Title I Math Contest on January 21st, 2012 held at McGregor Elementary

Submitted by Julie Veatch, Title I Math Facilitator

Pittman Kindergarten Workstation Parent Program

Submitted by Teresa Davison, Wonder Years Teacher at Pittman

On October 5, 2010 Pittman Title I teachers presented a program for kindergarten students and their parents to learn about how workstations are used in their classes. Families spent time at each workstation. At the end of the night each child went home with a supply kit so they could do many of these activities at home. Parents were surprised about howmuch they learn in kindergarten. Parents also expressed their pleasure at finding out how simple and inexpensive the ideas were and how they could easily be done at home. Parents even offered some of their own ideas to add to stations. There were smiles all around!

Thirty nine families participated in literacy activities centered on a snow theme at Williams. Each family that attended went home with a copy of Snow Day by Lester Laminack to add to their home libraries. Families experienced pretend snow fights, painted, cut and drew snowflakes and made snow globes. This event was made possible by a grant from The Foundation for Springfield Public Schools in conjunction with The Community Foundation of the Ozarks and the Southwest Parent Information and Resource Center while volunteer staff from all three schools lead the activities. The final event for this grant will be Tuesday, May 4th at Fremont.

To emphasize the importance of reading at home, families from Fremont, Robberson and Williams were invited to attend Family Read Night at Robberson Elementary School. Williams will host the Winter Family Read Night and Fremont will host the Spring Family Read Night. Teachers from each of the three sites volunteered to conduct literacy activities in ten classrooms that centered around a read aloud text that aligned with a cave theme.

During the activities, teachers demonstrated reading strategies for parents to use at home and provided information to support the link of reading at home and reading achievement in school. At the close of the evening, 68 families received a free book to take home to add to their personal libraries which will enable them to duplicate the reading focus demonstrated at Family Read Night.The take home book title was: Cave Detectives by David Harrison.

This project which was funded by the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools in conjunction with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and the Missouri Southwest Parent Information and Resource Center. The grant goals align with district priorites by creating an awareness of the importance of increasing academic achievement for students so they are equipped to meet the rigirous state standards for literacy. The volunteer participation of Title 1 Staff made this event possible!

The authors of the grant, Rachel Flatness, Ginger Witkkorn and Kerri Bruce, hope that Family Read Night will cultivate a community partnership between Robberson, Williams and Fremont by opening school doors to families along the Kearney Street corridor. This opportunity to showcase schools to populations other than the current enrolled families will bring an awareness to the concept that Springfield Public Schools truly exists for the academic excellence of ALL students; as opposed to each school working to provide itself with the resources to operate successfully. School collaboration will occur as each campus can spotlight themselves during their Family Read Night. Student work displays, unique features of each school, and staff expertise will be shared as they host this event. Teachers from all three schools will have an opportunity to build a collaborative learning community by networking with a wide range of students, teachers, and parents during the literacy activities.

With one successful Family Read Night completed, the trio of Title 1 Literacy Coaches are already making plans for the Winter Family Read Night.

Parents signing in students for Reading Night

Parents making bookmarks with students

Groups named by story book characters leaving to start reading rotations

Mrs. Kortney Fisher, kindergarten teacher, as "Pinkilicious"

MSU Basketball players reading to the boys

Listening to a story being read by Officer Lee

Students having fun at Reading Night

Students enjoying karaoke

Students participating in drama and games with Springfield Little Theatre troupers

Reading, Camping Out, and eating smores - what fun!!

At Delaware Elementary on Friday, November 13, 2009, we had our First Annual Reading Night. For a parent involvement component, parents came from 5:30-6:00 to sign in their children for our Reading Night. The parents then took their child to their assigned story book character table to make a bookmark to take home. The parents were given the opportunity to show that they value reading to their child and visit with other parents. The parents then left at 6:00 and the students enjoyed a evening of fun with reading. First, they had pizza for dinner with fruit juice and vegetables. Then, they began rotations through various rooms of reading with MSU Basketball players, Springfield Police Officer, camping out where the students got to have smores for dessert, and actively participating in drama with Springfield Little Theatre troupe members.

Mrs. Fisher as Pinkilicious

A great time was had by all when twelve community readers came to the Pittman School Title I “Shine Your Light on the Community” event on the evening of October 22, 2009.  They presented on how reading is important in their job by sharing a favorite book.  Many came dressed in their uniforms.  This made for an exciting evening for our 85 students and parents. 

A special visitor, Max, from "Where the Wild Things Are" shared his story to kick off the night.  Max helped give out door prizes at the end of the night! 

On October 8th Weller’s Reading Interventionists facilitated a “Fall Reading Festival.” The emphasis of the evening was to encourage families to read daily in their homes. Fifty-eight families attended and filled Barnes and Noble book bags with free books and magazines to read and enjoy.

Parents were asked to set aside time each day to read with your children at home and to talk about the things they read.