Principal Newsletter 9/25/2020

• Your patience and collaboration is so appreciated while we engage in remote learning!  I apologize for the inconvenience our internet has caused and hope our second week was smoother.  I’ve really enjoyed logging on and seeing your child engaged with their remote classroom!

• Every Wednesday we engage in a Social Emotional Learning lesson.  Currently every teacher reads a book and engages students in a discussion with follow up activities.  These lessons are purposeful and carefully planned.  We want to provide windows and mirrors for our students.  We want to provide a ‘window’ into another’s perspective or experience.  We want to show a ‘mirror’ so our students see themselves represented, respected and acknowledged for the special and important people they are.  This past Wednesday students read The Big Red Lollipop based on a true story of a family originally from Pakistan who learned what a birthday party was, and included some sibling rivalry.  Ask your child about the text and their take away from it.

• Next week we will engage in our first i-Ready diagnostic assessment remotely! Students will be assessed in both reading and mathematics.   

What is i-Ready?

i-Ready is an online program that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction.

The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning.

What can I do to help?

To help prepare your child for the i-Ready Diagnostic, encourage them to: 

• Get a good night’s sleep and eat a full breakfast the day of the assessment.

• Try their best on each question and not to rush.

• Try not to worry about questions to which they do not know the answers—remind them that it is expected that they will only get about half of the questions correct. (This is normal!)

What happens next?

The i-Ready Diagnostic will provide results that help us to  identify your child’s strengths and determine next steps for instruction. We look forward to sharing these results with you throughout the year and providing a learning experience that will engage your child while teaching important skills and concepts.

If you have any questions about i-Ready, please do not hesitate to contact me or the school. You can also learn more about i-Ready by visiting i-ReadyCentral.com/FamilyCenter. 

As always, thank you for your continued support and for being a partner in your child’s learning! It is much appreciated.

With Sheffield Pride,

Melissa Pitrat, Principal