Dear Ellis Families:
In January, I am always amazed at how fast the year is
passing and this year is no exception. Midyear testing indicates that students
are learning fast as well. We have been working hard on writing skills and
critical thinking and problem solving. I hope you are watching the work that
comes home as well as observing the wonderful accomplishments of our students
posted in the halls. Some of our teaching strategies have changed as we
transition to the Idaho Core Standards and students work to meet the challenges
of rigorous assignments. I know that I am seeing a definite difference in the
research and writing being produced from Kindergarten through fifth grade.
We have also had the exceptional learning experience of
being able to participate in interactive video conferences. Our first
conference was with the former First Lady, Barbara Bush. Students from around
the world asked her questions after she read the book Liberty. Students
were also able to hear from the author who talked about the process of writing
a book. We hope we have some budding authors in our group. Each grade level has
video conferences set up this year and students will be interacting with
experts across the country enabling them to extend their learning in ways
otherwise not possible.
Our recent IRI testing in grades K-3 indicates that we are
doing very well. If you are interested in learning more about the testing we
conduct during the year, you may want to attend our parent lunch scheduled for
January 29th in the library. We will be talking about the regular
testing we conduct at the beginning, middle and end of the year as well as the
new Smarter Balanced Test that is taking place of the ISAT. Bring a lunch and
join in the discussion!
Make sure you check Infinite Campus and watch for notes
regularly as there are many events coming up in February and March. There is
Valentine’s Day, sports events for Fourth and Fifth Grade, Dr. Seuss Day, 100’s
Day and many other things to keep us all busy.
May you all have a healthy and Happy New Year!
