The Maple Leaf November 2014

Handy Links Maple Grove Elementary Maple Grove PTA Jeffco Public Schools Maple Grove Principal Twitter Feed

A Word from the Principal...

A Perspective on Common Core As you may have heard, there has been increasing debate nationally about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS, or "Common Core"), and whether they are a good thing for kids. Here are some facts:

CCSS have been incorporated into the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) since December 2009. The Jeffco Curriculum is based on CAS, so Common Core has actually been around in Jeffco for quite a while. (Our math program, Math Expressions, now in its third year, was written based on Common Core.) The state assessments based on Common Core are starting this year, so that is why the conversation is heating up now.

They only address English Language Arts (reading and writing) and Mathematics, not social studies, science, etc.

They are more focused and more rigorous than previous standards, and encompass thinking skills as well as content.

They only define what students are expected to learn academically. They do not prescribe how the standards are taught, nor which programs and resources can be used. Schools and teachers have great latitude in how they go about teaching the standards.

They were developed by a consortium of states' governors, not the federal government.

In my opinion, they are innocuous and reasonable. Most people who actually look at them don't have an issue with the standards themselves. (You can see them here.)

continued...

Page 2 November 2014 The Maple Leaf

Ian Stone, Principal

A Word from the Principal, continued...

The tricky part comes with how to assess students' progress in relation to the standards, how the results of the assessments are used to evaluate schools and teachers, and how the accountability systems narrow the focus on academics and away from the other aspects of a child's learning and development. It always comes back to what we value as a school community, and the extent to which we keep our focus on the right things, like creating an environment where children feel loved and can develop and thrive as a whole child. To that end, Common Core is a helpful part of defining academic outcomes for students.

Calendar

5 After School Pumpkin Smash

7 6:00pm Talent Show

12 6:30pm PTA General Meeting

24 - 28 Thanksgiving Break

November

PTA News

Jefferson County School Board

Our school district has made national headlines recently with regards to decisions made by the school board that have led to student protests and brought much discussion in the community. In an effort to help our parents stay informed so they can make well informed decisions for the upcoming election and be abreast of the issues being discussed, we would like to include some links: School Board Meeting Minutes and Live Streaming: Click HERE. The next meeting of the Board of Education is scheduled for Thursday, November 6, 2014, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Jeffco PTA Facebook: Click HERE NY Times Article on Protests: Click HERE NY Times Blog by Jeffco PTA President: Click HERE Colorado Public Radio Article: Click HERE Fox News Article: Click HERE

Page 3 November 2014 The Maple Leaf

Upcoming Events

continued...

Talent Show

Come see our kids shine! Mark your calendars to attend this year's show and cheer on all of our talented Maple Grove students! The show will be on Friday November 7, from 6-9pm at the Manning Auditorium. Admission is free. For children participating in the talent show, a dress rehearsal will be held on Wednesday, November 5 from 5-8pm at Maple Grove.

The Holidays Are Quickly Approaching

Maple Grove offers two opportunities for our school community to help relieve some of the stress that may occur for some of our families during the holiday season. The first opportunity to participate is the Thanksgiving Food

Drive. The classroom assigned food list will be sent home in the November 7th Friday Folder. Families will then have an opportunity to contribute to the food box located outside the interior door of their student's classroom during the week of November 10th-14th. The Student Leadership Council will gather, sort, and prepare family food boxes to be distributed to families during the week of November 17th. The second opportunity for participation is through Holiday Helpers. Coordinating with Sandra Stevanak, Maple Grove parent and PTA member, participating families will have an opportunity to adopt a family and provide holiday gifts from their adopted family's wish list. Look for information for both these opportunities in future eBlasts and Friday Folders.

Join the Maple Grove Math Olympiad Team!

Open to all Maple Grove students grades 4-6. Coached by Todd Remington and Scott Brown. Meets most Wednesdays, 2:35-3:30 pm., Nov. 5th - March 18th. Look for your registration forms in your Friday folders. $25 per person.

continued...

Page 4 November 2014 The Maple Leaf

Grizzly Gathering

Upcoming Events, continued...

Please join us for our November Grizzly Gathering on Wednesday, November 12 at Macaroni Grill (Denver West location). Invite some parents and come for an early dinner before the PTA meeting, or bring the kids for some yummy pasta. They have crayons and a great kids menu. Take out counts too! Grizzly gatherings are a wonderful opportunity to socialize with other families in our community, and support our school at the same time. We have lots of fun! Whether you are a regular supporter or you have never been to one, come on out. We would love to see you! Bring your flyer to make sure Maple Grove gets credit for your ticket.

Gifted and Talented News

Students are hard at work using project-based learning to build their “depth of knowledge” about a topic they are interested in. In doing so, they are learning how to become autonomous learners.

Some of the younger students have written letters to authors and are hoping for a reply. Others built an abacus and learned how to use it. Some kids are studying ancient numerals and will be translating math problems using those ancient numerals to deepen their understanding. Meanwhile, 2nd graders completed their cogAT testing and we are hoping for results by the end of December. Here are some tips to consider with the holidays fast approaching. Give books and learning games as presents, and then spend time together reading and playing those games. Research supports that reading and playing card and board games increases vocabulary, math skills, comprehension and critical thinking skills. Jeffco GT Gifted Education Parent Seminars continue November 11, 2014 from 6:30-8:30pm and will address Affective Needs. There will be 3 sessions to choose from: Twice exceptional: 101 with Penelope and Colleen Twice exceptional: A Parent’s Story with Terri Straut Executive Functioning with Rick and Diana The seminars are held in the 5th floor boardroom at the Ed Center in Golden.

Page 5 November 2014 The Maple Leaf

Welcome to Kindergarten, a place filled with love, friend-ship, and learning. The children enter the room each morning to a waiting smile or hug. They have morning jobs they are responsible for before they join in the purple square for morning welcome and story time. We read a wonderful book every morning to start our day off on the right foot. The story may end up carrying over into a liter-acy group activity where the students engage in sound work, penmanship practice, rhyming activities, or reading to themselves. While their classmates are involved in cen-ters, groups meet with Mrs. Cheer or Ms Booth to learn/practice reading. The books at this level are set up to build success and self-confidence. There is nothing more amaz-

ing than the moment the children begin to feel like a reader; it is magical. We move into Writer’s Workshop next. Kindergarten authors draw their detailed stories and week by week their writing grows. First we write lines in place of our words, but we can read the lines. Next, when we hear the beginning sounds of the words add them to the lines. Last, we quickly move on to adding the end sounds (the middle sounds come last because vowels have a lot of rules associated with them). We label our pictures to help readers enjoy our stories (if we are not there to read them the story). As our year progresses the drawings get smaller and the writing grows into two, three, four, or more sentences. Math in Kindergarten is filled with counting, learning to write numbers, and the beginning of addition and subtraction. The number we count to grows as the year moves on and we practice addition and subtraction facts until they become part of our muscle memories. Mrs. Laskey visits us every day to work on music, movement, or art. We end our day with social centers. We get to use our imaginations, learn to follow rules and take turns, and we do our science and social studies learning as well. When our full day of learning is done, we pack our backpacks, get a hug, and go home to rest up for tomorrow (especially the teacher)! Our room full of enthusiastic learning will be bright-eyed in the morning.

Kindergarten Spotlight

Page 6 November 2014 The Maple Leaf

Maple Grove Extracurricular Events

continued...

Maple Grove has so many wonderful extracurricular activities to offer students. These are all great opportunities for kids to enhance their learning experiences while establishing life long hobbies.

Girls on the Run

Girls in grade 3-6 meet twice a week after school. They teach life skills through dy-namic, interactive lessons and running games. The 24-lesson curriculum is taught by certified Girls on the Run coaches and includes three parts: understanding ourselves, valuing relationships and teamwork and understanding how we connect with and shape the world at large. Running is used to inspire and motivate girls, encourage lifelong health and fitness, and build confidence through accomplishment. Important social, psychological, and physical skills and abilities are developed and reinforced throughout the program. At each season's conclusion, the girls and their running buddies complete a 5k running event which gives them a tangible sense of achievement as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals. The result—making the seemingly impossible, possible, and teaching girls that they can. Thank you Jane Ambro, Megan Klem, and Cathy Rossano for running this program at Maple Grove!

Page 7 November 2014 The Maple Leaf

Maple Grove Extracurricular Events, continued...

School Choir

We are the Groovin’ Grizzlies choir here at Maple Grove Elementary! Founded in 2012 by director and music teacher Jenn Baker, this choir has been very busy singing their hearts out everywhere. From personal winter and spring concerts to singing the national anthem for field day and songs for the Grove Gallery, we are very active participants in Maple Grove activities. We also have performed outside of Maple Grove singing at the Colorado Mills Holiday Festival, Christmas caroling in the community neighborhoods and even singing the national anthem for the Colorado Rockies game! (Yes we got to go out on the field!) This is a very fun and exciting group for students to share in a community love for singing and performing. We are made up of 3rd-6th graders and usually meet on Tuesdays after school from 2:30 – 3:30 in the music room and there is no cost to join. Come be a member of our wonderful group this spring or show your support this semester by attending our winter concert on Tuesday, December 9th 6-7pm in the Maple Grove Auditorium.

Page 8 November 2014 The Maple Leaf

Jeffco Public Schools does not

endorse or recommend any

advertisers listed in this

publication. Any links to

advertisers are for your

convenience only and are not

an endorsement or recom-

mendation of those sites or

the products or services

associated with those sites.

Jeffco Public Schools does not

control or provide any content

or information at these sites,

makes no representation or

warranty of any kind with

respect to these sites or their

content, and does not

maintain, operate, or take

responsibility for information

provided. Any use thereof is

solely the user’s responsibility.

Maple Grove Extracurricular Events, continued...

News From the Gym- Track and Field

I would like to congratulate the 5th and 6th grade students who participated in the 10th annual Wheat Ridge Area Track Meet. This is a competitive track meet that students try out to get on the team. Try outs start the second week of school and continue on until the meet on Oct. 7th. Maple Grove did very well this year, placing in the top 3 spots in 11 of the 12 relays. Two of the relays set new records for the track meet. Maple Grove placed in many individual events as well. Congratulations to all the students who competed in the meet. Keep an eye out for information about two upcoming events. In February, the 5th and 6th grade will get an opportunity to participate in a Speed Stacking tournament, and I will start a juggling club for 3rd through 6th grade in the spring. I hope to see many of the kids at these events. Thank you for all your support. ~ Mrs. Keighin