BUSY WEEK IN THE ELEMENTARY AT DISCOVERY SCHOOL

CHOIR GALA PRESENTATION – Our choir has been invited to be a part of a fund raising gala in benefit of the CRISTO DEL PICACHO FOUNDATION this Friday, March 1. Furthermore, some of our students will be dancing in this gala being a part of their dance companies. The gala will take place in the Convention Center of the Honduras Maya Hotel, and will air live on the Televicentro channels at 9:00 p.m.

YEARBOOK PICTURES – Yes, it is that time of the year! For your convenience, please look at the schedule provided below

	Monday, Feb. 25	Tuesday, Feb. 26	Wednesday, Feb. 27	Thursday, Feb. 28	Friday, March 1st
8:00 - 8:50	Pre Kinder A	3rd grade A	Retakes	7th  grade	ALL SCHOOL PICTURE
8:53 - 9:45	Pre Kinder B	3rd grade B	Retakes	8th grade	Staff
9:50 - 10:10	Break	Break	Break	Break	Break
10:10 - 10:55	Kinder	4th grade A	Special requests	9th grade A	Staff
10:55 - 11:45	1st grade A	4th grade B	Special requests	9th grade B	Staff
11:45 - 12:25	1st grade B	5th grade A		Lunch	Staff
12:25 - 1:17	Lunch	Lunch		10th grade	Lunch
1:20 - 2:10	2nd grade A	5th grade B		11th grade	Retakes
2:10 – 3:00	2nd grade B	6th grade (with caps and gowns)		12th grade (with caps and gowns)	Retakes

DISCOVERY SCHOOL DRAMA PRESENTS:  SHAKESPEARE CAN FIX THAT! a comedy by Mr. Fenn. Opening night – Friday, March 1st, 7:00 pm. Saturday matinee on March 2nd, 1:00pm. Two college student janitors are stuck in a therapy group meeting and one of them, a reader of Shakespeare, ends up being the facilitator because the real group leader is running late.  The therapy group is a room full nuts: one believes she is a CIA operative, another makes bodily noises, then there’s the hypochondriac and the narcoleptic, and the sarcastic girl, and finally, the one who cries over everything.  Of course, a comedy wouldn’t be complete without an exploding toilet. Tickets: Prime (1st 5 rows) – Lmp. 120, adult, Lmp. 80, student. General – Lmp.100, adult, Lmp.70 student. Back (cement steps) – Lmp. 80 adult, Lmp. 50 student.

USING  STUDENT REPORTS 

On Thursday, Feruary 14  our Discovery School students (grades 1 through 10) took their  Midterm reports for the third quarter, as well as the mid year MAP reports home. As a parent, what should you do with these reports? Here are some tips on how to use the information that was provided for you.

When looking at the Midterm Progress Report:

1. Praise your child for the areas that are marked Meets Expectations and Approacing Standards. Children need to hear what they are doing well, and that their hard work is paying off.
2. Focus on the areas that are marked Needs Strenghtening. These are the areas that each teacher will be targeting with your child, and will need your support. If you have questions as to what you can do as a parent to support what is being done at school, please take the time to contact your child’s teacher.
3. Read carfeully the comments each teacher has made on your child’s report.
4. Discuss the Midterm report with your child. It is important that as parents you encourage your child to take ownership of his or her achievement at school. While doing this, come up with specific behaviors that can help him or her improve in the areas.

When looking at the MAP Report:

1. Look at RIT scores of the F12 and W13 testing sessions for Math, Reading and Language Usage. These scores show the growth your child has had in each academic area.
2. Read the Goal Performances-Winter 13 located at the bottom of each academic area. The different goals indicate your child’s performace in each strand (your child’s stregths and areas of opportunity).
3. With your child’s teacher, discuss any area that shows a Low performance. Teachers are able to give you specific reccomendations on how you can help your child improve in these areas of opportunity.
4. There are two excellent resources that you can use for at-home practice.
5. For Reading, look at your child’s RIT range by goal strand for Winter 2013. Use these numbers to select appropriate activities under each goal area. This website is aligned to Minnesota standards, so there are some discrepancies in the categorizing. Our suggestion for finding comprehension activities is to use the overall RIT score for reading.

            Website Wording                                              MAP Wording

            Word Recognition, Analysis, and Vocabulary    Word Analysis and Vocabulary

Comprehension: Narrative                                                      Literal, Interpretive, and Evaluative Comprehension

Comprehension: Informational                                                  Literal, Interpretive, and Evaluative Comprehension

            Literature                                                            Literature Response/Analysis

Here is the reading website:

http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/reading.htm

6. For Math, look at your child’s RIT range by goal strand for Winter 2013. Use these numbers to select appropriate activities under each goal area. For example, if your child’s RIT range for Geometry is 175-190, you would go to the click on the 171-180 and 181-190 links under Geometry and Measurement in order for find activities at your child’s level. Since Geometry and Measurement are grouped together, you would be looking for geometry skills, such as shapes.

            Website Wording                                            MAP Wording

            Number and Operation                                   Computation and Number Sense

            Geometry and Measurement                          Geometry and Measurement 

Data Analysis                                                  Statistics and Probability

            Algebra                                                            Algebraic Concepts

Here is the math website:

http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/  

Discovery School teachers appreciate and thank you for taking an active interest in your child’s education. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher if you want to discuss the Midterm and/or MAP reports further.

MAP AND MIDTERM REPORTS

This Thursday, February 14, our Discovery School students (grades 1 through 10) will be taking their midyear MAP reports home, along with their MIDTERM reports for the third quater. Both documents are designed to give parents a view of each child’s academic progress in school.

As you all know, MAP (Measures of Academic Progress™) are computarized adaptive tests that determine your child’s instructional level and measure academic growth throughout the school year, and from year to year in the areas of Math, Reading and Language Usage.

Your child’s MAP results are reported in RIT scores. This is a different type of score than a typical test that provides a percentage correct. It is also different from many tests that provide results based on your child’s score compared to others in his or her grade.  Instead, the RIT score is an equal-interval scale, like feet and inches, that is independent of grade level. As a result, we can easily measure growth in learning. This type of scores increases the value of the tests as a tool to improve student learning because it enables teachers to recognize where to focus attention for your child’s learning. 

Along with the Midterm reports that each teacher completes for each student, these documents enable parents and teachers to pinpoint both academic areas of strength and opportunity or growth. They allow our teachers to make instructional desicions based on the readiness and needs of each child and class, and show parents where they can support their child.

For more information on resources for parents, download the Parent Toolkit at http://www.nwea.org/sites/www.nwea.org/files/resources/ParentToolkit.pdf

We thank you for taking an active interest in your child’s education. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher if you want to discuss the MAP or Midterm reports further.  Working together ensures a successful academic experience for our students. 

FEBRUARY FACTS

February is an exciting and busy time at Discovery School. From the Egyptian Museum (to be hosted by 5^th grade on February 6) to the Mayan Museum (hosted by 3rd grade on February 11) the elementary students continue to be engaged in their learning.

Discovery School will be once again hosting the ABSH LANGUAGE FESTIVAL on Saturday, February 9. This event begins at 7:00 a.m. with the participation of more than 450 students from all over Honduras. Our students are proudly representing us in Speech and Spelling competitions both in English and Spanish. 

Midterm Progress Reports for the third quarter will be sent out on Thursday, February 14, along with the MAP reports for the first semester. Please make sure to go through these documents and talk to your child’s teacher if you see if necessary.

Wednesday, February 27 is the date of the Elementary Science Fair. Students from grades three through six have been working for the past three months in projects that will be displayed this day. The lower elementary will be showcasing their class projects too.

OTHER INTERESTING FEBRUARY FACTS

February is the second month of the year, and also the shortest month. February has 28 days until Julius Caesar gave it 29. We now have February with 28 days, and 29 on leap years.

In the northern half of the world, February is a very cold month. There are usually sunny days that show Spring is not too far off. The Southern hemisphere usually enjoys midsummer weather during February.

The second day of February is often referred to as GROUNDHOG DAY. The old stories told are that the ground hog comes out of its burrow on February 2, to look for its shadow. If there is sunshine and he sees his shadow, then he goes back to sleep and there will be more winter time. If he doesn't, then the spring time will begin. This is a superstition.

VALENTINE'S DAY is celebrated on February 14 in most western countries. Children give valentines and have a party in school. Young and old exchange cards with loved ones. This custom is hundreds of years old. Valentine greetings having been found that date back into the 1400's.

The third Monday in February is PRESIDENT'S DAY. Both Washington and Lincoln's birthdays were in February. It is considered a Federal holiday for celebration of Washington's Birthday, but most states also honor all president's on this day. Discovery School observes this holiday in a 4-day weekend from February 15 to February, 18. 

The amethyst is the birthstone for February.

The primrose is the flower for the month of February.