Weekly Update

We need your support and partnership as we work together to meet our building goals this year! This month's newsletter will focus on things you can do at home to help your child succeed at school. Families are children's first and most important teachers! We cannot do the important work we do at school without your continued support at home! We look forward to working with you and your child this year!

Literacy skills allow students to seek out information, explore subjects in-depth and gain a deeper understanding of the world around them. Children who struggle to read effectively fail to grasp important concepts, score poorly on tests and ultimately, fail to meet educational milestones. How can you help your child at home?

• Read with your child every day! Older children can read to younger children or other family members to practice!
• Ask your child questions about what they are reading
• Ask your child to name their reading level and Power Goal
• Ask your child to talk about the skills being worked on during conferencing

The resource that our teachers use to teach literacy is American Reading Company (ARC). Within the components of the program, conferencing and/or small group instruction is implemented.

• Teachers meet with children one on one or in small groups throughout the week
• The focus of conferences is on individual reading goals for children
• Small groups and one to one conferencing allows teachers to know their students as readers at a deeper level
• Teachers focus on identifying the strengths and areas of needs for each child to help them grow as readers
  

Children are also assigned Power Goals. What are Power Goals?

• The MOST important skills that children need to learn within their color level
• Power Goals can change daily, weekly, or monthly depending on the progress of the child, and the depth of the skill they are mastering
• At school students work on Power Goals in small groups, independently, or one on with with an adult
• Children can and should practice their Power Goals at home!

Please use the information below to gain an understanding ARC, reading levels, and how to work on Power Goals at home! Help your child LOVE reading! Parents are “home coaches” who support their children through nightly reading. What is a Skills Card? Skills Cards are half-page, front and back, quick reference guides that summarize each level; including power goals, reading habits, and skills children need to learn and master.

Once you know your child's reading level, you can click HERE to find the skill card for your child's level. This will give you things you can work on at home!

D33 uses Eureka Math as our curriculum resource in grades K-8, Algebra and Geometry. Eureka Math is aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and provides exemplary instructional materials that bring joyful rigor to learning. Eureka math provides teachers the tools to take their students beyond rote memorization to give them a deeper and more complete understanding of mathematics. In addition to Eureka, students also engage in supplemental resources. Our kindergarten students use ST Math and students in grades 1-8 use Freckle. Both of these programs are computer based and provide students with additional practice or enrichment in standards and skills unique to them as individuals. Here you will find resources for families specific to the Eureka resource. You can also visit the D33 Website for more information about our math curriculum.

Freckle (grades 1-5) and ST Math (K) are online learning platforms that allows students to practice math at their own level. Both programs continuously adapt to each student's individual skills, so each student is getting the appropriate challenge, whether they're working at, above, or below grade level. At Wegner School, children utilize the online platform for 20 minutes daily (15 for kindergarten) to enhance the math curriculum and provide each child with individualized practice.

The 5Essentials were developed by the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute, in partnership with Chicago Public Schools. Past research has shown that schools strong on at least three of the five essentials are 10 times more likely to improve student learning than schools weak on three or more of the five essentials. For families, we are focusing on the area of school to family communication. Our scores indicate that families would like more information about how their children are doing in school. Below are some ways that we will address that need this year!

• Monthly Newsletter from the principal with a focus on academics and happenings within our school
• Wegner Weekly from the principal that focuses on important information, upcoming dates, and student celebrations
• Communication from your child's teacher each time your child moves to a new color level in literacy
• Communication from your child's teacher each time an assessment is scored
• Monthly Notice of Concern for any child who is struggling academically or behaviorally
• Midterms for both academics and behavior on 10/17, 1/31, and 5/8
• Report cards at the end of each trimester

Halloween Party and Parade

**For safety purposes, NO CHILDREN will be allowed to leave at 3:15 with a parent. Parent volunteers will need to wait until regular dismissal - they can wait in the classrooms if desired**

1:30-1:45 - parent helpers arrive

1:45-2:00 - line up for parade

2:00-2:15 - Halloween parade outdoors

2:15-3:15 - Halloween parties

Each classroom will choose a craft, activity, etc. that will be repeated with each rotation

Rather than asking for food donations, we will be asking parents to donate items for the activities

Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Some classes will be celebrating Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos). More information will come from your child's teacher. Dia De Los Muertos is a two day holiday November 1-2 that reunites the living and dead. Families create ofrendas (Offerings) to honor their departed family members that have passed. We will be creating our own ofrenda at Wegner School in the hallway in front of the Innovation Center beginning November 1, 2022. Children and families are invited put things on tables that we will have available.

School Improvement Day

November 4, 2022 - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

Election Day

November 8, 2022 - NO SCHOOL

PTO Meeting

Monday, November 14th - 7pm - Zoom

Parent Teacher Conferences

Friday, November 18th

Monday, November 21st - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

Thanksgiving Break

November 22nd-25th - NO SCHOOL

Kindergarten is working on establishing routines throughout the classroom and building. We have started working on numbers to 10, letter sounds/silabas, and writing/drawing pictures.

First grade is working on establishing classroom routines, homework procedures and building friendships. We’re starting to talk about Community Helpers in Social Studies. In math we’ve been working on adding and decomposing numbers to ten. We’re also writing in our journals daily and memorizing phonics principles.

Second Grade is off to a SENSATIONAL start ! We have been practicing our school wide CHAMPS expectations daily and students are becoming very familiar with this plan. We launched our literacy unit and have been busy asking and answering questions to help our comprehension. In math we have just started to measure in centimeters using our rulers.

Third grade is off to a fantastic start! We are practicing CHAMPS daily everywhere in the building. Managing our own behavior helps us with readiness to learn! We have also been completing various team building games to get to know each other!

Multiplication and division are concepts we are focusing on within Module 1. We began our Literacy Lab with our Magic House core texts. Social Studies takes us on a journey around the world as we learn about different cultures while comparing and contrasting them to our own. Geography and map skills will help us navigate our travels!

We are off to a good start in fourth grade. We are working on being ready to learn and having orderly transitions. In math, we are working on place value and rounding. In language arts, we are working on the different text features in fiction/literature and nonfiction/informational books.

We have been so excited to start this new year! We have worked hard in each room learning the 5 Core Values and how we will show them in our school. We have started our math unit focused on place value. We are all reading novels in our classrooms and exploring the elements that make up fiction. Lastly, we have started exploring what government is and why we need it. This will lead us into our journey of studying American History. It has been a busy start to the year, and we look forward to growing and learning even more this year.

The Art Studio: The Child is the Artist. The Art Room is their Studio. Our Kindergarten and 1st grade students have been learning art room routines and exploring art supplies. In 2nd - 5th grades, students are reviewing art room routines and building on skills from previous years. Studio Centers will be opening soon! If you haven’t already, remember to sign your student up for Artsonia, our digital art portfolio! https://www.artsonia.com/connect/36DSRR9N

Code: 36DSRR9N

At the beginning of the school year, students and staff were welcomed into our awesome Innovation Center! The one and only rule of the Innovation Center is RESPECT. Students are learning about the behavior expectations in the Innovation Center stressing the idea of respect. We are learning and reviewing how to take care of our library books both at school as well as at home.

Kindergarten and First Grade students learned to treat their library books like babies. If you wouldn’t give something to a baby- it should not be by your library books. 2nd and 3rd Graders used magnifying glasses to examine damaged books. They had to determine what caused the damage as a table group.

As book checkout begins, students will spend time learning and reviewing the location of different types of books in the library. Students in grades 3-5 will learn how to use the Library Catalog to search for books and our iPad Look Up Stations. Kindergarten-Third grade students will learn about the Illinois state Monarch Award program, read nominees, and learn about the parts of a book and story elements. 4th-5th grade students will learn about the Illinois state Bluestem Award program and book genres.

The start of this school year has been filled with engaging musical activities for all students at Wegner. We continue to develop skills in three main areas:

• Singing - Students are increasing their vocal capabilities through simple songs. They are becoming better at matching pitch and singing with a clear, projecting voice.
• Rhythm — We have been using rhythm sticks to accompany a series of music reading activities, chants, and songs. In this way, the students are developing performance skills that allows them to create music with other people and sound harmonious.
• Movement — All students are now able to perform a simple dance or movement routine. They are growing in their abilities to move their bodies in a way that blends with what other students are doing and thus create an impressive choreography.

In PE, the Kinder, 1st, and 2nd grades have been focussed on the basic locomotor movements and moving safely in the gym. Grades 3-5 have begun the year with their beginning of the year fitness tests and will soon begin soccer.

This month we will learn about how our class is like a family, and we will discuss the importance of friendship and respect. We will learn skills for learning from the Second Step program to help children be successful in school.

We will also start learning about the zones of regulation. The Zones of Regulation help children self-identify how they’re feeling and categorize it based on color (blue, red, yellow, green). It also helps children better understand their emotions and thinking patterns. The children learn different strategies to cope and manage their emotions based on which color zone they’re in. Additionally, the Zones of Regulation helps children to recognize their own triggers, learn to read facial expressions, develop problem-solving skills, and become more attuned to how their actions affect other people.

Throughout the year we will be doing class building and team building activities. Those activities help the student build trust, mitigate conflict, encourage communication, and increase collaboration. With those activities students naturally acquire social skills and positive cooperating and helping behaviors.

Students have received their devices for this year. The devices were purchased to help the students with learning activities!

Please remember:

• No food or drink near devices at anytime
• Carry the device with two hands or in the provided bag
• Don’t leave the device on the floor
• Charge your device every night and bring it to school every day

We have enjoyed getting to know the students and helping them with the beginning of the school year routines. We are looking forward to a fantastic year focused on academic and social growth for each and every student.

Second graders have been working on making inferences and reading fables. We have also worked on a STEM activity building dream schools!

We have begun reading novels and developing our collaboration skills. Fourth grade is reading "The War with Grandpa" and fifth grade is reading "The War that Saved My Life."

We are working on meeting students and getting into classrooms. Speech services have started and the students are working hard. We are working with students in small groups as well to support additional learning opportunities.

Math groups started on September 12th. We are working on skills that will be beneficial in the classroom.