Friday, September 30, 2011

BE ON THE LOOKOUT:  ISAT and MAP results will be coming home via backpack mail on October 6^th!

Parent Night: Understanding Your Child's New Report Card

As mentioned at Curriculum Night and a previous Principal's Message, District 96 is hosting a Parent Night to help parents learn about the revised Standard's Based Report Cards for our students.  The night will be on November 9th at 6:30 p.m. at Prairie School.

The iLab IS OPEN! 

We are so excited to announce that each classroom at Country Meadows will visit the iLab at least once a week!  Students will continue to master learning targets through creative technology!  By the end of next week, all classrooms will have had an inaugural visit.  Make sure you ask your student about his/her time in the iLab.

What’s in the iLab?

Through the generous donation from the PTO, the iLab is equipped with 14 new iPad2s and cases for protection.  Through District 96 funds, we have added 10 laptop computers and 9 iPod Touches.  Students will also be using an LCD projector complete with an interactive whiteboard.  We also have access to various cameras for still and video images.  Be on the lookout for the addition of a green screen!  The iLab is located in the center of the building, in front of the Learning Resource Center, also known as the former computer lab. 

How will the ilab be used?

Mrs. Angel (Information Communication Technology Literacy Director) and Mrs. Morrison (Technology Integration Specialist) are working in tandem to enhance our students’ learning through this experience.  Both are familiar with each grade levels’ targets that are being instructed in literacy, science, and social studies.  Mrs. Angel works with these targets during Learning Resource instruction. During this time, she provides a heavy emphasis on navigating informational text integrating science and social studies targets, research, and project creation for communication purposes.  Using various technologies, students begin work with Mrs. Angel and then continue this workshop during their time in the iLab, which can also expand to the classroom.

All in all, the students will spend this time each work acquiring 21^st Century Learning Skills and continue a rigorous acquisition of science and social studies targets. 

The iLab is also a space that classroom teachers can bring students to work.  Further, all of this technology is available for teachers to check-out to use in the classroom as a tool as well.  Continue to ask your student about using these tools as the school year continues. 

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Kathy Angel, Valerie Morrison or me (Katie Schneider)! 

Google docs, Grades 3-5

New this year, students in 3rd-5th grade will be using Google documents. Students have been assigned a google account and will be trained in how to use it. The mail portion of the account has been disabled. Students will use an individual google account to create documents, powerpoints, and spreadsheets. The beauty of using google docs is that students can access documents, not only on any computer at school, but also at home.  In addition, documents can be shared with the teacher and other students. This is exciting since it allows students to collaborate and work together…even if they are miles apart!  If you have any questions, please ask Mrs. Morrison, our Technology Integration Specialist.

More Opportunities for Kids After-School

Rhythm Band (code name D.R.U.M.) is a special group of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders that meet and explore music through the world of percussion instruments. From mallets and xylophones, from djembe to maracas, Rhythm Band gives CM students a chance to explore their wilder sides by playing with others and improvising on their own. This year, Rhythm Band will meet every other Thursday from 3:00-4:30, in the Music Room. The first Rhythm Band meeting will be Thursday, October 6th. Hope to see you there!  You can access a permission slip online!

PAW WINNERS - SEPTEMBER - 2011

RESPECT

Grade 1:                                                Grade 2:

Jimmy Angelos                                     Megan Atchison

Natalie Berman-Schneider                 Ashtyn Cohen           

Carolina Chaves                                  Chase Parnes

Allison Katibnikov                                  Michael Randall

Isaac Tejada                                          Anika Sheth

                                                                 Yahir Vargas

Grade 3:                                                Grade 4:

Steven Beltran                                       Amanda Apostolopoulos

Leo Chavez                                           Frank Carris

Emerson Kouri                                        Kyle Federman

Sammy Maya                                        Kylie Ferrell

Anthony Nazaruk                                 Jack Marks

Adan Salinas                                         Daisy Martinez

Sophie Spina                                         Elizabeth Noronha

Sofia Stavens                                         Martha Teran

                                                                 Anthony Yan

  

                                                               Grade 5:

                                                               Dimitra Apostolopoulos

                                                               Maria Austin

                                                               Irena Clements

                                                               Beno Maya

                                                               Rafay Noor










Click here to read the PTO Newsletter.  

September 23, 2011

It is so hard to believe that the weeks are flying by!  It’s nearly October, WOW!  Even though the weeks are flying, we had another great one at Country Meadows.  Speaking of October, mark your calendars for a district-wide presentation at Ivy Hall School on October 20, 2011 at 6:30pm called, “Understanding Your Child’s Report Card.”  District administrators and teachers are eager to explain our revised report cards.  We cannot wait to see you there! 

Important Announcement:  It is both exciting and breaks our hearts to report that Art Club is full.  We are so excited that over 60 students have signed up and want to participate.  We tried to accommodate as many students as we could by creating a rotating schedule, however, even those sections are full.  We cannot be more excited that the students are so eager to participate in afterschool activities.  We all love art and Mrs. (Sanders) Grossman is amazing at instilling that love in students too as evidenced by this excitement.  Thank you for your understanding that we cannot add anymore students to the program! 

After-school Notes:  Thank you so much for your assistance and patience in helping us to make sure all 400 students get to where they need to be after-school.  Teachers are diligent at making sure all of the students in the class get home or to an alternate plan safely.  Here are some guidelines and ideas that will help to make sure there is no after-school confusion. 

·      If your student is signed up for a club, we assume they are going unless we receive a note stating otherwise.  We don’t want little ones getting off the bus to an empty home so we will not take the verbal word of a student. 

·      After-school notes about a change in plans need to be written and given to the teacher the day of that change only.  In order to keep track of where everyone is going and to make sure everyone is safe, all notes come through the office by way of the teacher and are recorded.  Notes are then returned to the classroom to serve as a reminder for the teacher and student.  It is a challenge to clarify the intention of a note that comes a few days early as well as continually make sure each student is heading in the right direction.   

·      If you email an after-school change in plans, we will always respond.  If we do not respond, that means we did not receive it.  We are finding that some emails are being blocked which can be a problem for communicating last minute changes.  The best thing to do is to call school to be sure we know about the change for your student.   

Again, thank you so much for your assistance in making sure all of our students get to the right place after-school, safely! 

Extended Math

There will be more information to come on how we extend and enrich our students at Country Meadows.  At this time, I would like to explain Extended Math for our 4^th and 5^th Graders.  Extended Math is an opportunity for our 4^th and 5^th graders to extend their learning of the identified targets from the Curriculum Framework.  All students in grades 4 and 5 have an opportunity to qualify for extended math each trimester.  Students who qualify for Extended Math will meet in a class taught by the Extended Learning Specialist one day each week during their regularly scheduled Math class.  Students who do not qualify for Extended Math will have opportunities for extension during the regular math class.

Trimester 1 – Extended Math begins the week of 10/10/11 and ends the week of 11/21/11.

Trimester 2 – Extended Math begins the week of 11/28/11 and ends the week of 2/27/12.

Trimester 3 – Extended Math begins the week of 3/5/12 and ends the week of 6/1/12.

Extended Math Criteria – Students need to qualify each trimester.

Trimester 1 – the student will need to meet all of the following criteria:

                  -  95% or greater on Fall MAP

-   Trimester 1 Cumulative Math Assessment given during the week of 09/26/11 demonstrating mastery of a minimum of 75% of the targets 

-  Student Characteristic Form completed by Classroom Teacher

Trimester 2 – the student will need to meet all of the following criteria:

-    95% or greater on Fall MAP

-   Trimester 2 Cumulative Math Assessment given during the week of 11/14/11 demonstrating mastery of a minimum of 75% of the targets 

-    Student Characteristic Form completed by Classroom Teacher

Trimester 3 – the student will need to meet all of the following criteria:

-  95% or greater on Fall or Winter MAP

-   Trimester 3 Cumulative Math Assessment given during the week of 02/13/12 demonstrating mastery of a minimum of 75% of the targets

-  Student Characteristic Form completed by Classroom Teacher

Principals will contact parents through email indicating that their child met the 95^th percentile for MAP and will be taking the Trimester Cumulative Math Assessment.  The Principal and/or Extended Learning Specialists will communicate with parents through email or phone calls to indicate that they will be included in Extended Math for the Trimester.  Parents and students will also be provided an expectation agreement for their participation.  This process will be repeated each trimester.

Feel free to contact me (aka: Katie Schneider) with any additional questions.  kschneider@kcsd96.org or 847.353.8600.  

Friday, September 16, 2011

Here are announcements that you and your family might be interested in!

3^rd Grade PARENT Math Night

Attention 3rd grade parents!!  Factor this date into your calendar:  Tuesday, September 20th, 7:00 in the Country Meadows Learning Center.  Come and learn the algorithms that your child will be using in math this year.  Don't forget your pencil!

CM Music Website

I am pleased to announce that the BRAND NEW CM Music Website is up and running. On this website you and your CM students can find a detailed map with concert dates, grade level information/music/performances, recorder music, fun links, after school club info, and other fun things. Stop and check it out at http://cmmusic.wikispaces.com                         

                                                             Have a great school year,

                                                                     Mr. Rathgeber

D96 Dash

The PTO Coordinating Council is organizing this event. It's a 5k (walk/run) great for the whole family. The start and finish is at Twin Groves. Event is on Sun., Oct 2, 2011 beginning at 8AM. Registration is online at http://www.kcsd96.org/about/pto_d96dash.html. The cost is $15/per person through Sept. 26. Same-day registration will increase to $20/per person.

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More Clubs and opportunities for kids!  Be on the lookout for clubs/forms here: http://www.kcsd96.org/CM/09CM/clubs_activities.html

http://www.kcsd96.org/CM/09CM/forms.html

Spanish Club

Come join the Spanish club to learn about Spanish language and culture both inside the United States and in the other 20 countries in which Spanish is spoken. A club with both native and non-native Spanish speakers, students will expand their language and cultural knowledge to prepare them for future success in a rapidly-globalizing world where bilingualism is a valuable asset.  This club will meet on Wednesdays from 3:00-4:0pm.  Grades 1-5 are welcome! 

Country Meadows Singers!

Country Meadows Singers is dedicated group of 4th and 5th graders who gather together to sing, make friends, laugh, and learn about music. This year, CMS will meet on Wednesdays from 3:00-4:15 in the music room. The first CMS (Chorus) meeting will be September 21st. To sign up, go to http://cmmusic.wikispaces.com/CMSSignUp OR download the CMS sign-up sheet and return it Mr. Rathgeber.

Young Composers Club

Have you ever wondered how someone could create a whole piece of music from out of nowhere? Have you ever wanted to make up your own music or do you already? Young Composers' Club is here for you. Young Composers' Club is an after school club for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders interested in creating music (in as many ways as possible). Playing instrument, using the computer to make and organize sounds, and learning how to tell a story though music are some of the exciting things you will learn about in the Young Composers' Club. The club meets every other Monday from 3:00 to 4:30 in the music room. If you are interested in joining in the fun. To join, go to http://cmmusic.wikispaces.com/YoungComposersSign-Up OR download the Young Composers Sign-Up sheet and return it to Mr. Rathgeber.

3rd Grade Extra Recorder Order

Third grade is a very exciting year in Music Class because it is the year that the students begin to learn how to play the recorder. Each student will be given a recorder to keep at school during the year. Over the years, I have noticed how much 3rd grade students look forward to the few days that they are allowed to take their recorders home so they can practice and perform for their friends and families. Because of this, and in hopes of sparking more creative experiences, extra recorders are can be purchased so that students have a high quality instrument available at home. This additional recorder will come in handy for student practice throughout 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. As a further incentive, these “recorders for home” can be purchased at a discounted price of $4.50 (regularly priced $6.00) until October 31. To purchase a discounted recorder, please fill out the 3rd Grade Recorder form below and return it with $4.50 by Monday, October 31st. 

4th and 5th Recorder Announcement and Extra Recorder Order form

Recorders are back! Recorders are back! The 4th and 5th grade students will again be working with recorders in music class. Please have your son/daughter bring their recorder to Music class by Friday, September 23rd.  If your 4th/5th grader has lost or misplaced their recorder, a new one can be purchased at a discounted price for a short time. Also, this is a perfect time to order an extra recorder that can stay at home. It has been my experience that some students lose their recorder (or multiple recorders) when bringing it back and forth between school and home and/or forget their recorder at home. Because of this, we are offering a special “back to school” discount rate of $4.50 for all replacement recorders and recorders for home until October 31st.  To purchase an extra recorder, please fill out the 4th/5th grade Extra Recorder Order Form and return it with $4.50 by October 31st.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Hello Families of Country Meadows!

Help? I'm soliciting your feedback!  We are working to more readily communicate with our parents about school specific information.  I want to thank you for reading this newsletter each week and ask you to send me an email with ideas on information, format, and length of the newsletter.  For example, what are you hoping to read about?  What is most meaningful to you?  Do you like bulleted lists?  Are you more of a narrative reader?   It is really important that this newsletter works for you so please, feel free to send me an email with your thoughts and ideas.  Thank you so much for your help!

Last week, the newsletter contained a lot of "start of the year" information about our routines and procedures.  Check it out if you missed it!  This week, I'm trying a more simple list with some upcoming events and conversations to consider with your child.

We had another great week of learning at Country Meadows.  Here's what is coming up next week that you'll want to be aware of:

• Monday, September 12th is Picture Day!  Smile big!  
• MAP Testing in the area of math continues next week.  Please check with you child's classroom teacher for the specific schedule. 

Over the next few weeks, teachers will begin advertising after-school opportunities for students.  Ask your child if he/she has heard about anything new.  Also, you can access the forms for clubs and activities on our webpage HERE.

In the near future, be on the lookout for dates and times about these great presentations:  

• Lisa Zimmerman will host a 3rd grade math night for parents of Country Meadows to learn math algorithms on September 20th.  In the near future, more details on time and location will be coming about: 
• Mark your calendar for a presentation called "Understanding Your Child's Report Card" on October 9th.

On our Opening Institute Day, District 96 employees had the privilege of hearing Michael Brandwein speaking about modeling for students.  He gave us a list of questions that are amazing to ask young people:

• "What did you (or someone else) do that was hard today (or took confidence or guts)?"
• "What did you (or someone else) do that was new today, or you haven't tried before?"
• "What did you learn that was new about that activity?" 

These are just 3 of 30 terrific questions that he gave us.  Staff at Country Meadows thought that these are great conversation starters with kids.  We hope you enjoy them!  

As always, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask!

Have a safe and relaxing weekend!  I'll be cheering for a few friends that are completing the Ironman in Madison on Sunday!

My best, 

Katie Schneider

September 2, 2011

September 2, 2011

Highlights from the Week

Curriculum Night was a huge success!  The energy in the building was tremendous!  Teachers were so excited to share plans for the school year.  We know that this is going to be an incredible year.  Thank you so much for attending and being so supportive of the fabulous work that happens at Country Meadows! 

Cub Crawl was warm but students and teachers had a great time anyway.  We danced our way into the gym for an all-school assembly to celebrate the start of the school year and practice behavior expectations!  Then, we boogied our way outside to warm up with fun line dances.  The students did a wonderful job teaching the teachers how to dance!  Finally, the whole school had a great time walking and running a path we created in the back of the school reinforcing that exercise and movement can be enjoyable and fun!  I’m sure the students came home tired.  

Principal Presentation on District Goals

This year, we will be focusing on:

• Maintaining High Levels of Student Achievement through:

·      Implementing new learning targets in the area of literacy with additional clarity, coherence, and rigor.

·      Revising our assessments and reports cards to align with these learning targets.  This will provide accurate information for parents through a standards based report card.

• Based on feedback from the community we will, Enhance Two-Way Communication with the Community through:

·      Sending a weekly email called the Principal Message with building specific information and PTO News. 

·      Sending a weekly email called E-News 96 with important district information. 

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)

The teachers will continue to learn about your child’s strengths and learning opportunities by administering the Measures for Academic Progress (MAP) assessment in the next two weeks. 

• MAP is given to students in grades 1-5 in the areas of reading and math.  Teachers use this assessment data, in combination with additional formal and informal measures, to plan for future instruction. 
• Please encourage your child to perform his or her best with a great night’s rest and a healthy breakfast. 
• Based on feedback, as a new District practice, MAP results will be shared with you in October.

Please see classroom communication for your child’s specific testing dates.

Raptor Security System

As always, your cooperation is greatly appreciated!  The security and safety of our students are our first priorities. Last year all of the schools in the District implemented the Raptor Security System.  Raptor's V-soft product helps keep unwanted visitors out of the school and tracks those that are allowed inside the building. The process is simple:

• When a visitor checks in at the main office, their driver’s license (or other state issued ID) is scanned. 
• The web-based V-soft instantly screens for registered sex offenders through national and state databases.
• When a visitor is cleared, V-soft prints a badge featuring the individual’s name, photo, date, time and destination.
• If you are volunteering in the building for the first time please bring identification and allot additional time to scan your driver’s license.

Parents are encouraged to come and scan their license prior to all school events, such as holiday parties, as this reduces the amount of time that it takes to print badges.

Beginning of the Day Routines

• Student drop off door is opened at 8:10am.  We do not have supervision for students prior to that time.
• The drop off door closes at the 8:20 bell, students need to be in their seats, ready to work when the final bell rings at 8:25 or they will be marked tardy.

Notes to the Office

• When sending a note about changes in plans after-school or absences and excused tardies, please include DATE, TEACHERS NAME AND STUDENTS NAME.

Lunch

The children at Country Meadows really enjoy lunch, as it is an opportunity for them to interact with their peers in a social context.  The children have an option to purchase lunch and/or milk using a lunch card.  I am very pleased with how well returning students’ remembered our lunch practices.  I am also proud of how well our first graders are getting used to eating at school for the first time! While the time allotted for all lunch periods remains the same as in years past, it takes a few days for children to fully implement the routines in a timely manner.  I am glad to say that by the end of this week the children were navigating our cafeteria procedures with ease! 

·      Please note, students will go outside for recess everyday (unless rain and temperatures prohibit) and need to be dressed appropriately.

Parent Pick-up

Please help us maintain and peaceful and orderly pick-up line with no accidents.  You can do this by:

• Refraining from using your cell phone since you are in a school zone.
• Wait in line patiently for the cars to move up to pick up your children. 
•  Students will walk the sidewalk, passed the playground, in order to get picked-up.
• Please do not park in a spot and ask your child to cross the parking lot on his or her own.  Accidents can happen fast.  If you are in a spot, please leave your vehicle and walk your child while holding his or her hand. 
• If you are feeling that you are in the back of the pick-up line, please do not have your child run out of line to jump into your car.  The adults are working to closely monitor the children that are getting picked up. 
• Above all, please be kind and patient.  Routines will become more systematic, moving faster, as we all follow the procedures. 
• Thank you so much for your support! 

PTO News

Don’t forget that Special Lunch forms (9/2) and dessert day forms (9/9) are due.  Click this title for the Country Meadows PTO Newsletter

As always, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask! 

My best,

Katie Schneider