Newsletter 24

2005-2006   Room 302—Newsletter 24   http://room302.blogspot.com

6/14/2006

Dear Families,

I have a video tape full of different things your kids have been doing this year.  It’s the one we’ve been taking turns passing around.  Sometimes people would like a copy of this.  I also have almost 600 digital pictures that I’ve take this year.  Some people have asked for a copy of these, too.  I’m more than happy to give copies to people—that was one of the reasons I took them—but I need your permission.  Basically, I just need you to sign the attached sheet saying it’s okay for your child to be in the pictures and video that we copy for everyone.  Without the permission slip signed, I cannot include your child.  As soon as we have everyone’s permission, I’ll let you know and people who want a copy can send in CD’s.  Maybe there are even people out there who could copy faster than I.  And if you choose not to have your child’s image shared, please let me know right away so that we can filter those out of the collection.  I apologize for not anticipating and getting on this sooner, but I still think we can make it happen.
Rockets…
Rocket launching was great, despite the rain.  Thanks to Mr. Bryant and Mr. Meisner for orchestrating everything, and thanks to all the family members who were here to help build and launch.
Literacy Week…
This is happening right now.  I think it’s a great way to take some time and celebrate all the learning that has happened.  And believe me, a lot has been learned.  Everyone has reason to celebrate.  My sincere hope is that as you’ve watched and listened to your child this year, you’ve noticed all kinds of learning and growth.  The report card may reflect some of that, but it certainly will not reflect all of it.  And the chances are good that you’ve noticed things that I haven’t, or that I just taken for granted.  I still believe that one of the best things that we can do for learners to point out and celebrate the good things that happen.  
In writing….
We’re writing poetry to end our year.  Poetry intimidates me a bit, because I like concrete, objective definitions, and I can’t really find one for poetry.  How do I know if something is a poem or not?  I’m still not sure.  But we’ve started building a list of some traits poems often share, and we’ve spent an enthusiastic week writing poetry.  The up side to no clear definition of poetry is that nobody can say for sure that a piece of writing isn’t a poem.  (In fact, maybe this is one)  That can be a very liberating feeling:  if nobody can say what’s right, nobody can say what’s wrong.  So, just give it a try.  And that’s what they’ve been doing, with great success.  
Let me point out another thing:  What if I said that all the parents were going to meet one night, write poems, and share them out loud with the group, including time for comments and feedback.  If you’re anything like me, you would have an unbreakable appointment that night.  I would feel very uncomfortable sharing in front of my peers.  It sort of makes me tense just to imagine it right now.  But your kids do it every single day.  
They (authors) put themselves out there, writing and sharing concerns, thoughts, feelings because they trust their classmates not to laugh or criticize.  The audience listens with empathy, celebrates with the authors and treats them with respect, while at the same time offering helpful feedback.  Is that not amazing?  
Sometimes that feedback is just laughing at the funny parts, but if an author is trying to write humor, that’s the most powerful feedback there is.  Other times the feedback can be more directed, like asking for clarification.  But it is always understood that the author is the final arbiter, and that the questions and comments are given in good faith.  I know for certain that this is a huge reason why these students have been so productive this year--they're surrounded by support.  And I know that if I were to share in front of my peers (or anyone else), I’d hope to be treated in the same way.  
I guess I’m trying to make two points:  First, your children all deserve a lot of credit for the writing they’re doing, and have done.  Second, when your child shares a piece of writing with you and you’re wondering how to comment or what to say, it may be helpful to picture yourself sharing something you’ve written, and to imagine what sort of response you’d like from an audience.
In math….
We’ve been trying to do a pretest and posttest to start and end each math book, just as a way to help gauge learning from beginning to end.  At the parent meeting, I shared the quote by Steve Peha:  There can be no significant improvement without the ability to self assess. As a piece of this, I had students look at their most recent pretests for things they did well and things they could do even better.  This was very satisfying.  You may want to try it when those papers come home, because it shows what they really understand, even when they’re still trying to make things happen consistently.    
Summer Birthdays…
We only have a few summer birthdays, but we’d love to celebrate them before the end of school.  If your child has one, let me know if/when you’d like to send in treats, etc.  
Chapter Book Read Aloud…
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater.  This is a Newbery honor book published in 1938.  Someone’s grandma was here when I told the class that, and she said that was even before she was born.  I’m guessing we’ll be spending time on filling in background knowledge as we read this one.  It should be fun.
Snack…
Thanks to those people who were able to send more right away.  If you’ve not yet had a chance to send in snack, now would be a great time.
First Grade Cookout…
We’re getting a good response from people now, so thanks.  If you haven’t had a chance to contribute yet, there is still time.    This means that students won't have to bring a lunch that day, or sign up for hot lunch.  We'll eat about 12:35, which is our normal lunch time.  They have recess about 1:05, which will give us time to clean up.  
And then after recess, which ends at 1:35, I thought it would be a good time, since people will already be at school, to have students share a poem they wrote in their poetry journal, which we've been doing the past two weeks.  Finally, to end the day, I have about 600 pictures I've taken this year, so I thought the people who are interested could stick around for a slide show of those photos.  
Calendar…
June 12-June 16—Literacy Week     Sunday, June 18—Fathers’ Day
Thursday, June 15—Sports Day     Tuesday, June 20—Fun Day/Field Day (p.m. only)
Friday, June 16—Hawaiian Day     Thursday, June 22—Last Day of First; Early Release
Friday, June 16—First Grade Cookout/BBQ@12:35     Saturday, June 24—Shelby’s Birthday
Friday, June 16—Poems and photo sharing@1:35     


Sincerely,


Jeff Kurtz


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Please fill out, sign, and return this permission slip:


It is okay to include my child in on the collection of class photos to be copied and distributed to classmates.


          YES                    NO


It is okay to include my child on copies of the class video tape distributed to classmates.


          YES                    NO

Child’s Name: ________________________

Parent/Guardian’s Name: __________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature: __________________________________