A Busy Week It Has Been....

As we approach the end of February, it has certainly been a learning-filled last couple of weeks.  Next week, we are on our break and will reconvene together on March 10th.  Over the course of the last 10 days or so, we have been privileged to be able to support and take part in the following additional activities through the efforts of our teaching staff and several grant opportunities we have been able to enjoy for our students.  Enjoy the pictures and the links to find out even further about each of them. 

Larry Yazzie and the Native Pride Dancers - Thanks again to a Perpich Arts Grant for this opportunity!

Community Leaders are Readers! Thanks for reading with us and to MN Reading Corps and Linda Bottleson for coordinating this event.

1st graders in music learning a French Voyagers dance online through the Cowles Center for the Arts Grant - Cool!

Cartoonist Gary Harbo visits and helps us create some great illustrations of our own - Thanks to a Perpich Grant for this experience!

Nancy Carlson - MN author and illustrator

Nancy Carlson -Thanks to our PTO for sponsoring her visit!

Conferences - March 17th and 20th

In an earlier post I provided a bit of an update on March conferences after our district adjusted the calendar due to our weather.  As we continued to plan, 30 minute conferences (traditional time frame) will be followed, not a 20 minute schedule.  If a conference time is not scheduled and you feel that you would still like to visit with your teacher, please do not hesitate to give us a call and we will do our best to accommodate you and your child.  As important is knowing from you if you do not intend to come to conferences because you do not feel they are needed.  Again, getting updated on a students progress is not necessarily something that can only occur over these two afternoon and evening slots.  Thanks for your understanding.

A great ending to "I Love to Read Month"

Just a reminder that with the last week of the month, we have a lot going on that we hope students and families remember.  The following will happen at Sibley during the week of Feb 24-Feb 28.

Monday (2/24) - Crazy Sock/Hat Day
Tuesday (2/25) - Read a Shirt Day
Wednesday (2/26) - Tropical Day
Thursday (2/27) - Wacky Thursday and Author Nancy Carlson is visiting our school.  We will also be hosting a Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast before school.
Friday (2/28) - PJ Day with a read in during the morning

We hope you join us. Keep reading!

Readers Theater

An important component to our reading curriculum engages students at all grade levels in Readers Theater.  What is it? RT is a tool to help students see and understand a story or text by bringing it life with only your voice.  Students are able to practice fluency through repeated practice before performance.  Along the way, we work with students to pay keen attention to end marks, character actions, and emotion.  Being able to "see" all of those things come to life through any text makes our engagement with reading fun and motivating.  Getting the audience to visualize the action is the ultimate goal of the performance.  In addition to developing fluency through repeated practice, Readers Theater also helps our students increase comprehension, engage, build confidence, provide purposeful reading, and allow for great team work.

Reminders for Parents

In the morning, if you are dropping your students off before 8:05am, they need to be directed to the playground, not the foyer at the front of the school.  This is a safety and supervision issue as our supervisors are on the playground and in the cafeteria during the morning hours.  Yes, the very cold weather was something we were adjusting for and making sure that students were not left outside.  Please help ensure your child is safe and appropriately supervised in the morning by having them go to the playground.  I recommend dropping off at Front Street as it is much more direct a route for students.  Also, when picking up students at the end of the day, cars are not to be parked on the northwest side of Sibley and Southwest.  Yes, this might be more convenient, but it creates a series of issues for congestion that is not safe for our students, or our crossing guards. Thank you for your cooperation.

Calendar Changes and our Weather

At our last district board meeting, the board adopted a new calendar to address the instructional needs of our students due to the recent bout of inclement weather.  At the following link, Dr. Funk shares the questions and the answers that have occurred surrounding these recent changes.  If you have questions, don't hesitate to give me a call.  One date change of significance is March 21st.  This was originally a full conference day.  Now that it has changed to a full instructional day, I have been asked questions about how conferences will be run.  Please realize that we are still going to be having afternoon/evening conferences that same week on March 17th and March 20th.  The difference will be the length (20 minutes) and potentially start times of those conferences.  We are working to compress times into two evenings and its coming together nicely.  Stay tuned for further details as we get closer, but being able to meet with us about your child's progress is still, and always will be a priority.  If conflicts do arise for you, just give us a call and we'll work to figure something out.  After all, I've never believed that you have to wait for conference time to have a "conference."  Stay warm.

Sibley Hosting Author

February is "I Love to Read Month." One of the exciting things we have is Nancy Carlson who will be joining us February 26th.  Who is Nancy? Check it out.  Each year, your PTO helps support our school hosting a MN author.  During the day, Nancy will meet with grade levels to read with and to them, but also to talk about the creative process an author engages in to produce the books we love to read.  Thank you also to our media specialists, Kristen Seeger, for her efforts in selecting and coordinating her visit.

Pennies for the Plunge

On February 15th, Albert Lea is hosting another year "Big Freeze" community festival.  For the last couple of years, we have had a penny drive to help support this great cause.  All money donated goes to the Salvation Army.  This is an event that our teachers are organizing.  Even if you don't donate, we hope you come out and watch some of them take the plunge when we hit our donation goal.  Put it on your calendar.