Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,

December is here, the weather is changing and soon the New Year will be upon us. Students are working hard to meet their goals. We are moving forward with District initiatives by implementing the Dunn & Dunn Learning Styles model. During August, several teachers and administrators attended a week-long workshop. Many of our staff members are working diligently to embrace the concept of learning styles and to implement new strategies and tools within their classrooms to bring the students to their peak of excellence.

The third, fourth and fifth grade students and staff have taken the learning styles profile and have begun to determine how they prefer to learn, in terms of their emotional, physiological, sociological, psychological and environmental needs. These results give us information about how we learn best so that the students can become more self-directed, successful individuals. Some of our classrooms are beginning to accommodate different learning styles preferences through seating arrangements, different lighting, intake opportunities, as well as a multitude of kinesthetic activities.

During the month of January, please watch for information about the Dunn & Dunn Learning Styles model during our PTA meeting. We will share sample student profiles and help you learn how to interpret them in hopes that you will walk away with information to support your child learning at home. After this meeting, individual student learning style profiles for students in grades 3, 4 and 5 will be shared with the students and copies sent home.

On December 3rd, members of our staff will present a special workshop on the NYS English Language Arts Assessment in grade 3 for those parents experiencing this assessment for the first time. We also open the invitation to all new 4th and 5th grade families. The workshop will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (in the large cafeteria) prior to the monthly PTA meeting. Our Parent Place topic, on December 5 @ 9:00 a.m., will be “Autism: How to Help My Child Fit In,” presented by Thomas Murphy, Lakeland Special Education Supervisor. We encourage you to join us. Breakfast and free babysitting will be provided.

We invite you to join us for our Winter Concert on December 5th at 7:00 p.m. sharp. Your children have worked so hard preparing this special treat. We hope you can join us.

As we move on together into the New Year, let’s focus on the school as a community. We have so many wonderful opportunities this year! Let’s make 2008 even better! Your suggestions and concerns are always welcome and we encourage you to get involved with your child’s education. We are excited to continue to maintain a wonderful partnership!

Seasons Greetings to all!

Sincerely,

Jacqueline Figueroa                                      

Theresa Wilkowski