School Year Vacations...

Many parents have been asking about student vacations from school due to trips.  If you are requesting to take a trip, we ask you fill out the Vacation Prior Approval  Request Form found on the website.  You can find a copy of the Eagle Ridge Academy Attendance Policy on the website under handbooks and policies. (http://www.eagleridgeacademy.org/handbooks.html)  Please note requests of over 14 days are not likely to be approved.  The Department of Education requires public schools to drop enrollment of students who are absent for 15 consecutive days from school (excused or unexcused).  In the case of most public schools, they can easily re-enroll students upon their return.  Eagle Ridge Academy has a waiting list for enrollment.  If a student is dropped from our enrollment, we are required to fill the spot with a student from the waiting list.  If your family chooses to take a vacation for 15 or more consecutive days, you will likely not have a spot when you return for your student.  I have been communicating this with individual families as vacations are requested, but want to make sure everyone has the same information. 

Please remember when removing your child from school for any number of days, the experience in the classroom cannot be replicated.  Teachers are also not always able to gather all work prior to an absence.  While I believe there are many important learning experiences for students outside of the classroom, I just ask families to be judicious when scheduling vacations during the school year.

Notes/Reminders

·         There is a Lower School Coffee with Administrators in the lunchroom at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 30^th.

·         Students may wear their Halloween socks with their regular uniforms on Wednesday, October 31^st.

·         There is no school for students on Friday, November 2^nd.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Testing and Assessment

Testing and Assessment…

Those are two big time education buzz words in this day and age.  As parents I know you hear a lot about testing and assessment. There are two main types of assessment formative assessment and summative assessment.  Formative assessment is a type of informal assessment used by teachers in the classroom.  Anytime a teacher is assessing the learning of a student it is considered a formative assessment.  It can be something as simple as a problem on a whiteboard with the teacher quickly assessing understanding.  This is an easy way for teachers to gather data to drive the instruction of the whole class, small groups, or individual students on a daily basis.  Summative assessment is a more formalized way of assessing understanding.  Quizzes and tests would be considered examples of summative assessments. 

At Eagle Ridge three main tests are given, the MCA tests in the spring, NWEA, and DDI (data-driven instruction). The one you may be the most familiar with is the MCA test.  It is the state of Minnesota’s Comprehensive Assessment.  MCA testing is done in the Lower School for grades 3-5. It is a test of academic proficiency. Students in grades 3 and 4 take reading and math MCA tests.  students in grade 5 take reading, math, and science.  The tests usually occur in April or May and may involve paper/pencil or online testing.  Results are not usually available until summer and may be sent home during the summer or after the start of the new school year.

The NWEA test is a test that is given online and is to measure academic growth of students.  It is a nationally normed test that can be given three times a year.  Last year students at ERA took the test in the spring.  This year the plan is to have them take it in the fall and again in the spring.  The school will be able to see spring to spring and fall to spring growth.  The results of this assessment will be sent home to parents once the reports are available at the end of the testing window.  You should receive the fall NWEA testing reports in November.  The students are taking their NWEA tests this week in math and next week in reading.  

DDI stands for "data-driven instruction." Teachers use their DDI assessments to help them make sure they are covering all of the standards for each grade level in math and reading.  The DDI assessments are just for classroom use and the results are not sent home with students.  Teachers create and grade the tests.  They meet as a grade level with an administrator to analyze the data and chart a course of action for the whole class, small groups, or individual students.  Teachers analyze the results and see where they may need to change or repeat instructional topics or adjust the pace of instruction.  The benefits of using DDI in the classroom are phenomenal for student achievement.  DDI assessments are generally given quarterly leading up to the MCA tests in the spring.  

I hope this brief overview helps you understand the different types of assessment typically used at Eagle Ridge Academy.  

Notes and Reminders

-Picture Retakes are on Wednesday, October 24^th.  Please make sure your student wears formal uniform dress.  The requirements for formal uniform dress are on the website.  

-Friday, October 26^th is a Spirit Wear Day for the entire Eagle Ridge Community.

-There will be a Coffee with Administrators for Lower School parents on Tuesday, October 30^th at 8:00 a.m.

- Students may wear Halloween socks on Wednesday, October 31^st.  The rest of their outfits must be regular uniform dress.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Baier

An apple a day...

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.  ~Sydney J. Harris

One of those windows this past week was opened by the Kindergarten students as they learned about apples from an expert that visited from the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.  The students followed the life of an apple from flower to fruit.  They also learned about pollination and why bees are the hardest workers in an orchard. The students were actively involved in their learning and behaved so wonderfully for our guest.  Here are a couple of pictures from Ms. Palm’s class during their presentation and their labeled flowers hanging in the hallway.

Please remember there is NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday due to MEA break.

Picture retakes are on Wednesday, October 24^th.  Remember it is formal dress uniform for pictures.  If you received pictures but would like to have them retaken, please send in the old pictures with your student that day.

Afternoon pick up reminders:

·        Please do not enter the passing lane for pick up until 2:45.  We need to have a lane clear       until that time for passing.

·         Please make sure to be aware of students when moving your car forward.  For the safety of students please use consideration when using cell phones in the pick-up lane.

Pick up has been going much more smoothly with the last wave of cars gone between 3:30 and 3:35.  We appreciate your help in making dismissal a much better process.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Happenings

As many of you know this is Homecoming week for the Upper School students.  I have been informed there are many questions floating about regarding why Lower School students have not been included in this week of festivities.  I would like to take a moment to answer those questions.  Homecoming is truly an Upper School event.  I have been in many K-12 schools and Lower School students do not understand the significance of Homecoming.  The activities prove to be a distraction to the learning process for younger students.  By not having Lower School participate, it also gives Lower School students something to look forward to as they get older.  There are some privileges that come with age as we all know.  Having our younger students out of uniform for purposes they clearly do not understand is not the best use of those “out of uniform” days.  The Lower School students do get to participate in spirit wear days and free dress days.  As the school year continues, there may be other opportunities for Lower School students to have “special” dress days as organized by the Lower School teachers.   In deciding what to do for Lower School students here at Eagle Ridge, I consulted with several members of the Lower School Leadership Advisory Team (a group of teachers that were elected by other teachers to meet with me and discuss issues or ideas within the Lower School).  It was agreed that Lower School students would not benefit from being involved (It would actually be detrimental for learning.) and there would be other ways for us to build community spirit both in the Lower School and school wide as the school year progresses.  I hope this answers some of your questions and helps you understand the decision that was made.

Last week students in grades 1-5 were treated to performances by the CLIMB Theater.  The performances addressed Bullying.  Students watched scenes of bullying and then saw the same scene acted out in a new way that showed the actors standing up to bullies by using their words, or not being a bystander.  The performances were tailored to the ages of the students.  I found them to be well done and students left with new words and ideas they could use if they feel bullied.  It is important for us all to understand that one incident is not bullying.  Bullying is repeated behavior over a span of time.  Normal childhood behavior may include some power struggles and occasional times of behaviors we would not like to see, but again this is normal and does not mean a child is a bully or a victim.  Often words can be overused and when we do, we run the risk of muddying the meaning.  We take bullying seriously at ERA and want to student to truly understand what it is and how to combat it, if necessary.  Here are a couple of  pictures from the shows.

I want to thank all of the parents that participated in parent/teacher conferences last week.  A BIG THANK YOU to the parents who brought in food for the teachers on Thursday.  It was so very appreciated! 

Also, another BIG THANK YOU to all of the Book Fair volunteers last week.  It looked to be a successful event.  I know I found a wonderful book to add to my bookshelf in the office for mystery reader days!  We look forward to using the proceeds to support curriculum and other initiatives at ERA.

Upcoming Events

-MEA is next week.  There is no school for students on Wed. (10/17), Thurs. (10/18) or Fri. (10/19)

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier

Fall is Here

Welcome to fall!  The leaves on the trees surrounding Eagle Ridge Academy are slowly turning and quickly falling to the ground.  With the color of the leaves comes the slight chill in the air.  Please remember to send some type of outerwear (jacket, fleece, sweater) to school with your child each day.  The children will be going outside for recess and sometimes for class lessons or projects.  It is important they are prepared for the weather each day.

We are rapidly coming up on Parent/Teacher Conferences this week.  The Harvard Graduate School of Education did a family research project on conferences and came up with the following ideas and principles for conferences.  

The acronym BE HEARD was created for these principles.

Best intentions assumed

·         Always believe parents and teachers are working to do what is best for the student.

Emphasis on learning

·         All parties involved should make sure the conversation is about the student’s learning.

Home-school collaboration

·         Use this time to create a plan for home/school collaboration.  Discuss the best ways to communicate for all parties involved.

Examples and evidence

·         Both parents and teachers should have examples or evidence for the things they are speaking about.  (Not just student words)

Active listening

·         Make sure you listen to the things others are saying and don’t use that time to think of how you want to respond.  It is always nice to take a moment to paraphrase what you thought the last speaker just said, so you are all on the same page.

Respect for all

·         It is okay if we don’t all agree on things.  We should still be respectful of each other through our words and actions (including respect for each other’s time).

Dedication to follow-up

·         Make a plan if there are things that need to be addressed and make sure to follow up on that plan.  Dedication and teamwork from all parties is the key to making changes if they are needed.

 

If you are interested in reading more please click on the following link.

http://www.hfrp.org/family-involvement/publications-resources/parent-teacher-conference-tip-sheets-for-principals-teachers-and-parents

Don’t forget the Book Fair will be in the gym during parent/teacher conferences.  It is a great time to get some new reading material for your child, while also supporting Eagle Ridge Academy. 

There will be a parent meeting regarding Title One at Eagle Ridge Academy on Thursday, October 4^th at 6:00 in the Lower School Art Room.  

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Baier