on staying in their seats and not roaming the room to avoid their work.
On occasion, some of them use the beanbags and chairs available to
them throughout the day when theyre not supposed to but they have
grown in this area as they have settled into a new grade with new
classmates and expectations. Also noted are some students who can
get sidetracked during the middle of a lesson. Staying focused for
some of these students is a challenge. Many of these same students
struggle with the organizational piece. They often have desks cluttered
with colored pencils, markers and coloring templates. It has been a
goal for them to try and keep their learning space neat so they can
concentrate on the lesson. In order to help these students in this area,
much time and encouragement has been put into place. There is a
parapro that comes in most mornings to help with these students as
this is an exceptional class in this regard.
When applicable, the students talk about their home lives a lot.
When grading papers, I notice at least one parent writing notes to Mrs.
Noordewier about the assignment. This tells me that parents are
helping the kids with their work and have questions and concerns for
the teacher.
One student has difficulties with Spatial Ordering. She can read
and write fine, but she cant picture what the text is saying or telling in
her head. She just sees words. Mrs. N understands this is an important
They run south to 68th street, west to Division Street, and about 7 miles
to the east towards Cascade and past East Paris. There are many
students who use these bussing services. Some families choose not to
pay the additional costs so they drop off and pick up their children
each day in the car line. Im not sure of the exact number of students
who live outside of the immediate neighborhood but there are 8-10
busses that drop off and pick up students each day.
. There is a local library right by the school on Hall Street. It isnt
very large, but community members have said that many families from
the school bring their children to the library during the summer and
throughout the week. Although, it is on the smaller side, there is a lot
that happens there like summer reading programs and workshops for
kids.