Welcome to Kaiser!
A school year passes quickly and every moment counts. With 180 instructional days in a school year, we have 180 opportunities for powerful learning! Thank you in advance for sending your student to school every day and on time.
As soon as students arrive in August, we begin the process of checking their reading and mathematics proficiency levels so we can address their unique needs while also providing the required curriculum. Everyone who witnesses the detail and care that goes into creating plans for over 550 students recognizes the phenomenal job that Kaiser teachers do day in and day out. We monitor student achievement and focus on additional supports and enrichment to meet students' needs. It doesn’t take long to be “in the groove!”
Parents often ask what they can do to support student achievement. The list is simple:
1) Read with your child daily and ask questions about the story/book. Examples of questions include the following: Who is the story about? What has happened so far? What's your favorite part so far? What do you think will happen next - and what does the story say that makes you think this?
2) When your student has word problems in math, read the problems and decipher what your student needs to figure out.
3) Have your student practice math facts and math fluency every day. One way to practice facts is to go through all that your student should know by now once per week (for example, third graders are in the process of learning them but students in grades 4 - 6 should know their multiplication facts through 12). Separate the facts your student knows from the ones yet to be mastered. Then, work on a few of the ones yet to be mastered every day - try to group them (keep the 3's together, the 7's together, etc.). This makes practice much less overwhelming. You can help with what we call math “fluency” by asking your student fact-based questions such as, “What is 21 + 7?” (or more advanced questions that allow students to use ideas that they know, such as the idea that 21 is one more than 20, so 21 + 7 must be one more than 20 + 7. This becomes especially helpful as numbers grow. Kaiser provides a fun online resource called Reflex Math to help students gain mastery with math facts. way that your student can practice is by using Reflex Math at home. Your student can access Reflex Math through the Kaiser website from home.
4) Check to see that your student is showing his or her work when figuring out math problems. Also, checking that the work is neat, lined up, and legible is extra helpful.
5) When your student is stumped and you are too, simply jot a note on the homework for the teacher.
6) Talk through the personal challenges your child might face at school. If there is a playground or other issue that seems concerning, please let your child’s teacher or us in the school office know.
7) Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep. This includes shutting off technology and the TV at least half an hour before bedtime. This has a big effect on our bodies’ abilities to shut down for the night. It provides you with a great chance to read aloud to your child as well!
One of our school's great strengths is the commitment families have to student achievement. We appreciate the effort you put in to your student's success - it truly makes a difference!
Please be sure to check out the weekly Principal's Message and follow us on Twitter @kaiserknights for handy, helpful, and happy information about campus life. Also, the PFO and KWSF always appreciate parent involvement - parents often discover that they take away even more than they contribute. Jump in! The "water's" fine!
Deborah Granger, Ed.D.
Principal
