Back-to-School!

Dear GSP Families,
I hope you enjoy these beautiful summer days and are creating many great memories.
We are busy here at GSP getting ready for you and your child. New teachers are here this week and everybody will be back next week to prepare classrooms. We have an exciting year ahead with a stronger than ever focus on learning for all of us!
This is also the time to set the stage at home for a successful transition back into school routines. The following are some ideas that I sent out last year.  I am looking forward to seeing you all soon!

 

Back-to-School Transitions: Tips for Parents

By Ted Feinberg, EdD, NCSP, & Katherine C. Cowan
National Association of School Psychologists

Getting a new school year off to a good start can influence children’s attitude, confidence, and performance both socially and academically. The transition from August to September can be difficult for both children and parents. Even children who are eager to return to class must adjust to the greater levels of activity, structure, and, for some, pressures associated with school life.
The degree of adjustment depends on the child, but parents can help their children (and the rest of the family) manage the increased pace of life by planning ahead, being realistic, and maintaining a positive attitude. Here are a few suggestions to help ease the transition and promote a successful school experience.

Before School Starts

Good physical and mental health. Be sure your child is in good physical and mental health. Schedule doctor and dental checkups early. Discuss any concerns you have over your child’s emotional or psychological development with your pediatrician. Your doctor can help determine if your concerns are normal, age-appropriate issues or require further assessment. Your child will benefit if you can identify and begin addressing a potential issue before school starts. Schools appreciate the efforts of parents to remedy problems as soon as they are recognized.
Review all of the information. Review the material sent by the school as soon as it arrives. These packets include important information about your child’s teacher, room number, school supply requirements, sign ups for after-school sports and activities, school calendar dates, bus transportation, health and emergency forms, and volunteer opportunities.
Mark your calendar. Make a note of important dates, especially back-to-school nights. This is especially important if you have children in more than one school and need to juggle obligations. Arrange for a babysitter now, if necessary.
Re-establish the bedtime and mealtime routines. Plan to re-establish the bedtime and mealtime routines (especially breakfast) at least 1 week before school starts. Prepare your child for this change by talking with your child about the benefits of school routines in terms of not becoming over tired or overwhelmed by school work and activities. Include pre-bedtime reading and household chores if these were suspended during the summer.
Turn off the TV. Encourage your child to play quiet games, do puzzles, flash cards, color, or read as early morning activities instead of watching television. This will help ease your child into the learning process and school routine. If possible, maintain this practice throughout the school year. Television is distracting for many children, and your child will arrive at school better prepared to learn each morning if he or she has engaged in less passive activities.
Minimize clothes shopping woes. Buy only the essentials. Summer clothes are usually fine during the early fall, but be sure to have at least one pair of sturdy shoes. Check with your school to confirm dress code guidelines. Common concerns include extremely short skirts and shorts, low rise pants, bare midriffs, spaghetti strap or halter tops, exposed undergarments, and clothing that have antisocial messages.
Designate and clear a place to do homework. Older children should have the option of studying in their room or a quiet area of the house. Younger children usually need an area set aside in the family room or kitchen to facilitate adult monitoring, supervision, and encouragement.
Select a spot to keep backpacks and lunch boxes. Designate a spot for your children to place their school belongings as well as a place to put important notices and information sent home for you to see. Explain that emptying their backpack each evening is part of their responsibility, even for young children.

The First Week

Clear your own schedule. To the extent possible, postpone business trips, volunteer meetings, and extra projects. You want to be free to help your child acclimate to the school routine and overcome the confusion or anxiety that many children experience at the start of a new school year.
Make lunches the night before school. Older children should help or make their own. Give them the option to buy lunch in school if they prefer and finances permit.
Set alarm clocks. Have school-age children set their own alarm clocks to get up in the morning. Praise them for prompt response to morning schedules and bus pickups.
Leave plenty of extra time. Make sure your child has plenty of time to get up, eat breakfast, and get to school. For very young children taking the bus, pin to their shirt or backpack an index card with pertinent information, including their teacher’s name and bus number, as well as your daytime contact information.
After school. Review with your child what to do if he or she gets home after school and you are not there. Be very specific, particularly with young children. Put a note card in their backpack with the name(s) and number(s) of a neighbor who is home during the day as well as a number where you can be reached. If you have not already done so, have your child meet neighbor contacts to reaffirm the backup support personally.
Review your child’s schoolbooks. Talk about what your child will be learning during the year. Share your enthusiasm for the subjects and your confidence in your child’s ability to master the content. Reinforce the natural progression of the learning process that occurs over the school year. Learning skills take time and repetition. Encourage your child to be patient, attentive, and positive.
Send a brief note to your child’s teacher. Let the teachers know that you are interested in getting regular feedback on how and what your child is doing in school. Be sure to attend back-to-school night and introduce yourself to the teachers. Find out how they like to communicate with parents (e.g., through notes, e-mail, or phone calls). Convey a sincere desire to be a partner with your children’s teachers to enhance their learning experience.

Summer Reading

While preparing our summer reading letter for grade school families, I am thinking about the many reasons I want our children to read. While I do embrace technology and believe that learning can be enhanced in many ways by the use of technology in the classroom and at home, I know that the experience of reading cannot be replaced by any apps. It's the transformation of words that creates a picture in your mind and offers you an escape from your daily life, that makes the actual reading experience so unique.
The following infographic summarizes nicely the many reasons there are to read: Reading Matters
Our GSP library and your public library offer an abundance of ideas that will get you through summer.
If your child likes a little extra reward with his/her summer reading, the following resources are just 2 of many out there.

Beaverton Library Summer Reading

Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program

Of course there is also our own GSP Ice Cream Party in September to look forward to, details will be send out to current grade school families tomorrow.
Happy reading!

"The more you know about something the less you fear"

As we are approaching summer I am getting ready to roll out our GSP summer reading program. We all know how important it is for our children to read, but let's imagine for a moment how life would be without books. The following story corps segment was on the radio this morning and it helped me to do just that: Imagine what possibilities arise once knowledge is accessible to you. I hope you have a moment to listen to the story of Storm Reyes.
Story Corps

Road Trip across the USA - brought to you by 4th grade

For the last few weeks our 4th grade students have been busy researching and learning about the states of the United States of America. To demonstrate their learning, this unit culminated in a road trip through the US.
Students prepared a power point presentation that summarized their findings about their particular state - and prepared a display for our own state exhibit. With the help of their families they added a culinary feature to their presentation, thank you parents!
While visiting the stations I learned so many things about the US, about state mottos, birds, recipes for salt water taffy and much more.
Student learning is most meaningful if students are fully engaged, identify with the subject and have fun.
This was a wonderful example of how to do all of this and more!
Thank you 4th grade for helping me learn something new!

Sprachdiplom - German Language Learning beyond Grade 5

GSP students earn top scores on Sprachdiplom

 

Not only do our students study hard they also actually sit down and take the test; even if it is scheduled to take place on a Saturday or during Spring Break. The ladder goes especially for our alumni:  Agnes Rehr-Zimmermann and Annalise Helm (photo, l.) both took the DSDII test, the highest level of testing and the equivalent of a German Abitur-Prüfung in December and followed through by taking the oral part in early January. Meanwhile we have received word that both passed with very good results. 

Congratulations!! Their German language skills now allow them to apply for a course of studies in Germany. 

Our high school graduates were then followed by a group of teenagers who took their written DSDI-test during our Spring Break on Sat. March 22^nd and went on with the oral part on Fri. April 11. Among them were Nicole Krenz and Bettine Rehr-Zimmermann (photo), Keegan Kaas, Isabella Amann, Jakob Hollenbeck and Miles Hoeckel. All of them were joined by alumni Gracie Closson, Hannah Smith, Daniel Sutherland, Ella Ansteth and Annika Peters currently enrolled at Sophie Scholl Saturday School as well as Jule Bauer and Anya Bennett from Gilkey Middle School.

As every year, our 5^th grade students all routinely took the A2 level test in all four categories, listening, reading, writing and speaking skills, and passed, as usual, with flying colors.

Last, but not least our own 3rd grade students participated in the earliest qualifying level for the first time. All students received at least three out of four stars on their diploma. Great job!

Inquiry and observation in the classroom

If you had a chance to visit our first grade classroom lately you probably saw quite a bit of observations and inquiry in action.
First grade students are learning about the life cycle of butterflies and are taking care of their very own group of hungry caterpillars. While they know quite a bit about this topic, they also have a lot of questions! Frau Wester facilitates learning by guiding students through observation periods and documentation of what they see in a journal. For some students this might be still with a focus on drawings and fewer words, while other students are eager to expand their writing skills further.
By making connections to the students' life, learning becomes more meaningful and fun. While the butterfly topic is fairly easy to connect with, we will continue to challenge ourselves to make increasingly meaningful connections between everyday learning and our students' experience outside the classroom.
All classroom teachers are currently in the process to plan our first IB units for early in the 2014/15 school year. These are exciting changes to come our way and I feel honored to be part of this journey and to learn together with you!

International Children's Book Day

Good morning,
today is International Children's Book day and what better way to celebrate than with a trip to the library!
The Beaverton library is an amazing source of book treasures for you and your child. In addition, our very own GSP library offers a great selection of German books to enjoy.
Of course there are many studies out there that prove the importance of reading to and with your child.In addition it is just plain fun! Our students enjoy library time twice a week and I love to see them curled up, immersed in a good book or sharing with their friends what they are reading.
So, to celebrate International Children's Book Day I encourage you to find some time to read together today!
Happy reading!