Parent-Teacher Conferences

Good communication between the home and school is vital in forming an educational partnership for your child's benefit. The parent-teacher conference provides a means for a two-way exchange of information between you and your child's teacher. This year, conferences are scheduled for later this month, the evenings of Monday, November 21st and Tuesday, November 22nd. Sscheduled individual conferences for intermediate students will occur between 4:30 and 8:00 p.m.  Middle school conferences are not individually scheduled and will take place between 4:00-7:30 p.m.

It is reassuring to recognize the fact that both of you want your child to succeed, progress at the pace best for him or her, to feel that the standards at home and at school complement each other, and to feel that learning takes place at school and at home. Remember, both you and your child's teacher are aiming for the same goal: the best possible education for your child. An effective P/T conference:

• Enables the home and school to meet the needs of your child.
• Provides an opportunity for the teacher to share with you your child?s educational program.
• Provides you with an opportunity to discuss your child?s strengths and weaknesses.
• Helps the teacher to understand your family?s aspirations for your child, his or her routines, interests, out-of-school activities and the emotional climate in the home.
• Informs you of school rules, discipline, and attendance issues.

Listed below are some questions you might want to ask the teacher during the conference:

• Is my child doing as well as her or she should?
• What instructional groups is he or she in and why?
• What instructional books are being used?
• May I see some work produced by my child?
• Does my child get along well with other children?
• Have you noticed any signs of initiative, originality, or responsibility in the classroom?
• Does my child respect authority?
• How can I help my child at home?
• What tests are administered at my child?s grade level and when will I be notified of the results?

WKCE Testing Begins

The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires all states to test all students in reading and mathematics in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school (grade 10 under s.118.30 Wis Stats). In Wisconsin, these tests are referred to as the Wisconsin Knowledge Concepts Examination (WKCE). Besides reading and math, students in grades 4 and 8 also take tests in science, social studies, language arts, and writing. More information can be found by reading the brouchure that was sent home last week. Trevor-Wilmot students will take this test the first week in November.

Eleven Tips to Help Your Child Prepare for Tests

To help children prepare adequately for tests (whether teacher-made or standardized), you can do several things to provide support and create a positive test-taking experience.

1. The best way to prepare for tests is to study, know the work, and take the right courses.
2. If your child is nervous at test time, ask her teacher for tips on helping her relax.
3. Make sure that your child is in school during the testing sessions. Do not plan any doctor or dental appointments on test dates.
4. Make sure that you are aware of your child's performance and that you can help interpret the results when they become available.
5. Remember to keep well-informed about your child's tests. Know how test results are used, and how they will affect your child's placement in school.
6. If there are major differences between standardized test scores and school grades, find out why.
7. Encourage your child to study over a period of time rather than "cram" the night before.
8. Encourage your child to listen carefully to all test-taking directions given by the teacher and to ask questions about any directions that are unclear.
9. See that your child gets his/her regular amount of sleep before the tests and is well-rested.
10. Make sure that your child eats his/her usual breakfast on the day of the test. Hunger can detract from a good test performance.
11. Encourage your child to do his/her best.

Brought to you by the American School Counselor Association

Our Courtyard Garden

Have you taken a peek at our courtyard recently? If not, you may want to take a little trip over there. For the past three years, the 6th graders have been working with Mrs. Laplander to revitalize the courtyard through project-based learning. Students have conducted research on plants native to Wisconsin, presented their findings through a PowerPoint presentation, worked in small groups to compromise on a design plan, and implemented their plans in a variety of gardens.  Through this process, they have added several new gardens to the courtyard including, a butterfly habitat, a hummingbird habitat, a perennial garden, and a shade garden. Several other students also worked on laying sod and constructing a patio so classes throughout the school may use the courtyard as an outdoor classroom.  The transformation has been astounding each year.
There have been many hands assisting the students in this process including the talented hands of some parent volunteers and our Master Gardener volunteers. Rachelle Kotelnicki, Cheryl Hoke, Judy West, Kerrie Hoffmann, and Natalie Lamey, our Master Gardeners who are part of the Racine-Kenosha-Master-Gardening-Association, have worked tirelessly throughout the summer maintaining and adding to the various gardens.  Through the combined efforts of the students, parent volunteers, and Master Gardeners, the courtyard will eventually demonstrate the success of a xeriscape garden which is tolerant of the unique climate in the courtyard.  
This year, students in Garden Club and 6th grade will be working with the Master Gardeners to label all of the plants this fall, clean up some of the overgrown areas, learn about all of the plants in the courtyard, and create a new garden - or two - of their own. So, why don’t you take a little trip over to the courtyard and see if you can spot a beautiful butterfly bush, some flowering phlox, or even a budding Buddleia plant.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to a new school year in a whole new school! Work on the addition and renovation of the existing building has taken over a year to complete, but we are finally here. The year went quickly and safely. You can be proud of our students because throughout the process, they didn’t let the noise, dust, or inconvenience of losing their playgrounds get them down or affect their learning.

It was difficult to imagine what the building would be like when all we had were drawings on paper. The result though is a school of which our community can be proud. From it’s inception to tonight’s dedication ceremony, every step along the way has been guided by the District's mission, "Together with families and community, our mission is to create a student-centered comprehensive learning environment fostering personal and academic excellence." The needs of the students and how we could improve our programs were always in the forefront of the decision making process.

These ideals were the basis to create a comprehensive, state of the art building with classrooms designed with increasing student achievement as the major focus, technology that is incorporated everywhere, a commitment to the fine arts with new band, music, and art rooms, improving the physical education with a new gym, sports fields, and playgrounds, a concentration on literacy through an expanded library, saving energy by using geothermal technology, improving safety as we come and go to school through new parking lots, and making space available for use by the community.

A time capsule will be placed behind the "Year Stone" at the main entrance. Over the course of the year, we will work with the students to decide the items that will be placed inside. One thing we know for sure we want to place in the time capsule is a school picture with all the students.

This is a school like no other. While it has grown in size, our family-centered atmosphere will remain the same. It is an honor to be part of a community that cares so much about their children that it chooses to invest so much in their future.