Archive for February, 2011
February 7th, 2011 | Author: Mrs. Monteiro
There is an important blue notice coming home in your child’s VIP today in regards to the Lexia Reading software that our school has been using. Lexia is a program that the children have been using in the classroom for the past few months. It starts off by giving the child a diagnostic “test” to place them at an appropriate level within the software and then every time the child logs in, they start from where they left off and progress at their own pace through fun phonics and reading games.
Unfortunately because we only have 2 computers in our classroom, we have not been able to get the children playing with the software as often as I would like. This is where the blue notice comes in! We now are able to allow the children to access this software from home online! The blue notice provides the directions for downloading and setting up the software at home. It works on both macs and PC’s (I have both types of computers and set it up on both so I can attest to how easy it is). You will need to put in the school code the first time you set it up and then your child will log in each time they play.
I would really appreciate it if you would encourage your child to play for 1-2 20 minutes sessions per week (try not to exceed 2 hours a week though as they don’t need that much screen time!). Most of the children enjoy the game and will be excited to play. Please DO NOT HELP THEM with the games. It is very important that they play them on their own to progress at their own pace. With each level they complete, they will earn a certificate that I will print out for them. This seems to be very motivating for some kids!
If you have any questions setting the software up at home, pleases email me and I will be happy to walk you through it. If you do not have a computer or Internet connection at home, please let me know and I will make an effort to get your child on the software here at school more often.
February 3rd, 2011 | Author: Mrs. Monteiro
For the first 45 days of school, the children practiced writing/spelling their first (given) names on the sign in sheet each morning. For the next 45 days, they practiced writing/spelling their last names. Each morning, they had a model to copy. Beginning today, they will sign in with both their first and last names! They also no longer have a model to follow. If your child is still unsure of how to correctly spell and/or form all of the letters in their first and last names, please practice this with them at home to help reduce their frustration at school. While I will continue to remind them to use a capital letter for the first letter and lower case letters for the remaining letters, this will become a requirement of the children for the last 45 days of school. Thanks so much for your help!