David Turnham

Challenging Children in Caring Classrooms

December 21, 2012 Dear DTEC Parents and Families, A few snowflakes, colder temperatures, the arrival of Santa, the arrival of winter break . . . it could only be December at David Turnham! We would like to wish everyone a very happy and blessed holiday season! Enjoy the holidays with your family and well see you back on Wednesday, January 2, 2013! Congratulations to our December Pals: Congratulations to our December Shining Stars: Math Update Thank you to everyone who is still asking questions about how to help kids gain math skills! Many of us dont realize the importance of the math facts: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Math facts can be reviewed with flash cards, aloud, or in writing. Math facts are the foundation to almost all other math concepts. The facts appear in the Indiana Standards. The addition and subtraction facts to 20 should be mastered in the 1st grade and then extended into the second grade. Multiplication and division facts should be mastered no later than the 4th grade. Take a moment to practice 3-4 facts each day or each time you get into the car. A little work and emphasis goes a long way. Need more suggestions for helping your child learn his or her facts? Just call. Reading Update Today we are sending home the latest SRI results for students in grades 2-6 and even a few in first grade. This report gives you a history of your childs performance in regards to comprehension. Our teachers use the results of this test to plan instruction for your child. The SRI assessment measures comprehension through vocabulary and inferencing (drawing a conclusion based upon clues in the text.) The goal for each student is 150-200 or more points in growth over the course of the entire year. o Special note to 1st grade parents: A comprehension assessment for first graders is dependent upon a childs overall reading development. This varies for every child. SRI scores will range from BR(0) to BR (1-99) to 300 or more. BR indicates that a child is a beginning reader who does not necessarily have the fluency or decoding skills that allow for a true assessment of comprehension to occur. Our end of the year goal is for every first grader to have an SRI level of 100 400. Please call if you have questions. Thanks for having great kids, Mrs. Kemp Phone (812)-937-4300 Fax (812)-937-4317 P.O Box 432 Dale, IN 47523 jkemp@nspencer.k12.in.us

First Day Back January 2

Visit our school at www.nspencer.k12.in.us/dtec/