Viewing: November, 2009
November 9, 2009
A few important things!
- PGS is celebrating Veterans’ Day tomorrow morning. All students are encouraged to wear RED, WHITE, and BLUE!
- I will be out tomorrow morning for a district technology meeting at the Board of Education.
- Report cards will be distributed on WEDNESDAY.
- Parent-Teacher conferences will be held on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week. Please check the schedule if you are not sure when your appointment is scheduled. Please make every effort to arrive on time for your child’s conference, and I will try to stay on schedule too! For more on conferences, click “Read the rest of this entry” (below). Please email me if you need the password for checking the schedule.
- School will be dismissed at 11:50 on Thursday and Friday this week. (more…)
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
November 5, 2009
Fourth Grade Homework Policy
Please be advised that the fourth grade team has established the following standards for the homework grade on the report card for each marking period:
0, 1, or 2 late or incomplete assignments = SECURE
3 or 4 late or incomplete assignments = DEVELOPING
5 or more late or incomplete assignments = BEGINNING
The grade of N (not demonstrating skill) will be given (at the teacher’s discretion) in circumstances in which there are excessive late or incomplete homework assignments.
Because this policy wasn’t in place at the START of the year, I am not using it as a grading basis for the current report cards. (I am being a bit more forgiving.) But these standards will be in place for the March and June report cards. Please bear this in mind when you check your child’s homework.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
November 4, 2009
Where is Mr. Moss?
Wondering what ever happened to me? There’s been a sub in class at least once a week lately, so I wanted to fill you in about what I’ve been up to.
Two weeks ago I was out sick for two days. Not a lot of fun, and I wish I would have been here instead!
Last Tuesday, Mr. Grgach and I had a release day to work on a follow-up to a grant he and I received. Last year, we got a grant of about $1,000 from the Avon Education Foundation (the same organization that generously funded part of our class’ SMART Board in 2005) to purchase some literary graphic novels to use in Guided Reading groups. These books are quality pieces of writing, but their fun “comic” style lets kids really enjoy the stories in ways that they might not normally be able to. Plus, we are able to have really interesting discussions. Our release day last week allowed us to prepare lesson plans to fit with several of the titles we have purchased.
Today I had a release day to administer the DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) to students. It’s an individual reading test that students complete twice each school year. It evaluates kids’ reading skills in the areas of oral fluency (how well they read aloud) and comprehension (how well they show their understanding of what they read.) The DRAs give me valuable information, but since they are administered individually, they are very time consuming. That’s why teachers are given a release day to administer the DRAs.
Next Tuesday, I will be out in the morning for a meeting at the Board of Education building. I am the educational technology teacher leader at PGS, and the district team meets every few weeks to discuss methods of meaningfully integrating technology in ways that help kids to better learn.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
November 2, 2009
Tomorrow’s Vote
FYI: The Avon election tomorrow will not be held at the Senior Center. Depending upon your residential addresses, registered Avon voters should vote on Tuesday, November 3rd between 6:00 am to 8:00 pm at one of these polling places: Avon High School, Roaring Brook School, or Avon Town Hall.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss
November 1, 2009
A Safe Online Experience
I found a great article on the Facebook administrative blog about ways to prevent cyberbullying. I was surprised to hear that some elementary-aged kids are already active on Facebook, and certainly the number of Facebook active kids grows for every year they get older. Here’s a piece of the article:
Already, Facebook allows you to easily report abuse on the site by selecting the “Report” link located near photos, videos, notes or other content you find offensive or inappropriate. This is just one step in discouraging people from behaving poorly online and potentially hurting other people. It’s up to you to address cyberbullying if it occurs to you or people around you.
While October is National Crime Prevention month in the U.S., cyberbullying happens throughout the year. Here are some ways you can prevent and address it if you ever experience a problem.
To read the rest, click here.
Last year, I have a presentation for the PSAC about internet safety. If you’re interested in learning about different ways in which you can better supervise and protect your child’s internet usage, you can access my presentation here.
Posted in Class Updates|By Jon Moss