Friday, November 18, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving

As I am thinking about all of the things that I am thankful for, I have the usual list of family, friends, a warm home, food on the table, healthy children, etc...  I am so blessed and fortunate to have all of these things and I will always be thankful.

I am also lucky enough to be thankful for being a part of the Prairieland Cougar family.  I love coming to work every day because Prairieland is such a wonderful place to be!  Every morning when I come to school, I have students who smile and greet me or respond enthusiastically to my greetings.  Each day I get to witness or hear about student successes.  Just today (in just one hour of school so far) I was able to celebrate with a second grader who earned stickers for working towards a goal that we set for him a couple of weeks ago.  I celebrated with several kindergarten students who earned stickers for making good choices and following expectations in the classroom.  I celebrated with a third grader who moved up 7 reading levels in just 2 1/2 months!  I get to go into classrooms and see students excited about learning and working hard.  I get to see the smiles on their faces when they succeed and when they are pleased with their work.

I am so thankful that we have parents who are excited and willing to be involved in the education of their children!  I greatly appreciate the fact that parents share concerns with me and are willing to be a part of the solution.  I also appreciate the fact that parents take the time to tell me about the good things that they are seeing at our school. 

I am thankful that I get to work with such a wonderful staff every day.  They make me smile, they make me proud to be a Cougar, they amaze me, and sometimes they make me cry because I am so touched by their passion. 

I know this post is kind of a repeat of my last post, but this month of Thanksgiving has really gotten me thinking about how blessed I am to be at Prairieland!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!  Enjoy the time with family and friends.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Prairieland success

As our staff has been studying the student data from Prairieland, we feel tremendous pride for all of the success that our students have had and continue to have.  We will, of course, continue to look for areas for improvement, but we also like to take time to celebrate the successes!

Here are some of the things that we want to celebrate:
  • 92% of our students met or exceeded on the Reading ISAT last year and no one scored in the warning range.
  • 97% of our students met or exceeded on the Math ISAT last year and no one scored in the warning range.
  • In Reading, Math, and Language Usage, our mean RIT scores on the MAP testing exceeded the National Norms at every grade level for the fall term. 
  • Our students have an attendance rate of over 96%.
I could, of course, go on an on about the successes that we celebrate daily.  I am so proud of our Cougars and the hard work that they put into their learning. 

There are many reasons for the success of the students at Prairieland:
  • We have a supportive and encouraging parent community.  This support includes volunteering at school, encouragement at home to value education, assistance at home on homework and practice activities, attendance at school events, parent support of teacher initiatives and interventions, and much more! 
  • We have an outstanding staff.  The staff at Prairieland cares about the whole child, works tirelessly to find the best way to educate the students, uses creativity to "hook" students, meets students where they are ready to learn, and much more!
  • We have great students who want to learn.  Our students are respectful, they work hard, they understand their responsibility in the learning process, and they are motivated to be the best they can be.
Thank you for your continued support.  During this time of Thanksgiving, I have to say that I am thankful to be surrounded by such a phenomenal group of people who are all united by the desire to "Educate each student to achieve personal excellence"! 
It's a GREAT day to be a Cougar!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Parent Support

As I watched all of our parents coming to school and spending time talking about their child's education, I was reminded once again how proud I am of the parent involvement at Prairieland.  I am so glad that our parents find so many ways to be involved in the education of our students.  We have many parents who come to the school and volunteer on a regular basis, we have many parents who assist with extra curricular activities after school and sometimes on the weekends, we have many parents who spend time reading with their child at night, we have many parents who study with their child, we have many parents who talk with their child on a regular basis about what they are learning about in school.... I could go on and on about all of the ways that our parents are involved in the educational process.  I know that not everyone is able to to come to the school during the day to volunteer, so I am so happy to see our parents getting involved in many different ways.  I came across a document put together by the Michigan Department of Education that summarizes the research done on parent involvement.  It is very interesting, but I really like how it outlines the various types of parent involvement.  Here is a link to the document:
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Final_Parent_Involvement_Fact_Sheet_14732_7.pdf

Thank you for all that you do to make the Prairieland community so wonderful!  It is a GREAT day to be a Cougar!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Parent Conferences

It is already time for Parent/Teacher Conferences!  It is important to take full advantage of this opportunity to talk with your child's teacher about how your child is performing in school.  We are a team and this time to connect and share is so important to the success of all of our children. 

During your conference, you will be given some information about your child's MAP scores.  This is a new assessment for us, and we are still learning about how to best use the information that we are getting.  Please feel free to explore the website- www.nwea.org to find out more about this assessment.

You will also receive information about your child's reading level (the lexile is listed on the MAP score report).  It is a good idea for you to be aware of your child's reading level when you are choosing books for your child to read at home.  Please keep in mind, that a good way to challenge your child with books above his/her level is to read to them and talk with them about what you are reading.  Speaking of reading, I discovered some interesting information as I looked at the MAP scores.  When I looked through our scores, I noticed that most of our students' Reading MAP scores dropped from our spring testing to our fall testing, whereas most of our Math MAP scores increased.  I think this really shows us the importance of keeping students reading and talking about their reading!

I look forward to seeing all of you on Friday at Parent Teacher Conferences!  Be sure to stop in the IMC to see the Book Fair.  We will also have computers on for you to take the District Parent Satisfaction survey.

It's a GREAT day to be a Cougar!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

New Resolve and Literacy information

Okay, so I have not been a good blogger so far!  I really do want to do better, and will try to be more regular.  Interaction on the blog will help me to be motivated, so please feel free to respond, ask questions, share sites, etc... 

I would like to share some information with you about what we are doing with our literacy instruction.  The way that we instruct students in literacy is changing.   First of all, you will be hearing terms like Reader's Workshop, Writer's Workshop, Daily 5, and CAFE in relation to literacy time.  What all of this means is that the instruction and practice opportunities for students is very individualized.  Students are spending a lot of time reading independently at their level.  During this time, they are working on the skills that they need to work on to improve their reading.  The reason that much of this is done independently is that our students are not all reading at the same level, and they do not need to work on the same skills.  So, we are moving away from whole group lessons on reading skills and having students all read the same book.  Instead, our teachers are using assessments to find out where are students are in their reading abilities and what skills they need to refine in order to advance.  They are helping students find books at the appropriate level and they are conferencing with them individually or in small groups to guide them and provide them with instruction on specific skills. Our students are engaged in literacy activities like the ones I have described for 90 minutes each day.

Our students also have an additional 30 minutes per day to work in intervention groups.  This time is used for intensive work on specific reading skills for students who are not meeting the grade level benchmark.  These students will be in small groups working with other students who have similar needs.  The rest of the students are in larger groups working on enrichment activities to help them advance their reading levels and deepen their thinking about what they read.

What can you do as a parent to support our literacy instruction?  Encourage your child to read for enjoyment.  This means that they are reading whatever they are interested in- the  newspaper, magazines, graphic novels, chapter books, etc...  Talk with them about what they are reading and ask them questions.  It is also wonderful when you read with your child.  When children listen to reading, they are still working on important comprehension skills.  Encouraging  your child to write is also very beneficial.  You can purchase a journal for your child to write their thoughts and feelings, or just to record what they do each day.  You can also encourage them to write letters or e-mails to friends or family. 

As always, we appreciate all that our parents do to support the education of our Prairieland Cougars!
It's a GREAT day to be a Cougar!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

1st and 3rd Grade class sizes

I have heard from a number of parents with concerns about the size of our 1st and 3rd grade class sizes.  I have been in contact with the Unit Office and we have discussed the concerns.  I am posting a message here from Nate Cunningham, our Assistant Superintendent regarding the concerns:

Thank you for expressing your concern about staffing at Prairieland Elementary School.  The board and administration share your concerns.  The board has established ranges for classrooms by grades in the elementary schools to ensure our schools can complete the mission of educating each student to personal excellence.  The following are the ranges of students per class as established by the board of education: kindergarten (20-25), 1st grade (20-25), 2nd grade (22-27), 3rd grade (22-27), 4th grade (24-29), and 5th grade (24-29).

One of my many duties is to report the number of elementary classrooms that are under, within, and above the range, to the board of education. As a part of the process of reporting, I visit each school and talk to the principals and teachers of classrooms that are over the range.  The options that we normally use are guided by the percentage of students that are under the range (combine classes-reduce sections) and sections that are over the range (split classes or add a paraprofessional/teaching assistant).

Please know, we value your concern and just as you, we do not take these actions lightly.  We will investigate and review stability of the classroom before acting.  Keep in mind, as school enrollment is very volatile; we do not act on our numbers until we have some stability and understanding of the classrooms. We do however; understand the importance of class size and will review and revise the appointment of employing a teacher or paraprofessional, when and if needed.

I can assure you that I have been in communication with your principal and that we will investigate your concerns. Though I have noted your concerns, I cannot promise you that we will split a section or add a paraprofessional.  I can promise that we will consider all options; and will always work to achieve what is best for every student in Unit 5 schools.

If you would like to discuss our school staffing process further, please feel free to contact me.  Thank you for your continued interest and education of all McLean County Unit 5 students!

Sincerely,

Nathaniel Cunningham, Jr.
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources McLean County Unit District No. 5

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Welcome Back!

We are so excited to start a new year at Prairieland!  Our staff has been busy preparing for our Cougars and we are looking forward to seeing everyone. 

We will be posting class lists on Friday, August 12 at 4:00. 

I think I became an educator because I just love the idea that every year is a fresh start with new beginnings.  I love it that each year, the students get to learn with different children and different adults who bring new and diverse ideas and ways of thinking.  I also love this age because children's interests, talents and dreams are constantly developing and maturing.  I love talking with the kids about the things that they are passionate about and watching them glow as they learn and mature.  I can't wait to continue our journey together!

As always, please let me know if you have questions, concerns or celebrations to share.  Communication and parent involvement are very important to me and I want all of us to work together at all times to create the best learning environment possible!

It's a Great Day to be a Cougar!!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

ISATs and Lunch changes

I would like to send a huge thank you to our Prairieland families for providing our students with healthy snacks for ISAT testing.  The kids absolutely loved it and looked forward to it each day.  Anything we can do to make these weeks a little more fun and a little less stressful is great! 

I will be sending a mass e-mail soon about a couple of changes that we are making for lunch.  The first change relates to negative lunch balances.  If a student has a negative balance greater than $20.00, we will not be able to serve  him/her a hot lunch.  You will be notified before this happens, but we wanted you to be aware of the new approach to keeping balanced lunch accounts.

The other change relates to the lunch/recess times.  We continue to have concerns from students and parents about students not having enough time to eat their lunch.  In fact, I even received a petition from a group of 5th graders about the fact that they always have to wait so long for their lunch.  We have decided to try a staggered lunch to address the concern.  We will begin the new schedule after break so that we can try it out and make decisions about next year.  The schedule will be as follows:

Grade /Recess /Line up /Lunch


2nd /11:00-11:25/ 11:20/ 11:25-11:50

5th /11:10-11:35/ 11:30 /11:35-12:00

Kind./ 11:30-11:55/ 11:50/ 11:55-12:20

3rd /11:40-12:05 /12:00 /12:05-12:30

1st /12:00-12:25/ 12:20 /12:25-12:50

4th /12:10-12:35 /12:30/ 12:35-1:00

We are very hopeful that this new schedule will work well in ensuring that all students get the most time possible to eat and that it will cut down on the amount of time that they are waiting in lines. 

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

February 22

I hope you have all enjoyed some time with your students over the long weekend.  We had a very productive day at school today, but we are ready to have the children back tomorrow!

Our teachers worked hard today on a number of initiatives.  Much of our time was spent preparing interventions and enrichment activities that will allow us to challenge all students at their own level.  The Prairieland staff is such a dedicated group, and they are always looking out for each and every student in the building!

Next week our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will begin taking the ISATs.  We do not want the children to be nervous or anxious about the tests.  We have tried to keep it low key and let them know that their best is all that we can expect and that they are well-prepared and ready to go.  Please help your child do his/her best by encouraging plenty of rest and good healthy eating. 

Thank you for all that you do!  It is a GREAT day to be a Cougar!!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Friday, January 28

We managed to get the kids outside  this week!  We have noticed that the kids are starting to have a tougher time with inside recess.  When we have so many days in a row of inside recess, the kids get tired of their options and they get very antsy!  The teachers also notice a difference in student focus and attention in the afternoon if they do not get to move around and get fresh air during recess.  On Thursday, it was still a little cold, so we just took the kids on a lap around the building to get fresh air in their lungs and to get their bodies moving.  I am hopeful that we will be outside today!

We have seen an increase in student illness, which is not uncommon at this time of the year.  When we are all enclosed in a building all day, every day, it creates a breeding ground for germs.  We have asked our custodians to spend more time on table and desk surfaces, and we have increased the number of times we clean the water fountains.  Please encourage your child to wash his/her hands regularly, and be sure to keep your child home if he/she has a fever or has vomitted.  Let's hope that the Groundhog tells us that spring is just around the corner!

I look forward to seeing everyone at the concert on Thursday.  I have heard the students practicing their songs and can tell you that you are in for a great night!  I will be sending an e-mail with tips and reminders for the concert.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Back to Blogging!

I have not been good about keeping up with my blogs!  I would, however, like for this to be an active and effective source of communication.  Therefore my New Year's resolution is to make every effort to blog once a week.  If I do not have new and important news to share, I will just share some funny, sweet, exciting, or encouraging sights that I observe throughout the week at Prairieland. 

For now, I would like to make sure that everyone is aware of our phone number changes.  For most of this year, our old numbers still worked, but soon only our new numbers will work.  Here are the new numbers:

Office- 557-4424
Attendance- 557-4473

Have a wonderful weekend!