Family Literacy Month

Our Community Meeting on Friday kicked off our focus on Family Literacy Month.  Dr. Bates, Ms. Harrison, Ms. Barnett, Ms. Whyte, Ms. Long, and myself read aloud from the picture book, Wild About Books.  Students from each class recommended books for others to read.  Ms. Whyte's class sang a great song about reading books every day of the week.  Also, Ms. McMillan created a presentation in which she described parts of a book and the children had to guess which book it was.

To promote school unity, the faculty and I decided that it would be fun to read one picture book a month for the rest of the school year.  We are encouraging the students to talk about the books with their peers and their STARR buddies.  This month, the book is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.

To encourage student reading, I will have a mailbox on my door in which students can write book recommendations to me and other students.  I am always happy to add books to my "Must Read" list!

Below are pictures of some of the students who recommended books during the meeting.  Happy Reading!

Full STEAM Ahead!

The combined areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics is known as STEM.  In reading about education, readers may come across articles on STEM standards in which the different content areas are integrated.  This summer, Mr. Dimen, Ms. LaVigne, and Ms. Barnett attended a STEAM conference in which Art was integrated with the STEM standards.  As a result of their learning, Mr. Dimen, Ms. LaVigne, and Ms. Barnett created an assignment in which the students were required to create a motorized structure that might scare the geese from the grass.  I think the results are unique and innovative and can't wait to see how they look on our lawn.

 

Celebrate the Blanchard Community

Last weekend, as I was watching my son's soccer game, I was talking with a new friend about where we had both lived as children.  I grew up in New Jersey--please don't hold that against me!  My friend told me she grew up in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans and had vivid memories of drinking from a segregated water fountain, going to the bathroom in a segregated bathroom, and riding on the back of buses.  Despite all the literature, the nonfiction books, and magazine articles that I have read for so many years, I was speechless, shocked.  How could someone who was around my age, experience that kind of treatment?

That conversation led me to reflect about our education of students and our Blanchard community.  We are so lucky to have such a long, rich history that we can celebrate and integrate into the curriculum, especially in the second grade with our field trip to Schoolhouse #2. (I was fortunate enough to meet one of the former students of Schoolhouse #2 at a town barbecue last week!)  I am equally delighted, however, to celebrate the many changes and diversity that make our community so strong and vibrant today. 





Schoolhouse #2

 

 

Johnny Appleseed Visits Blanchard!

Johnny Appleseed came to visit Blanchard this week.  In Dr. Bates final appearance as Johnny Appleseed, he continued a tradition that he created for the past eight years.  I wish you could see the excitement of the students as Johnny Appleseed, in full costume, hands out apples to the children.  Throughout the day, Dr. Bates reads a different book to each grade level, from the preschool through the sixth grade, that is developmentally appropriate.  I hope you can see the intense engagement and attention that the children give him in his reading and their enthusiastic answers to his questions.  Rather than asking Dr. Bates to read to the sixth grade students, the students gave Dr. Bates a book on Johnny Appleseed as a keepsake from their class. 

Below are just a few pictures from the day.

 

Tiered Instruction

Tiered Instruction Has Begun!

 

By now, you have received the email from Dr. Bates and me in which we describe the start of our Massachusetts Tiered System of Support program, more familiarly known as Tiered Instruction or RtI by students and staff.  This is our third year of implementation of the program and we are excited by some of the changes that we are including this year. 

 

First, the entire faculty met last Saturday for professional development to learn how to administer Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessments in literacy.  Teachers in kindergarten through sixth grade will record data in every student's rate of reading, decoding errors, and comprehension.  Though we have used several different tools to track fluency, automaticity, and comprehension over the years, this will be the first time we have vertical data from kindergarten through the sixth grade using the same assessment tool to track children’s progress throughout their education at Blanchard. 

 

In addition, these initial weeks of school have been very busy for both students and staff.  Students have taken several assessments in every grade and we are now in the process of collecting data using other assessment tools in reading, writing, and mathematics.  With all of this data, we then meet by grade level every month to discuss children’s progress and determine the appropriate instruction and intervention for the children.  It is a time-consuming process, but well worth it to understand the effectiveness of our instruction and efforts.  In the discussions, teachers determine who will teach which intervention group and which children will be in a specific group.  In the process of making these decisions, the meeting becomes a forum for teachers to offer suggestions to one another and the development of shared responsibility for all the students’ progress in the entire grade.  The new teacher evaluation system contributes to this because teachers develop team goals for the grade level students’ progress as well. 

 
Students who have been placed in intervention groups as in Tiers 2 or 3 will have a letter sent home to indicate the tier that the children have been placed and in which subject or subjects.  If parents do not receive a letter, this means that the children are in Tier One and are engaging in enrichment activities.  The groups of students in Tier One, Two, and Three will change throughout the year, depending on the curriculum and the children’s needs.  If you have any questions about the tiers or the intervention instruction, please call at any time.

We are proud of the tiered instruction and interventions that we provide at Blanchard.  However, we need your help.  All students will benefit from reading at home for 30 minutes a day and working on math problems on the computer using the IXL program that children can access at home.  Anytime that you could encourage your children to write about family activities or their hobbies such as sports, music, or dance, you will be helping your children to organize their thoughts, summarize and sequence, and prioritize their ideas. 

 

I know family life is busy and some days it is all you can do to get dinner on the table and help the children to complete their homework.  I have felt the same way with my own children.  However, if you can think of reading every day in the same way that you stress brushing their teeth every day, you will be establishing a great foundation for the rest of their lives.  Thanks for all the help that you give your children and the school. 

 

Best Wishes for the New Year,

Dr. Tower

Update: First Few Weeks of P.E.

     It has been an exciting start to the new school year!  With this being my second year here at Blanchard, there are many students in my classes that I had last school year.  I love teaching all grades, as I get the chance to see the students grow and change from year to year.   One benefit of having students from last year is that they are aware of my expectations for class!  There are many things that I look for and consider important in P.E., but they all fall under a few general guidelines.  I expect students to: Be respectful (of themselves, peers, and staff), be safe, try their best, and have fun!  I always stress the importance of remembering that everyone has different skills/talents/abilities.  Our focus is on students improving their own individual fitness levels. 

     During the first few P.E. classes I like to plan activities that allow me to get to know the students that I haven’t had before.  I also like to plan team-building games so that we can discuss the importance of teamwork.  I tell each class that they are a team, and to have a fun and exciting year of P.E. we all need to work together.  It is fun to hear students talk about the teams that they watch and root for, and how important teamwork is in accomplishing their goals. 

     This year, I have introduced a new warm-up to students in grades 3-6.  When we have class in the gymnasium, we will spend 8-10 minutes warming up with “The PE Central Challenge”.  The challenge is designed to encourage students to practice a variety of motor skills, many of which are contained in our professions national standards (NASPE, 1995).  The challenge is not intended to be a one-time test, but rather an ongoing series of challenges that students can practice and improve upon.  We will be practicing our six challenges through the month of November. 

Our list of challenges can be found here: http://www.pecchallenge.org/challenges/challengelist.html

The challenge requirements have been modified based on grade level. 

     Grades 3-6 are currently in their Frisbee unit.  We take the time to practice holding, throwing, and catching the Frisbee.  We practice throwing and catching while on the run, defense, and target practice.  At the end of our unit, students in grades 4-6 will play ultimate Frisbee games.  In grade 3, we focus on the basics of ultimate Frisbee, and we play games with modified rules. 

     In grades K-2 we are focusing on the importance of safe self-space.  This is especially important when we are all moving throughout warm-ups and during any game play.  We are also working on our overhand and underhand throwing skills.  We have spent time practicing our throwing and catching with partners, and our games have been centered on these skills as well.  

I look forward to meeting with parents that will be attending open-house night next Tuesday!

Blanchard's STARr Buddies

At Blanchard, we are proud of our Star Buddy program.  Each class in kindergarten through third grade has an older partner class.  Once a month, the two classes spend about forty-five minutes doing an activity together.  The younger children receive the undivided attention of the older students.  The older children receive the complete adoration of the younger children.  I think it fosters a great sense of community and compassion.  On Friday, the Star Buddies met for the first time and the activities centered around surveys of their likes and dislikes.  I included more pictures in this posting because I so enjoyed the way their heads are bent toward one another, their intent expressions, and their total engagement with one another.  I hope you enjoy the pictures too!