Parent Night for Hispanic Families Nicasio School: November 18, 2009

Welcome! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend tonight’s event!

Introductions Christy Stocker, Principal & 6/7/8 Language Arts Teacher Laura Rogers, K/1/2 Teacher Elaine Doss, 3/4/5 Teacher Colin Williams, 6/7/8 Teacher Nancy McInnes, K-8 Spanish Teacher & School-Home Translator

Purpose of Tonight’s Meeting To improve communication between school and home with our Spanish-speaking parents To use communication to provide better educational support for our Hispanic students

Successful Education = Partnership between School & Home Schools alone cannot provide students with all the knowledge and skills they will need to be successful. You are already supporting your children in many ways, for which we thank you. However, we need increased parent involvement in our children’s education to support their educational goals.

Recipe for Student Success Quality Curriculum & Materials Experienced & Skilled Teachers Individualized Classroom Instruction Parental Support at Home

Quality Curriculum & Materials Nicasio School ensures that teachers are providing classroom instruction with up-to-date California State approved curriculum for all required subject areas including: – Language Arts (Reading & Writing in English) – Mathematics – Science – Social Studies Nicasio School provides books, paper, pens & pencils, desks, access to computers, printers and other resources.

Experienced & Skilled Teachers The core classroom teachers at Nicasio School have many years of experience working with children of all ages. All core teachers hold either a master’s degree or advanced certificate or both. Nicasio School teachers regularly participate in professional development activities to continue their own learning and to improve their instructional practices.

Individualized Classroom Instruction Teachers constantly assess student progress in all subject areas, identifying each child’s personal strengths and weaknesses. Teachers regularly modify their instructional strategies, techniques and curriculum to support each child’s needs. Depending on individual needs, students may: – be placed in small learning groups – receive one-on-one support – be partnered with a peer buddy – have modified assignments

Parental Support at Home (1) Even if you do not speak English fluently, there are still many ways that you can support your child in the area of homework. Engage your child in conversation about school each night. Ask specific questions rather than general questions: – “Did you have a good day today?” (rather than, “How was your day?”) – “Tell me one new thing you learned today?” (rather than, “What did you learn today?”)

Parental Support at Home (2) Establish a regular schedule and routine for homework: Designate a consistent time for homework. (Example: right after school, 4:00pm – 5:00pm OR right after dinner, 7:30pm – 8:30pm) Ask your child to explain what assignments he/she needs to work on that night AND ask about any projects/tests coming up. (Middle School students should show you their daily planner and be able to point out and describe each assignment listed.) Ensure that your child has a quiet place to study without distractions (no access to Internet, TV, music, toys, games, phone, etc.) Monitor your child’s progress in completing homework. – Don’t leave your child unattended for the entire homework period; don’t assume that he/she will stay focused and on task when unsupervised. Check in on your child periodically. Ask to see what he/she has completed. Ask him/her to point out which assignments still need to be completed.

Parental Support at Home (3) Praise your child’s effort and progress. This improves student motivation when they see that other’s value the work they are doing. Hold your child accountable for completing homework assignments. Suggestions: Develop a reward system for completion. Establish consequences for lack of completion.

Purpose of Homework Homework provides students with opportunities to practice concepts and skills they are learning at school. Time spent learning new ideas at school is not enough. Students need to practice these ideas also at home in order to master grade-level learning standards.

Homework Anxiety Students often have stress and anxiety about homework because of the fear of making mistakes. Students think that making mistakes means that they are not smart. To protect themselves, students often choose not to take risks and avoid homework altogether.

Nicasio School’s Philosophy about Homework (1) We want students to feel “safe” to take risks. Homework is an opportunity to “practice” and, therefore, teachers do NOT expect that students’ assignments will be “perfect”. Making mistakes is a normal part of practicing new things. Students are not penalized for making mistakes (having wrong answers) on their homework assignments.

Nicasio School’s Philosophy about Homework (2) Students earn two separate grades for each subject they study. One grade is EFFORT Homework is graded on the “effort” a child puts into his/her responsibilities as a student, which include: – Homework is complete. – Homework is turned in on time. – Homework is neat and legible. – The student followed directions when completing homework. Homework is NOT marked down if there are wrong answers as long as the student put forth his/her best effort.

Effort Grade vs. Academic Grade The other grade students receive in each subject area is ACADEMIC. The “Academic” grade includes quizzes, tests and larger projects based on grade-level learning standards. These activities take place at school, not at home. These activities take place AFTER students have had many opportunities to practice new ideas at school and in their homework.

Homework Expectations: Grades K/1/2 Homework will be assigned Monday through Thursday nights. Reading practice nightly (10-20 minutes) Math practice nightly (10-20 minutes) Spelling practice weekly beginning mid-year of grade 1 Unfinished classwork may be sent home for completion

Homework Expectations: Grades 3/4/5 Homework will be assigned Monday through Thursday nights. With the exception of reading, homework will not be assigned over the weekend: Reading practice nightly, including weekends (30 minutes) Math practice nightly (10-15 minutes) Spelling practice weekly Social Studies and Science review for tests as needed Unfinished classroom work may be sent home for completion Occasional long-term projects will be assigned throughout the course of the year

Homework Expectations: Grades 6/7/8 (1) Homework will be assigned Monday through Thursday nights. Students can expect to spend between 1.5 and 2.0 hours per night on homework. With the exception of reading and occasional long-term projects, homework will not be assigned over the weekend. Reading practice nightly – assigned class literature (30 minutes) Reading daily ongoing – free choice literature Math practice nightly (30 minutes) Spanish practice nightly (20 minutes) Additional homework in Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies that reinforces skills to increase student achievement, including critical thinking activities, summarizing and note-taking.

Homework Expectations: Grades 6/7/8 (2) Test and quiz review *Students know several days in advance when they will be expected to take a quiz, test or other form of assessment. Reviewing for such assessments should be an ongoing practice and habit. In particular, on evenings when there is a light homework load, students should use the extra time available to prepare for upcoming quizzes, tests and long-term projects. Unfinished classroom work will be sent home for completion (this will require time in addition to regular homework assignments). Several long-term projects will be assigned throughout the course of the year (example: Literacy Portfolio, research projects, etc.)

How to Help with Homework Homework assignments are designed so that students should be able to complete their homework independently. They have already learned what they need to know in class; homework is “practice”. If your child is confused about an assignment, encourage him/her to call a “buddy” from class. If your child is still confused after calling a class buddy, he/she should write a “note” to the teacher explaining: – …whom he/she called to ask for help. – …why he/she finds the assignment confusing. You (the parent) should sign the note your child wrote to the teacher. – This holds the student accountable to his/her responsibility. – This also keeps you informed about how your child feels about his/her assignments.

The Value of Reading Scientific research clearly shows that reading, for children of all ages, significantly improves a child’s success in school across all subject areas. Suggestions: Read to your young children each night. – Reading does not have to be in English to be beneficial. – This models positive reading habits to your children, exposes them to creative storytelling, and creates good family bonding time. Invite your child read to you each night. Encourage your child to listen to audio books on tape or CD in English. These can be checked out free at your local public library. The more children read AND the more they are read to (or listen to audio books), the more successful they will be.

Parent Visibility at School Students LOVE to see their parents on campus. Your presence on campus: – Shows your child that you value school and what they are doing at school. – Helps you stay up-to-date with all the activities happening on campus. – Promotes communication between school-home. Suggestions: Attend weekly Wednesday assemblies (1:40pm-2:00pm) Nancy attends all assemblies regularly and is happy to serve as your translator. Consider parking your car occasionally in the mornings and walking your child onto campus. Take a minute to watch them play on the playground. Stop by the office to say “hola”. Anytime you want to participate in something on campus or want to speak with someone, contact Nancy ( ). She will be more than happy to help make arrangements for you.

The Pre-School Advantage Students entering Kindergarten have a significant learning advantage if they have already attended pre-school. – Pre-School promotes social interaction where children learn how to play and work together. – Pre-School exposes Spanish-speaking children to the English language, making transition into an English-speaking kindergarten class easier. – Pre-School introduces basic academic concepts to children, giving them greater academic success in kindergarten. Spanish-speaking kindergarteners with NO pre-school experience tend to be 1 grade level below their peers. – Their first year of kindergarten is typically spent learning English, which is necessary before they can successfully learn academics. – The earlier they begin learning English (pre-school), the more successful they will be academically.

What Can We do to Support You?