Struggles & Battles

Conferences

Conferences are next Wednesday and Thursday October 21 & 22 with evening conferences on the 22nd.  I am really looking forward to speaking with all of you about your child's progress and goals. If you haven't already, please go online to sign up for a conference.  If you don't have internet access or are experiencing difficulties, please feel free to send me a note with some times that work for you and I can sign you up myself.

Battle of the Books

Our class has been participating in a book competition where everyone reads the same 16 picture books and then votes, bracket style, for their favorite books.  The books are narrowed down until only two remain and then after a final vote, a champion is crowned!  It is the March Madness of the reading world!  While reading these books students have been learning how good readers jot down their thinking in ways that make sense for them in their reader's notebook.  They are learning how to grow ideas about their reading and how to write about their thinking.  They have learned to push their thinking deeper and how to determine a character's traits by looking at what a character says, thinks, or does.  To say the least, the learning experiences coming out of these 16 books are amazing!  When talking with your child over the next few days, ask them which book they like the best so far and why.  Stay tuned for the winning book!

Struggles

Recently, we began talking about how struggle is part of being successful.  No athlete, successful business person, or adult has made it to where they are today without struggle.  Oftentimes, we do not see the struggle of a successful person, and children often think that people easily glide into these positions of success.  For example, many children think Tom Brady was born good at football and that becoming the quarterback of the Patriots came easily to him.  

It is important for us to teach children that sometimes it is okay to struggle and that we should persevere through these struggles.  I have shared stories of my own struggles as a learner and have also invited other administrators from the district into our morning meetings to share their struggles. I am now inviting families to join us for a ten minute morning meeting to share their own struggles as well.  Feel free to contact me a set up a time to join us for a morning meeting.

Upcoming Events

10/16 - Family Fitness Night
10/21 - Half Day - conferences
10/21 - Ice Cream Social 6 - 8PM
10/22 - Half Day - conference & evening conferences