We have officially completed the first week of school and I find that I am both exhilarated and exhausted. It's great to see my children looking forward to seeing friends, sharing stories about what so-and-so did on the playground, and learning. On the other hand, I'm not used to rousing myself so early so we can beat the first bell. And the heat these last few days? Wow!
I am sure it is the heat that kept some families away from the Welcome Night and drove many that made it through the meal into the cooler climate of their homes quickly thereafter. Want to know what information was shared? Read on!
Mr. Wilfrid spoke last night about how there are 3 groups responsible for a child's education: The school, the student, and the parents. The school has a bulk of this responsibility as the one in charge of actually teaching academic materials. The students have the responsibility of being present (focused and ready to learn) and behaving in an appropriate manner (not disruptive, respectful). Parents have a responsibility to prepare their child for school (dressed and fed) and to work with them to the best of their ability (homework). No one group can be successful without the other. If we all do our part, then every student will be successful.
He also spoke about 7 positive character traits. These traits are better predictors of how well your child will do in life than academic grades in reading, writing, math, social studies, etc. The traits are: optimism, zest, curiosity, social intelligence, grit, self control, and gratitude. Students who have these traits are happier in life, have more positive relationships, are healthier, and make more money. Because of the importance of these traits in the success of all students, a focus will be placed on helping students develop them. This will now be included on the report card.
Mr. Wilfrid also briefly discussed the use of ipads in the classroom. He reassured families that the use of ipads was strictly for bolstering learning an that use as a video game machine was not permissible. He shared information about how Sandburg has become "famous" for its ability to integrate technology into the classroom.
He touched on the grants Sandburg has received to support technology integration, to understand and implement the Common Core Standards (this puts us a year ahead of other schools in the district), and to provide academic tutoring, enrichment, and character development both before and after school through a program called Community Learning Centers (CLC).
At the end of the speech, Mr. Wilfrid introduced Dan Choy from McKinstry and briefly explained how McKinstry has adopted Sandburg. Mr. Choy then spoke a little about how McKinstry has partnered with the district to work on energy savings and some of the projects they are doing at West High School. He then spoke about how McKinstry staff will be involved at Sandburg. This will mean some tutoring during the CLC hours, events, and assisting with special projects. Mr. Wilfrid, of course, suggested an addition to ease the over crowding Sandburg students are experiencing.
After that, the PTA was invited to speak for a few minutes. I introduced myself and explained that the PTA is working on 3 things: Building Community; Increasing Diversity in leadership and decision making roles; and Parent Involvement. These three ideals act as our guiding principals as we make decisions throughout the year.
Building Community will happen largely through our events as we plan them to include social interaction and opportunities for people to connect. We also have a committee that will provide support to families as the need arises. Yolanda Cruz briefly introduced herself and talked about a group for Spanish speaking families that will work alongside of the PTA. Information about getting involved was shared. Options included events, committees, attending meetings, and tutoring. Finally, I talked about the importance of fundraising and how families can participate by helping with our collections program, supporting the REAP program, and thinking creatively on how we might raise money without sales.
And that wrapped up the night!
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