flyer

Lindbergh Flyer
November 2007
Principal: Pam DeNeen
Secretary: Cathy Graham
Phone: 313-827-6300

November 2007

The school year is flying by for all of us. I hope your family is enjoying the learning experiences for the children.

November is an action packed month for us with many events. As always I want to thank the families that help with the events held at the school. Lindbergh is truly a center for the community. We are pleased to see such strong liaisons being developed.

Thank you also for your support as we strive to have continued safety of all the Lindbergh Children such as locking outside doors (except the Main Doors and the Parking Lot entrance) and not using the parking lot for drop off or pick up.

Students are expected to wait outside in the mornings (except for inclement weather) until the bell rings at 8:35 AM. Teachers are finishing instructional preparation and are not here for supervision of the children before that time.

Parents-please remember to sign in the visitor book when you come to school during the day for any reason. We have special volunteer badges for you to wear so everyone knows you are here to help. We want you to feel welcome to visit but signing in allows us to locate you in case of emergency and is another facet of the safety concerns for the school. It is

appropriate to make an appointment with your child’s teacher if you would like to

observe in the classroom or discuss your child.

ATTENDANCE

We hope your children will be able to attend school every day. However we know that illnesses occur. Please be sure to call the office at 313-827-6300 to report your child’s absence. You may leave a message 24 hrs a day. We will be calling anyone who has not called in. This is essential for the safety of our children. Also please try to schedule doctor or dentist appointments for the children after school or on days off.

WEATHER CHANGES

Our goal is to go outside after lunch every chance we get. The weather is changing and it is important to check the

weather in the morning for the day. Students should be dressed appropriately

for the weather. It is important to discuss what you want your children to do about warmer clothing. If coats are sent, we will be encouraging the students to wear them. Please label all clothing with your student’s name.

PICTURE RETAKES will be Thursday, Nov. 9th. Watch for details.

PTA

The PTA has some important events coming up that I felt warranted reminders. First, our Holiday Boutique is Saturday, November 10th. Additional workers are always appreciated for the 9th and 10th. See the PTA board outside of the office for any needs. Second, our first Bingo for Books will be held on Friday, November 30th from 6:30-8:30 pm. Third, the Santa Shop will be coming the first week in December. Please watch for further details. Our November meeting will be held on Thursday, Nov. 8th at 7 pm. We certainly hope you will join us. Please do not forget we are still collecting Box Tops for Education here in the office. Keep them coming. We have plans to get another fun ball for the playground with our proceeds.

Thank you to all families for making the Haunted School a big success.

REPORT CARDS

The Standards and Benchmarks report card informs parents of their children’s academic and social progress. It is correlated with the content and skills required by the state and district curriculum. Evidence of student achievement will be based on daily academic performance, projects, and tests given in the classroom as well as other objective data. Personal and social development is also marked to show evidence of growth and effort.

The first card marking ended on November 2nd. You must attend the Parent Teacher Conference to receive your child’s report card this first card marking.

CONFERENCES

Parent Teacher conferences are coming up. They will be held on Tuesday, November 13th, Wednesday, November 14th, and Tuesday, November 20th from 5-8 PM. Teachers will be sending out reminders for times. These are important times to discuss the academic progress of your children. Attached is a notice from the NEA that talks about how to make conferences successful.

LOST and FOUND

The Lindbergh lost and found is located in the old lockers outside of the gym. When you are here visiting, please be sure to look for any familiar items. They are filling up quickly with mostly coats. We will try to clean out the lockers twice a year and will donate any unclaimed items to a local charitable organization.

CITY BEAUTIFUL REPS

This year our City Beautiful Representatives are Angela Maggioncalda and Dylan Smith. Miss Polidori is the faculty representative. We all attended the All School Breakfast at Park Place for them to meet with the mayor and other important officials. The Team will be sending notes home later to explain the ideas for Lindbergh and our clean-up campaign.

HALF DAYS/NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, November 13th will be an 11:50 AM dismissal for preparation for conferences. No PM Kdgn.

Just a reminder there will be NO school for the students on the following days:

Tuesday, Nov. 6th - Election Day, also Inservice for Teachers.

Thanksgiving Recess- NO School – Nov. 22-23

ATTACHMENT:

NEA:National Education Association

Great Public Schools for Every Child

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Help For Parents | NEA Resources | NEA/PTA Parent Guides | Other Resources

How To Make Parent-Teacher Conferences
Work for Your Child

You've been asked to attend a regularly scheduled "report card" conference with your child's teacher. Or you've gotten a special note from your child's teacher asking to see you. In either case, you might be a little nervous.

Well, relax. Teachers don't want to put parents on the spot. They just like to meet with parents from time to time to discuss how to help students do their best in school.

All children learn in different ways. They have their own individual personalities, and their own listening and work habits. To help their students learn new knowledge and skills, teachers must know as much as they can about each child's likes and dislikes. No one knows more about these things than you, the parents. And no one has more influence over your children than you.

That's why teachers need your help to do a first-class job. Working together, you and the teacher can help your child have a successful school year.

Here Are Some Things To Keep in Mind

Start the conference right: be there on time, and plan not to run over the amount of time that has been set aside, usually about 40 minutes.
If you are a working parent who can't arrange to meet during regular hours, make this clear to the teacher and try to set up a time to meet that is good for both of you.
The best conferences are those in which both teachers and parents stay calm and try hard to work together for one purpose and one purpose only: to help your child do well. Arguing, or blaming each other for problems your child is having, helps no one.

Getting Ready

Each teacher will probably come prepared with samples of your children's work and with ideas to help them do even better in school. You should get ready for each conference, too.

Talk to your children before the conference. Find out what they think are their best subjects, and what subjects they like the least. Find out why. Also, ask your children if there is anything they would like you to talk about with their teachers. Make sure your children don't worry about the meeting. Help them understand that you and their teacher(s) are meeting together in order to help them.

Before you go to the school, write notes to yourself about:

things about your child's life at home, personality, problems, habits, and hobbies you feel it's important for the teacher to know
your concerns about the school's programs or policies
questions about your child's progress
how you and the school can work together to help your child

If your spouse can't attend the conference with you, ask for his or her concerns and questions.

The Conference

Some good questions to ask are these:

Is my child in different groups for different subjects? Why?
How well does my child get along with others?
What are my child's best and worst subjects?
Is my child working up to his or her ability?
Does my child participate in class discussions and activities?
Has my child missed any classes other than ones I contacted the school about?
Have you noticed any sudden changes in the way my child acts? For example, have you noticed any squinting, tiredness or moodiness that might be a sign of physical or other problems?
What kinds of tests are being done? What do the tests tell about my child's progress?
How does my child handle taking tests?

It's a good idea to ask your most important questions first, just in case time runs out before you and the teacher have a chance to discuss them all. Be sure to ask the teacher for specific suggestions on ways to help your child do better. This is the most important part of the meeting. It will become your action plan. If the teacher says something you don't quite understand, don't be shy about asking for an explanation. It's a good idea to end the conference by summing up decisions you've made together. If needed, ask to meet again.

After the Conference

Start immediately on the action plan you and the teacher worked out together. Discuss the plan with your child. Make sure he or she knows that you and the teacher care. To see if the action plan is working, watch your child's behavior and check your child's class work and homework.

Stay in regular touch with the teacher to discuss the progress your child is making. Meeting with your child's teachers should help build strong parent-teacher partnerships—partnerships that are needed if you and your child's teachers are to reach your common goal of helping your child get the best education possible.