Otsego Owl Jan 2011

Otsego

Mr. & Mrs. Yaris and Mrs. Castiglia take time for a picture after

Mr. Micalizzi dances his way to a healthy lifestyle along a very successful PARP Assembly! with some first grade friends.

WL

Students in class 1-CM are learning

Our librarian, Mrs. Castiglia, presents second within Our first graders campaign through the hallsgraders of Otsego certificates fortheir completing Summer Reading Program. about the symbols of our country! an effort to sway peers the to vote for their book!

Congratulations all of a Otsego’s student Otsego gives backtoduring our District FoodFestival!

Drive!

Our students had blast at theparticipants!

Fall Week of January 24, 2011

A Message from the Principal Stacey Bernstein This coming Thursday, January 27, I will be hosting a Principal/Parent Tea at 10:00am at Otsego. During this informal gathering, parents of students in grades 3-5 will have an opportunity to hear about our new mathematics program, enVision Math. We will be

reviewing classroom activities, sharing materials, and providing an indepth look at the online resources which are available to families at home.

This Tea has been planned to give parents the chance to see how mathematics instruction takes

This Week’s Agenda place in intermediate classrooms.

An informational flyer went home earlier this week with the details and an opportunity to RSVP. I hope to see you there!

Future Otsego Happenings

Wednesday, 2-2  PTA General Meeting 9:30 AM  Executive Meeting 11:00 AM

2011

Sunday, 2-13 Unity Fair @ HSW 11:00 AM

Monday, 1-24 1/24-1/28: Kindergarten Registration Tuesday, 1-25 Cyber Safety Program 7:00 PM @ West Hollow Thursday, 1-27 –  Principal/Parent Tea Grades 3-5 10:00 AM Friday, 1-28 2nd Marking Period Ends Hills On Stage “Bye Bye Birdie” Come and enjoy the extraordinary talents of our fifth grade students. You are guaranteed a delightful evening.

Friday, January 28, 2011 7:30 PM Saturday, January 29, 2011 4:00 PM Sunday, January 30, 2011 1:00 PM High School East Auditorium

With the right attitude and encouragement from you, your child is sure to develop a love of learning quite naturally. We each see and explore the world in our own way. When our children feel comfortable asking questions, confident in their ability to problem-solve, and valued when they share their ideas, learning and interacting with the world becomes a successful, joyful experience that lasts a lifetime.

Inspire a Love of Learning Support curiosity, creative thinking, and joy along your child's path to knowledge.

By Ellen Booth Church

It All Begins At Home Creating a home climate that invites investigation, creative thinking, and collaboration lays the foundation for quality learning experiences. When you provide plenty of time and space for open-ended play every day, you create opportunities for your child to really feel the joy of learning. But it's important to remember that fostering a love of learning is not just about the materials or activities you provide, but rather your own responsive, inquisitive attitude toward learning.

One of the easiest ways to deepen your child's thinking is to have meaningful conversations about his activities. When you ask great questions and invite discussion, you help him construct his own learning. In other words, it's not just what your child

Tips For Success  Foster independence  Provide a diverse range of materials  Read together often  Pay attention to your child’s surroundings  Take a field trip together that relates to your child’s studies and interests

plays; it's what you and he say, think, and feel about the play.

All of this leads to an important point: You are your child's first teacher, and your interactions with him can turn virtually any moment or place into a teachable opportunity.

Being a great motivator and teacher, however, requires a balanced approach and knowing when to simply watch, listen, or jump in to help out. With that in mind, here are some ways to guide your child:

Share your own love of learning. Get excited and wonder! Notice the butterfly in the park, the ants congregating on a crumb on the sidewalk, and wonder about the formations in the cloud. Talk about what you notice and invite your child to share his observations.

Show how you can learn from the simplest events and small mistakes. The excitement you show when you discover how to balance a block, for example, demonstrates the supreme joy of learning. The willingness to show your child that you can make mistakes — and ask for help in solving the resulting problem — can make children feel helpful and valued. They also learn that making mistakes is not a "bad Inspire a Love of Learning

thing"; it's an important part of learning.

Please click the link below to access the complete article from Scholastic.

Offer your support and acceptance. Encourage and accept your child's ideas. When you set a tone that welcomes your child's original ideas and create a safe and secure

Inspire a Love of Learning

atmosphere, he can feel free to express his ideas without fear of being wrong, or of not being taken seriously. You build on children's strengths and abilities so that your child sees herself as a successful learner.