1. J.C. Thompson Elementary The Best School in the Universe Curriculum Night September 9, 2014 WHATEVER IT TAKES A Character Counts! School

2. Our Team Cindy PoolAmanda Rogers cpool@nisdtx.orgcpool@nisdtx.org arogers@nisdtx.orgarogers@nisdtx.org 817-698-3849817-698-3847 Brittani Thomas bthomas02@nisdtx.org 817-698-3845 Andrea BucknerMadeline Rehm abuckner02@nisdtx.orgabuckner02@nisdtx.org mrehm@nisdtx.orgmrehm@nisdtx.org 817-698-3846817-698-3848 Blazing Trails of Success

3. Tonight, we will…  Experience a snapshot of a day in the life of a Trailblazer  learn ways that you can support your child’s education  Develop understanding of the expectations of second graders at J.C. Thompson

4. JCT Vision Empowered to learn, motivated to lead! JCT Mission J.C. Thompson, together with families and community, will engage all students in a premier education, preparing them for success in an ever-changing world.

5. J.C. Thompson is a Northwest ISD Title 1 Campus: More than 35% of our students are considered low income We receive federal funds to assist all students Title 1 funds are flexible and are used for additional personnel, professional development, improve curriculum, enhance parental involvement, extend learning time for students, and provide other activities that are tied to student achievement.

7. AT JCT, we will…  Take care of ourselves,  Take care of each other,  Take care of this place!

8. Attendance We want your child to have every opportunity to learn. Doors open at 7:20 and school starts promptly at 7:45. We encourage and recognize perfect attendance each six weeks. Whenever your child must be absent, please call the front office at 817-698-3800 to report the absence. When your child returns, please send a note or doctor’s excuse to explain your child’s absence. Attendance is taken each day at 9:30. Our goal is to have 98% of our students present every day.

9. Communication T.R.A.I.L. Guide Folders Behavior Charts Tuesday Newsday communication Call blasts Online gradebooks grades 1-5. Please check with the front office if you need directions. Progress reports are available online the 3 rd Monday of each six weeks. If your child is failing in a content area, a progress report will be printed and sent home to be signed and returned. Report Cards sent out electronically and on paper the Thursday following the end of each six weeks. Remind 101

10. CDP 30

11. Volunteers Volunteers are welcome at Thompson Elementary! You may volunteer services, time or supplies. You may volunteer here at school or in the comfort of your own home. Watch D.O.G.S.- Kick-Off will be coming soon! Moms on a Mission – new opportunity to be involved in learning at JCT. More info coming soon! Background check must be complete

12. Student Birthdays  Birthday celebrations may take place the last part of the day on the playground or in the classroom only. Please provide individual servings for the celebrations (cupcakes, cookies, napkins, etc.  The treat should be dropped off in the office and office staff will deliver at the end of the day.  All treats must be store bought.  The district specifies that birthday invitations may not be passed out during the day; however, the child can pass them out as students leave for the day outside the classroom door.

13. Daily Schedule Morning Meeting 7:45-8:00 Reader’s Workshop 8:00-9:15 Math 9:15-10:45 Skills Block 10:45-11:00 Lunch 11:00-11:30 Recess 11:30-12:00 Writer’s Workshop 11:45-1:00 Science 1:00 - 1:50 AMP 1:50-2:45

14. Snack  “Elementary classrooms may allow one nutritious snack per day under the teacher’s supervision. The snack may be in the morning or afternoon but may not be at the same time as the regular meal periods for that class. The snack may be provided by the school food service, the teacher, parents or other groups and should be at no cost to students.”  Healthy snacks choices:  Cheese bitsGoldfish  Teddy GrahamsPretzels  Dried CerealGranola Bars  Animal CrackersString cheese

15. Dress Code  Shorts, skirts, and dresses must be mid-thigh (we recommend shorts under all skirts)  Leggings must be covered with a skirt or shorts that are mid-thigh  No tanks tops  Boys’ shirts must cover their shoulders  Shoes must have a strap for recess and tennis shoes (rubber sole) for P.E.  No flip flops

16. Getting to Know the Curriculum Please check out the Elementary Education Brochure on our website. Some brochures are available in the office.

17. Speeding to Read

18. What do we want your children to know? What do we want your children to know? Reading Workshop Second graders will read both independently and in small groups EVERYDAY! More text and fewer pictures Increase fluency (45 WPM-75 WPM) Independent reading stamina (20 minutes or longer) Determine setting, characters, figurative language & symbolism Variety of genres Comprehension Reading reflection and reading log Integration of social studies

19. What do we want your children to know? What do we want your children to know? Writing Workshop Second graders will write independently EVERYDAY! Personal experiences Respond to learning in Math, Science and Social Studies Write with a purpose Proofread what they write Use correct conventions (Punctuation, Grammar and Spelling) Increase sentence fluency

20. How will we know what your children know?  Read Aloud  Guided Reading  Reader’s Workshop  Writing Workshop  Readers and Writers Notebooks  Genre Studies  Author Studies  Conferencing  Goal Setting  Small Group Instruction  Assessments  Before/After School Tutoring

21. What do we want your children to know? Math Understand the underlying concepts of math. Think like mathematicians. Focus on computational fluency Exploring multiple strategies to solve a wide range of problems Finding efficient ways to solve problems Emphasizing reasonableness of solutions

22. 5E Lesson Design Template - Directions 1. Engagement: (the “catch”) ♦ Describe how the teacher will capture students’ interest. ♦ What kind of questions should the students ask themselves after the engagement? 2. Exploration: (the “do”) ♦ Describe what hands-on/minds-on activities students will be doing. ♦ List at least 2 questions the teacher may use to encourage and/or focus students’ exploration. 3. Explanation: (the “lesson”) ♦ List at least 2 higher order thinking questions which teachers may use to solicit STUDENT explanations and help them to justify their explanations ♦ Student explanations should precede introduction of scientific terms or explanations by the teacher. What questions or techniques will the teacher use to help students connect their exploration to the scientific concept under examination? 4. Elaboration: (“the enrich”) ♦ Describe how students will develop a more sophisticated understanding of the concept. ♦ What scientific terminology will be introduced and how will it connect to students’ observations? ♦ How is this knowledge applied in science or in our daily lives? 5. Evaluation: (the “evaluation”) ♦ How will students demonstrate that they have achieved the lesson objective? ♦ This may be done throughout the lesson as well as at the end of the lesson. Scien ce Inquir y

23. What do we want your children to know? What do we want your children to know? Science  Asking scientific questions  Relating science to their world  Using science tools in scientific investigations  Lab safety Physical Science  Forms of energy  Force is a push or a pull  Matter has physical properties Earth Science  Nature can cause change  Patterns of change in weather, metamorphosis and objects in sky  Cycles and simple systems Life Science  Habitats of animals  Needs of living creatures  Environmental changes  How living creatures adapt and change environment

24. Parent Conferences  Our parent conferences will in October. Dates include October 7 th and 9 th.  Look for more information in the next couple of weeks.  Contact your child’s teacher if you have concerns throughout the year.

25. Questions What questions do you have for us?

26. Thank you for coming to Curriculum Night!