2013-2014Back to School Night

Parent Information Meeting

Home of the Fabulous Falcons

Teachers…• Pre-K/Kinder~

– Ms. Aarons, Integrated Pre-K– Ms. Lack, Pre-K/Kinder

• Transitional Kindergarten Team~– Ms. Merian– Ms. Cordova

• Kindergarten Team~– Mr. Garverick– Ms. Johnson– Ms. Smith

• 1st Grade Team~– Mrs. Fargo– Ms. Munoz– Mrs. Schubert

Teachers…• 2nd Grade Team~

– Mrs. Compton– Ms. Giberson– Ms. Sandoval– Mrs. Smith

• 3rd Grade Team~– Mrs. Easley– Ms. Fowler– Ms. Prince

• 4th Grade Team~– Mr. Coronado– Ms. Garcia– Mr. Holbrook– Ms. Lyon– Ms. Weller (3rd/4th combo)

Teachers…• 5th Grade Team~

– Mr. Fritzsche– Mr. Roeser– Ms. Thompson

• 6th Grade Team~– Dr. Anderson– Mrs. Gutierrez– Mrs. Guzman-Turner– Ms. Soto

• Computer/ P.E. Resource~– Mr. Taylor

• Learning Center Team~– Ms. Heilig– Ms. Smith – Ms. Silva

Additional Staff…• Yard Supervisor Team~

– Ms. Mabel– TBD

• Lunchroom Team~– Ms. Peggy– Ms. Michelle

• Office Team~– Ms. Rueda– Mrs. Bias– Mrs. Whooper– Ms. Miller

• Nurse~– Ms. Lebon

Additional Staff…

• Custodial Team~– Mr. Singh– Mr. Carbajal– Mr. Huang

Fite by the Numbers

• New Staff- 12• Over 700 Students• 144 ELL Students• 2 New Programs• 3 Special Education Classrooms• 9 “Grade Levels”

Expectations…

• Three Keys to Success– Be Responsible– Be Respectful– Be Safe

Good to know…• Staff• Students• Programs

– Spirit Wear Fridays • Spirit Flags- 100% attendance

– Monday Assemblies– Notebook Patrol– Principal’s Writing Club– Falcon Funds & Student Store– Accelerated Reader– Math Club (K-6th) & First in Math (3rd-6th)– WatchDOGS– PTO

PTO (parent Teacher Organization)News

• Co-Presidents-– Kelley Gregg and Karen Bides

• Membership Drive• Fundraisers

– 2012-13 funds raised

• Meetings

• HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE…BE A PART OF IT!!

Reasons to Join Fite PTO• Benefits your child(ren)• Connect with other parents from the school• Network• Opportunity to share and learn new ideas• Direct connection to the making great things

happen• Be a role model for other parents, students and

staff• It’s fun!

Ayp• Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)- Under NCLB

schools must make “AYP” in several areas, based primarily on:– Performance: Percentage of students in each

subgroup scoring proficient and above in ELA and Math. Fite’s subgroups: Asian, Hispanic or Latino, White, Socio-Econ. Disadvant., English Learners

– Participation: Percentage of students in each subgroup taking the tests.

• Subgroups- numerically significant~ must be 100 pupils or 15% of total enrollment with at least 50 pupils with valid test scores.

API• Academic Performance Index (API)- A state

accountability measure in which schools are assigned an API based on results from STAR testing (200- 1000). API is also used to evaluate schools for AYP.

• Parents should expect to receive their student’s test scores in the mail the last week in August.

• Fite’s 2012 API- 814• *Spring 2013- 3rd- 6th Grade will take STAR

Test

Next Steps…

We are in the final stages of CST (STAR)…

EGUSD is in the second year of transitioning to Common Core State

Standards….

What’s CCSS??

The Common Core State Standards at Robert J. Fite

Elementary School

Information for ParentsAugust, 2013

Adapted from CCSS for Elementary Parents 2013EGUSD Department of Curriculum & Professional Learning, A. Zeman

In this presentation:1. New Academic Standards In The Elk

Grove Unified School District (EGUSD)2. What Are The Common Core State

Standards?3. Why Is EGUSD Changing To Common

Core State Standards?4. How Will This Affect My Child?5. What Should I Expect In The Future?6. How Can I Help My Child To Do

Well In School?

New in EGUSD

Beginning this year, elementary students in all EGUSD schools will be taught and will learn new curriculum in both English/language arts and mathematics.

This new curriculum prepares students to meet the expectations of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

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Let’s watch this introduction to the

Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

From the Hunt Institute:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9IGD9oLofksFrom the Council of Great City Schools:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5s0rRk9sER0

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What Are the Common Core State Standards?•Standards define the academic goals for student learning.•Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are new, adopted by California in August 2010.

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•CCSS have been adopted in 46 states.• Students will be assessed on CCSS beginning in 2014-15.

What Are the Common Core State Standards?

These K-12 standards…

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Common Core State Standards:

• Have some similarities to the previous standards; • Contain some important differences:

– Emphasis on clear thinking and clearly communicating one’s thinking to others

– Emphasis on mathematical reasoning, expressing ideas in writing, and reading both stories and informational text

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How Do Common Core State StandardsImprove Learning?

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Prepare our students to be competitive with students from top-performing countries

Communicate clearly what is expected at each grade level

Create cohesion across states

Why Is EGUSD Changing to Common Core State Standards Now?•Gradual transition allows teachers & students time to adjust before testing begins. •Students & teachers make the transition to CCSS in one subject per year.•Students & teachers need time in order to be prepared for the new testing which begins in 2014-15.

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Transition to Common Core State Standards

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2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Grades K - 2 CCSS Math CCSS English /Language Arts CCSS continues…

Grades 3 - 6 CCSS English /Language Arts CCSS Math CCSS State Testing

Begins.

How Will This Affect My Child in Kindergarten Through 2nd Grade?

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Most important goals:Learning to read

Learning to write

Becoming competent and confident in working with numbers

How Will This Affect My Child in Grades 3 – 6?

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Greater percentage of reading of informational text as opposed to narrative or “stories”

• Greater emphasis on writing: narrative, informational, and persuasive

How Will This Affect My Child in Grades 3 – 6?

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•Students will use the new Go Math textbooks this year.

•Students will be asked to explain their mathematical reasoning.

•Students will learn to solve problems using multiple methods.

•Students’ math lessons will reflect a balance of conceptual understanding, procedural proficiency, and application.

What Should I Expect in the Future?California’s standardized testing system is in

transition.• 2013-14 is the last year of California’s STAR

(California Standards Test or CST) program. Students in grades 3-6 will be tested.

• The CST is not aligned with the Common Core. However, students who meet CCSS expectations will also do well on the CST.

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How Can I Help My Child to Do Well in School?Young students, Kindergarten and 1st Grade:• Read to your child often! Vary what you read, choosing

both stories and informational selections. Read material that your child cannot yet read for himself or herself.

• Hold conversations with your child daily.Select topics that help your child to buildan understanding of our world: nature, weather,

age-appropriate news stories, etc.

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How Can I Help My Child to Do Well in School?Young Students, Kindergarten and 1st Grade:• Give your child opportunities to count and to compare

numbers. (“Would you please count the number of slices of bread in each packageand tell me which has a greater number?”)

• Ask your child about “real-life” addition andsubtraction problems. (“Here’s a carton of a

dozen eggs. If I use three, how many will be left?”)30

How Can I Help My Child to Do Well in School?Students in Grades 2 – 3• Read to your child! Vary what you read, choosing both

stories and informational selections. Read material that your child cannot yet read for himself or herself.

• Provide a time for sustained reading every day. Encourage your child to periodically read selections that are a bit challenging. Encourage him or her to keep at it and re-read portions for understanding.

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How Can I Help My Child to Do Well in School?Students in Grades 2 – 3•Play games that assist your child in learning math facts.•When at a store, ask your child to mentally calculate total costs and amount of change.•If your child asks for assistance with math

homework, first ask him or her to re-read the directions, the problem, and the top portion of

the page. Ask him/her what ideas he has tosolve the problem.

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How Can I Help My Child to Do Well in School?Students in Grades 4 – 6•Provide a time for sustained reading every day.

Encourage your child to periodically read selections that are a bit challenging. Encourage him or her to keep at it and

re-read portions for understanding.•Encourage the use of precise vocabulary.•When your child offers an opinion, ask him or

her to identify the information that supports the opinion.

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How Can I Help My Child to Do Well in School?Students in Grades 4 – 6•Give your child opportunities to work with fractions such as when cooking or measuring materials for projects. Encourage him/her to talk about the reasoning involved in thinking about fractions.•Ask your child to assist in calculating everyday

problems such as tips, costs of gasoline for trips.• Ask your child to explain his/her reasoning and how he or she got the answer.

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How Can I Help My Child To Do Well In School?ALL Students:• Read, read, read! Encourage – and model – reading of

all sorts of materials: books of fiction; books that provide information; informative internet sites;magazines; sets of directions.

• Read for sustained periods of time daily.

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How Can I Help My Child To Do Well In School?ALL Students:

Speak positively about math! If your own experiences in mathematics were not positive, do not share that with your child. Instead, tell your child,

“Math is the basis of technology and a lot

of science. Math is pretty cool.”

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How Can I Learn More About Common Core?

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Find more information about Common Core:

http://blogs.egusd.net/ccssTalk to your child’s teacher.Find resources for math by logging into “Think Central,” the website associated with our Go Math textbooks. (Login provided by your child’s teacher.)Refer to the information sheet provided to you tonight.

Common Core State Standards Are Here!

Teachers will provide more

information in the classroom

presentations.

Paper Drive starts thursday!

When: Thurs., Aug. 15th through Fri., Sept. 6th What: For each ream donated, your student(s) will

earn a raffle ticket for a chance to win a $25 gift card from Baskin Robbins, Subway or Jamba Juice. Drawings will occur on Fridays: August 23rd, August 30th, and September 6th (one prize will be awarded each week).

How: Please bring any donated reams of copy paper to the school office to receive your raffle ticket.

Summer Reading Program

• Students who participated in the Summer Reading Program over the break need to return the top portion of the reading contract (with the list of books read) by this Friday, August 16th.

watchdogsDads of Great Students are back!!

Dads and Kids Pizza Night…WatchDOGS Kick-Off Event!!

September date (TBD)Invitations will be sent home with your child.

Annual Harvest Carnival

• Date: Friday, October 18th • Volunteers needed!• Information is available in classrooms

from your child’s teacher.• Coordinator- Ms. Rueda

26.2 Club & Mara-FUN-Run

• Youth Fitness Program for the maraFUNrun (through California International Marathon)

• GOAL- Encourage children to establish life long fitness habits.

• Coordinator- Todd Taylor– Information to be sent home at a later

date.

CDI- Child Development Centers

• Our CDI is now enrolling Kindergarten through Sixth Grade

• Before and After School Child Care• State funding available

CDI Staff available on campus tonight!

Every Day is a Great Day to be A

Fite Falcon!!