Communication is Key

The 2011- 2012 school year is off to a great start at Defer! Our Back-to-School evening
last month was a wonderful opportunity for parents to learn more the academic program planned for this year, and the best ways to support their child’s education at home. We appreciated your attendance. As we continue on the path towards a successful year we will strive to set communication as an important goal. Our Defer Dragon Burning News comes out every second Thursday of the month with important current affairs. Our website itself contains information on a variety of topics which parents will find helpful, including our web calendar which is updated throughout the year. Parents can also sign up for an ‘e-Alert” which will help provide the best communication between Defer and your household. In order to do this, please visit http://gpschools.schoolwires.net click on the register button (top right of page) enter your birthday and submit. Once signed-in, you’ll be able to receive email alerts and subscriptions via the ‘access my info’ button on the top right of the homepage. Many Defer staff members send home classroom newsletters and also have Web pages that help maintain the link between home and school. Our hope is that we are offering a variety of ways to communicate with our Defer families. A few of the recent highlights from our Defer community include:

· MEAP (Michigan Education Assessment Program) testing began this week.
Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 tested this week in Reading and the 4th graders
also completed a Writing MEAP test. Testing will continue next week beginning
on Tuesday in Math for grades 3, 4, and 5. Fifth graders will also take the MEAP
Science assessment next week.

· All students in grades 1 – 5 have completed the first round of NWEA testing in
the areas of reading and math. This computerized test is a key piece of data
used by the staff in helping to differentiate instruction so that all students reach
their academic potential.

· Making Meaning is a instructional program that is part of our new Reading
Workshop approach to teaching reading. Making Meaning incorporates the use
of fine literature in teaching key reading strategies. The program involves
students working in pairs to – think, share, and pair. In a second grade class
today after hearing the book, Alexander’s No-Good, Very Bad Day , students
discussed in pairs their ideas of a very bad day and then used visualizing
techniques to illustrate and write about their experiences. It is amazing to
listen-in on these discussions.

· Another component of this reading program is IDR (Independent Directed
Reading). Even our youngest students are now reading on their own without
interruption for 15 minutes at a stretch and the time is much longer at the upper
grades. This IDR reading should be a part of each night’s home routine as well.

· On October 19th parents of students receiving either Title1 assistance or Reading
Support will be joining some of our Instructional staff to learn more about both
of these programs. Invitations will be arriving in the mail.

I truly believe it ‘takes a village to raise a child’. Thanks for partnering with us in the
education of our Defer Dragons!

Welcome back to the 2011 - 2012 school year.  We hope you had a wonderful summer break, filled with opportunities to learn and grow.   We know you share our enthusiasm as we embark on our journey together towards a successful school year.  As the principal of Defer, it is my goal to continue the greatness of Defer Elementary.  The staff and I are committed to delivering a high quality education for your child in a safe and caring environment.

The Defer Elementary staff is working hard on their School Improvement plans for the year.  Our goals include math, reading, and writing.  Last year our staff placed heavy emphasis on the teaching of writing and our professional development and Professional Learning Community time focused on Writing Workshop, a method for teaching and improving writing.   Our work in this area will continue this year as we grow as teachers in this method and strive to improve student writing.  The District focus this year is Reading.  A year-long professional development plan is in place for the entire elementary staff on Reading Workshop.  This program emphasizes the interaction between readers and text.  Students learn to ask questions, make connections with prior knowledge and previously read texts, and ask questions to clarify faulty comprehension they recognize has occurred.  The program includes peer conferences and teacher conferences with students, but emphasizes students’ independence and allows them to become successful readers outside of the classroom.  One of the initial components we will be using is a program entitled Making Meaning, which uses a class read-aloud novel to generate deep discussions.  We are excited about this new approach to the teaching of reading and our work with the Defer students in this area.

Parents make a big difference when it comes to your child’s education.  After all, you are their first and primary educator.  Remember that no matter how small the task, the little bit of encouragement or the extra time we spend with our children can make all the difference.  Enjoy the school year with your child.  Be a part of their education.  Make it a shared partnership of cooperation,communication and caring.

I encourage you to attend the Defer Back-to-School night on September 22^nd at 7:00 PM in the school gym.  This is one of the first important steps you take as a parent in support of your child’s education.  Teachers will have the opportunity to share the academic program and goals for the year.  As a parent, you will have the opportunity to learn how you can best support that education.  The partnership between home, the school, and the child is a key factor in your child’s success in school.  Please mark your calendars and join us.  Your child will thank you!

Summer Vacation is Almost Here!

Ahhh!  Summer.  A time to relax and enjoy those lazy days filled with trips to the park, family vacations and backyard barbecues, right?  Not so fast!  Summer can entail more than just a change from the usual routine.  For children, it can mean a serious loss of learning.  Research shows that many children experience a ‘summer slump’ and can lose about four weeks of growth from the previous school year.  However, there are many things a parent can do to keep their child’s brain active.  Here are a few ideas recommended by experts to help prevent the dreaded ‘brain drain’.

Read between the lines.  Have your child join the local library’s summer reading program or start their own reading program or book club.  They can set a goal for reading so many books and even keep track on a book ‘growth’ chart. Incorporate reading into everyday activities by pointing out billboards, fliers, food containers and such.  Younger children can play the alphabet game on longer drives.

Talk the talk.  Ask questions about anything and everything, but not the kind of questions that only illicit “yes” or “no” answers.  For instance, ask “What did you like about . . .?” “What was your favorite part. . .?”  Get children talking, and you may be able to turn a normal experience into a teaching moment.

Got Game?  Organize game nights not just for your family, but in the neighborhood.  Play educational games like Scrabble, Uno, crossword puzzles, Sudoku or basic card games.  They make for a fun night and reinforce skills such as memory, concentration, logic and reasoning.  They also teach children how to take turns, and be both a good winner and a good loser.

Vacation your body, not your mind.  Going on a trip can be a great time to expand more than your physical horizons.  Use the library and Internet to learn about the destination and its historical sites.  Study maps and plot mileage.

It all adds up to fun.  According to the National Summer Learning Association, losing math skills is the biggest threat.  Try a number of activities to reinforce math skills.  For instance, look at the measurements in a recipe you’re making and ask your child to double it.  Ask your child to compute the 15% tip on the restaurant bill, or determine how many gallons of gas are needed to travel the 50 miles to grandma’s house.  Make math a part of your everyday life.

Let’s stamp out summer slump when it comes to our Defer Dragons!!

Where Has The School Year Gone?

It is hard to believe that it is already mid-May.  Our students are doing amazing things every day at Defer and learning is so evident.  One of my favorite parts of my day is engaging students in conversation during the lunch hour.  Yesterday I heard all about the frozen peas that their class crayfish ate as part of a Science observation.   One student was demonstrating the crayfish’s technique using his own sandwich while others at the table observed and added their comments.  A fourth grade class had taken their Grosse Pointe Writing Assessment that morning and a student flagged me down to tell about how she started this piece of writing.  She felt she had a strong lead and that it really grabbed the audience’s attention.  Finally, I eavesdropped on a conversation at a fifth grade table about the Executive Branch of the government as a group of boys had a friendly disagreement about the requirements for becoming President of United States.   Clearly, our students are engaged in the hard work of learning.

The Defer teachers and I are beginning the process of making classroom assignments for the 2011-12 school year.  In grade level teams we will work to develop these classroom groupings.  From working with your children all year long our teachers have valuable insights regarding the academic, social, and emotional needs of your children.   Some of the factors we will consider as we do this work include:

· Academic ability

· Cluster grouping / Learning partners

· Gender balance

· Learning styles ( auditory, visual, hands-on)

· Student personality and interaction

· Student behavior

· Information provided by parents

We have one main goal is doing this work and that is to create the most positive classroom environment we can to maximize student learning.

Please help us firm up our Defer enrollment.  This information helps us plan for the number of sections in each grade level and the number of teachers we will need to teach our students.  If you plan on moving before the start of the school year in the fall, it is very important that you let us know by calling the Defer Office.

A second way you can help us is by approaching neighborhood parents whose children may be attending Kindergarten next year.  Please have them either contact the Defer Office or the Office of Residency and Enrollment at 313 432-3093.  Also, let them know about our Kindergarten Round-Up for next year’s Kindergarten students is on May 25^th from 4:00 – 4:45.

Earth Day Celebrations

Earth Day is April 22, 2011 this year.   It is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s natural environment.  Communities across United States celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues.  Due to Spring Break, Defer will be celebrating Earth Day on April 29th.  In addition to it being a focus of Science instruction that week, Defer is taking on two special projects.  First, we are encouraging everyone to walk to school on Thursday, April 28th.  Join your neighbors and friends and reduce pollution by starting your day with a healthy walk to school.

Secondly, we’d like to try for a waste free lunch for all students who pack a cold lunch on April 29th.  So what is a waste free lunch and why is it important?  It’s really important!  Our landfills are full and overflowing.  Incinerators pump contaminants into the air.  Much of the trash we    generate comes from the packaging on the food we buy, and lunch foods are no exception.  In fact, it has been estimated that on average a school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year.  At Defer, that’s about 26,000 pounds of lunch waste.

Join the Earth Day events at Defer and pack a waste free lunch on April 29^th.  Here are four steps to accomplish that:

·  Reusable lunch bags – replace the brown bag with something safe and reusable. Use that same container each day.

· Snack and sandwich bags – It is estimated that families spend $85 on disposable plastic baggies.  Save money and resources with

     reusable bags and wraps.

· Utensils and more – cloth napkins, utensils, and even straws!  Why throw it away when you can use it again and again?

· Reusable bottles - Americans spend about $16 billion annually on bottled water which makes 38 billion bottles in our landfills.  Break the wasteful cycle by bringing your own bottle.

We plan to measure how we do with our waste free lunch.   We’ll be weighing our lunchroom trash prior to April 29^th and our hope is that on Earth Day, April 29^th, we will have much less to weigh.  Join the challenge – pack a waste free lunch on Earth Day.  Make a difference in our world!

March is Reading Month

March is National Reading Month, and the Defer students and teachers have joined in the celebration!   Guest readers have visited many classrooms already to share their  favorite book, and more are to come.  A team of Pierce Middle School students will be visiting next week each sharing a Dr. Seuss book with students. Classrooms are silent each day as students curl up and read for sustained periods of time.  

Reading together at home is extremely important for all children.  You have the greatest influence on your child and you send a powerful message about not only the importance of reading, but the pleasure of reading when you read together.  Try the following suggestions to make reading with your child both a fun and a learning experience.

  

·  Make reading a priority.  Whether it’s 20 minutes every night before bed or an hour every Sunday morning, it helps to set aside a specific time for reading. 

· Choose the right book using the “five-finger rule”.  When selecting a new book to read have your child open the book to any page in the middle and read that page.  Keep track of how many words they don’t know.  If your child gets to five words before they finish the page, the book is too hard.  If the child knows all of the words, the book is probably easy and is a good one for building reading fluency.  If they don’t know two or three words, the book is likely to be at a good level for their reading ability to grow.

· Create the right atmosphere.  Find a quiet place for your child to read.  Your home is a busy place, but children need a ‘reading spot’ away from noise and distractions.

· Make reading fun.  There are lots of great a book that are filled with humor and that’s always a ‘hook’ for children.  Try ‘hamming it up’ a bit when reading at home.  Play around with funny voices or acting out the scene you are reading. 

· Keep reading aloud to your child.  Don’t stop reading aloud to your child once he/she learns to read on their own. When you do the reading, you allow your child to enjoy books that are beyond their independent reading level.  Children learn new vocabulary, and it is a great chance for you to model reading smoothly and with expression.

· Introduce new books.  Sometimes one book will steal your child’s heart and that is all they want to read.  Remember, there are millions of books to enjoy.  Ask a librarian or your child’s teacher for a recommendation.  Check out children’s literature web sites.