eraina Duffy 503-805-1516, gd996@msn.com if you are available to help!