November came and went in a blur of activity.  What with skill testing, report cards, conferences, a great music program, and sneaker science and all the other great things that happen here at Parkside, I sometimes felt that there wasn't enough time to fit in "readin, ritin, and math"  but we counted turkeys and read about family feasts and kept right on working on those basics, having as much fun as we could in the process.  We've had 62 days of school, 118 to go.

Wow! October has flown by! Only five days until Halloween! There are so many great and motivating Halloween activities. Kids who might not be paying attention suddenly are when we're counting pumpkins instead of something boring! But then again, some kids get so excited and distracted by the thought of Halloween and pumpkins that they can't count at all! They usually settle down for me and we have a great time. Still there is never enough time to do everything I want to do.

It's October!  As soon as the the kids see the orange and the pumpkins that are so closely associated with October they immediately jump to the conclusion that it is Halloween.  Ask them what month it is and they'll tell you, "Halloween!" and next month is called, "turkey," followed by "Christmas!"  We've got lots of counting opportunities as we figure out how many days until the big event for each month.

Wow.... 19 days of school have passed.   We've learned a lot already.  My first grade group figures out everyday how many days of school we've had and how many days have passed.  So I know that there are 161 days to go.   It's exciting to think about how  much more we will learn this year.

Here we are already. The fifth day of school. Routines are being learned. Beginning data and achievement levels are being collected. Of course, pulling students out for individualized testing in order to collect that data interferes with learning routines. We rarely have the luxury of being able to completely focus on only one thing at a time in school. Learning routines is vital to the orderly working of classrooms and schools. Collecting accurate beginning data is vital in order to create schedules to get students the help they need and to measure whether or not that help is working. It is a challenging time of the year.

First Day of School

Parkside is a great place to be on the first day of school!     Yesterday all the staff was busy getting ready and part of that getting ready included our "annual employee notification of legal rights and responsibilities".    I wanted to share a portion of the policies and procedures as they pertain to Special Education because I've  seen that these are not just words on paper that we all read and then go and do what we were going to do anyway, but a statement of real attitudes and beliefs here at Parkside.  So here is it, straight from the school board's document:

The District recognizes that students whose disabilities adversely impact educational performance and who require specially designed instruction have potential for improving educational performance when they receive special education and related services tailored to fit their needs.  Each eligible special education student in the District will be afforded a full educational opportunity.  This goal will be met consistent with the state's goals through ensuring the provision of a free appropriate public education, complying with state and local procedures, and improving performance goal indicators.

We all are working hard to get ready for a great first day and a great year.