Paw Prints

Chehalis November 2013 PTA 4.6.5

Next PTA Meeting: November 12, 6:30 p.m. at Olympic Elementary Schools Library Guest Speaker: Chehalis School District Superintendent Ed Rothlin.
If you have a child in a Chehalis School District School please come! Conference Talk: What to Expect, What to Do at a Parent-Teacher Conference
By Sarah Chapman Mittge

Students with guardians who take an active part in their lives and school are more successful. It is a simple fact. The Academic Development Institute and The Harvard Family Research Project are two of many academic institutions that address the correlation between parent involvement and student achievement. Parentteacher conferences are invitations from teachers to parents to begin the essential process of becoming a team that will empower children to succeed. Parent-Teacher Conference Setting: Most Chehalis School District conferences will take place at a table in your childs classroom and take around twenty minutes. A Parent-Teacher Conference Is: A time to advocate for your child and encourage him/her to take responsibility for his/her achievement in school. It is a time for you to acknowledge the teacher as a professional who also wants your child to succeed and who you and your child are willing to work with to maximize student learning. Teachers will most likely ask you how you are doing, share student samples and present results of beginning of the year assessments. They will then set a few goals that students will try to meet by the end of the school year. Twenty minutes flies by! There is very little time for small talk or complaints that are not centered on solving problems and building on victories. A Parent-Teacher Conference Is Not: A time to relive parents poor experiences with math, writing, reading, etc. There is simply not time to explain to teachers how I was never good at math either. If the student is in the room, such statements have hidden messages that students decipher as, Well, I dont need to be good at math either. and Gee, if my parents never got it, I wont either. Unfortunately, conferences are not designed to discuss in-depth issues that need more than twenty minutes to be resolved. If there are many issues you would like to discuss with your childs teacher or a few very complex ones, try e-mailing them prior to the conference so the teacher has time to prepare. It is essential to address concerns you have about your childs school experience and if there is no time to do so during the upcoming conference, try scheduling a follow-up conference with the teacher five minutes before the close of your meeting, or e-mail the next day.

Bring the following to your parent-teacher conference: paper, pencil, a list of your top three concerns/questions, student work samples you would like to talk about, your calendar, and your contact information (name, phone number, e-mail address and times you are available to talk and/or volunteer). Do NOT bring the following to your parent-teacher conference: * Siblings or other children. It is a challenge to find other arrangements for siblings but distracted parents and teachers cannot be proactive advocates for individual students. Also, real concerns cannot be openly discussed if there are other little ears listening. If you must bring a sibling, be sure to pack coloring books, puzzles and books that will keep your child occupied without parental help for twenty to thirty minutes. * A defensive tone or stance. Leave them at the door. It is difficult not to bring past experiences to a conference, but your interactions with school professionals are being watched by your children and are a teaching tool students use to learn how to treat teachers and learning. If you are uneasy having a solo conference, contact your childs school and request the principal or councilor to sit in too. Appropriate Parent-Teacher Questions or Comments: 1. What can I do to help my child have a successful school year? What does my child need to do to have a successful year? 2. Is there anything I can do for you to help support my childs learning? What can my child do to help you support his/her learning? 3. What are two things you see my child doing well? What are two things my child can improve? 4. Use I messages. For example, I feel this wasnt an accurate picture of my childs ability because . Could you explain your perspective? Educators want students and parents to have a positive experience with learning. Give them a chance to work with you and show you how much they care for your child. Keep the lines of communication open, positive and proactive. Your hard work, your childs, and theirs will pay off.

Families, practice hand washing with hot water and soap, establish consistent bedtimes that provide 8-10 hours of sleep a night, drink clean water and eat fresh fruits and veggies to help stay healthy this fall.
The Chehalis School District does not sponsor this event and the District assumes no responsibility for it. In consideration of the privilege to distribute materials, the Chehalis School District shall be held harmless from any cause of action filed in court or administrative tribunal arising out of distribution of these materials, including cost, attorneys fees and judgements or awards.

THANK YOU NOTES for PTA NOTABLES! -Chehalis PTA feels so fortunate to have the support of Chehalis School District families and members! Thank you for all that you do to support our children! -Patti Hoff, thank you for all your help developing the STAR membership cards. -Sarah Brown, thank you for all the time you spend organizing the AR Bead Shop each month. -Nancy Collins, Jodi Comisky, Matt Comisky, Celeste Crites, and Kendra Emrich, thank you for your help making Popcorn Fridays happen! -Brook Mueller, thank you for making 8 adjustable belts by hand for the Helping Hands clothes closet. -Shirleen Cole, Jasper Ellingson, Tara Farmer, Dana Shoaf, and Dwan Valazquez thank you for operating the membership tables at Cascade, R.E. Bennett and Olympic Open Houses. -April Cole, Celeste Crites, Tara Farmer, Katie Hinkley, Brook Mueller, Dana Shoaf, and Dwan Valazquez thank you for all the time and organization you gave to make the fundraiser such a success! -Thank you so much to all the parents, family members and friends who contributed over $46,000 to our fundraiser!

Look Out! See What the PTA is up to:

-2013 is the year Chehalis PTA joined the World Wide Web! Stay updated and check out our new website:

chehalispta.ourschoolpages.com
-School report cards go home just before Thanksgiving Break. at our December meeting.

***Even thankful people can be forgetful. If we forgot a name or deed, please e-mail the proper info to Sarah Mittge at -School District Nurse Kaitlin Dykstra will speak to the PTA smittge@gmail.com. THANKS!***

Keep in Touch: Facebook- www.facebook.com/ChehalisPTA Local PTA- The new website is here! chehalispta.ourschoolpages.com Washington State PTA- www.wastatepta.org National PTA- www.pta.org Chehalis School District- www.chehalis.k12.wa.us

PTA Officers:
President: Amber Palmer 360-266-7773 am.ray.palmer@gmail.com VP-Cascade: Dee Velazquez 360-880-0060 dwanvelazquez@gmail.com VP-Bennett/Fundraising: Katie Hinkley 360-269-9502 katie.hinkley@yahoo.com VP-Olympic: Tara Farmer 253-948-2544 taraj.farmer@yahoo.com Secretary: Cindy Iverson 360-269-4465 ivercin@msn.com Treasurer: Brook Mueller 360-740-6196 sbmueller02@msn.com Membership: Dana Shoaf 360-304-9759 drobertsiren@hotmail.com Helping Hands/Fundraising: April Cole 360-740-8035 colefox1@aol.com Staff Appreciation: Jodi Comisky 360-740-1917 mjcomisky@gmail.com Newsletter: Sar-rah-rah Mittge 360-266-0568 smittge@gmail.com

The Chehalis School District does not sponsor this event and the District assumes no responsibility for it. In consideration of the privilege to distribute materials, the Chehalis School District shall be held harmless from any cause of action filed in court or administrative tribunal arising out of distribution of these materials, including cost, attorneys fees and judgements or awards.