NEW CLASSROOM PLACEMENT INPUT PROCEDURE FOR THE 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR
Creating balanced class lists that meet the needs of all students is a tremendously difficult job that takes many hours of thoughtful dialogue between classroom teachers, specials area teachers, specialists, and the principal. We at Prairie take this process very seriously. The following describes the process for creating balanced class lists.
- Classroom teachers consider the social and academic needs of each student. Please know that incoming 1st grade placement is completed by Willow Grove staff.
- Specialist Team members (social worker, speech teacher, special education teacher, etc.), the Specials Team (Art, Music, P.E.), and the principal provide input as well during this process.
- Parent input is considered.
- We consider placing your child with other students they are familiar with. We cannot accommodate friendship requests.
- Class lists are finalized in August as summer changes must be considered such as move ins/outs, section size changes if any, etc.
We strongly believe that this detailed and collaborative process creates learning environments that benefit all students. It is a delicate balancing act which takes much consideration and thought by professionals who know and care about your children.
Because of the input and thought given by teachers, specialists, and administrators, we cannot make changes once this process occurs, as moving one child can disrupt the balance of a class, impacting all students.
We welcome any insight you wish to share about your child. We will take into consideration pertinent information about your child's learning style and needs. While we welcome your input, specific teacher requests will not be honored. This year, we are gathering parent input HERE in our Prairie Parent Class Placement Input Form. This survey will be open until Friday, April 29th. Only Dr. Pfaff reviews the information that you share in the survey.
ABC Countdown
On April 26th, we will start our ABC Countdown to the end of the school year. Students always enjoy the fun activities and dress up days that occur during our last 26 days of school. To see the full list of the ABC Countdown, please visit the virtual backpack. Thanks to the Student Council for organizing this event.
Prairie students celebrate Earth Week!
Dear Parents,
Next week, Prairie students will be celebrating Earth Day by participating in various Earth-centric activities throughout the week. All activities are optional. Please read below for a brief description of what we have going on next week. These are meant to be fun activities to increase awareness of Earth Day and things we can do in our school, home, and community to help our planet!
Monday - Make an Earth Day Poster
Make a poster at home about how you can help the planet at home, school, or in your community. Posters are due to Miss Cotter’s room on Monday, April 18.
Tuesday - Earth Day Bingo
Prairie students will receive a bingo sheet in their classrooms with fun, Earth Day related activities to do at home. See how many activities you can do by the end of the week. Each time you complete an activity, have a parent initial the box. If you get a Bingo, bring it to Miss Cotter’s room by Friday!
Wednesday - Earth Day Color Wars
Today boys wear green and girls wear blue to represent the colors of our Earth!
Thursday - Make a toy out of recycled materials
Do you have a junk drawer at home with collected odds and ends? Ever thought about creating something new with them? Today’s activity allows you to do just that! Your challenge is to bring in a toy that you made at home out of recycled materials. It can be anything you want that is school appropriate. Bring completed toys with your name on it to Miss Cotter’s room by Thursday, April 21. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Robot made out of bottle caps
Mirror made out of spray painted toy cars
Animals made out of household containers
Friday -Recycling Movie
Students will watch a quick, student-made movie about the importance of recycling!
Parents of 5th Graders...
Please CLICK HERE for a summary of the information from the April 11, 2016, program "Transitioning to Middle School," presented by KCSD96 Middle School Principals Jessica Barnes (Twin Groves) and Greg Grana (Woodlawn).
Talent Show Auditions Coming Soon
Kids, Do you want to celebrate your talent? Do you play an instrument, sing, dance, or juggle? The Prairie Talent Show is an exciting event that you can be a part of! The talent show is open to all grade levels. As we’ve done in previous years, fifth grade students will earn more slots for the talent show. You may perform individually or with a group. Each performance needs to be two minutes or less. Your talent can be anything!
The talent show will be on Thursday, May 26th at 6:30pm. If you want to perform in this concert, you will need to audition. The auditions will be held the week of May 2nd - May 6th. Audition times will be shared soon. A School Messenger email will be pushed out on Monday, April 25th at 5:00pm with the link to the audition sign-up form for parents to sign their child up for an audition slot. Sixty audition slots are available. The sign-up form will remain open until 60 audition slots have been filled or by Thursday, April 28th at 5:00pm, whichever comes first. We cannot wait to see our Prairie students’ talents.
Author's Visit - Wednesday, April 27th
We are excited to welcome Suzanne Slade, a local children's book author, to our school on Wednesday, April 27th. This is a schedule change from the original post. Mrs. Slade will talk with the students about her career as an author and share some of her many published books with our students. The children have heard a few of her stories in ICT. Luckily for you, we still have a few titles that can still be purchased and autographed. All orders are due by April 26th. See below for the list of titles that are still available. If you are interested, please send book choice/check made payable to Prairie PTO to Mrs. Spivack.