Pre-Conference Letter

Please read this before your Report Card Conference next week

Mrs. Broschard ~ 4th Grade ~ Room 600         Pre-Conference Letter

     I started sending out a pre-conference letter a few years ago to ensure that the last conference hears the same information as the 1st one.  With 34 conferences, back-to-back with few breaks, it is easy for some information to get skipped.  I find this letter addresses the important points I want to cover at this point in the year, and helps you, as parents, think of questions you may have.  Please take the time to read this before your child’s conference.

GRADES:  This is the first time your child is receiving letter grades.  Students put a lot of pressure on themselves to get A’s—and only A’s.   This week, we will talk more about grading and what grades even mean! I constantly stress that grades reflect a student’s best work and effort—which doesn’t always equate to an A every time—and that’s OK!!  I think we sometimes lose sight of the fact that not getting an A does not mean that your child is failing. We are only in 4th grade, and we are ALL learning how to become better learners.

GOOGLE CLASSROOM / TECHNOLOGY: We are a “paper lite” class. We use very few worksheets.  Many of our assignments are online in Google Classroom. Your child should show you at home what Google Classroom is. We have a “classroom” for each subject area. I can “post” assignments to each student. I can comment and grade online, and then assignments are “sent back” to students on Google Classroom. This avoids students losing papers. Students can access their work anytime from any place [computer, laptop, tablet, or iPhone.] Writing on the computer also frees up students who struggle with writing.  

This is the 21st Century and your child needs to develop computer skills. By the end of the year, your child will be adept at Google Apps for Education [GAFE]--Drawing, Slides, Docs, & Forms. We will also use technology for reading and taking notes/highlighting online non-fiction texts. They will know how to collaborate with their peers and organize and create presentations to express their knowledge on subject matter.

MAP/RIT SCORES: Your student’s report card will have a RIT score in Math and ELA. Students took a test in September that provided this baseline score. Students will test two more times this year. We are looking for growth!! At our conference, we will discuss your child’s results and what their scores mean.  RIT scores are a norm-referenced test based on over 100,000 other students at their grade level.  That means they created a bell curve around the scores and most students are performing in the 40-60% range.  If your student is performing in this range, they are performing with the majority of their peers.  Our goal as a district is to slant our bell curve and have our students score more in the 50-70% range.  We want to outperform the norm.  It will take a bit of time, but we can do it!

CLASSROOM BLOG: The Blog is our 21st Century newsletter. It will keep you current with all classroom and school activities. It also houses our Twitter feed so you can see pictures from our class.  Sign up to be notified by email when new items are posted. [This feature needs to be accessed from a computer, not phone--just to sign up.]

GENIUS HOUR: The idea for Genius Hour comes from Google which allows employees to use 20% of their time to research something they are passionate about.  This opportunity has led to many creative and productive developments for Google. In our classroom, Genius Hour is where your child gets to follow their passion on Friday afternoons. Students can select their own topic to research and create a presentation. Students work at their own pace while learning numerous research and presentation skills. We have had research on things such as UFOs, jellybeans, flying cars, llamas, and guitars!  Each Genius Hour gets a little more in-depth over the course of the year. [We also work on Coding, STEAM, Art, and Digital Citizenship lessons!!]

WORK AT HOME:  Our school has moved to a “No Homework Policy,” but there are things your child may need to work on at home.  Students work hard at school, so time spent with family and at after-school activities have a strong effect on student success.  We do expect 30 minutes of reading per night. Reading is the single most powerful way to strengthen your student in all subject areas. 

Even without conventional homework, we do write in our AGENDAS each day. I am finding that kids write down things in their agenda at school, but don't open their agenda at home to see if anything needs to be done.   They forget once they walk out the door--especially if they have work to finish from class. Please get in the habit of looking at your child's agenda with them.  Most often, they will have nothing to do other than read for 30 minutes. But sometimes, they do have work to finish, and need help budgeting their time to get their work from class done.  Please sign the agenda each night so that I know you've seen what is expected of them each night. Agendas need to come back and forth to school each day. 

We write down work that needs to be finished from the day [if needed].  We write that work under the heading “Unfinished Work.”  If there is nothing to finish from the day, we put a giant ZERO in that space.

We write down the things that MUST be done each night--nightly KBAR [Kick Back and Read]. Other than finishing up work from class, the only "MUST DO" each night is to read for 30 minutes--every day.  Students should be bringing the same book back and forth to school each day. The class is given time to read each day, so it makes sense that your child is reading one book at a time.  And...they will get it done faster!! I am finding that by the end of the week, some students are only reading 10-15 pages in an entire week.    

And we write down suggestions that MAY be completed.  The “May Do” list will be a list of things that are optional.  Some students like getting a head start on work they know they will have to do during “WIN” time the next day.  I love it! The “May Do” list also allows you to see what your child has been working on in class, and offer one-on-one support as needed at home with you.  You know your child best, and if there is an area that s/he needs more help with, maybe getting a start on work at home with you would provide the support your child needs to grow as a learner. 

TAKE HOME FOLDER: Fortunately, students don't have big, bulky binders. Instead, each student has a "Take Home" folder.  This folder sends home papers from school, and brings back papers from home. Even when empty, this folder needs to come back and forth to school each day.  On Fridays, students bring home notes and graded papers from the week. Please go through these with your child and send back and empty "Take Home" folder each Monday.

NIGHT ZOOKEEPER: This is an online creative writing program from England.  I create and assign writing prompts that students can select from.  After I review their writing, it is published onto our NZK Blog. The students enjoy reading each other’s work and making positive comments to each other.  This program can be used at school and at home.

THINKING JOURNAL: Thinking Journals started out as an everyday activity.  Without homework, Thinking Journals were designed as a way for you and your child to have daily conversations about their learning and experiences at school.  To go beyond the..."How was your day?" ... "Fine" ... "What did you learn?"... "Nothing"... conversations. However, with our current schedule, finding time to complete Thinking Journals daily was becoming a challenge.  Now we just do them on Fridays and kids simply write about "what stuck with them that week." These are intended to be shared with you sometime over the weekend so those conversations about their learning and school experiences can still take place.  Please sign these each week; a weekly signature simply lets me know that you saw your child's Thinking Journal.    

TEST RETAKES: We have test retakes in our classroom. [Test retakes can raise a grade to 70%].   I feel kids are still learning 4th grade expectations and skills.  I believe in the Growth Mindset and in learning from our mistakes.  If your child receives a D or an F on a test, a green-colored slip will be attached offering them to make test corrections at home and be signed by you.  These are due back within one week of the test. That being said, it is not a good idea to depend on these retakes to “fix” grades. We practice and review questions the day before tests—particularly in Math.  

LEARNING SKILLS: We are constantly learning study strategies to help us understand and apply new skills learned.  Students have created visual representations of information through diagrams and group projects to display information.  Students have learned how to “attack” non-fiction text through focusing on key vocabulary, headings, pictures & captions.  Students have a notebook with notes from our learning. Part of being a successful student is, not only, learning “how” to study, but 21st Century learners are also encouraged to work as a team and build on each other’s ideas.  Collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving are all a part of our classroom learning. This is definitely a work in progress…

WRITING: Many in our class are receiving “Bs” & “Cs” on their Report Cards for writing this trimester. Your child may have been a “3” or “4” in 3rd grade, but the expectations in 4th grade are higher.  The common thread that is lacking is organization and sequencing. Student’s stories tend to ramble on with run on sentences, lacking punctuation and then abruptly ending. There is some good use of word choice and I am beginning to see more creative and unique ideas being used. The first stories written for me were very flat and simple.  A true “A” paper just jumps out at you. You will say, “Wow! A kid really wrote this?” They are clean and organized and well thought out. You will see a strong beginning, middle and end. You will notice amazing word choices and descriptions that really “paint a picture” in your head. You will notice “voice” which really captures the author’s essence and makes their piece unique and exciting to read. A “B” is a good solid paper that is easy to read and really flows as you read it. The author stays on topic and doesn’t jump all over the place or ramble.  It may be lacking the sparkle of an “A” but it is enjoyable to read. This past grading period I have had students write all types of pieces from fictional narrative, personal narrative, response to literature and summaries as I get to know each child’s strengths and weaknesses. This next grading period we will begin to refine our writing skills and the last trimester we will polish the skills for 5th grade.

I hope this information helps you and I look forward to talking with you at conferences this week as we discuss your child’s growth & goals for this year.