Harborview Express

We will be heading into our state assessments next week for our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade kiddos. These are state mandated tests that are aligned with grade level expectations. Students this year in grades 3-5 will take tests in Language Arts and Math. Students in 5th grade will also take the State Science Assessment. This year students in 3-5 will NOT be taking the end of year MAP assessments. If you have any questions about the assessments please feel free to reach out.

Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will be testing every day during the week of April 3-7. The Language Arts test is over 2 days and Math is 2 days as well. We also have a day to finish up. Here are a few things you can do to help your child do their best on the test.

• Make sure they unplug early and get a good nights sleep. 7-12 year olds should get 9-11 hours of sleep each night.
• Eat a good breakfast.
• Have open, ongoing conversations with your child to explain the benefits of testing, focusing on how it helps them, their teacher, their school, and other educators understand their strengths and weaknesses and figure out the most effective ways to teach.
  
• A little encouragement can go a long way in helping students walk into testing days feeling confident—which, in turn, can have a huge effect on their performance.
  
• Keep testing positive! Avoid putting too much emphasis on your child's test scores. Instead, encourage them to try their best and to show what they know.
• Debrief after the test. Talking about testing and how it is going can help your child process the experience and overcome any anxiety they may be feeling. Talk through how they problem solved and what they felt good about.

As we near the end of each school year, one of the things we do is to look back over our data and see where we can improve. Next year reading is going to be an area getting a lot of attention.

One big change next year will be starting a new reading program in all elementary schools. We have used a program called Wonders for the last 8+ years and it is time for a refresh! Dozens of teachers across the district are piloting reading programs in the next month or so and providing feedback on which ones best meet the needs of our students. Reading is a tricky area because there are always shifts in how we teach based on new knowledge and research. We will be sharing our progress as we go and when we know which program we choose, we will let you know. We will be investing a lot of time into supporting teachers as they begin using this new program. We are also making sure we have the intervention materials we need to support our students when they need a little extra practice. Reading is a complex and amazing skill. Some of the best moments of my 24 year career have come when a kiddo read a page for the first time with no help and then looked about me like "what just happened!?" . :) It is amazing when things just start to click.

Another big change is the Alaska Reads Act and the regulations it brings to our teaching. As we work with your students we will be including you all along the way to help us best meet their needs.

In May I will be sharing an opportunity for you to learn about our school improvement goals, and to gather your feedback. Then in the Fall, we again be sharing our goals as we take on this work together. If you would ike more information or if you would like to support this work along the way please reach out to kelley.harvey@juneauschools.org

Our Tlingit Culture, Language, and Literacy program is expanding. Next year we will see 6th and 7th grade students join the program. At this time TCLL will remain at Harborview Elementary. Mollly Box, former Harborview Principal has returned at the interim TCLL Principal for the rest of this year. Ms. Box and I are working closely together make this a smooth transition for all of our families.. If you are interested in becoming a part of the TCLL program please go to our school website hves@juneauschools.org and click on the TCLL tab!

Please stop by any time to check the lost and found! We have a LOT of gloves, hats, snowpants, and coats with no names on them so no way to return them to kids. Lost and found is currently located in our lobby.