Country Meadows Families,
Our 2nd trimester has officially come to an end, and we are eager to see what learning and fun awaits us in Trimester 3! I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I look forward to seeing you at our PTO sponsored Science Fair next week! We will see students back at school on Tuesday!
NEW *No School on Monday, March 2nd*
This is a friendly reminder that there is no school on Monday, March 2nd. We will see students back at school on Tuesday, March 3rd!
NEW *Unable to Attend Spring Conferences?*
If you are not able to attend Spring Conferences with your child:
EC/K/1st/2nd/3rd:
Your child will be recording and sharing his or her presentation. This video will be shared with you via email.
4th & 5th Grade:
Your child will share their presentation with you at home utilizing their iPad. Please set aside some time for your child to share the presentation they have worked hard to create.
NEW *1st & 3rd Grade Board Game Club*
Attention all 1st and 3rd grade students!
Do you love playing games? Do you enjoy helping others learn new things? Then this club is for you! We will begin by pairing up students to learn and play together, and a variety of board and card games will be provided for you to play with. One goal of this club is to help create a community of friends at Country Meadows. Students will be learning teamwork and collaboration through tabletop games. They will develop their ability to identify problems, solve problems, premeditate actions, define new vocabulary, assist other players, and teach new rules all within a single hour!
The club will take place on Thursdays after school from 3 - 4 pm. The first session will be on 3/19. Please follow this registration link to register.
NEW *PTO Update*
Take a moment to read the BLOG this week.
REPEATING *Spring Collaborative Conference Information*
Spring Conferences are coming on Thursday, March 12th from 5pm-8:30pm and Friday, March 13th from 10am-1:30pm . The Sign-Up Genius was sent to you on Tuesday, February 18th.
Spring Conferences are Collaborative Conferences!
Collaborative conferences means that your child will be leading the conference. The purpose of collaborative conferences is for educators, students and families to discuss, reflect and celebrate student work, and for families to experience school through their child's eyes. Students have been working hard to prepare for the conference, and we are excited for you to learn about your child’s progress directly from your child!
Teachers will be available in the room as guides and will be available to answer student questions or elaborate on a point a student is making, but we ask that all participants respect that this is the student’s opportunity to lead the conference by sharing progress and reflections about their own learning.
Please read below to learn specific information about how collaborative conferences will be structured at the elementary level.
Grades EC-1st Grade
Families will sign-up for a 15 minute conference. One student/family partnership will be in the room at a time. The conference will begin with your child presenting his/her current progress, reflections, celebrations and areas for continued growth. The classroom teacher will be at the table with the student, but the student will lead the conference. Teachers will be available to facilitate and assist in answering specific questions.
Grades 2nd-5th Grade
Families will sign-up for a 30 minute conference. Three family/student partnerships may be in the room at one time. Student/Family partnerships will sit in a private space to engage in the conference. The conference will begin with your child presenting his/her current progress, reflections, celebrations and areas for continued growth. Teachers will be available to facilitate and can answer brief questions at the conclusion of the student portion.
What is the Role of Families during Collaborative Conferences?
Provide reinforcement, encouragement and praise
Listen and ask questions
Help students look realistically at quality of work
Facilitate student’s self-reflection and goal setting
Be a partner in learning
See school through their student’s eyes
Questions Families Can Ask During the Collaborative Conference
What is your favorite piece of work? Why?
Describe your favorite activities or subjects.
What experiences at school do you find the most exciting?
Are there experiences that frustrate you, if so why?
What goals have you set for yourself for this spring?
How can I help you at home?
REPEATING *Culture Conversations with Students*
The Guiding Coalition for Interculturalism (GCI) is looking to include student voice in the weekly staff blog! Click here to access a short survey that your child can complete if they are interested, and their answers may appear in the staff newsletter!
REPEATING *KCSD96 Offers a Dual Language Opportunity*
Parents are invited to consider the Dual Language Program for their incoming Willow Grove kindergartner. The program’s purpose is to give children the opportunity to develop a deep academic proficiency in two languages. Fifty percent of the academic day instruction is delivered in Spanish and 50 percent in English. Following their kindergarten year at Willow Grove, Dual Language participants continue at Country Meadows for Grades 1–5 and transition to Woodlawn for Grades 6–8.
To be included in the public lottery that will be used to select the 2020–21 Dual Language kindergarten class, an Interest Form (ENGLISH or SPANISH) is due to the Willow Grove Early Learning Center office by 3 p.m. on Mar. 18.
LEARN MORE about the KCSD96 Dual Language program and attend a Parent Education Evening on Feb. 12 or Mar. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Willow Grove Early Learning Center to hear a presentation from District faculty/administrators and ask questions.
Fondly,
Meghan Bird, Principal