After School Art

Students who come to the After School Program can expect to complete their homework, receive tutoring, or complete Success Maker lessons in the computer lab.  After the academic portion of the program, they participate in a variety of enrichment activities such as yoga, crafts, games, technology, science, and sports. 

On the afternoon of Jan. 12th, the program ran from 12:30-5:30, since school was dismissed for students at 12:30 so that teachers could participate in professional learning.  Many activities were included that afternoon, with students going from station to station.

One of the stations was mask-making, led by parent and artist Kathryn Yelsa.  Only the first steps of mask creation were done that day.  The other steps will be completed on the next half day for students, Feb. 2nd.  This will be a great keepsake for years to come!

Attendance is Key!

Have you ever thought about how a child's attendance in school can effect their learning and the rest of his/her life? Below is an excerpt from an article that discusses this issue in depth.  If you would like to read the entire article, just click below the excerpt.  This was copied from the "greatschools.org" website on Jan. 3, 2011.

How important is attendance?

The attendance rate is important because students are more likely to succeed in academics when they attend school consistently. It's difficult for the teacher and the class to build their skills and progress if a large number of students are frequently absent. In addition to falling behind in academics, students who are not in school on a regular basis are more likely to get into trouble with the law and cause problems in their communities.

A 2008 study conducted by the Rodel Community Scholars at Arizona State University that tracked students from kindergarten through high school found that dropout patterns were linked with poor attendance, beginning in kindergarten. Gregory Hickman, director of the Rodel Community Scholars program and former director of the Arizona Dropout Initiative, notes they discovered that as early as kindergarten, behavioral differences are apparent between those who go on to graduate and those who drop out, with dropouts missing an average of 124 days by eighth grade.

http://www.greatschools.org/parenting/behavior-discipline/school-attendance-issues.gs?content=644&page=1

Currently, St. Ignatius Elementary School has an average attendance rate of 93.3% so far this year.  That number sounds high, but keep in mind that means that almost 7% of our students are absent each day.  That works out to about 16 students.  With the number of days we've had in school so far, we have had 1,164 absences.  When you look at it that way, the 93% doesn't seem as impressive.  Also, some students have 100% attendance while others are as low as 56%.  While I understand that some absences are necessary, I get very concerned when students are absent chronically.  There are noted differences in these children's behavior, learning, emotions, and attitude when they miss a lot of school.  Please join me in trying to increase our attendance rate to over 95% for the second half of the year.  Thanks.

The Day Before Winter Break... and, a Long Stretch of Learning Time is Here!

On the last day of school before our winter break, I saw a lot of fun activities taking place.  Most elementary classrooms had a regular day of school in the morning, and spent the afternoon with celebrations and/or fun activities.  The Middle School and High School kids were treated to movies in the Multi-purpose room as well.   Here are a few of the sights from that day that I managed to catch on camera.  I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy the holidays and were lucky enough to have some time with family and friends.

Kindergarteners decorating gingerbread houses.  Sweet fun!

Extreme cup stacking takes cooperation by these fifth graders!

The final product.  Careful....don't lean back!

Is it santa with his pack? ...... Nope, it's Mr. Sargent with a bundle of popcorn!

Now that we are back, get ready for a long stretch of focused learning time!  This part of the year, from January through February, are typically our longest stretch of uninterrupted time to really focus on core curricular areas.  This is a great time for students to make strong progress.  So, please, make sure you are sending your child to school well-rested and on time every day.  Together, we can make sure they get the most out of this middle stretch of the school year.  Not only will they feel proud of their accomplishments; the third-fifth graders will be better prepared for state-wide testing in March as well.   Our main goal this year is to improve our reading and math proficiency scores by 10%.  Together we can--this is a Mission Possible!