Fundraiser Was Pie-In-Your-Face Fun!

Heavy rain and the lack of electricity didn't slow the pie-in-your-face fun at our annual Pancake Breakfast on Saturday.

Students, parents, community members, school staff and district officials joined together to eat pancakes, bid on wonderful baskets, play games, and yes, throw whipped cream pies in the faces of their "favorite" administrators. RUSD Deputy Superintendent, Mike Fine, (a regular supporter of our annual event) was volunteered to do his part to help narrow the science camp budget shortfall. A teacher, let's just call her Mrs. Jones, was proud to assist Mr. Fine in his good-natured volunteerism. Her pie dripped right down his back.

Mrs. Cortes received an overwhelming quantity of the sticky whipped cream just before the supply ran out. Lucky for me! But really, I was just on my way out to take a few more pies in my face too.

Numerous parents worked behind the scenes to make the event both fun and profitable. They donated items such as the framed prints and pancake mix. They solicited donations from community businesses. They operated the carnival and arts-and-crafts tables. They organized, planned and stayed late to clean up. They cooked and served hundreds of fluffy pancakes.

"Thank you" Emerson community for the hard work and fun, all while raising money to send students to science camp!

Pancake Breakfast This Saturday!

The Emerson Elementary School Sixth Grade Science Camp Pancake Breakfast, a longtime Riverside tradition, will be held this Saturday, Feb. 27 from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Emerson Elementary School, 4660 Ottawa Avenue. Tickets for the breakfast are $5.The event will feature breakfast, plus games and crafts for children, raffle prizes and a silent auction for a variety of creative baskets put together by Emerson families. All proceeds will benefit the Emerson Sixth Grade Science Camp. Information: (951) 788-7462.

External Rewards Motivate

As a parent, do you ever get tired of giving constant reminders, bribes or warnings to get your children to do what you want them to do? We want children to be self-motiated, so it is our job to gradually move them away from rewards and warnings to the satisfaction of meeting a goal without external motivation.

The beginning steps of goal-setting start with their desire to get some kind of treat or reward. Children often require some kind of bribe until they have learned to set and reach goals on their own. Fear of being in trouble also motivates, but instead of resorting to using fear, external rewards provide for an oportunity to move from extrinsic to intrinsic rewards. Working towards a goal or a reward can be a powerful motivational tool that will help children learn to delay gratification, set priorities and manage their time.

In my house, goal setting can be as routine as "If you have finished your chores, piano practice, reading and have cleaned your room, then you may be able to play the Wii tonight. " The incentive is something my kids (who are relatively new to video gaming) really want to earn. The expectations is that all of work must be finished before receiving the reward. It is just enough incentive to make them start these tasks without too much whining (...usually). The biggest difficulty that I face as a parent is to be consistent in enforcing these expectations. If I give in and let them play Wii when I have not made them finish their work, it makes it even harder when I try to enforce the rule next time. Putting work before fun is a simple first step for students to learn as they start to set and reach goals.

Earning Wii time is an extrinsic reward that motivates my own children. I want to live in the land where my children always put away their shoes and dirty clothes on their own, without a reminder or expectation of a reward. Slowly, gradually, and hopefully we'll live in that world someday. But for the time being, Wii time (or dessert!) helps to motivate them to finish their work.

At Emerson, every student is setting goals for achievement during our Skill Blitz. Please help us by asking your child about their goal, the possible difficulties in reaching their goal, and what would motivate them to meet their goal. As we endeavor to educate and rear our children, we may have to resort to some external motivation before we can build within them the intrinsic satisfaction of delaying gratification, working hard, using their time wisely, setting priorities and reaching even more lofty goals.

In the photo to the left, a teacher charts the class' progress in meeting class-wide Accelerated Reader goals. Walking students through goal-setting procedures can help students reflect on specific actions that are within their reach that can help make a large impact.

Without a doubt, reaching goals takes a lot of work. It's probably just as much work for you as it is for the children!

Emerson Measures Up at Science and Engineering Fair

"Congratulations!" to our eight Emerson students for their excellent representation at the 2009-2010 Science and Engineering Fair held at UCR last night.

After completing their class science projects in January, the most outstanding projects were selected to compete in the district-wide fair.

Two Emerson students were awarded Silver medals. In the 5th grade, Pierce Webb's project award-winning project was entitled Flammable Fabrics.

Our Kindergarten prodigy, competing against students up through the 5th grade, was none other than Joseph Nieto, son of fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Nieto. His project, entitled The Big Dig, chronicled his findings when he burried and then later unearthed a variety of matter in his backyard.

Several Honorable Mention awards were presented as well, including:
Julia Mahoney, HydroPower: Does Water Flow Effect Lifting a Weight?
Jacqueline Hurtado, Help From a Dummy: Does the Pressure of a Soccer Ball Affect the Distance It Travels?
Daniel Gonzalez, Egg Substitutes
Ofek Censor, Class Mobility: Making Friends and Working Together
Ben Cattern, Classroom Bacteria
Tanya Balandin, Metals That Conduct Heat Best

Congratulations to all of the RUSD students who competed!

Why Do We Test So Much?

We all have to take and pass tests- driver tests, college entrance exams, job promotion tests, or high school exit exams, to name a few. These tests ensure that a basic standard of quality is maintained in a profession, in a community or in a school.

While some may argue that testing elementary-aged children starts this standardization process at too young of an age, the converse is true as well. When planning backwards from high school graduation, the State Standards and their accompanying tests (along with other assessments)provide clear sign-posts along the way- all the way back to kindergarten.

Tests help us become aware of our strengths and weaknesses. Our intuition is not generally reliable or accurate enough to give actionable information. While I don't always like it when someone points out a weakness to me, it can help me improve personally or professionally.

In education there is a saying that "what gets tested is what gets taught." This may seem backwards, but when we begin with end in mind (as Steven Covey states) we have a much clearer path about where to go and how to get there.

Tests also help us find out what we don't know. Sometimes that's half the battle. We don't want to re-teach an entire multiplication unit if all a child needs is to memorize his sevens. As adults, we wouldn't want to have to take behind-the-wheel training if all we need to learn is the distance it takes a fully loaded tractor-trailer to stop when traveling at 55 miles per hour.

When we test the kindergarten students' knowledge of the letter sounds, it may tell us which students we need to pull together in a small group to re-teach a specific letter sound. Even advanced learners have gaps in their knowledge.

During this 10 week Skill Blitz we are requiring that the students look at their current achievement and set a goal for their next assessment. We want them to "be hungry" for improving their own learning.

My main idea (our reading comprehension skill this week is Main Idea) is that testing can help us to know where we are in relationship to where we are supposed to be. The results of testing will give us information that helps us get on track towards meeting common expectations.

Crisis Intervention and Support for Students

Traumatic events or hardships often impact our children. Such events can range from a serious illness, the death of friend or family member, to a sudden change in economic or living situation. Traumatic events can be isolated to a child, the immediate family, or it may extend to an entire community.
When children are experiencing stress or distress, sometimes it is apparent. They may display their feelings by acting sad, quiet, withdrawn, angry, fearful, or easily agitated. Some children may be able to verbalize their feelings; others may not. Emerson has resources to help. If your child has gone through any crisis that is impacting behavior or performance in school, please contact a teacher, counselor, school psychologist, or administrator for guidance. Emerson has both a part time counselor and a part-time school psychologist. If we are unable to meet your child’s needs, we can offer parents referrals to other agencies in our community.

Our Winter Garden

Even in the dead of winter, there is a lot growing in our garden. We have been harvesting broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and peas, to name a few. Along with a new student and her mom, I cut a large cauliflower and then delivered it to the cafeteria. That's my favorite garden activity, rain or shine.

The citrus trees produced a large quantity of tangerines as well as lemons. The peach trees are in bloom. We recently planted/ transplanted about 60 apple trees with the help of the Warm Climate Apple Tree expert, Kevin Hauser. The trees are already starting to bud and blossom.

Tony Inaba, Commonly known around here as Tony the Strawberry Man, has helped us get several hundred strawberry plants off to an early start. The bright red berries are really striking as they stand out against the loam.

The two guys that you you would probably meet in the garden on any given morning are Tom and Wes. They have been working on irrigation, pruning, and delivering winter produce to the senior citizens who frequent the Stratton Community Center across the street. They have been both working in the garden for about 3 years, employed through a partnership with Parks and Recreation.

Few students have been in the garden over the past few weeks. The rain will give way to sun, prompting the overwhelming need for students to pull weeds.

Emerson's resident Master Composter Claire Carbonell, has been meeting with the Green Team planning a project called "Let Us Grow Lettuce!" A greenhouse has been ordered to help regulate water for a controlled experiment. I'll tell more about this project later.

A Super Bowl Story Structure

Today we are starting our 10 week Skill Blitz at Emerson as a way to emphasize the importance of using specific skills to help students understand what they read.

This week we are emphasizing "Story Structure." In the morning announcements I used the Super Bowl as an example:
The characters were the teams- the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts (or you could point out some favorite players, like Drew Brees or Peyton Manning). The setting was a filled-to-the brim stadium full of screaming fans in Florida (that’s the location). The plot could be explained that the New Orleans Saints, who after 10 years of futility and frustration, was lead by their MVP quarterback to propel their team into a 31-17 victory over the Colts. You may have a different take on the plot, based on your view. You may want to emphasize different facts in the story, but the Story Structure elements are the same…the characters, the setting and the plot.

As a parent, you can support our Skill Blitz this week by asking your child to tell you the elements in Story Structure, and then requiring them to describe the characters, the setting and the plot of almost anything- a TV show, a football game or a problem that occurred on the playground.

Candy Gram Fundraiser

If you would like to send your child a special Valentine's Day greeting, a motivational thought, or a congratulations about an academic achievement, then a Candy Gram may be just what you are looking for!

For sale both in the office and on the playground during recess, the greeting only costs one dollar.

Here is a photo of Mrs. Gonzalez, 3rd grade teacher, along with Cara Bolin, an Emerson parent, at their sales table at recess today.

Proceeds from the sales benefit the sixth grade camp fundraising effort.

Digital Inclusion Class Begins with 20 Participants

Emerson's first Digital Inclusion class started today with over twenty participants. All Emerson moms, the participants' ability level reflected a broad spectrum from beginning to a working level of knowledge. Everyone learned something and was able to practice skills at their level. Taught by Emerson Math Coach, Eric Palmer, the classes were given Spanish-language interpretation support by Emerson's Bilingual Instructional Assistant, Ana Juarez.

The SmartRiverside program has established a free internet connection for all Riverside residents, and works to provide free classes and refurbished computers to families. The classes' participants will each receive their refurbished computer on the third class. Additional support for their computers and network connection issues will be provided both by the Emerson staff as well as by the SmartRiverside Digital Inclusion program department.

Emerson believes that we can extend students' learning time by helping to provide access at home to web-based resources on websites such as EnVision math and Accelerated Reader .

History Day Success!

Congratulations to our four History Day winners! They are Jada, Jacqueline, Madison and Rachel all from Mrs. Scott, Mrs. Nieto and Mrs. Turner's classes.

Jada and Jacqueline were awarded The Riverside Metropolitan Museum Award for use of color and layout in posters and exhibits. They each received a ribbon and reproduction orange crate label from the museum's gift shop.

Rachel and Madison were winners in the category of the 4th and 5th grade Individual Posters and they will proceed to Riverside County History Day on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at Poly High School.

I am so proud of all four of these children and their families on this special recognition. Because of your outstanding work, Emerson will continue our long-standing tradition of excellence and participation in the County History Day competitions.