Research says that parent engagement is crucial to a child's learning. At LKS, we are fortunate to have a community of volunteers that assist staff in the classroom ultimately making a positive impact on student learning.
Another form of "engagement" is parental involvement with learning at home. This year, we introduced three on-line programs that parents and children can use at home to supplement the classroom work. Over the next couple of weeks, we will share our reviews of IXL (grade 4 and 5 math ) and RAZ (primary reading). Our third program that we have introduced this year is the Khan Academy. We have mentioned this on-line math tutorial in previous blogs, and it is worth mentioning again.
This year, Mr. Kuru introduced the program to his grade 7 and 8 math classes. Recently, Mr. Kuru and Mr. Bracht completed a staff review of the program. They found the program to be helpful to both the students and the staff as it allows the learner to track his/her own growth and areas of concern. It is an interactive program with a variety of exercises and instant feedback. The teacher can track student participation in the program and Mr. Kuru finds it beneficial to assess areas that he may have to attend to in future lessons.
When reviewing the program, the teachers analyzed a small group of students and found that the children who used the program regularly were doing well in the class program. Even though they looked at a small sample, both teachers agreed that the program can certainly improve students' math achievement. We look forward to discussing this more at Parent Council.
I do want to mention our Seeds of Hope penny drive from April 15th-18th. Students have been encouraged to bring in pennies to help provide clean drinking water in struggling countries. Also, on April 18th, the club will be participating in the "WE ARE SILENT" campaign. The campaign highlights the circumstances of children around the world without at voice. Thank you to the junior/intermediate students and staff, namely, Mrs. Olson, Mrs. Adair, Mrs. Zappi and Ms. Young for organizing both events.
I hope you have a great weekend and wish those celebrating Easter a wonderful time with your family and friends.
MARCH
29th-Good Friday
APRIL
1st-Easter Monday
15th-Parent Council Meeting at 7:30 in the library; Seeds of Hope penny collection
18th-Seeds of Hope "WE ARE SILENT" campaign(students are encouraged to wear black)
19th-Parent Council Parent Social at Earth
23rd- Grade 3 to Black Creek
24th-Grad Re-Photo
25th-Kindergarten Sharing Assemblies
26th-Pizza Day
29th-Grade 1-8 Sharing Assemblies
MAY
4th-Springfest
10th-K-2 Storyteller
13th-Parent Council Meeting
20th-Victoria Day
21st-24th-Book Fair
24th-Sharing Assembly
28th-Grade 3 and 6 EQAO begins
31-Pizza Day
JUNE
6th-Middle School Concert
7th-PA Day
14th-Grade 8 Graduation
17th-21st-Grade 8 Quebec Trip
18th-Sharing Assembly
26th-Report Cards Go Home
27th-Lunch on the Lawn (Pizza Day); Year End Assembly; Last day for students
