Our Language Arts Program

Each day for 90 minutes we read, write, and participate in word work (a combination of phonics, phonemic awareness, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and handwriting).

cc licensed image shared by flickr user mrstg

Our language arts program is varied and engaging, moving deliberately and fluidly between modeled activities in which the teacher presents a skill or concept, shared lessons in which the class works collaboratively, guided experiences in which a teacher works with a small group of students with similar levels of skill or ability, and independent learning in which individuals, pairs, or small groups of students learn without direct teacher intervention yet with clear expectations and preparation.

cc licensed image shared by flickr user WHSKR

Each day I visit classrooms, engaging in learning and sharing feedback . Examples of recent literacy activities I have observed include:

• kindergarten students summarizing a story with puppets;
• first-grade students building their independent reading stamina, using Post-it notes to record observations, such as noting a “c” each time a new character is introduced;
• second-grade students participating in an interactive read-aloud session, discussing predictions they can make as readers compared to predictions characters in the book can make based on the information available to them
• third-grade students collaboratively writing a paragraph as a class, learning about topic sentences, concluding sentences, detail sentences, and “jazzing up” paragraphs with descriptive language; then writing their own paragraphs independently
• fourth-grade students writing persuasive essays independently, following a range of steps in the writing process including peer conferencing and conferencing with the teacher; students collaboratively writing a sequel to a book they read together
• fifth-grade students participating in book clubs, analyzing the meaning of quotes from their books

Walk through our school on a typical day and you’ll find:

cc licensed image shared by flickr user city year

students spread throughout the classrooms working independently or in a range of combinations including the entire class, small groups, and partners. You’ll see teachers guiding a group or conferencing with individual students. You’ll encounter classroom furniture arranged to promote collaborative learning and comfortable corners for students to read independently or with a partner. You’ll hear a noisy buzz of students speaking with one another. You’ll recognize a mix of required learning activities and opportunities for students to choice among various options.

There is a rhythm to the school year; the beginning six weeks were devoted to setting up the structures, routines, and expectations that set the tone for learning moving forward. Students are gently introduced to the increased requirements for independent and collaborative learning at each grade level. Class learning communities are nurtured. We then commence with formal reading assessments in order to guide learning experiences with even greater precision and extend the opportunities for individual and collaborative learning. The foundational learning accomplished during the first six weeks, prior to formal assessments, prepares our children to thrive, not only as readers and as writers, but as independent and collaborative learners.

There is also a rhythm to each school day. Indeed, we read and write each day for more than the 90-minute literacy block. In addition to speaking, we read and write during 45 minutes of Hebrew language daily, developing similar literacy skills to those we emphasize in English language arts. We read and write during 45 minutes of Judaic studies daily, engaging in high-level serious analysis of chumash (Bible) in the original Hebrew in our third through fifth grades, while spending additional time on Hebrew language skills connected to Jewish values and Jewish life in kindergarten through second grades. We read and write during 45 minutes of science or social studies daily (three days science and three days social studies for each six-day cycle), developing nonfiction reading comprehension and textual analysis skills.

Each day, we also spend 45 minutes in math, 30 minutes in tefilah (prayer), and 45 minutes in a special (science lab, media center, enrichment, physical education, art, and music). These schedules maximize instructional time; giving us the recommended 90 minutes for excellence in English and 45 minutes recommended for excellence in mathematics. Since we schedule specials separately rather than taking time out of Judaic or general class time, the slightly trimmed time of Judaic studies and Hebrew (45 minutes instead of the hour we had in the past) is made up over the course of the 6-day cycle.

For most of each day, we read and write, collaborate and create. We think critically, analyze, and apply our learning. Each day we grow as readers, writers, and as learners.

Singapore Math

Written by: Carole Ries, Math Coach

Math Lesson in Singapore
cc licensed image shared by flickr user shaun wong

Primary Mathematics, written by the Ministry of Education in Singapore and more commonly known as Singapore Math, is here! Children in our kindergarten through second grades are already immersed in Singapore math, while our third- through fifth-grade children will be learning specific Singapore units this year along with a range of Singapore strategies. In the spring careful consideration will be given to the pacing of implementation of Singapore math into our upper grades.

On Wednesday, November 28, in morning and evening sessions, instructional coach Shawna Zelnick and I will lead parent workshops explaining the Singapore strategies we are using in school.

Already our teachers are finding that Singapore math is rigorous and yet meets the needs of a wide range of learners. Strategy specialists are adapting learning to those who struggle with math, while I am guiding teachers to develop differentiated challenge materials for our strong math students. Inherent within the program is a wealth of options and possibilities for advanced learning. Indeed, Singapore math has become popular in the United States as the fourth- and eighth-grade students in Singapore consistently score highest in the world on international math exams. While we still have enrichment options in math as part of our school-wide enrichment model, to be further described in an upcoming blog post, differentiation for advanced as well as struggling learners is planned consistently within the classroom with my support, giving strong learners the daily access to challenge materials they need.

Singapore math is characterized by learning through concrete experiences, proceeding to pictorial representations of math concepts, and then advancing to algorithms and other abstract mathematical representations. Concepts are introduced in clear, sequential formats, facilitating understanding and confidence. Students focus on “mental math” or strategies to compute in their heads and focus on “number bonds” or ways of organizing parts and wholes in order to facilitate computation and number sense. Challenging word problems are an integral component of our learning, promoting strong problem-solving skills.

One important Singapore strategy, presented beginning in the second half of second grade, is the bar model technique. This is a variation of the “Draw a Picture” problem solving strategy but is more visual and efficient. It is especially useful when our young students need to solve problems that involve comparisons or work with part-whole calculations.

Our consultant, Bill Jackson has already been at Schechter Westchester for three full days working with our faculty. Lynne Foster, our enrichment specialist, and I went to a professional development workshop during the summer taught by master instructors from Singapore and we have brought our learning back to our entire general studies faculty.

The teachers are finding that Singapore math offers depth, effective skill building, and strong conceptual understanding. There is a balance of practice with calculations as well as problem solving. Children in all grades appear to enjoy the strategies and are working with confidence, learning to compute with facility, and strengthening their skill in solving word problems.

Standardized Testing And Learning

Post written by Dr. Wendy Haber, Director of Department of Student Support and School Psychologist

Beginning on Monday, October 29 our third through fifth graders will participate in approximately four hours of standardized testing.

Why standardized testing? As we work to strengthen our curriculum and teaching practices, our goal is always to maximize student learning.  We constantly assess learning in a variety of ways. First and foremost, teacher observation is paramount. Engaging the children in meaningful discussions and activities, our teachers listen to their students, read what they write, and observe how they participate in the learning process. Regular assessments of classroom work at each grade level and in each subject area provide benchmarks of student learning. We are always mindful of the limited time we have with our students and constantly consider the value of each activity.

Image Courtesy of Justin Tarte www.justintarte.com

We believe it is worthwhile to further assess our students through a nationally normed measure that allows us to both compare our students’ performance as a whole to same-aged peers across the country and to look at individual student performance across a series of key curricular areas. See the graphic for a visual of this process.

After careful review, we chose the Stanford 10 Abbreviated as our tool for nationally normed assessment. This recently revised and newly normed assessment offers valuable information about student learning, uses color and consistently formatted materials to help motivate students, and provides a quick turnaround of test results. This allows teachers and parents to use this information to guide instruction for the current school year. In addition, this comprehensive and consistently aligned test permits observation of student growth over time.

How will we conduct this testing? Each grade will take the test in the classroom with the teacher as proctor, unless special arrangements have been made for taking the test outside of the classroom. Parents of students for whom that arrangement is made will receive a phone call prior to the testing dates. Testing will begin each day at 9:00 a.m. when the majority of students are most alert. Some classes have specials scheduled during the testing time and we are working to re-schedule them for another time that week. If a child is absent and misses any of the testing sections, they will be able to take a make-up test upon their return to school. Three of the sessions will last approximately 70 minutes; the last session will be shorter. Fourth and fifth graders will be recording their responses on scantron sheets. Third graders will record their responses directly on the test materials.

Will the students have any test prep? There will be no specific preparation for the test except that third and fourth graders will have a brief set of sample questions on the Friday before testing to familiarize themselves with the format. We expect no preparation beyond what parents do to prepare their children for school every day including a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast. No studying of materials or preparation is needed. The tests are designed to look at learning over time, rather than quick memorization prior to the testing.

When will parents receive feedback and how will it be used? When each child has completed all of the test sections, they will be sent out for scoring. Approximately one month after the tests are sent we will receive reports that will be shared with teachers and parents. Parent reports include percentiles and descriptive paragraphs about the child’s performance in each of the areas assessed:

• total reading
• total mathematics
• language
• spelling

In addition,  there is a section on environment for third graders and science and social studies for fourth and fifth graders. Teachers will receive the same information as parents with an additional breakdown of the skills in each of the content areas. We will use information for school-wide curriculum planning, as well as for individual planning for each student. No score from standardized testing will be used independently either to include or exclude a student from support or enrichment, but will be used to add to our knowledge.

While I have covered lots of information here, I may not have answered your specific question. Please continue the dialogue as we learn together how best to serve each student.

Some Assembly Required

As we transition from the serious tone of the Yamim Noraim to the celebratory spirit of the holiday of Sukkot, I wanted to share with you some resources for the holiday.

a)      Local Sukkot  If you don’t have a Sukkah, there are also several Schechter Westchester families who have offered to open up their Sukkot to you and your family over Yom Tov and for dinner during Chol HaMoed. If you and your family would like to eat in a Sukkah, please e-mail me at ybuechler@solomon-schechter.com so I can make a match with a Sukkah that is local for you. If you would like to purchase an easy-to-assemble Sukkah, there is still time. Many local Judaica shops distribute Sukkot from “Sukkah Depot.”

b)      Ushpizin Ushpizin is the Aramaic word for “guests” and it is customary on Sukkot to welcome biblical guests, such as Abraham and Sarah, as well as real guests, to our Sukkah on each night of the festival.

Some questions you can discuss with your children during the festival include:

• Why do you think it is a mitzvah to invite people into the Sukkah?
• If you could invite anyone from the Torah to your Sukkah, who would you choose to invite?
• If you could invite anyone from your family to your Sukkah, who would you invite?
• If you could invite anyone who is famous to your Sukkah, who would it be and why?

(You could also encourage your child to eat in the Sukkah dressed up as that person)

c)      Sukkah Crafts Here are some fun crafts ideas that you can do with your children:

Edible Sukkah

Sukkah Lantern (one of my childhood favorites)

Sukkah Collage

Ushpizin Clock: You and your children can design a clock on which you turn the arrow toward a different guest you would like to invite to your Sukkah each night.

d)     School Happenings We have an exciting lineup of special Sukkot and Simchat Torah events throughout next week at the Lower School.

• Thanks to the PTO, each class will have the opportunity to enjoy a snack in the Sukkah and to say the Bracha for sitting in the Sukkah.
• On Wednesday, October 3, Class 5A will be welcoming the 4^th and 5^th grades from Rockland Jewish Academy and having lunch with them in the Sukkah.
• On Thursday, October 4, the 5^th grade will meet with their Kindergarten buddies in the Sukkah.
• On Friday, October 5, we will be having a school-wide Simchat Torah celebration from 8:30 to 9:20 a.m.  All are welcome to attend! Each grade will be honored with an aliyah to the Torah and we will also be dancing with the Torah.
• On Friday, October 5,  the 6^th grade will be joining the 1^st grade for a special program to reunite last year’s 5^th grade kindergarten buddies.

e)      Text Study : Babylonian Talmud Sukkah 28b

Where do we know this [that we should make our Sukkah a permanent abode and our house like a temporary abode]? From what our rabbis taught: “You shall dwell” (Leviticus 23:42) implies in the way that you ordinarily live. From this the rabbis went on to say: During the seven days of Sukkot, a person is to make their Sukkah a permanent abode, and their home the occasional abode. How? If they have beautiful vessels, they should bring them up to the Sukkah. If they have beautiful furniture, they should bring them up to the Sukkah. They should eat and drink, spend leisure time, and engage in Torah study in the Sukkah.

• Why do you think the rabbis teach us that we should make our Sukkot similar to our homes?
• Based on this passage from the Talmud, what additional activities can we do in the Sukkah this year?

Moadim L’Simchah! May you have a joyous Sukkot!

Countdown to the High Holidays

Shanah tovah! For those of you who haven’t met me yet, I’m Rabbi Buechler and I am the Lower School’s new rabbi-in-residence. The Lower School has been buzzing with preparations for the Yamim Noraim, the High Holidays. We invited students to join the Mighty Shofarot (our Shofar-blowing team) and blow the shofar in front of the entire school this week. We have also been learning about the holidays in each grade – from making our own shofars in Kindergarten to studying about the custom of eating pomegranates on Rosh HaShanah in grades 1 through 5. In each of the grades, teachers and I spoke with students about the origins of the shofar, and I was impressed to see how many animals our children could identify that have horns. (Elk was not the first animal that comes to mind!) The fifth graders are preparing to perform a Jonah skit for Yom Kippur for many of the grades in the upcoming week.

As the Yamim Noraim approach, I wanted to share with you a few resources for your own exploration as well as activities that you can do with your children. In case you’d like a refresher or you’d like to learn more about each of the upcoming holidays, visit:

• MyJewishLearning.com: A go-to website for questions about the history, development, and current customs of any of the Jewish holidays.
• Kveller.com: A parenting site that is really at the cutting edge of discussing the latest topics facing Jewish parents. Kveller also has great explanations of rituals for each Jewish holiday and ideas for crafts and activities to do with your children.

Bringing New Fruits to the Table If you haven’t started the tradition already, I highly recommend bringing a pomegranate to your holiday table. It is a tradition to eat new fruits on the second night and second day of Rosh HaShanah as that is the official start to the Hebrew month of Tishrei. (Any fruit counts as you are eating it for that first time that year!) The Talmud teaches us that pomegranates contain 613 seeds, to represent all of the mitzvot that we hope to accomplish in the year ahead.

There is a fun way for you and your children to retrieve the seeds of the pomegranate without staining your clothes. Simply submerge a pomegranate into a big bowl of water and cut it in half inside of the water so that the juice does not squirt everywhere. You and your children can then stick your hands into the water and release the seeds from the pomegranate by digging into the fruit and watching the seeds sink to the bottom of the bowl. These seeds taste great on their own and also make a nice addition to Rosh HaShanah salads!

Home Craft Ideas There are a number of online resources for craft ideas for the High Holidays. Feel free to visit Kveller.com and Akhlah.com for project ideas.

Book Recommendations Some of my favorite children’s books include A Sound to Remember, Eli & His Little White Lie, Happy Birthday World, and The Hardest Word.

Yom Kippur: Family Vidui  (Atonement) Activity Clicking on this link will take you to a Family Vidui Sheet for Yom Kippur. This is a great way to engage your family in a discussion  about things that you are sorry for and what you are looking forward to in the year ahead.

For Your Own Exploration We often talk about teshuvah, repentance, as a process of forgiving each other for our wrongdoings of the past year. A colleague of mine, Rabbi Sharon Brous, explains how the message of the Yamim Noraim should not be “forgive and forget” but rather “reconcile and remember.”

• What are examples of choices we made this past year that we would like to revisit over the next few weeks?
• How do we plan to dedicate time to reconciling and remembering our past actions during the upcoming Yamim Noraim?

Instead of forgetting our past actions of the year, let us be willing to revisit them and to grow from them.

May your Yamim Noraim be filled with reconciliation, remembrance, and excitement for 5773!

Sharing Our Voices

I began this blog several years ago as I was tiring of formal letters. Seeking ways of extending and strengthening conversation with our community rather than simply providing information to our community, I was ready to try something new. I am grateful for the many parents reading the posts, as indicated by the blog’s readership statistics, and for the insightful comments from parents. Now, seeking to extend conversation even more, I am ready to take another step forward.

No longer will this blog be mine; it will be ours. No longer will this blog be titled Perspectives From The Principal; instead it will be Our Voices: Schechter Westchester Lower School Blog. I’ll still write posts, yet my voice will be one among many. All in our community will be invited to write: parents, teachers, members of our educational leadership team, and, yes, students (with parent permission and appropriate privacy safeguards). The blog will offer the opportunity to hear directly and frequently from diverse voices. We’ll address what’s important to our writers and readers, including topics parents suggest. Writers may include our teachers; our rabbi-in-residence, Rabbi Yael Buechler; our math coach, Carole Ries; our school psychologist, Dr. Wendy Haber; our enrichment specialist, Lynne Foster; and our students. Parents have much to contribute as well, and we look forward to poignant posts connected to learning, community, and more.

Beyond the blog, we’ll share face-to-face, on the phone, and in writing. We’ll share individually and in groups. As teachers return to school in late August, they will confer on ways of sharing with parents beyond the November/December and March conferences and the January and June report cards. We’ll expand parent-principal conference days beyond teacher conference days to any time of year, inviting each and every family to schedule at least one parent-principal conference.

We’re envisioning ways to bring parents, specialists, teachers, and members of our educational leadership together so parents can have relevant, timely information. We’re also imagining social events in which teachers participate alongside parents so that we can better get to know one another on a personal level. We’re looking at strengthening parent-to-parent communication as a vital pathway to connecting and building community. And we are thinking about ways technology and social media can support us to be in touch even when busy schedules prevent us from spending as much time face to face as we would like. Perhaps most significant is the importance of reaching out to each other: school-to-parents and parents-to-school. As a parent, when you have questions, concerns, and ideas, we encourage you to contact your child’s teacher. For topics beyond the classroom, I invite you to reach out to me. Our PTO grade level chairs and class parents also welcome your calls and are wonderful resources.

So, please jump in to our conversation. Leave a comment on this blog post. Volunteer to write a post yourself  by signing up directly with me or with Brianne Gioio in our office. Call. Email. Come by and say hello. Don’t keep your ideas to yourself. Share your voice.

A Good Match: The Class Placement Process

A teacher that understands your child…at least one friend in the class…kind peers who get along well with each other…an appropriate leveled group of children to work with for each subject area…an intellectually stimulating yet calm and nurturing environment… a balance of boys and girls… a manageable number of children needing more than an average amount of attention from the teachers… and perhaps the separation of some children who are not the best for each other – ah, the class placement process! It is by no means easy. And, it is of vital importance.

At this time of year, our serious, detailed planning for the coming academic year intensifies: curricular innovations, interviews for new faculty members, class schedules to optimize learning and yes, preparation for class placement. Typically, parents receive a letter from me at this time of year welcoming input into the class placement process, while at the same time reminding parents that we do not accept requests for particular teachers. In lieu of a letter, I am writing this blog post to support dialogue and understanding about our class placement process. We are committed to a good match for every child.

So how does the class placement process work?

Your child’s current grade level teachers, Dr. Wendy Haber our school psychologist, Jennifer Gensior our Student Support Chairperson, Ilanit Curi-Hoory our Assistant Principal and I meet multiple times over the course of approximately two months. As we begin, we remind ourselves of the importance of the task in which we are engaged, and of the respect that must be shown for every child, parent and teacher throughout the process.

Each child’s name is recorded on an index card coded with significant information: current class; gender; reading, math and Hebrew levels based on grade wide assessments; and degree of special attention required for any reason – enrichment and/or support, social/emotional, behavioral or health. We then place those index cards into groupings representing classes. Each child’s placement is evaluated to ensure the following:

• a teacher with whom we anticipate the child will work well
• a mix of students from throughout the grade and not just the child’s current class
• at least one friend
• an appropriate academic group for each subject area
• separation from particular children, if necessary

Additionally, we seek to ensure heterogeneous classes with students at a range of ability levels in all subject areas, a balance of girls and boys, a distribution of students needing greater than average attention for any reason, a distribution of students whose enthusiasm will help create an engaging learning environment, and the intangible of how we imagine each of these groups of students will gel as a community.

During the weeks that we work on class placement, teachers reflect constantly on their students’ placement, often coming to me worried that a particular child’s placement in a class is not right and needs to be changed. We continue to review the classes, child by child, to see that we meet as many criteria as we can. And finally, we ask our teachers, “would you want to teach this class?” When our current grade level teachers concur they would want to teach each of these classes for the upcoming year, we feel we have a good working draft.

While some might consider our work done at this point, there is another vital component to class placement:  parent voice. After we have completed our draft, we turn to letters from parents and notes from conversations parents have had with me. We do not accept requests for particular teachers, and if requests for teachers are made against our policy I do not  even share them with teachers for consideration.  We do embrace parent input concerning pertinent information about children that will be helpful in the placement process.

Why do we wait to include parent voice until after our first placement draft is complete?

Our own understanding of individual student needs and the needs of the grade community guide our process. We know our students, our classes and our grades well. We strive to do right by each and every child as well as by each class community and by the grade.  Parents can be confident that whether or not they write me a letter or share input with me verbally, we will assess every child’s placement  needs with great care and respect.

What happens as we review parent input?

Remarkably, in the vast majority of cases, I would venture to say close to 90%, we have placed children as parents requested prior to reviewing parent input. This demonstrates the care we take in placing each child, and our strong partnership with parents in understanding our children as we work together throughout the year.  When we have not met the criteria of a parent request, we reflect on the placement. At times, we stand by our placement as best for a particular child. In those cases, I make note of the rationale for the placement and am prepared to explain to a parent who calls to inquire. At other times, we acknowledge humbly that the parent has an important and different perspective, or has shared compelling information of which we were not aware. In those cases, we make changes.

So, what is a parent concerned about placement to do at this time of year? There are really two options:

1. Do nothing and rest assured that we are attending to the placement needs of all of our children with tremendous care.
2. Write a letter to me with pertinent input you want to share about the class placement process.  We must receive all placement information from parents by no later than Monday, April 16th immediately following the Passover break. Once we complete the placement process it is virtually impossible to revise given the plethora of criteria we are balancing.

Please do not  use the upcoming parent-teacher conferences to discuss placement. Teachers are not allowed to take parent placement requests; those must come directly to me.

Teachers are preparing diligently for conferences and have substantial information to share about this year. Parents are encouraged to come to conferences with questions and input into planning for the last quarter of our academic year. There is much learning and growing left for this year and while we look forward in planning for the future, we also remain grounded in the present.

I will be holding parent-principal conferences on parent-teacher conference days and other times for your convenience. Please know that parent-principal conferences are not primarily to discuss class placement, although that is a topic parents raise and you are welcome to share pertinent information with me at that time. Parent-teacher conferences are an opportunity to talk about ideas, insights and feedback parents have to share. They also provide a forum for parents to ask questions or share thoughts about innovations and shifts occurring in the school that are designed to enhance the quality of the educational experience of our students. I encourage you to come in and talk.

I welcome hearing from you.