Helping Your Child Succeed at Varner Elementary Presented by Sandra Smith, Title I Parent Facilitator November 1 and 2, 2018
Why do we want our children to be successful in elementary school?
How does this quote relate to success in elementary school?
Do families play a part in a student s success at school? Who in your family affects your child s success? How do they impact your child s success? What are they doing that helps? What are some areas your family struggles with?
Communication Between Families and Varner Report cards, Grading, and Standards Goal Setting Homework/Study Tips Other Resources Topics for Discussion
Why is communication between families and Varner important?
Here are some ways we communicate with each other? Can you think of others? Class Dojo Daily Agendas and Folders Individual Notes and Emails ParentVUE Schoolwide Texts/Emails
https://static.classdojo.com/docs/ TeacherResources/BackToSchoolN ight/2018-backtoschool- English.pdf Class Dojo
Folders and Agendas Many teachers use these for daily communication about assignments, projects, tests, spelling words, behavior, or upcoming events. Our schoolwide day to send home papers and flyers is Friday. This is also a great place to write or send a note to the teacher. Remember to always update teachers about transportation changes.
Handwritten notes are still a great way to communicate. Be sure to include your child s name, your name, and a way to contact you. Please write clearly. All staff email addresses are on the Varner webpage http://www.cobbk12.org/varner/ Realize that it may take teachers a day to respond because they are not able to check email every moment. If you are addressing a difficult or complex topic, it may be helpful to have someone you trust read over your message before sending it. Notes and Emails
More about Notes and Emails When writing notes that go to the office, always include your children s first and last names and their teachers names. Changes in afternoon transportation must be handwritten and sent in to the teacher or faxed to the office before 1:45 PM. No emails are accepted. All notes for absences or early dismissal must contain a reason. If there is no reason, it will be unexcused.
What is ParentVUE? This is Cobb s online portal to view your child s attendance and report cards, and to register for all Title I events. In grades 4-12, you will also see your child s grades for all assignments. You must present a photo ID to get an Activation Key. If you would like, we can take care of that today, or you can get it from the front office. One account is for all Cobb students in the family.
How do I use ParentVUE? Get the Activation Key and set up your account. http://www.cobbk12.org/ Click on Parents. Click on ParentVUE login page. Choose I am a Parent. Type in the Username and Password. In grades 4-12, this is the teacher s gradebook, so you will see the assignments that have been given and the grade your child earned. If you have questions, contact the teacher. To sign up for Title I events, click on the Family Engagement Registration tab.
Whole School Messages CCSD provides a system (Blackboard) for schools to generate messages to the whole school or select groups. You are not able to reply back to these. They are generally just informative, but often contain important reminders. Look for these especially during bad weather or emergencies.
Which of these are valuable to your family? Class Dojo Daily Agendas and Folders Individual Notes and Emails ParentVUE Schoolwide Texts/Emails
Why are report cards important to you?
Report Cards and Grading Mid-Quarter Progress Reports are informative, but they are not recorded on the permanent record. K-3 has one form of a report card and a developmental type of grading. Grades 4-5 have a more traditional form of report card with grades based on percentages. The purpose of the report card is to communicate to students, parents, and staff the progress each student is making toward accomplishing performance-based standards. Let s look at each one separately
Kindergarten-3 rd Grade Report Cards The front shows the standards assessed for each subject area in each grading period. The assessed standards change throughout the year. The back explains the grading system and gives reading tips for each level. Be sure to look at both sides.
What do the number grades mean in K-3 rd grade? The numbers are NOT equivalent to traditional letter grades. 1=The student does not demonstrate understanding of the concept. 2=This stands for a wide range of mastery from just beginning to show understanding to almost being consistently successful all of the time. 3=The student shows mastery of the concept, and he/she can demonstrate the skill by his/herself repeatedly. Grades are not averaged throughout the grading period. Instead, students are assessed on their level of mastery for a particular standard.
4 th and 5 th Grade Report Cards This report card is a traditional one based on percentages with letter grades: A, B, C, D, F. The report is an average of all work completed during the grading period. Teachers record the assignments and grades on ParentVUE for you to see at any time. We can get you signed up for ParentVUE today! Let s look at the report card
How do you use the report card to help your child succeed? Use the front of the K-3 report card to see what standards are coming next-preview those. Use it to see what was just assessed-review those. Use the back of the 4-5 report card to see where your child s reading level falls, and where they need to be. Teachers can give you your child s level, but most students in 4-5 know their levels. All families can find the standards here: http://academics.cobbk12.org/#1500409618258- d45df302-3127 Use the report card to set goals more about that in a moment.
Should kids earn rewards for good grades?
How can setting goals help children succeed? Teaching children to set goals-both long and short term ones-will help them grow up to be responsible citizens. Learning how to set goals is a skill that they will use in school and throughout life. Share goals you have set with your children.
Strategies for Goals Start with goals that are easy to reach. Later, continue to make reasonable goals. Break goals into smaller steps. Write the steps and goals down and review them often. Focus on only one or two goals at a time. Establish a timeline for meeting the goal. Connect good habits with meeting a goal. Create a chart to measure progress. Encourage! Tell your child that you believe in him or her. Be willing to revise goals as needed. Help him/her accept responsibility when goals are not met. Celebrate success along the way. Read books about people who have achieved goals despite hardships.
SMART Goals
Successful Studying In order to set your child up for success in doing schoolwork at home, consider how your child learns best: Visual Learner Auditory Learner Tactile Learner If he/she is practicing a skill, using this strength will be an advantage.
Strategies for Studying at Home Reinforce through conversation that studying at home is important. Give examples of how you do that in your work, if possible. Relate this to the goals you set. Be sure to understand the teacher s expectations for studying and/or homework. Let the teacher know when your child tried an assignment, but had difficulty. Use the agenda or other calendar to record assignments, tests, or project due dates. Allow a break between school and study time. If they are in ASP, they have had a break. Provide a snack if needed. Schedule time to study each day. Even if there is not an assignment, there are skills to practice. Refer to the goals you set. Provide a work space with supplies close by. Turn off TVs, cell phones, and other distractions.
More Strategies for Studying at Home Work on more difficult tasks first. Break long study times into shorter amounts of time. Using a timer may help if it is not a distraction. Look for study sheets when tests are coming. Many teachers provide one which is very similar to the test. Assist your child with beginning long projects by helping to find resources or special supplies. Discuss the assignment to check for understanding. Be available if assistance is needed, but encourage him/her to try on his/her own first. Instead of giving the answer, try to ask questions that will lead the child to the answer. Monitor to be sure assignments are completed. Help your child be organized to make sure the work gets back to school.
Talk with your child about what he/she is learning every day! Show your child that learning is fun! Talk about new topics or skills that you are learning about, and let him/her do the same. Relate topics he/she is studying to what is going on in the family, neighborhood, or world.
Cobb County provides many resources: http://www.cobbk12.org/ Varner provides access to IXL: http://www.cobbk12.org/varner/ Title I Resources to check out and take home Other Resources
Questions? What was one new thing you learned? What do you want to know more about? What is one thing you can do with your child to help him/her be even more successful?
Upcoming Events 11/5 @ 6 PM-Math Workshop 11/10 @ 9:00-1:00-Learning Launch 11/14 @ 8 AM-K-3 rd grade Math Workshop 11/15 @ 8 AM-4 th and 5 th grade Math Workshop 11/29 @ 6 PM or 11/30 @ 7:15 AM- Sight Word Workshop
Thank You! Thank you so much for taking time to learn more about helping your child! Please complete a survey and place it in the basket by the door.