Coffee with the Principal

1. Coffee with the Principal Welcome and Good Morning!

2. Agenda • The Summer Slide • New Library website-Libguides • Student Study Team

3. Summer is Almost Here!

4. Taking a Break from Learning We all look forward to summer, but this break from learning may result in the loss of critical academic skills.

5. The teachers at XIS encourage you to prevent Summer Learning Loss

6. Research has shown … that summers without practicing reading, writing, and math could have a impact on your child’s educational development. This regression is known as “summer learning loss.”

7. Students can lose one to three months of learning over summer vacation. Summer learning loss is the decline in knowledge students experience during the summer months.

8. How Can You Help? Summer learning opportunities have positive effects on children’s self esteem, confidence, and motivation. Here are some suggestions: • Read, Read, Read! • Talk, Talk, Talk! • Write, Write, Write! • Don’t forget about math.

9. Reading Tips • Read in your native language and in English. • Make time for reading. Parents need to be role models. • Beat boredom with books. Keep it fun! • Read aloud with your child every day. Talk about it, ask questions!

10. Allow your child to choose what he reads. Keep different kinds of reading materials at home. • Help your child select books at the right level. • Find magazines that interest your child.

11. Encourage your child to learn new words. • Listen to audio books. • Explore XIS on-line subscriptions • Keeping your child reading over the summer is one of the best ways to continue learning.

12. Practice Writing • Write in all languages your child knows. • Keep writing materials handy such as pencils, paper, and crayons so that your child can practice writing.

13. Encourage her/him to write letters or post cards to friends and relatives over the summer, to keep a journal, make a summer scrapbook, or to write stories and poems. • Ask your child to help you when making shopping lists or copying a recipe.

14. Practice Math • Schedule a time each week for your child to practice essential math skills with the multitude of math games online. • Provide authentic experiences!

15. Fun Summer Practice is just a click away!! Visit your child’s current grade’s Yolato access many web-sites to practice different skills, such as: vocabulary, grammar, reading, writing, math, and more. Libguidewill also give you access to the XIS on-line library subscriptions, such as on-line books.

16. Writing Preventing the Summer Slide • Write your own movie review • Keep a “Dear Diary” of feelings • Make a movie using the many apps available • Write songs, poems, plays, or make greeting cards • Draw a map and label it • Write with chalk on the sidewalk, in the sand on the beach … keep it fun! Reading Read movie reviews before watching the flick Watch movies with English subtitles Play word games (signs, license plates, magnetic letters) Read food labels in the grocery stores Read while relaxing at the beach Play board games

17. Turn Daily Activities into Learning Opportunities • http://www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources/summer-reading-slide.htm • http://littlescholarsllc.wordpress.com/10-ways-to-prevent-summer-slide/ • http://www.metrofamilymagazine.com/April-2012/10-Ways-to-Prevent-the-Summer-Slide/ • http://www.edutopia.org/blog/resources-prevent-summer-slide-matt-davis • http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/summer-slide/

18. WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT

19. Student Study Team-SST When teachers suspect that a child is struggling to learn he/she is given a list of strategies to try to determine what his/her possible needs are. Through conversations with the grade level team, counselor/principal and parents about strategies tried, if none are effective then the teacher will recommend an SST meeting.

20. Who is the Student Study Team (SST) • Principal • Counselor • Literacy Coach • ELL Leader

21. SST • In your table group look at the SST form at your table and discuss with the group. • What questions come to mind?

22. SST Protocol • Collect data on student • Collaborate with grade level team on strategies (both teachers and ELL teacher) • Classroom observations by Counselor/Literacy Coach • Parent Conference • SST recommendation

23. SST Recomendations • Tutoring • Behavior contract • Medical tests-vision, hearing • Psychological testing

24. Special Needs Students • XIS does not have a Special Needs teacher therefore cannot provide specific services for students with special needs. • Screen at admissions. • If already admitted then support is provided through ELL support: • One to one support (limited), • Small group differentiation along with ELL students, • Help in understanding tasks, paraphrasing, chunking, • More time to complete tasks,

25. Record Keeping • The SST form is placed in child’s confidential folder in the Counselor’s office, • SST meets frequently to check status on students and decides if the student is Active or in Monitor status, • All Specialist and Mandarin teachers are informed of the learning need through a central file, • Information is passed on to next year’s teacher, • When an SST student exits the school or graduates to grade 6, a final report is written for MYP or the next school.

26. Psychological Educational Assessments Psychologists run a variety of tests: • Achievement tests • IQ tests • Attention • Memory retention • Dyslexia A report is written and recommendations are given on how to support the child.

27. Severe Needs Sometimes student needs require a great deal of 1:1 support or special training that the school cannot provide: • Meeting set with parents, • Decisions are made about next steps, • Parents find alternative school who can address the child’s needs.

28. Questions?