School District of New Berlin

Dear Parents and Students,

I hope everyone enjoyed their summer and feel refreshed to begin the school year, I know I am eager to begin units and lessons that are more involved as the first few weeks come up.  During these first couple of weeks students will be doing activities together that involve getting to know one another, trying to develop a certain environment where students feel safe and eager to learn and ask questions.  While organization is really important throughout the school year, these first few weeks of getting the students in good habits and remembering to gather their schoolwork is so important.  Students this year need to become more and more independent and become even more responsible than last year.  I also feel that allowing students to become an integral part of the decision making that goes on in the classroom develops ownership and responsibility.  Together as a class we will incorporate many ideas and changes throughout the year. 

I have spoken to the students about coming up with their own structured plan on when they should be completing their homework assignments, doing their nightly reading and working all this around their busy after school, family lives.  I suggested doing something consistent each night, similar to the school day, of following times and schedules.  I mentioned that trying to do the homework earlier in the evening is best so that they have ample time to complete the work and not be rushed, therefore having the rest of the evening with their work finished.  I also suggested reading the 20-30 minutes before they go to bed as a way to wind down from the busy day.  All of these thoughts are just suggestions and should best be used to the schedule that fits for your family.

          This week students selected a reading book that they will be reading independently on their own, this should be the book they are reading nightly for 20-30 minutes and at school.  I will be reading several different books with the students throughout the year modeling reading strategies and lessons.  Students will also be discussing questions related to the book that enhance literature discussions to help them better understand the book. 

Here are just a few reminders:

• Weekly newsletters will be sent to you through email on Fridays, which are created by the students with my guidance.  Each child will learn how to publish a newsletter that informs readers of the weekly activities that occur throughout the week.  This is part of the Writer’s Workshop that I will be introducing to students and working with them on.

• Assignment notebooks should be checked nightly by parents, espcially in the beginning of the school year.  As the first few weeks of school pass I will be looking for parent signatures once a week on the first day of each week.  This is also an excellent way to communicate with me if you have any questions.

           Please contact me if you have further questions or suggestions that might help.  Let’s work as a team to make this a wonderful year.

James Slonac 262-789-6590 EXT. 2114

“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” – Victor Borge