News from the Cardinals' Nest

Math:

We're excited to share with you some fantastic developments in our math curriculum that we believe will have a positive impact on your child's learning journey. Through monthly professional development, our teachers have been diligently exploring and implementing a teaching strategy known as the productive struggle in mathematics.

Understanding the Productive Struggle:

The productive struggle is rooted in the belief that students learn best when they engage in challenging tasks, persevere through difficulties, and develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts. This aligns seamlessly with the first standard of mathematical practice – making sense of problems.

Making Sense of Problems (Standard of Math Practice 1):

This standard emphasizes the importance of students making sense of problems and persevering in solving them. Our teachers have been actively incorporating this practice into their math lessons, creating an environment where students are encouraged to grapple with challenging problems through the use of questioning techniques. Through questioning, students are required to think critically, instead of simply receiving the information of how to solve the problem.

Examples of Productive Struggle in the Classroom:

Open-Ended Problem Solving:

Teachers present open-ended problems that allow for multiple approaches. For instance, students might be given a real-life scenario and asked to use various strategies to solve it. This encourages critical thinking, creativity, and a deeper understanding of the mathematical concepts involved.

Collaborative Learning:

Students engage in collaborative learning experiences, working together to solve complex problems. This not only fosters teamwork but also encourages students to share their thought processes and learn from one another.

Mathematical Discourse:

Classroom discussions play a crucial role in the productive struggle. Teachers facilitate conversations where students articulate their thinking, justify their solutions, and ask questions. This builds a strong foundation for mathematical communication and reasoning. They are also learning to read, write, and speak using precise mathematical language.

Impact on Your Child's Learning:

The benefits of the productive struggle in math extend beyond the classroom. As students face and overcome challenges, they develop a growth mindset, resilience, and a love for problem-solving. This approach nurtures a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts that will serve them well in future academic endeavors.

How You Can Support at Home:

Encourage your child to embrace challenges and view them as opportunities for growth. These challenges might include tying shoes, zipping coats, persevering through sorting laundry, or sticking with tasks that aren’t technologically oriented. Of course they can also be about math! Ask open-ended questions about their math work, prompting them to explain their thinking. Reinforce the idea that it's okay to find math (and other problems) challenging, and the process of working through difficulties is where real learning happens-both in and out of the classroom. Below you will find some questions you may consider asking at home around any opportunity–math or otherwise–that supports struggling productively.

Questions to promote the Productive Struggle

• What strategy are you using to solve this problem?

• Encourages children to reflect on their approach and articulate their thinking.

• Can you explain your solution to me in your own words?

• Prompts children to communicate their understanding of the problem and solution.

• Are there other ways to solve this problem? Can you think of another approach?

• Encourages creative thinking and the exploration of different problem-solving strategies.

• What part of the problem is challenging for you?

• Helps identify specific areas of difficulty and promotes self-awareness.

• Can you break the problem down into smaller parts to make it more manageable?

• Encourages the child to approach complex problems systematically.

• What do you think would happen if you changed one part of your solution?

• Promotes critical thinking by asking children to consider the impact of modifications.

• Are there any patterns or relationships you notice in the numbers or shapes involved?

• Encourages children to look for patterns, fostering a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.

• How did you feel when you first looked at the problem? How do you feel now?

• Promotes reflection on the emotional aspects of problem-solving and builds resilience.

• Can you think of a real-life situation where you might use this math concept?

• Helps children connect mathematical ideas to practical, real-world applications.

• What questions do you have about the problem?

• Encourages curiosity and prompts children to seek clarification when needed.

• If you were explaining this problem to a friend, what would you say?

• Encourages children to articulate their understanding in a way that others can comprehend.

• Can you find a similar problem and try solving it as well?

• Promotes independent exploration and reinforces learning through practice

We are excited about the positive impact this approach is having on our students' mathematical mindset and look forward to seeing continued growth in their mathematical understanding. As always, if you have any questions or would like further information, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Deanna Murray

Math Instructional Coach

dmurray@colchesterct.org

English Language Arts:

One of the most impor­tant roles that par­ents can play in their child’s edu­ca­tion is sup­port­ing, nur­tur­ing, and encouraging their child’s read­ing love of read­ing. “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents,” as the poet and children’s author Emi­lie Buch­wald has said. Her advice: Open a book — dai­ly — and read aloud to your child. Par­ents are the most pow­er­ful influ­encer on a child’s lit­er­a­cy devel­op­ment, read­ing abil­i­ties and atti­tudes around lit­er­a­cy — and this influ­ence starts at an ear­ly age, the research con­sis­tent­ly shows. Research shows that 42% of the nation’s five-and-under age group had fam­i­ly mem­bers read to them less than four days a week. Across the Unit­ed States, the rates for this sta­tis­tic range from a high of 56%, to a low of 22%.

How can par­ents sup­port lit­er­a­cy devel­op­ment? Luck­i­ly there are many proven ways for par­ents to sup­port read­ing at home with sustained time to practice foundational reading skills.

Here are a few tips to help ear­ly readers:

1. READ EVERY DAY: Find a time to read with your child every day. Even a brief dai­ly com­mit­ment can con­vey that read­ing is an impor­tant pri­or­i­ty.

• MAKE A SPACE FOR READING: Cre­ate a com­fort­able, con­sis­tent place in your home where you can read togeth­er, enjoy books and chat about them. You might even make it a place where food and drink are wel­come — these can sig­nal that read­ing is a social activity.

• MAKE READ­ING FUN: Don’t be afraid to get sil­ly. Read­ing should be fun. Meet your child where they are, and don’t insist only on “traditional” storybooks. Sil­ly books, graphic novels, comics, or oth­er art-dri­ven books are a good way to get many chil­dren inter­est­ed in read­ing. If pos­si­ble, take turns reading aloud, change your voice for different characters, or sing the words of sto­ries or find oth­er ways to enjoy books.

• PLAN TRIPS TO YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY: Ask staff which books kids are excit­ed about. Get­ting your child a library card can get them excit­ed about books. Library trips should be fun – there’s so many programs available at the library. Parents can also take out their own library books to read at home, modeling reading books you love.

• SEEK OUT ADAPTATIONS OF TRADITIONAL TALES: Read books that are being adapt­ed into movies, and com­pare and contrast one type of media to the other.

• ENCOUR­AGE WRITING: Encour­age your child to write thank-you notes, let­ters, jour­nal entries and sto­ries about their dai­ly life and expe­ri­ences. If your child is uncom­fort­able writ­ing, sug­gest that he or she cre­ate a com­ic strip, adding speech bubbles and labels.

• BUILD LIT­ER­A­CY WITH OTH­ER ACTIVITIES: Enjoy puz­zles, mazes, cross­words and oth­er games, which help build lit­er­a­cy skills while hav­ing fun.

• EXTENDING LEARNING FROM SCHOOL: Find ways to extend foundational lit­er­a­cy skills when you’re home or out with your child.

• Finding letters in environmental print: Name the letter and connect the sounds with letters.

• Build on phonological awareness: Playing with sounds in words

• Recite nursery rhymes

• Read books with rhyming words and ask your child to identify the words that rhyme (have the same middle and ending sounds).

• While rereading words that are phonetically decodable, encourage your child to point and say each sound. Then slide the sounds together continuously to blend a word.

• Mulitsyllabic words are often intimidating to young readers.

• Break words into syllables to decode.

• Students can identify if a word has an open/closed syllable.

• Separate word parts. Students use what they know about prefixes, suffixes, root words to separate word parts and blend together.

• Discuss unknown vocabulary

• Ask open-ended questions, encouraging predictions, and fostering discussions about the text.

• Help children make connections between what they read and their own experiences.

Update on the New Kindergarten Law in Connecticut:

Connecticut lawmakers passed a new law that changed the age requirements for kindergarten. Starting next year, the 2024-2025 school year, children will need to be five by September 1st. While we know that this may cause a hardship for some families, we ultimately agree that this is beneficial for students’ developmental progression and brings our state more in-line with the cutoff dates around the country.

If your child does not meet the new entry cutoff date, they may still be admitted into kindergarten upon:

(1) a written request from the parent or guardian that is sent to the principal or assistant principal by March 1, 2024

(2) completion of the Kindergarten Waiver Request Form

(3) an assessment completed by the school that determines admitting the child to kindergarten would be developmentally appropriate.

Social Emotional Learning/School Climate:

All are Welcome Project: This whole-school activity helps us to build an inclusive community, recognizing how our differences make us stronger. During the month of November, all classrooms read the book “All Are Welcome.” Students then completed a writing and drawing activity that shared a reason why they are each special. These projects were hung around the main hallways of CES to celebrate how special each and every child is.

Family Traditions Project: During the month of January, each student has worked with their family to create a “Family Tradition” poster to share a special family tradition or 2 (or 3!) with the CES community. Does your family have a special seasonal tradition? Are there foods that are loved by your family that are a part of your culture? Is there an activity or celebration that is an important tradition for your family and/or culture? Posters will be displayed on students’ lockers or in the hallway by their classroom. From January 22nd-26th, students will do a gallery walk around CES to learn about the many traditions and cultures of other CES students

Who's new at CES?

Rebecca Cronin, Kindergarten Special Education Teacher:

We are extremely excited to share that Ms. Rebecca Cronin joined our team as the kindergarten special education teacher after the holiday break! Ms. Cronin has been a special education teacher for over twenty years and recently taught at Natchaug Consolidated Schools working with students with behavioral health needs and instructing all subject areas across a wide range of ages and abilities. We trust that she will quickly get to know your child and communicate closely with your family. We feel fortunate to have her join our team!

Sarah Mangiafico, Literacy Coach

Sarah comes to us with a wealth of knowledge about literacy and coaching. She is collaborative and is excited to work closely with our teachers to further student and staff learning. She is well trained in The Science of Reading and has presented for The State of Connecticut and will be an asset to our continued work to develop skilled readers and writers.

Meghan Hartley, First Grade Teacher:

We are fortunate to have Meghan join us after teaching in Stonington. She has been working with children for over ten years. She recently completed her masters degree in elementary education at Sacred Heart University. She loves teaching and is excited to be a part of the Colchester Elementary

team!

Upcoming Community Events:

C3 Events:

People Empowering People
Workshop Series
Wednesdays, 9:15-10:45 AM
January 24th - March 27th
In Person with Free Childcare

Village Parenting Support Group
Thursdays, 7:00 - 8:00 PM
January 11th - February 22nd
Virtual via GoogleMeet

Sparkler event at the Cragin Library on Jan 9th & Jan 20th. Sparkler is a mobile app that helps parents to check in on how their child is doing against key milestones — and provides activities to spark their early learning.

Joyful Noises

Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays

Baby & Me
Tuesdays at 10:30

CES PTO:

January:

1/19 trivia night at Chateau le Gari

1/22 Valentine gram sale begins

1/26 Gertrude Hawk fundraiser begins

February:

PTO meeting 2/5

2/5 Last day for Valentine gram orders

2/7 Last day for Gertrude Hawk orders