It has been so great hearing from so many of you over the last week. Between the ongoing communication and the strong start with the On Line School as a K-2 class we are off to a very strong start. Do not hesitate to call or email with any questions and/or concerns. Please know there are no stupid questions and at this point there is not much I haven't encountered over the past 15 years of teaching. I am here to support you and make things easier so please take advantage of the resource. I hope to see you all on Friday at Kam III from 9-11. Know I am super excited for the start of face to face classes and look forward to seeing all your children starting next Tuesday at St. Theresa's church in Kihei. I will have more details on this blog about supplies, drop offs and pick ups later this week so be sure to check back. In the meantime please collect a 16 oz aluminum can and 2 magazines and/or newspapers that can be cut up. We will need these for class on Thursday, the 9th.
Won't it be cool for your child to be able to see his/her classmates busy completing k12 work at home? During this week please make an effort to take a picture of your child hard at work and email it to me at mquinn@kiheicharter.org. I will upload all pics to an account and email you the account information. This will be great to get students excited about meeting friends, practicing names and feeling connected. During the school year we will take pics and upload to this account so you can view in pitures what is happening in class.
Over the past week I have realized that at times my daughter is getting distracted when she is supposed to be focused on her school work. One example of a question that has come up is: How do crayons and colored pencils draw? This is a great question but not on target when the objective of the lesson is beginning, middle and end sounds. One of my main goals when enrolling her in KCS was to keep these creative juices flowing. On the flip side her daily lessons must be mastered. My solution is the wall of questions. We have come up with a place we will post these questions. We will come back to them later in the day or week and try to find an answer by searching on the web. This way I am encouraging her curiousity but keeping the lesson flowing. If you are one to get caught up in these questions and quickly go off track, be careful! Children will realize this and will start to control the day. My second year in a traditional classroom setting I had a 5th grade class who was very good at getting me off topic and we all paid the price when we had to cram for state testing.
Check out this cool site: Brain Pop. There are some freebies and a free trial. Let me know what you think!
Have a terrific week!!
Week One and Ongoing Communication
Yippeee, yahoo and hooray!!! Week one is under your belt. I know it has been a challenge with log in issues, a new k12 format and getting students into the school routine. Please know it will get easier as the school year progresses and the rewards will last a lifetime. Thank you to those of you who have sent me an update of your first week. I love the communication and enjoy knowing how things are going. I will be doing an on line school progress check and will be making contact with all families later this week and early next week. If you prefer an email correspondence, please email me at mquinn@kiheicharter.org and let me know how things are going, how I can support you and any questions you have.
Virtual Office Hours
I am available via email and phone anytime. Please know that I will make every effort to return emails and phone calls within 24hours of a work day. If you would like more immediate communication know I will be by my phone and computer on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1 pm until 3 pm. As the year progresses we can set up time: for on line chats, to Skype or to have an Elluminate session.
Face to Face Supports
For those of you who missed our parent meetings or need additional support, Kihei Charter Staff will be at the Lipoa site this Friday afternoon from 1 to 3. It is a great opportunity to drop in and getting face to face answers to all your questions. We will have access to the computer lab and will do our best to send you home feeling confident in your new role as learning coach.
Journaling
Please read this article on print awareness. This year in addition to your child’s k12 lessons they will be journaling at home and in class. For your child’s first journal entry please have them draw/write about what they hope to learn this school year. They should do this on the first page of their journal . Be sure they date their entry. Students will share this work the first week of school. If your child is excited about journaling and you would like to have them do more writing, you can go here for ideas.
See you Soon!!
If your child is anything like mine he/she is asking, “When does school start?”. She enjoys working at home with mom but is eager to meet friends, play outside and enjoy snack time. All the staff is excited as well. We have a fun filled event planned for September 3rd to kick off the school year. Please be sure to attend our Meet and Greet at Kam III beach Park in Kihei. This event will take place from 9-11 am. We will have games, face painting, snacks and prizes. This is a family event. You are responsible for your child(ren) and are required to be with them throughout the event. Face to face classes will begin the following week, September 7th through the 10th, and I will see students in Kindergarten and First Grade in the morning from 9-11:30 and students in grade 2 in the afternoon from 12:15-2:45. Please let your child know I am as anxious as they are and am really looking forward to classroom time.
Today is the first day of on line school. Be sure to log in at www.k12.com. Go to OLS (upper right), type in your user name and password from your enrollment and start your lessons. You will also want to mark attendance for the day. If you have any questions feel free to email, mquinn@kiheicharter.org or call, 269-9684, me. We also have one last parent orientation this week, Thursday, from 4-6 at our Lipoa site. Thanks to all of you who took the time to attend one of these sessions. It has been great to have the support of returning families and to meet the new families. We are off to a terrific start!
The first day of school will set the tone for the school year. Be sure to set up an appropriate learning space, make your expectations clear and take time with your child to establish rules and routines. The focus of the first few days should be on what is going to happen and how. Start with work that is manageable for your child to keep everyone feeling positive and motivated. This article has some great insights into working with your child at home. Please remember learning should be fun, for you and your child. You may want to print and post this poem, Attitude, as a reminder that you have control over how you impact your child and the learning environment daily.
Be sure to review the Kihei Charter School Handbook. Logo wear is required and T shirts are on order. I will let you know when they arrive. They will be on sale at the front desk at Lipoa for $6.00. Please plan on attending the Meet and Greet on Friday, September 3rd. It will take place at Kam III Beach Park in Kihei from 9-11 AM. This is a family event and will be a great way to get energized for the school year. An RSVP is greatly appreciated. Face to face classes will begin on September 7th. K/1 will come on Tues. and Thurs. from 9-11:30 and 2nd graders will come from 12:15-2:45. Be sure to send your child to class prepared with his/her supplies.
Students will need:
one pencil box
3 sharpened #2 pencils with erasers
sharpened colored pencils
box of 24 crayons
Students in grades K and 1 will need one journal. It should be a marble composition book. If you can find the one with room for a picture on the top and lines for writing on the bottom that would be ideal. If not a lined book will do.
Students in grade 2 will need 2 journals. They should be lined marble composition books.
Students will have a snack time during each class so you may want to pick up a lunch bag.
Please know what you are giving your child is an amazing gift. Be patient with yourself as you start a new school year and feel free to reach out for support. Have a terrific week. I would love to hear about your challenges and successes via email.
Please review the school handbook. You can print and return the consent, agreement and photo release at parent meetings. If you do not have access to a printer, printed forms will also be available at the meetings. Please hand in all documents to Melissa Reickert, Parent Liason/Educational Assistant.
Please know that in order to get reimbursed for monthly internet charges you must 1. fill out a free and reduced lunch form, 2. qualify for this service (you will be notified via mail), 3. submit a monthly internet bill. A new free and reduced lunch form must be filled out every school year. All paperwork should also be given to Melissa.
Both the handbook and free and recuced lunch form can be found below or by going up to files, down to forms and clicking on the proper document.
2010-2011 Free and Reduced Lunch FormHandbook
Please let me know if you have any questions about this important paperwork.
It has been awesome talking with Kindergarten through Second Grade families these last few weeks. Everyone is so excited for the start of the school year, including me. It will be great to put names and faces together this week and next at our parent meetings. I also look forward to seeing those returning families. We will all benefit from your expertise and as always there will be some changes you will want to be aware of. All meetings will cover the sameinformation so you only have to attend one. They will be held at Lipoa Campus and will take place this Tuesday, the 10th from 6-8, Friday the 13th from 10-12 and Thursday the 19th from 4-6.
Our k12 on line start date is August 16th. You can access courses prior to this date but will not be able to log attendance. You do not have to wait for a parent meeting to start working and exploring. Go in and see what k12 is all about. Our face to face classes at St. Theresa's Church in Kihei will start the week of September 6th. Grades K and 1 will attend in the morning from 9-11:30 and second graders will come in the afternoon from 12:15-2:45.
Many parents have been asking about car pools and volunteering. With the help of Melissa Reickert, our new Parent Liaison/Educational Asssitant we will be helping families link up with others in their area and stay connected through volunteering. Melissa will have more information at the upcoming meetings. She has also started a blog to keep the KCS Ohana connected. You can check it out here. Returning families please take a few minutes to fill out the survey Melissa created. You can reach Melissa at mreickert@kiheicharter.org.
Also joining our staff this year we have Lisa Aquino who will be overseeing students and assisting parents in grades three and four and Michelle Schultz our new Learning Support Teacher. We are thrilled to have added some new energy to our team. Team teaching and collaboration will take place among the staff and your child will benefit from more than one adult in the class leading and supporting hands on activities.
Be sure to RSVP if you plan on attending our Meet and Greet event on September 3rd at Kam III Beach Park in Kihei. This event will take place from 9 am to 11am and will be a fun way to get your child excited about the upcoming school year. This is a family event and all are welcome!
Have a terrific week and please feel free to call or email with questions or concerns.
808-269-9684
