1. Bryan Kerachsky Principal Haddam Elementary School
Curriculum Night 2014
Bryan Kerachsky
Principal
Haddam Elementary School

2. Groups/Teachers Food Service PTO Staff
Library Website:

3. Principal Information
Taught/Coached for 10 years in Tolland Public Schools
Came to RSD 17 in 2009
Elementary Teaching and Learning Specialist
K-12 English Language Arts Coordinator
2 interim principal terms here at Haddam Elementary
Family
3 Kids, ages 14, 4, and almost 3.
My wife is a 4th grade teacher in Vernon
Blog

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5. District News
Haddam-Killingworth High School was just named to America’s Top Schools by Newsweek.
We were 1 of 12 schools in CT to receive the honor.

6. CT Core Standards CT Standards
Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
Connecticut adopted these standards in July 2010
has a great site for parents to look at the CCSS
Why these standards?
The English language arts and mathematics standards:
Align with college and work expectations;
Are clear, understandable, consistent;
Include rigorous content and application of knowledge;
Build on strengths and lessons of current state standards; and
Prepare all students for success in global economy and society.
They do not:
Dictate how teachers teach
Dictate what instructional / curricular materials should be used

7. ELA Shifts Build knowledge through content-rich nonfiction text
Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from the text, using literal and informational text.
Regular practice with complex text and its academic language
ELA Shifts
on_Core_Shifts.pdf

8. Math Shifts Focus strongly on where the Standards focus
Coherence: Think across grades and link to major topics within grades
Rigor in major topics pursue:
Conceptual understanding
Procedural skill and fluency
Application with equal intensity
Math Shifts
mmon_Core_Shifts.pdf

9. Math 1st Grade Topics
 1. Fluency with Addition and Subtraction within 10
2. Exploring Addition & Subtraction within 20
3. Counting and Place Value
4. Exploring Addition and Subtraction within 100
5. Defining Attributes of 2-D and 3-D Shapes
6. Partitioning Circles and Rectangles
7. Measuring Length with Non-Standard Units
8. Time to the Hour and Half-Hour

10. Math 2nd Grade Topics 1. Fact Strategies (+,-) Up to 20
2. Place Value to 1,000
3. Fluency with Addition & Subtraction within 100
4. Exploring Addition & Subtraction within 1000
5. Money
6. Reasoning with Shapes
7. Linear Measurement with Standard Units
8. Time to the Nearest 5-Minutes

11. Math 3rd Grade Math Topics
 1. Understanding Multiplication and Division
2. Connecting and Using Multiplication and Division
3. Computing with Whole Numbers
4. Exploring Measurement and Data
5. Understanding Area and Perimeter
6. Reasoning about Two-dimensional Shapes
7. Understanding Fractions
8. Reasoning about Fraction Comparisons and Equivalence

12. 4th Grade Math Topics
1. Understanding and Using Place Value to Multiply and Divide
 2. Factors and Multiples 
3. Multi-Digit Whole Number Computation
4. Comparing Fractions and Understanding Decimal Notation
5. Building Understanding of Addition, Subtraction, and Multiplication of Fractions
6. Solving Problems involving Measurement and Data
7. Exploring Angles and Angle Measurement
8. Understanding Properties of Two-Dimensional Figures

13. Bottom line: Read Write Talk/Speak Be Mathematicians Be Historians
Lot of student discourse
Listen
Think Critically
Think Creatively
Problem Solve
Be Mathematicians
Be Historians
Be Scientists
Be Investigators
Be Lifelong Readers
Throughout the year, I will demonstrate what this looks like through my blog.

14. What’s Going On at Haddam Elementary School?
New Parking Lot
New Basketball Hoops…..coming very soon
Looking to do some murals around the school
Strengthening of the PTO
New Hires/Transfers
Kelly Johnson, Music Teacher
Judy Nacca, Reading Support
Deb Slowik, Math Support
Pam Rich, 4th Grade Teacher
Paige Boudreau, Kindergarten
Kathleen King, 1st grade paraprofessional
Marlou French, 1st grade paraprofessional
Lisa Palmieri, K paraprofessional

15. What’s Going On at Haddam Elementary School?
Student Expectations:
Positive Behavior Supports
Staff/Students will be working on this to finalize for next year
Common behavior expectations for classroom, hallways, cafe, bathrooms, etc…
Advocate for themselves
Independence/Agency

16. Independence and Agency
Student Agency refers to a combination of academic mindsets and learning strategies that have been demonstrated to advance achievement. Academic mindsets are evident in students who feel a sense of belonging in school; believe they have the capacity to learn, and see value in their participation.

17. Continuous Improvement Plans
Goals:
Students will improve their literacy and numeracy skills as measured by district and state assessments.
Haddam Elementary will continue to develop its community internally and externally.
Objectives:
To increase reading stamina.
To increase writing stamina.
To increase students’ understanding of numbers and operations and their ability to use these concepts in flexible ways to solve problems.
To continue to build a positive and safe school community.
Continuous Improvement Plans will be published in October 2013.

18. Parent Volunteers
Please sign up with your classroom teacher. Please let me know if you have any ideas for things to do around the school that we and the PTO could work together on. Our hope is for you to know that our school is your school. me with ideas:

19. HAVE A GREAT 2014-2015 SCHOOL YEAR!