Alcott Elementary Parent Partners
March 4, 2010
THE MEANING OF ‘OPTIONAL’ CONFERENCES
Dear Parents,
Spring Conferences are scheduled for March 15 and 16th. These conferences are optional for students and their families. The spring conferences are focused on supporting identified students and providing assistance to their families.
‘Optional’ means that we are not holding conferences for all students like we do in the Fall.
Conferences can be initiated at either teacher or parent request. It may be a good idea to request a conference if your student is struggling academically, having trouble socializing with his or her peers, or experiencing other difficulties. Teachers may request a conference with you if your child has an IEP or other special services, is new to the school, or to simply report progress.
Because space is limited, it is also important to remember that student assessment is an ongoing process. While optional spring conferences are focused on specific students, parents with educational concerns or questions can contact the school or teacher at any time. Teacher/parent communication is encouraged throughout the year and not limited to conference time. Parents are always welcome to meet with teachers at a mutually agreed upon time.
Student placement is not the purpose of these conferences, but we will be seeking your input later in the school year sometime in late April/early May.
All students will receive a report card from their teacher that will give you information about their progress.
Thank you for partnering with us in education!
Sincerely,
J. ‘Kimo’ Spray, Principal
Alcott Elementary Parent Partners
February 26, 2010
PARENT PARTNERS
I remember the first day that I brought my firstborn home from the hospital. I wasn’t afraid of the bathing, or diapering, or crying—maybe I should have, but at that point it didn’t phase me a bit. Twenty hours of back labor for my wife (doesn’t that sound horrible?) and 36 hours without sleep didn’t dull my enthusiasm at the moment of birth—even the placenta was interesting at that point. I was playing it cool because I thought that this was what I was supposed to do as a new dad and supportive husband.
However, the moment of truth for me was sitting in a rocking chair waiting for this little guy to go to sleep. He did just great until I moved slightly—every time I had hopes of putting him down in his crib. I stayed up all night, just me and my son, thinking about my life from this point forward, reviewing the same question in my mind again and again, “This can’t possibly be this hard, can it?”
Now in hindsight, rocking a newborn to sleep seems like one of the easiest things about parenting, and nothing compared to child birth itself. But today, if I were to answer my own question, I would say, “Yes it is hard, but important and rewarding.”
So for you, our Parent Partners at Alcott Elementary, below are several resources to help support you in ‘the work’ of raising children.
Sincerely,
J. ‘Kimo’ Spray,
Parent who happens to be the Principal of Alcott Elementary
P.S.: And in case you are wondering, my little newborn just turned 17 a couple of days ago. J
PARENTS OF STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
PTSA Special Education Liaison, Debby Berg, has put together a list of resources for parents of special needs students, or parents who would like to know more about special needs topics and seminars.
Click here for the attached document, ‘Special Needs Parents’ if you are interested.
PARENT EDUCATION CLASSES
Offered by the Lake Washington PTSA
Catherine Filippini, Membership VP of the Alcott PTSA has forwarded information about Parent Ed Programs and Events hosted by the Lake Washington PTSA.
Please click on the links for more information on these opportunities. Topics include: Power Struggles, Raising Boys, Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child, Parenting Adolescents, and Successful Children.
LW PTSA Parent Ed Programs 2-22 to 3-8 Parent Ed Events March 17 and Beyond
INTERNET SAFETY
The Federal Trade Commission has issued Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online. This booklet is chock-full of practical tips to help parents help their kids navigate the online world – from dealing with social networking and cyber bullying to talking about sexting and file-sharing.
The guide is at http://www.onguardonline.gov/topics/net-cetera.aspx (English) and http://www.alertaenlinea.gov/topics/net-cetera.aspx (Spanish).
For more information contact Julia Plonowski of the FTC Division of Consumer and Business Education at (202) 326-2289 or by email at jplonowski@ftc.gov.