Room 10 News

Hello Room 10 Families,

First, I want to thank you all for the great turnout at our Suitcase Presentations last Friday.  It was a fantastic event and a great party afterward.  I enjoyed chatting with all of you.  Thank you also to Sandra Su and Joan Semeria for helping make the event a success.  Also, thank you Joan and Sandra for stepping forward to be our room parents.

Communication

I want to encourage you to give me feedback about the amount and quality of communication you are receiving from me.  I am hoping to keep things relevant and brief, but I want to make sure that you all are comfortable.  Please feel free to email me with any comments or suggestions.

Parent Conferences

I anticipate that I will be offering Parent Conference appointments in about 3 weeks.  Alternatively, I am happy to have an email dialogue with you about how things are progressing with your child.

Second Step

On Wednesday we started working on Second Step.  This is a curriculum that aims to improve students' social and emotional well-being.  I've taught these materials before while working at Barron Park, and I saw positive results.  We will be discussing issues such as conflict resolution, empathy and emotion management.  Our first lesson elicited a lively discussion and I'm looking forward many more.  If you are interested, you can find more information about the program at http://www.cfchildren.org/programs/ssp/elem/. 

Science

Our first Science Lab will be on October 26.  The first unit will be on Magnetism and Electricity.  Next week we will begin to preview concepts and vocabulary in preparation for Science Lab.

Math

Today I attended some excellent training provided by PAUSD on the Everyday Math Program.  I've learned about some differentiation strategies that will help me meet the needs of your child.  As a result, math homework will be changing a bit.  Homework will be shorter and more focused on reinforcing new skills.  I will be challenging some students in new ways.

We have taken several timed math facts tests this week.  I have asked that students who are still not automatic with their multiplication facts to 12 start reviewing every night.  Although I am not a fan of rote learning, facility with math facts is vitally important for future success.  5 minutes per day of review over the course of a few months should be sufficient.  Ask your child how they did on the last timed test!

826 Valencia

I'm in early discussions with the group 826 Valencia  (http://826valencia.org/), in San Francisco, about a field trip and writing workshop in the Spring.  I'm hoping 826 Valencia will help us partner with an inner city San Francisco elementary school for some interesting writing projects.  More details will be coming soon.


As always, thanks for your support and feedback.  Please feel free to email or call me with any questions, comments or concerns.  My phone number is

Regards,

Tom