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Letter from Principal Cathy Howard
Barron Park Buzz, October 17, 2008
Dear Barron Park families,
t has been delightful to see so many parents and families at our recent Family Fun Day, Walk and Roll to School Day, and Bringing Up Bicyclists presentation. And many, many thanks to Elisabeth Bonnet, Susan Giovannotto, and all of the wonderful volunteers who made these events happen! I also hope to see lots of parents and families this Sunday at our Family Fall Work Day.
Preparing for an EmergencyThis week we participated in the District-wide Walk Through Emergency Drill. Following a brief earthquake scenario read over the loudspeaker, children “ducked and covered” under desks or other classroom furniture. On direction from their teachers they evacuated the classroom and assembled on the field. In a real emergency, about half of our staff members will supervise the children while the other staff members assume additional responsibilities. These jobs include Search and Rescue, First Aid, Student Release, Food and Water, and many more. We have all of the necessary supplies and equipment to handle these responsibilities, stored in the Emergency Shed on campus.
We need your help, too. If we ever have an actual emergency, please be assured that we are set up to care for your child until you, or someone you have indicated on the emergency card, arrives. Please:
- Do not phone the school. We will need to keep the lines open for communication with police and fire departments.
- When you come to school, park away from the entrances so that emergency vehicles have clear access.
- When you arrive on campus, report directly to the Student Release Center set up on the blacktop behind the office and marked with a bright orange flag. Children will not be released directly from their classes. We will need to keep track of everyone’s location at all times. Visitors will be checked in and children checked out ONLY at the Command Center. A runner will bring your child to you, and the child will be given a special bright tag indicating they have been released.
- Your child will be released only to you or to someone listed on your child’s yellow emergency ID tag or Emergency/Health card. Please remember to keep those cards up to date!
- We will keep your child at school until either the parent/guardian or a person designated on the Emergency/Health card or yellow Disaster ID tag arrives.
Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe. Here’s hoping that we will never have to use these procedures…
Constellation Groups
Barron Park students develop strong cross-age relationships in bi-weekly
Constellation Groups, which stay together throughout their time in
the school. Each small group of kindergarten through fifth grade
students meets regularly with a teacher or other staff member. All
groups participate in co-operative games, arts and crafts, and team
building activities; fifth graders often assist the constellation group
teacher in leading the activities. Our first meeting of the year will
be this coming week – be sure to ask your child how it went!
Child by child by child…
Parents sometimes ask me how it is that I know so much about their
child. One of the ways I learn about each child and keep up with his/her
learning and growth is through my “Kid by Kid” meetings in
fall and winter with teachers and specialists. Over the last month I
have been meeting with the teachers at each grade level for an entire
day. We talk about every child at that grade level, one child at a time,
reviewing assessment data, discussing classroom performance, and looking
at social and emotional development. The specialists – Resource,
Reading, Speech/Language, ELD, Home School Liaison, and school psychologist – come
in during the times we were discussing students they work with.
Often we review data and information from previous years to see if we can discern any patterns. Finally – and perhaps most important - we look at the strategies that work best for each child and brainstorm some ideas to try next. Would this child benefit from reading more challenging books, or perhaps trying non-fiction? How can we provide support for that child in writing? Would a kinesthetic or visual approach to learning math be more successful for this student? This child is ready to take on more leadership – how can we provide that opportunity?
The fall child by child (or “kid by kid”) meetings are timed so that the teacher can share these observations and ideas with parents at the fall conferences, and the mid-year meetings lead in to the second trimester report cards. The timing of the fall discussions also provides insights and ideas for grade level instructional planning, individual teacher’s professional objectives, and common themes for staff focus throughout the year.
And at the fall parent/teacher conferences the exchange of information,
questions, and discussion, help us all build a powerful partnership between
home and school.
Have a relaxing, safe, and restful weekend.
Cathy Howard
Email Principal Cathy
Howard
Phone: 858-0508
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