A magical evening is being planned for Thursday, December 10, 2009 at Emerson.
You may think that the 1$ per person meal (provided by the PTA) is magical. The magical instruction of our Emerson teachers will amaze the parents. Students will also enjoy a magical performance by none other than The Great Raguzzi!
The main purpose of the evening is for you, our Emerson parents, to learn the most important concepts that will help you to support your child in Language Arts. Teachers at every grade level will provide meaningful, relevant information that you can use to help your child advance even farther this year. A separate class will be taught in Spanish at each grade level.
Emerson Students will be treated to a magic show, free of charge, in the cafeteria.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
The following post, copied from the Green Team blog, was written by our Emerson Green Team champion, Claire Carbonell.
Friday, 20 November 2009
Week #10: Today is a day of Parent/Teacher conferences at Emerson Elementary. It is the end of the school trimester and Emerson students are on Thanksgiving holiday. School resumes in 9 days, Monday, 30 November. The only image we share today is taken of our Emerson Redwigglers ~happy and healthy. The photo was taken immediately after lifting the many layers of moist newspaper that keep our wormbin dark and moist, the preferred environment for our worms! Our worms will spend next week with Kara Bolin, Parent, PTA Treasurer.
Beginning the second trimester, Green Team plans include getting a winter garden together! Some winter garden options: carrots, potatoes, onions, radishes, beets, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach.
All are welcome to come join us at the Eastside Community Garden at Emerson Elementary. Emerson Green Team wishes everyone a happy, safe and healthy holiday with their family and friends.
Week #10: Today is a day of Parent/Teacher conferences at Emerson Elementary. It is the end of the school trimester and Emerson students are on Thanksgiving holiday. School resumes in 9 days, Monday, 30 November. The only image we share today is taken of our Emerson Redwigglers ~happy and healthy. The photo was taken immediately after lifting the many layers of moist newspaper that keep our wormbin dark and moist, the preferred environment for our worms! Our worms will spend next week with Kara Bolin, Parent, PTA Treasurer.
Beginning the second trimester, Green Team plans include getting a winter garden together! Some winter garden options: carrots, potatoes, onions, radishes, beets, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach.
All are welcome to come join us at the Eastside Community Garden at Emerson Elementary. Emerson Green Team wishes everyone a happy, safe and healthy holiday with their family and friends.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Emerson Teams with Parkview
For the past few years Emerson has received support from Parkview Nursery as a school partner. They have supported the Eastside Community Garden with plants, assistance and advice. Partnerships are not supposed to be one way relationships. The Emerson community wants to support them as well.
During the holiday season, many families buy plants (as gifts), Christmas trees, and other holiday plants such as poinsettias. There are several reasons that you should buy these items from Parkview.
1.) They are locally owned and their employees live in our community.
2.) Tax dollars from sales in Riverside, stay in Riverside to support our City.
3.) They are conveniently located on the corner of Chicago and Enterprise.
4.) Their Christmas Trees are specially ordered from Washington State where the climate is wet and cold- which produces superior trees.
5.) The service at Parkview is outstanding! They are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about their products.
6.) They have excellent variety, and offer numerous choices.
Please let them know that you are from Emerson when you stop in to make your purchases at Parkiew Nursery.
During the holiday season, many families buy plants (as gifts), Christmas trees, and other holiday plants such as poinsettias. There are several reasons that you should buy these items from Parkview.
1.) They are locally owned and their employees live in our community.
2.) Tax dollars from sales in Riverside, stay in Riverside to support our City.
3.) They are conveniently located on the corner of Chicago and Enterprise.
4.) Their Christmas Trees are specially ordered from Washington State where the climate is wet and cold- which produces superior trees.
5.) The service at Parkview is outstanding! They are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about their products.
6.) They have excellent variety, and offer numerous choices.
Please let them know that you are from Emerson when you stop in to make your purchases at Parkiew Nursery.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Can Children be Allowed to Choose Failure?
Old school: If children choose to fail, then it's their fault.
Emerson today: If a child leaves Emerson without successfully meeting grade level standards (or his/her IEP goals), then we have failed him/her.
Who is "we?"
Parents may point to the teacher.
Teachers may blame the parents.
A Board of Education may lay liability on a principal.
Some may condemn the curriculum (the work is boring or too difficult).
Universities may indict the school system.
The wealthy may point the finger at poverty.
The poor may blame the greedy.
Descendants of immigrants may blame today's immigrants.
Business leaders may incriminate the State's school funding formulas.
Republicans may find fault with excessive government.
Democrats may decry the lack of programs.
Maybe everyone,in part, tacitly accuses the children themselves.
While everyone is playing a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, we have real children who are really failing. They are failing in our beloved school. When even one child fails (consistently earning a Basic or Below Basic in either Math or Language Arts), we can't waste time looking for the guilty party. We must do everything in our power to help that child learn successfully, even if it seems as if they themselves don't care.
Children rely on us to engineer their success. We can inspire them if they are uninspired. Collectively, we have the experience, training, time and expertise. We can't allow even one child to fail. When a child fails, it means that all of us have defaulted.
Every person who has fingers to point also has a hand to help pull a child out of failure. Maybe the problem is too many fingers and not enough hands.
Emerson today: If a child leaves Emerson without successfully meeting grade level standards (or his/her IEP goals), then we have failed him/her.
Who is "we?"
Parents may point to the teacher.
Teachers may blame the parents.
A Board of Education may lay liability on a principal.
Some may condemn the curriculum (the work is boring or too difficult).
Universities may indict the school system.
The wealthy may point the finger at poverty.
The poor may blame the greedy.
Descendants of immigrants may blame today's immigrants.
Business leaders may incriminate the State's school funding formulas.
Republicans may find fault with excessive government.
Democrats may decry the lack of programs.
Maybe everyone,in part, tacitly accuses the children themselves.
While everyone is playing a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, we have real children who are really failing. They are failing in our beloved school. When even one child fails (consistently earning a Basic or Below Basic in either Math or Language Arts), we can't waste time looking for the guilty party. We must do everything in our power to help that child learn successfully, even if it seems as if they themselves don't care.
Children rely on us to engineer their success. We can inspire them if they are uninspired. Collectively, we have the experience, training, time and expertise. We can't allow even one child to fail. When a child fails, it means that all of us have defaulted.
Every person who has fingers to point also has a hand to help pull a child out of failure. Maybe the problem is too many fingers and not enough hands.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Student Achievement for All
A poem by Emma Lazarus is graven on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. "...Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." Can anyone "breathe free" without academic success?
In Riverside, on the Main Street Pedestrian Mall is another inspiring statue. The words on the base of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statue read "I have a dream."
Both of these statues, their stories and their corresponding statements inspire us. And while we openly accept immigrants and we encourage our children to play together with others, we still must recognize that, even in Riverside, inequities, differences, and deeply held beliefs can hold back the progress of those who have dreams and those who "...yearn to be free..."
Emerson is considered to be a beautiful melting pot, a mixed salad, or a stew (depending on your preferred culinary metaphor) where racial problems are a rarity. However even at Emerson,we have significant learning gaps that exist- it is not uncommon for there to be a 15% fewer English Learners who are Proficient or Advanced than the rest of our school population. Even at Emerson, there is a performance gap between our African American students and our overall population.
We have worked to close the learning gap by offering a variety of interventions, trainings and strategies. But despite the extra efforts, we are not moving all of our students up as quickly as we must. Should we be happy with 30%, 40% or 50% of our students meeting proficiency standards? Students who are "...yearning to be free..." cannot achieve this freedom, equality and opportunity unless they are achieving at grade level. Every year that passes for a student who is performing below grade level, is a year that an opportunity is lost to achieve the dream.
Just as Lady Liberty opens her arms to welcome needy travellers, can you volunteer your time to help read with students? Sheila Close and Ron Beasley can train you to be an Accelerated Reader volunteer. Would you please let us know that you want to help Emerson achieve our dream?
Friday, November 6, 2009
My Veterans Day Salute
Veterans Day (Wednesday, November, 11) is not just a day off of school. It is an opportunity for all of us to step back from political beliefs and to salute those who have served our country in the military.
We all probably know a few veterans. Some served in times of war and some in times of peace. Some paid for their loyalty to their country with their lives.
A few days ago a man came to my office asking, "Mr. McCombs, don't you remember me? It's me, Jacob, you were my assistant principal in middle school!" I definitely remembered him, but he didn't look like the same boy I knew 12 years ago. The most obvious change was a facial and neck twitch that seemed to grab him every few seconds. He explained to me that he was home for a few days from Afganistan where he had earned the Bronze Star Medal with Valor.
He reminded me about all of the talks we had and he appologized for his misbehavior years ago. He reminded me of all the times I had to call his mom when he was in trouble. Jacob looked me up at Emerson to tell me that he appreciated our motivational talks.
He also came to tell me about his tour of service in Afganistan. "Should I tell my son what I do over there?" he asked. His son doesn't understand why his daddy wakes up screaming out orders in the middle of the night. We talked some more about his job and about how he got the Bronze Star.
While his twitches increased, he told me that "someone has to die" to earn this medal. He told me the bloody details, while humbly explaining how he saved the lives of two of his buddies during an ambush.
No doubt that Jacob has returned to the battlefield. I pray that he returns to his young family quickly, and that his nightmares and twitches will some day subside.
Jacob, Veterans Day is for you.
We all probably know a few veterans. Some served in times of war and some in times of peace. Some paid for their loyalty to their country with their lives.
A few days ago a man came to my office asking, "Mr. McCombs, don't you remember me? It's me, Jacob, you were my assistant principal in middle school!" I definitely remembered him, but he didn't look like the same boy I knew 12 years ago. The most obvious change was a facial and neck twitch that seemed to grab him every few seconds. He explained to me that he was home for a few days from Afganistan where he had earned the Bronze Star Medal with Valor.
He reminded me about all of the talks we had and he appologized for his misbehavior years ago. He reminded me of all the times I had to call his mom when he was in trouble. Jacob looked me up at Emerson to tell me that he appreciated our motivational talks.
He also came to tell me about his tour of service in Afganistan. "Should I tell my son what I do over there?" he asked. His son doesn't understand why his daddy wakes up screaming out orders in the middle of the night. We talked some more about his job and about how he got the Bronze Star.
While his twitches increased, he told me that "someone has to die" to earn this medal. He told me the bloody details, while humbly explaining how he saved the lives of two of his buddies during an ambush.
No doubt that Jacob has returned to the battlefield. I pray that he returns to his young family quickly, and that his nightmares and twitches will some day subside.
Jacob, Veterans Day is for you.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Optimist Club Inspires
Four years ago the Riverside Optimist Club called and said that they wanted to be partners with Emerson. I told them that we had a Saturday garden work day to clear out the overgrown summer weeds. While that was a terrible strategy to attract school partners, the Optimist Club showed up in force on that hot Saturday and helped us haul off a dozen truckloads of weeds.
Since then the optimists have supported Emerson in many ways. They sponsor the tri-star basketball tournament. They bring a bicycle safety assembly to the school every year. They have supported numerous child safety efforts such as the Take 25 campaign that helps parents with strategies to keep their children safe.
I was inspired by the Optimist Creed, especially by the line they quoted, saying, "To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others."
The Optimist Club is promoting an "iKeepSafe" campaign for internet safety. They are actively teaching about the dangers that our children face with the expanded use of the internet. The parent resource center provides numerous easy strategies and tips that can help even non-tech-savvy parents to keep their kids safe.
I spoke at their meeting yesterday for the fourth year and was humbled by their concern for children, their service to others and by their generosity. They sent me back to school with a check that we will be able to use to support student-focused projects.
"Thank you!" to our school partners, my friends, at the Riverside Optimist Club.
Since then the optimists have supported Emerson in many ways. They sponsor the tri-star basketball tournament. They bring a bicycle safety assembly to the school every year. They have supported numerous child safety efforts such as the Take 25 campaign that helps parents with strategies to keep their children safe.
I was inspired by the Optimist Creed, especially by the line they quoted, saying, "To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others."
The Optimist Club is promoting an "iKeepSafe" campaign for internet safety. They are actively teaching about the dangers that our children face with the expanded use of the internet. The parent resource center provides numerous easy strategies and tips that can help even non-tech-savvy parents to keep their kids safe.
I spoke at their meeting yesterday for the fourth year and was humbled by their concern for children, their service to others and by their generosity. They sent me back to school with a check that we will be able to use to support student-focused projects.
"Thank you!" to our school partners, my friends, at the Riverside Optimist Club.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The ABC's of A and B (and P and BB...)
I earned my first (and only) D grades in Spanish and Math when I was in middle school. I remember enjoying learning both subjects, but there were just too many exciting things happening in my middle school life to keep focused on turning in every assignment. After racking up a few zeros in homework and a few failed quizzes, it was nearly impossible to average my way out of the D range. Both of those classes left me with little interest in really trying to raise my grade. Both of my parents were teachers and they were able to help me improve my performance in subsequent classes.
In a Standards-Based Grading (SBG) system a student's understanding and knowledge is evaluated more fairly than the quantity of homework or success on quizzes. Students are given multiple opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge.
When most of us were in school, an A was just an A and everyone knew what an A, an A+, or an A- meant. Earning a B grade, in a letter-based grading system was still above average.
The biggest confusion that I see is when a parent appears to celebrate a 'B' on their child's report card. While it makes me want to scream, I realize that many parents may not have been exposed to our grading system before. Scoring a B, which stands for Basic, is definitely not above average. This is made more confusing because the A (Advanced) in SBG and an A in a letter-based grading system appear to be similar. But after Advanced, this is where the comparison of the two grading systems really becomes impossible.
The California State Content Standards are the basis for our SBG. In order to be Advanced, a student must be able to demonstrate that they have advanced knowledge of the standard. Turning in extra assignments or earning more points can't make them Advanced, but being able to know and demonstrate their understanding can. A description of each performance level is usually measured by a description called a rubric. Teachers use the rubrics to compare the students' work to the standards that the assignment measures.
Our school district has been using SBG for about 10 years, but with every new parent who arrives, it is important to revisit why we use them and what they mean. Parents will be able to review and discuss the first trimester report cards during the Parent-Teacher conferences scheduled for November 19 and 20.
Make a point to always know if your child is Proficient (or above) in Math and Language Arts. If students don't meet the Proficiency bar every year, they are not on track for graduating from high school. For this reason, we must not be content until every child is Proficient or Advanced for their grade level.
Although I never was an outstanding Spanish student in high school, I found a purpose in studying Spanish in college; I lived in Honduras for two years, and I later became a Spanish teacher. How can we help every student find a purpose in their learning that will motivate them to become Proficient or Advanced?
In a Standards-Based Grading (SBG) system a student's understanding and knowledge is evaluated more fairly than the quantity of homework or success on quizzes. Students are given multiple opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge.
When most of us were in school, an A was just an A and everyone knew what an A, an A+, or an A- meant. Earning a B grade, in a letter-based grading system was still above average.
The biggest confusion that I see is when a parent appears to celebrate a 'B' on their child's report card. While it makes me want to scream, I realize that many parents may not have been exposed to our grading system before. Scoring a B, which stands for Basic, is definitely not above average. This is made more confusing because the A (Advanced) in SBG and an A in a letter-based grading system appear to be similar. But after Advanced, this is where the comparison of the two grading systems really becomes impossible.
The California State Content Standards are the basis for our SBG. In order to be Advanced, a student must be able to demonstrate that they have advanced knowledge of the standard. Turning in extra assignments or earning more points can't make them Advanced, but being able to know and demonstrate their understanding can. A description of each performance level is usually measured by a description called a rubric. Teachers use the rubrics to compare the students' work to the standards that the assignment measures.
Our school district has been using SBG for about 10 years, but with every new parent who arrives, it is important to revisit why we use them and what they mean. Parents will be able to review and discuss the first trimester report cards during the Parent-Teacher conferences scheduled for November 19 and 20.
Make a point to always know if your child is Proficient (or above) in Math and Language Arts. If students don't meet the Proficiency bar every year, they are not on track for graduating from high school. For this reason, we must not be content until every child is Proficient or Advanced for their grade level.
Although I never was an outstanding Spanish student in high school, I found a purpose in studying Spanish in college; I lived in Honduras for two years, and I later became a Spanish teacher. How can we help every student find a purpose in their learning that will motivate them to become Proficient or Advanced?
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
New Math Units to Begin
The Elementary Education Department recently provided the following summary and links that I believe will be of assistance to you in discussing math with your children during the next few weeks:
Our enVision math program is separated into segments we call benchmark windows. The timeline varies for each grade. Your child may not be on the exact schedule because teachers have flexibility to move topics within the window and to expand or compact topics. You can click on the links below and get a general idea of the math calendar by viewing documents on the RUSD math website.
Kindergarten (Oct 30 - Jan 20)Topic 5 - Comparing Numbers; Topic 6 - Addition; Topic 7 - Subtraction; Topic 8 - Numbers to 20
Grade 1 (Oct 15 - Dec 11)Topic 6 - Addition Facts to 12; Topic 7 - Subtraction Facts to 12; Topic 8 - Geometry; Topic 9 - Patterns; Topic 10 - Time to the Half Hour
Grade 2 (Oct 23 - Dec 17)Topic 6 - Mental Addition; Topic 7 - Mental Subtraction; Topic 8 - Estimating Sums and Differences; Topic 9 - Adding Two Digit Numbers; Topic 10 - Subtracting Two Digit Numbers
Grade 3 (Oct 29 - Jan 8)Topic 6 - Multiplication Concepts; Topic 7 - Multiplication Fact Patterns; Topic 8 - Multiplication - Use Known Facts; Topic 9 - Division Concepts; Topic 10 - Division Facts
Grade 4 (Oct 27 - Jan 25)Topic 6 - Multiplying by 2-Digit Numbers; Topic 7 - Dividing by 1-Digit Divisors; Topic 8 - Lines, Angles, Shapes and Solids; Topic 9 - Fraction Concepts; Topic 10 - Addition and Subtraction of Fractions
Grade 5 (Oct 27 - Jan 7)Topic 6 - Multiplying Decimals; Topic 7 - Dividing Decimals; Topic 8 - Shapes; Topic 9 - Factors and Multiples; Topic 10 - Fractions, Mixed Numbers, and Decimals
Grade 6 (Sep 26 - Jan 15)Topic 6 - Two-Dimensional Figures; Topic 7 - Fraction Concepts; Topic 8 - Decimals, Fractions, and Mixed Numbers; Topic 9 - Add and Subtract Fractions; Topic 10 - Multiply and Divide Fractions
WANT MORE INFO? See the textbook Click here and scroll all the way down to access the math texts online. Remember your teacher can arrange a personalized online account for your student and assign individualized assignments and games. Look at more math materials Click here Want to know how the lessons are presented? Click here.
Our enVision math program is separated into segments we call benchmark windows. The timeline varies for each grade. Your child may not be on the exact schedule because teachers have flexibility to move topics within the window and to expand or compact topics. You can click on the links below and get a general idea of the math calendar by viewing documents on the RUSD math website.
Kindergarten (Oct 30 - Jan 20)Topic 5 - Comparing Numbers; Topic 6 - Addition; Topic 7 - Subtraction; Topic 8 - Numbers to 20
Grade 1 (Oct 15 - Dec 11)Topic 6 - Addition Facts to 12; Topic 7 - Subtraction Facts to 12; Topic 8 - Geometry; Topic 9 - Patterns; Topic 10 - Time to the Half Hour
Grade 2 (Oct 23 - Dec 17)Topic 6 - Mental Addition; Topic 7 - Mental Subtraction; Topic 8 - Estimating Sums and Differences; Topic 9 - Adding Two Digit Numbers; Topic 10 - Subtracting Two Digit Numbers
Grade 3 (Oct 29 - Jan 8)Topic 6 - Multiplication Concepts; Topic 7 - Multiplication Fact Patterns; Topic 8 - Multiplication - Use Known Facts; Topic 9 - Division Concepts; Topic 10 - Division Facts
Grade 4 (Oct 27 - Jan 25)Topic 6 - Multiplying by 2-Digit Numbers; Topic 7 - Dividing by 1-Digit Divisors; Topic 8 - Lines, Angles, Shapes and Solids; Topic 9 - Fraction Concepts; Topic 10 - Addition and Subtraction of Fractions
Grade 5 (Oct 27 - Jan 7)Topic 6 - Multiplying Decimals; Topic 7 - Dividing Decimals; Topic 8 - Shapes; Topic 9 - Factors and Multiples; Topic 10 - Fractions, Mixed Numbers, and Decimals
Grade 6 (Sep 26 - Jan 15)Topic 6 - Two-Dimensional Figures; Topic 7 - Fraction Concepts; Topic 8 - Decimals, Fractions, and Mixed Numbers; Topic 9 - Add and Subtract Fractions; Topic 10 - Multiply and Divide Fractions
WANT MORE INFO? See the textbook Click here and scroll all the way down to access the math texts online. Remember your teacher can arrange a personalized online account for your student and assign individualized assignments and games. Look at more math materials Click here Want to know how the lessons are presented? Click here.
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