Leader in Me Parent Page

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Covey Habit 5:  Parent Tip

Habit 5 is “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood”.  We also say “Listen before you talk”.  At school, we try to instill in students and staff that it is important to listen to what someone else has to say first before we speak.  Covey says this helps us all communicate at a higher level.

Try playing this game with your child:  Say a phrase in two different tones of voice.  Using different tones, as you know, can give the same phrase a completely different meaning.  Talk with your child about how their tone of voice can affect communication.

Another tip for older students is to ask your child to let you know when they don’t feel you are listening to them.  Thank them for telling you, listen to what they have to say, and keep talking until both of you feel understood.

                Great Happens Here!

         Welcome to North Cedar School! 

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As many of you are aware, students in Cedar Falls (grades 3-12) take what was formerly called the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills.  We now take the Iowa Assessments, which are similar tests but have different norms and a baseline than the former tests.  These tests are given one time a year over the course of three days.  We test the students' knowledge in math, reading comprehension, and science.  Student results are reported to the State Dept. of Education.  You may recall that by the year 2014, 100% of students are to be proficient on these standardized tests according to No Child Left Behind legislation that was passed years ago by the federal government.
 
Student scores in the Cedar Falls Schools dropped across the board this past school year.  North Cedar did not meet the Annual Yearly Progress in order to have 100% of our students proficient by 2014.  Therefore, we are on a "watch list".  This just means that we will work hard to help all students progress and learn at high levels and hopefully improve this spring when the tests are administered again.  We continue to meet in collaborative teams weekly to ensure that we are meeting the individual needs of the students.  We use quick assessments frequently to monitor learning.  We will also be working with small groups several days per week to help those students who need more support.

Please keep in mind, the Iowa Assessments are a very small snapshot of what our kids are learning.  Our daily and weekly formative assessments give us very valuable data that helps us drive our instruction.  We want our students to improve yearly on the Iowa Assessments, but again, this is just a very small sample of what we're doing to teach the whole child.  If you have any questions, feel free to call Jen Hartman at 553-2837.

Saturday, May 18

Holmes Junior High

1:00-3:00

$3.00 admission, preschool free

Conferences are right around the corner! It’s hard to believe we are in the middle of February already.  I would like to share some changes in how conferences will be conducted at the end of this month.  As some of you know, a few classrooms piloted student-led conferences last spring and this fall.  As part of our Leader in Me program, we believe student-led conferences empower students to take control of their learning and goal-setting.  They are in charge!  The kids already keep track of their progress in their data notebooks, so this is the next logical step for them to share their learning in a more formal setting.

 Please plan on bringing your child to their scheduled conference.  They will share information they have practiced in the classroom.  If you would like to meet with your child’s teacher individually, you will have a chance to do that after your child is done sharing.  Your child can wait for you in the hallway if you have questions or concerns you’d like to discuss privately with the teacher.

 We are so excited to provide this opportunity for 100% of our students.  You will be amazed at what you see and hear from your child!

School begins at 8:45
School ends at 3:35
Wednesday dismissal at 1:30

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