Reports, Learning skills, and Chris Van Allsburg

                                                                   Progress Reports

Progress reports will be coming home on Monday November 19th. Inside you will find the progress report and a note letting you know when your interview will be. We have tried to coordinate sibling interviews where possible and have also tried to accommodate requests for time-slots as best as we can. The interview will start with you and your child looking at their portfolio. This folder will contain work that they have deemed as their 'best work' to show you. As well, each child will have a 'Learning Skills' booklet where they  have reflected on their own school performance and will share this with you. I have always found that the best dialogue comes from the discussion around learning skills because this is an aspect of the report card that a child can control. After this initial 10 minutes of student led conference, then I will join the discussion. At this time, if you would like to talk with me alone, then you are most welcome to do that. On the back page of the report there is a section for goals and next steps....please feel free to talk about this with  your child prior to coming to the interview.

                                                                   Learning Skills 
What are Learning Skills??? Well, on the front of the report card there is a section describing Learning Skills and Work Habits. Here are the headings:
                                      Responsibility
                                      Organization
                                       Independent Work
                                       Collaboration
                                       Initiative
                                       Self-Regulation
In class we discuss each of these headings and try to make sense of what these big words mean to us. Here is an example of a chart that we co-created. While I helped with the phrasing the students came up with the ideas.

                                                 
Here is a Grade one student sample of what it meant for them. Although I think there is some confusion on meaning still, I do get a kick out of the pictures of me! I love how skinny I look and the hair!

             
                                                               Chris Van Allsburg

You may have heard of the Polar Express or Jumanji! Did you know that Chris Van Allsburg is the author that has written both of those books (later made into movies). Well, our class LOVES the books he has written and I am amazed at how well the students listen to even the longest story. Of particular interest was the book 'Queen of the Falls' which was the story of a real woman that went over Niagara Falls in a barrel in 1908. Ask your child about what Chris Van Allsburg hides in all his books! They will know.

                            Looking forward to talking with all of you during parent teacher interviews!