September 2012
Dear Dever Families,
Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year at the James A. Dever Elementary School. I am certain that you had a restful and fulfilling summer, and are as excited about the new school year as I am. I look forward to an exhilarating and enormously productive school year as we pursue success and excellence together.
I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to visit the James A. Dever Elementary School for our Open House meetings with your child's teacher, special area teachers and support staff on Monday, September 24, 2012. These evening meetings will afford you the opportunity to meet with the faculty, to learn about school and classroom goals and expectations, as well as the Common Core curriculum and learning standards that will be followed during the school year. Additionally, this year, we have several new programs, new staff and new initiatives that we cannot wait to share with you. These meetings are not designed for individual parent-teacher conferences. Individual conferences are scheduled for December and March.
The schedule for the evening is as follows:
6:30 - 7:15 PM Meeting with Grades 4-6 Classroom Teachers
7:20 - 7:35 PM Meeting with Principal in Auditorium
7:40 - 8:05 PM Meetings with Special AreaTeachers /Support Staff
8:10 - 8:55 PM Meetings with Kindergarten - Grade 3 Classroom Teachers
We look forward to having you join us on this informative evening, as well as all of the other wonderful activities and events throughout the year.
Very truly yours,
Darren Gruen
Principal
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Where Children Come First
Your child will be learning many new vocabulary words during the school year. In addition to the words your child will be learning in class, we will be having a District Word of the Month. Teachers will provide a variety of lessons about the word of the month. We are hoping that you will join us in helping our children increase their vocabulary and comprehension.
The word of the month for September is, "CURIOUSITY." This was selected because children are naturally curious. Please talk with your children about what they are curious about, where they have seen the word and synonyms for curiosity. You can also talk about the Mars Rover, Curiosity, and space exploration.
Each month we will also be highlighting a learning strategy. Your child will learn many different strategies in school. The strategy for the month of September is "SETTING." Talking about the setting will help improve your child's reading comprehension. At home you can discuss the setting of a story, a television program, a movie and places in your home. While reading to or with your children, have them close their eyes and describe the setting of the story. Ask your child to provide details about the setting.
Tomorrow, September 11th, is Patriot Day. A brief remembrance ceremony will take place in each of our schools. Patriot Day is also the National Day of Service and Remembrance. The day will provide an opportunity to talk with your family about service and remembrance.
Please remember to register for the parent workshops about the NWEA assessments at NWEA13@valleystream13.com. You can choose either workshop. The workshops are for the District and are designed for all parents. We will schedule additional workshops if needed. The workshop presentation will also be posted on our website.
Thank you for being a part of this initiative and making your child's education a number one priority.
