Goose Festival Parade: October 12th
Student Council will be decorating a trailer that we will use in the Goose Festival parade. (A big thanks to Crystal and Frank – Aaron and Lily’s parents – for letting us use their trailer.) We would love to have lots of families join us as we march through downtown Fennville. The line-up time hasn’t been announced yet, but as soon as we find out, we’ll let you know. Please plan on joining us. (You might want to bring some candy to throw, as well.)
Outdoor Discovery Center Education Network
Please read this September newsletter from ODCEN. We’re continuing our partnership this year to partake in more outdoor enriched learning.
PBIS/Whole Child
What: A positive behavior support system targeting all students by teaching and re-teaching expectations and skills.
Why: We believe all students can be successful.
How: Teaching and re-teaching expectations and skills; teaching students accountability; teaching students to be IAC: In control, Aware, and Caring. Students can earn tickets for prizes when they demonstrate IAC. As we continue developing this system, we will keep you informed and seek your input. With regard to the students who have difficulty meeting the IAC expectations, we will follow the same behavior rubric as in the past, which is attached. Again, we will keep you updated if changes occur. Please feel free to email your child(ren)’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns.
Student-Led ConferencesAs you know, student-led conferences are scheduled on October 9th and 10th at school. You should’ve already received a note from your child(ren)’s teacher(s) giving you an opportunity to sign-up. If you haven’t had a chance to do so yet, please follow the below link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b094eaeac2cabf49-conferences
Short Survey: Family Information MeetingWould everyone please take a couple minutes to complete the following survey? It is for everyone – those that did attend and those who didn’t attend the Family Information Meeting on September 17. We really would love to get your thoughts. Thank you!!
Please follow the link below:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf_LxIW81DDrguXyOcToLyHHDbYlWbe3YcVVToK3gDncMJrfg/viewform?usp=sf_link
Chocolate Sales: FundraiserEach student should’ve brought home a paper to sign up for the big chocolate fundraiser. If not, please print the attached, sign giving permission, and give to your child(ren)’s teacher. The sale begins October 3rd. Social Work Corner….by Vicki Jansma, MSW
Welcome to a new addition to the Innocademy communication/resource offerings–tips, news, articles, etc. relevant to helping parents understand and deal with their child’s educational experience. I am a retired school social worker who now consults with Lead Teachers and trains new social workers at both locations. I love this job, and am excited to return to one of my passions–parent support and education. Look for this monthly column, and feel free to contact me at either school with questions 🙂
CONFERENCE PREPARATION
Soon you’ll be attending your child’s conference, learning about accomplishments and honing in on ways you can be supportive. Parents often ask me “What is my job as far as my child’s education? How much should I help with homework–isn’t that the teacher’s job to make sure he/she is learning?” So here is a little map of what’s considered the roles/jobs of each of the participants– the teacher, the parent and the student:
The teacher’s job is to:
* Prepare appropriate lessons, and present them in multiple ways to enhance the ability of each student to learn to his/her abilities
* Provide educational materials, activities and supports
* Assess progress and communicate the results with the student and parent
* Guide/model/reinforce age-appropriate group learning behaviors (listening, cooperation, motivation, consideration, etc.) so that all students have a positive learning experience in class, on the playground, etc.
* Notify parents of any ongoing/major health, behavior, academic or social concerns which interfere with the child’s ability to participate fully in the education offered
The parent’s job is to:
* Prepare their child for school by providing adequate rest/bedtimes, meals/snacks for energy, appropriate clothing/shoes for school activities and school supplies
* Support/reinforce the expectation that the child will obey/cooperative with/respect those in all staff at school
* Enforce a homework completion policy–regular, daily quiet time for work completion, practice and reading–made a priority within the family time commitments/schedule. In instances where something unusual/unforeseen occurs and homework was not attended to, contact the teacher the following morning and arrange for another day to complete
* Attend parent/teacher/student conferences regularly to remain informed/up-to-date on progress and/or concerns. Respond to teacher suggestions regarding problems, and seek appropriate follow up care if necessary
The student’s job is to:
* Wake up on time, come to school rested/ready to learn
* Pay attention, take notes, bring materials to class, try your best at all times
* Complete any assigned homework on time
* If extra help is needed, alert the teacher immediately–and if extra support is offered, show up and work hard
* Monitor your behavior so that you and others can learn
October Lunch MenuThe October lunch menu is attached. Vaping/e-cigs Information for All to Read
The following is a link from Ottawa County on what parents and schools need to know about e-cigs and lung-disease illnesses.https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIOTTAWA/bulletins/260ab01?reqfrom=share