We have had a great start to the second semester!  Our students came back from break working hard and applying what they had learned in the first semester.  January flew by us and I can not believe that we are already in February.  This month has lots of things going on that I wanted to share with you.

This month we will be taking our benchmarks.  These benchmarks give us an idea of where your child is at and what we need to target.  To better prepare our students for the testing environment of STAAR we will have our benchmarks in the same type of manner that they will be in April.  For our fourth and fifth graders they are familiar with the set up, but our third graders are not. On the days that we have benchmarks we are asking that you do not come to have lunch with your children nor bring lunches up.  We appreciate your help with this!!  To help prepare your children for this please help us by:

*Making sure they get a goods night rest the night before.

*Eat a good breakfast or make it to school in time to eat breakfast.

*Remind them to show their thinking.  We have been practicing and drilling this since the beginning of the school year.

Students who show their thinking will be allowed to attend a strategy celebration.  Our students and teachers have been working on what this looks like since our first six weeks test.  Students know that in math they are to show how they solved their problem.  In reading they are to prove where or how they found their answers.  This celebration is not based on their grades, but the student showing how they solved the questions.

I have also been asked about Valentine parties.  We are not having Valentine parties this year.  The students will still be exchanging Valentine’s, but we will not have the big party.  We will be having an Easter and End of Year party.

Fifth grade parents you are invited to come on February 19th to meet Mrs. Freeman.  We will also be sharing with you the information we have received in regards to this being an SSI year for your fifth grader and what it means for them.

Below are some important dates for this month:

February 12th- 5th Grade Math Benchmark and Day 1 of 4th Grade Writing

February 13th- 5th Grade Reading Benchmark and Day 2 of 4th Grade Writing

February 14th- Benchmark make up for students that missed.

Student’s exchange Valentines, no party.

February 18th- No School

February 19th- 5th Grade Parent Night 5:00 Intermediate Cafeteria

February 26th- 3rd and 4th Grade Math Benchmark

February 27th- Early Release

February 28th- 3rd and 4th Grade Reading Benchmark, 5th Grade Science Benchmark