Principal's Message - May 2008
For the next few weeks our students will be engaged with taking the
STAR Standardized tests. The STAR Program suggests the following to “Help
Your Children Achieve:
Parents and guardians play a very important part in their children’s
education. Encouraging children to do their best in school and to complete
school assignments well and on time can have a positive impact on
learning. Research about how children learn shows that a great deal and be
done at home to increase their academic performance.
One question you may have about the Standardized Testing and Reporting
(STAR) Program is, “How can I help children do better on the tests?” The
question really is, “How can I help children do well in school?” What you
do at home can make a very big difference in how well children achieve in
school.
Most Important of All – Let your children know how important their work
at school is and how interested you are in what they are doing. Talk with
them every day about:
1) What they did in school,
2) What homework must be
finished by the next day and
3) What needs to be done on a future project.
Here are some suggestions for helping children in reading, writing,
mathematics and other academic areas:
In Reading and Writing:
1) Listen to your children read. Read stories
aloud to and with them.
2) Talk about what you and your children are
reading. Ask questions and discuss words that are new or difficult.
3)
Spend time together, as a family, reading newspapers, magazines, and
books.
4) Encourage your children to write lists, notes, thank-you notes,
requests, journals, recipes, short stories, and other types of writing
used in everyday life.
5) For writing assignments, talk with your
children about what the assignment requires; help them list the points to
cover. Take your children to the library or help them use the Internet if
more information is needed.
6) Set a limit on the amount of time your
children watch television or use the computer. Watch and discuss
television programs with them whenever possible.
In Mathematics:
1) Review homework every day with your children to
make sure assignments are completed. Ask your children to explain some of
their math problems and how they solved them.
2) Attend parent/guardian
classes about mathematics to prepare for questions that your children
might ask at home.
3) Have your children help solve “real” mathematical
problems as you play games, cook a meal, or prepare to do a home project.
4) Show your children how mathematics is used in everyday life, including cooking, shopping, making crafts, sewing, or doing home repairs.
5) Help
your children read charts or graphs in newspapers and magazines. Read maps
when going on a family trip. It is important to help your children apply
what they are doing.
In Other Academic Areas: Other academic areas, such as science and
history-social science, challenge children to use reading, writing, and
mathematics skills along with their knowledge about the subject. As your
children read about a subject, ask them to tell you about it. This
reinforces what they have learned and promotes the use of their new
vocabulary. Share your interest in any academic area because children
become interested in what is discussed at home. Family trips to museums,
special television programs, news about a recent scientific discovery, or
important world and local events should be shared and discussed. At times,
let your children take the lead in talking about topics of interest to
them.
You Can Help Your Children Do Better on State Tests:
1) Visit school
and see how your children’s classroom instruction addresses California
content standards.
2) Attend parent/guardian-teacher conferences to
find out how well your children are achieving and what they need to do to
improve.
3) Discuss with your children the importance of going to school
every day and doing their best on assignments and tests.
4) Make sure
your children have a quiet place to study and that they complete all
homework assignments.
5) Attend parent/guardian information meetings. Ask
about the major test given to children and other ways academic achievement
is measured.
6) Discuss upcoming tests with your children and try to
reduce their anxieties about test taking. Reassure children that the test
results will provide useful information about what they know and what they
still need to learn.
7) Make sure your children attend school on testing
days, get a good night’s rest and have breakfast before a big test.
Please feel free to contact the office if you have further questions.
I’ll be happy to set up a conference with you if you wish. Thanks for your
continued support. Due to the tremendous programs our teachers provide and
the outstanding effort of your children we anticipate the test results to
be extremely positive.
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