Attendance
Please make every effort to be at school by 8:15 a.m., so that your child doesn’t miss out on the Morning Meeting. It is a special part of the day, as well as being an important part of the curriculum.
If you know that you will be out of school for an extended amount of time for a family vacation, please let me know in advance. I will prepare lessons that your child will miss while your family is gone. One of those assignments will be to have your child journal about his/her adventures on the trip.
If your child is ill, please call Willowwind School before 8:15 a.m., if possible. It is also helpful for you to call to say you will be late and to give your expected time of arrival.
Updates
I will send out a weekly blog highlighting classroom activities. Please be sure to register to receive that blog. You will find the place to do that on the Welcome Page of the Burrowing Owl website. Please read this weekly blog as a way to engage your child in conversation about his/her activities for the week.
I will also keep you informed of upcoming events such as field trips, special requests, and volunteer opportunities in emails as needed.
This year I will be using Seesaw as a way to provide immediate information about classroom activities. If you picked up the information about how to sign up, please do so soon. If you have not received the information, please see me for the handout.
Drop Off and Pick Up
Children that arrive before 8:00, should bring their backpacks to the classroom and then return to the Gathering Space. At 8:00 the children are allowed to come to the Burrowing Owl classroom under teacher supervision. If you have any questions or concerns at the beginning of the day, I would be happy to have a brief discussion then and/or to plan for a conference at a later time. It is better for me if these conversations are short, so that I can help the children have an orderly beginning to the day. Thanks.
Please note that there will be parking for you in the Willowwind parking lot, as the staff parks at the River Community Church. If you find the Willowwind lot is full, you may also use the River Community Church parking lot. Students are expected to engage in a quiet classroom activity until school starts. If you are late in the morning, please sign in at the front desk. It is important for your child to get settled as quickly and quietly as possible, so that there is little interruption to our morning routine.
After school I will walk the class outside and wait at the bottom of the stairs with the students until 3:30. If students are going to ASP, I will drop them off in the Gathering Space. Pick Up time is also a good opportunity for you to visit with other parents or me. Students are expected to play quietly near the front door as we wait for your arrival. Students are not allowed to go to the playground at this time due to lack of adult supervision. This is necessary due to my after school responsibilities. It is helpful if you call and let the front desk know that you will be early or late picking up your child. Thank you for your understanding.
Lunch Routine
K-6 students eat lunch together each day. This is a valuable time to build school-wide community, practice social skills, and learn about healthy eating habits. In the Burrowing Owl classroom we will gather our lunch materials and walk to lunch together. We eat in the Gathering Space or outside, weather permitting. We will begin the lunch time with a K-6 recess, beginning at 11:30. At 11:55 students will be seated and begin eating. At 12:10 students will be dismissed. On Monday, Tuesday, and Friday everyone will gather for Group Discussion in the Gathering Space. On Wednesday and Thursday, students are dismissed to their classrooms. Please feel free to join us for lunch, recess, Group Discussion, or all of it!
Please be sure that the healthy lunch you send is something your child enjoys eating, so that he/she has the necessary energy for the rest of the day. Children are asked not to share their food with others, so that parents have confidence about what their children have eaten.
Birthdays
We will celebrate your child’s birthday in our classroom. At Willowwind we encourage healthy choices for treats, such as fruit and muffins. Please check with me concerning any possible dietary restrictions for students in our class. Your child is welcome to celebrate his/her half-birthday, if born during a summer month.
Snacks
Students are to bring their own nutritious morning and afternoon snacks. I will provide classroom time for the morning snack. If your child is hungry in the afternoon, he/she is welcome to enjoy an afternoon snack while completing class work. Please send a water bottle, so that your child can easily stay hydrated during the day.
Bathroom
Students are free to use the restroom as needed, after getting permission from me. They will be asked to go one at a time.
Homework
Homework in the Burrowing Owl class will come home Monday through Thursday. It should take about 30 minutes. If you find it taking longer, let me know so we can make adjustments. Occasionally there will be some weekend homework. I have set up a station for turning in the homework folders each day to help students develop independence in this area. Students decorated a homework bag to help keep their daily homework organized. I am asking them to find a special place to put their backpacks each evening at home. I would appreciate your help by suggesting a good place that everyone knows about. I am also asking students to return homework to the cloth bag and to put the bag back in their backpacks as soon as the homework is complete. We have planners again this year, so please monitor what your child is doing and sign off on it when the work is complete. Thanks for your support in this. The children are encouraged to have responsibility for this, but please monitor and guide them as they develop more independence.
Monday through Thursday students will have spelling sorts to practice as homework. Please monitor your child’s study. It is important to study the words in the traditional way using the spelling packet found in the homework folder. Spelling practice should take about 10 minutes. Please read the spelling handout in your child’s homework folder, which describes this procedure in detail.
Monday through Thursday students are expected to practice the basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. I will send home a set of flashcards specific to your child's needs in a plastic bag. This set should be kept at home in a safe place. Research indicates this is the best way to learn new facts--learn a few new facts and then add a few more. Study of math facts at home should take no more than 5 minutes.
On Monday through Thursday there will also be a math sheet to complete. This is meant to be completed with adult supervision. Please help your child with corrections, because this helps avoid practicing a new skill the wrong way.
I would like students to read at least 20 minutes every night. I know that it is not necessary to assign this for Willowwind students, but it serves as a reminder. Please have your child record the number of pages read on the Reading Log you will find in the Homework Folder.
Occasionally there will be a homework activity to do for science and social studies, such as gathering information for reports being written in those subject areas. I will always assign this on a Thursday and it will be due on the following Monday, allowing your child to have the weekend to prepare. I will be careful to give only one extra assignment on a weekend. Occasionally it may be necessary to send home classroom work that is not completed during the day or to send make-up work from absences.
Behavior Management
We talk daily about the Core Virtues promoted by Willowwind School. I have a section in the Homework Planner concerning these virtues. I would like the children to record an example of a Core Virtue they practiced each day.
We will try to help each other remember classroom procedures in a supportive way. Occasionally an individual child may need extra help with self-discipline. In that case I will contact the parents and together we will come up with a private individual plan.
Assessment
At Willowwind School we do not use a traditional grading system. Assessment in the Burrowing Owl class includes reading running records, anecdotal records, rubrics, some end of unit written tests, as well as oral and written work in a variety of genres. The specials teachers will also record and report progress in their respective areas. We complete the Iowa Assessments in grades 3 through 6 in October. We have two reading assessments--On the Mark running records and Developmental Reading Assessments. We also give the Words Their Way spelling placement assessment, weekly spelling assessments, and unit assessments for math taken from our Math in Focus program. The information from all of these forms of assessments will help determine your child’s classroom level placement in a variety of curricular areas.
Parent Communication
During the first conference of the year I will meet with parents to establish a Personal Education Plan (PEP) for each child. Later in the fall I will meet with parents to review each child’s progress on the goals set during the PEP conference. I will provide parents a written summary of progress for this conference. In the spring I will meet again with parents to review progress with the goals outlined in the PEP. Finally, I will prepare two final written summaries of your child’s overall progress for the year—a final summary of the PEP and an End-of-Year narrative.
Volunteering
We will have two room parents who will be contacting you concerning volunteer opportunities like the following.
There are a number of ways you can help in our classroom. An important one is to chaperone and drive for the interesting field trips we take each year. We will have 17 students this year, so it will be necessary to have four or five drivers for each trip. We will take the bus for a few field trips and I will ask for one parent volunteer to come with us as a chaperone. That has proven to be very useful when a student has a special need. There will also be volunteer needs for one time special events, such as the Burrowing Owl Café and I will let you know about these as they occur. Please remember that your volunteer time in the Burrowing Owl classroom counts toward your Willowwind volunteer hours.
Library Visits
Once a month we will visit the Iowa City Public Library. Our transportation will be an Iowa City bus that stops at Dover and Muscatine. The children will need a personal library card from this library to check out books. I will usually have two or three books that I want the children to check out for classroom curricular activities. The children can check out more books and other media if you wish. I limit them to one DVD and one other type of media, because I want them to focus on reading books. If you do not want your child to check out a particular type of media, please let me know. Please keep in mind that children without a card are very disappointed about not being able to check out books, but that says a lot about their love of reading! Thanks for your support in this area.
Specials
Please go to the Classroom Schedule tab on my Welcome Page that includes the day and time for Music, Art, Movement, and Spanish.
Please be sure that your child is wearing good shoes for running during recess and Physical Education class. Flip-flops and crocs make it difficult for students to run and jump, which can lead to injury. It is helpful if your child leaves a pair of athletic shoes at school. During the cold weather Physical Education class will occur in the gymnasium of the River Community Church, so it will be important to avoid street shoes.
Please make every effort to be at school by 8:15 a.m., so that your child doesn’t miss out on the Morning Meeting. It is a special part of the day, as well as being an important part of the curriculum.
If you know that you will be out of school for an extended amount of time for a family vacation, please let me know in advance. I will prepare lessons that your child will miss while your family is gone. One of those assignments will be to have your child journal about his/her adventures on the trip.
If your child is ill, please call Willowwind School before 8:15 a.m., if possible. It is also helpful for you to call to say you will be late and to give your expected time of arrival.
Updates
I will send out a weekly blog highlighting classroom activities. Please be sure to register to receive that blog. You will find the place to do that on the Welcome Page of the Burrowing Owl website. Please read this weekly blog as a way to engage your child in conversation about his/her activities for the week.
I will also keep you informed of upcoming events such as field trips, special requests, and volunteer opportunities in emails as needed.
This year I will be using Seesaw as a way to provide immediate information about classroom activities. If you picked up the information about how to sign up, please do so soon. If you have not received the information, please see me for the handout.
Drop Off and Pick Up
Children that arrive before 8:00, should bring their backpacks to the classroom and then return to the Gathering Space. At 8:00 the children are allowed to come to the Burrowing Owl classroom under teacher supervision. If you have any questions or concerns at the beginning of the day, I would be happy to have a brief discussion then and/or to plan for a conference at a later time. It is better for me if these conversations are short, so that I can help the children have an orderly beginning to the day. Thanks.
Please note that there will be parking for you in the Willowwind parking lot, as the staff parks at the River Community Church. If you find the Willowwind lot is full, you may also use the River Community Church parking lot. Students are expected to engage in a quiet classroom activity until school starts. If you are late in the morning, please sign in at the front desk. It is important for your child to get settled as quickly and quietly as possible, so that there is little interruption to our morning routine.
After school I will walk the class outside and wait at the bottom of the stairs with the students until 3:30. If students are going to ASP, I will drop them off in the Gathering Space. Pick Up time is also a good opportunity for you to visit with other parents or me. Students are expected to play quietly near the front door as we wait for your arrival. Students are not allowed to go to the playground at this time due to lack of adult supervision. This is necessary due to my after school responsibilities. It is helpful if you call and let the front desk know that you will be early or late picking up your child. Thank you for your understanding.
Lunch Routine
K-6 students eat lunch together each day. This is a valuable time to build school-wide community, practice social skills, and learn about healthy eating habits. In the Burrowing Owl classroom we will gather our lunch materials and walk to lunch together. We eat in the Gathering Space or outside, weather permitting. We will begin the lunch time with a K-6 recess, beginning at 11:30. At 11:55 students will be seated and begin eating. At 12:10 students will be dismissed. On Monday, Tuesday, and Friday everyone will gather for Group Discussion in the Gathering Space. On Wednesday and Thursday, students are dismissed to their classrooms. Please feel free to join us for lunch, recess, Group Discussion, or all of it!
Please be sure that the healthy lunch you send is something your child enjoys eating, so that he/she has the necessary energy for the rest of the day. Children are asked not to share their food with others, so that parents have confidence about what their children have eaten.
Birthdays
We will celebrate your child’s birthday in our classroom. At Willowwind we encourage healthy choices for treats, such as fruit and muffins. Please check with me concerning any possible dietary restrictions for students in our class. Your child is welcome to celebrate his/her half-birthday, if born during a summer month.
Snacks
Students are to bring their own nutritious morning and afternoon snacks. I will provide classroom time for the morning snack. If your child is hungry in the afternoon, he/she is welcome to enjoy an afternoon snack while completing class work. Please send a water bottle, so that your child can easily stay hydrated during the day.
Bathroom
Students are free to use the restroom as needed, after getting permission from me. They will be asked to go one at a time.
Homework
Homework in the Burrowing Owl class will come home Monday through Thursday. It should take about 30 minutes. If you find it taking longer, let me know so we can make adjustments. Occasionally there will be some weekend homework. I have set up a station for turning in the homework folders each day to help students develop independence in this area. Students decorated a homework bag to help keep their daily homework organized. I am asking them to find a special place to put their backpacks each evening at home. I would appreciate your help by suggesting a good place that everyone knows about. I am also asking students to return homework to the cloth bag and to put the bag back in their backpacks as soon as the homework is complete. We have planners again this year, so please monitor what your child is doing and sign off on it when the work is complete. Thanks for your support in this. The children are encouraged to have responsibility for this, but please monitor and guide them as they develop more independence.
Monday through Thursday students will have spelling sorts to practice as homework. Please monitor your child’s study. It is important to study the words in the traditional way using the spelling packet found in the homework folder. Spelling practice should take about 10 minutes. Please read the spelling handout in your child’s homework folder, which describes this procedure in detail.
Monday through Thursday students are expected to practice the basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. I will send home a set of flashcards specific to your child's needs in a plastic bag. This set should be kept at home in a safe place. Research indicates this is the best way to learn new facts--learn a few new facts and then add a few more. Study of math facts at home should take no more than 5 minutes.
On Monday through Thursday there will also be a math sheet to complete. This is meant to be completed with adult supervision. Please help your child with corrections, because this helps avoid practicing a new skill the wrong way.
I would like students to read at least 20 minutes every night. I know that it is not necessary to assign this for Willowwind students, but it serves as a reminder. Please have your child record the number of pages read on the Reading Log you will find in the Homework Folder.
Occasionally there will be a homework activity to do for science and social studies, such as gathering information for reports being written in those subject areas. I will always assign this on a Thursday and it will be due on the following Monday, allowing your child to have the weekend to prepare. I will be careful to give only one extra assignment on a weekend. Occasionally it may be necessary to send home classroom work that is not completed during the day or to send make-up work from absences.
Behavior Management
We talk daily about the Core Virtues promoted by Willowwind School. I have a section in the Homework Planner concerning these virtues. I would like the children to record an example of a Core Virtue they practiced each day.
We will try to help each other remember classroom procedures in a supportive way. Occasionally an individual child may need extra help with self-discipline. In that case I will contact the parents and together we will come up with a private individual plan.
Assessment
At Willowwind School we do not use a traditional grading system. Assessment in the Burrowing Owl class includes reading running records, anecdotal records, rubrics, some end of unit written tests, as well as oral and written work in a variety of genres. The specials teachers will also record and report progress in their respective areas. We complete the Iowa Assessments in grades 3 through 6 in October. We have two reading assessments--On the Mark running records and Developmental Reading Assessments. We also give the Words Their Way spelling placement assessment, weekly spelling assessments, and unit assessments for math taken from our Math in Focus program. The information from all of these forms of assessments will help determine your child’s classroom level placement in a variety of curricular areas.
Parent Communication
During the first conference of the year I will meet with parents to establish a Personal Education Plan (PEP) for each child. Later in the fall I will meet with parents to review each child’s progress on the goals set during the PEP conference. I will provide parents a written summary of progress for this conference. In the spring I will meet again with parents to review progress with the goals outlined in the PEP. Finally, I will prepare two final written summaries of your child’s overall progress for the year—a final summary of the PEP and an End-of-Year narrative.
Volunteering
We will have two room parents who will be contacting you concerning volunteer opportunities like the following.
There are a number of ways you can help in our classroom. An important one is to chaperone and drive for the interesting field trips we take each year. We will have 17 students this year, so it will be necessary to have four or five drivers for each trip. We will take the bus for a few field trips and I will ask for one parent volunteer to come with us as a chaperone. That has proven to be very useful when a student has a special need. There will also be volunteer needs for one time special events, such as the Burrowing Owl Café and I will let you know about these as they occur. Please remember that your volunteer time in the Burrowing Owl classroom counts toward your Willowwind volunteer hours.
Library Visits
Once a month we will visit the Iowa City Public Library. Our transportation will be an Iowa City bus that stops at Dover and Muscatine. The children will need a personal library card from this library to check out books. I will usually have two or three books that I want the children to check out for classroom curricular activities. The children can check out more books and other media if you wish. I limit them to one DVD and one other type of media, because I want them to focus on reading books. If you do not want your child to check out a particular type of media, please let me know. Please keep in mind that children without a card are very disappointed about not being able to check out books, but that says a lot about their love of reading! Thanks for your support in this area.
Specials
Please go to the Classroom Schedule tab on my Welcome Page that includes the day and time for Music, Art, Movement, and Spanish.
Please be sure that your child is wearing good shoes for running during recess and Physical Education class. Flip-flops and crocs make it difficult for students to run and jump, which can lead to injury. It is helpful if your child leaves a pair of athletic shoes at school. During the cold weather Physical Education class will occur in the gymnasium of the River Community Church, so it will be important to avoid street shoes.