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We had a successful full week of synchronous lessons! Thanks to you for ensuring that your child found his/her teacher’s lessons and showed up in class on time each day! Don’t forget about specials classes. If you’re still having problems finding your children’s lesson links, please contact your child's teacher ASAP. We want to help you. Below is our schedule for live lessons for your convenience. Nothing has changed. This is just a reminder. Below that, I have some amazing news about an opportunity for all our parents to learn some skills that will truly help you help your children. Please read on!
Reading is the most important academic subject we teach in elementary school. Parents and teachers can both agree on that. I also know that parents work hard to promote good reading skills at home. I worry, though, that we as a school haven’t given you specific guidance on how to do this in the most effective way. We hope to change that starting now.
We are pleased to announce that our staff, led by reading specialist Mrs. Carole Puckett, has created an online training process that will help any parent who is trying to help their child with reading at home. This weekend, check out this page on the Coates website. It contains a short booklet on how you can set up an At-Home Reading Routine that makes daily reading a habit and equips you with the strategies you need to support your child at different levels. The booklet also shows what texts kids should be able to read in September compared to texts they should be able to read in June each year.
To complement the booklet, we have created a series of 3 short video modules that explain grade level expectations and give you specific strategies that are aligned with your child’s reading level. We are not offering vague support. We are providing specific techniques that you can manage at home. If you follow our process, you’ll be in line with what teachers do in school when they help your child read.
These modules are short (each one is 5-15 mins). Modules 1 & 2 help you set conditions for daily reading routines. Module 3 goes in-depth, but Mrs. Puckett and the teachers do a great job explaining things for non-teachers and showing examples of parents working with their kids. Please go to the site above and check out the booklets and modules.
To support you further, we are offering live meetings with Mrs. Puckett as well. The schedule for those live workshops is below. If you want to attend, please email her at cmpuckett@fcps.edu . She’ll send you a link to join her. Download our booklet and view modules 1-3 on our site before this meeting.
We are very proud to offer this training to our parents. We are partners in your child’s education, and the experts at school look forward to giving you the tools you need to promote at-home reading routines.
At-Home Reading Routines Parent Workshops
Mon., May 11 6:00 Kindergarten
7:00 Parents of English Learners (all grade levels)
Tues., May 12 6:00 2nd Grade 7:00 4th Grade
Wed., May 13 6:00 1st Grade 7:00 5th Grade
Thurs., May 14 6:00 3rd Grade 7:00 6th Grade
Note: we will offer another set of live workshops with Mrs. Puckett closer to the summer. We realize that this first offering may not fit everyone’s timeline and that some parents will not need the live workshop after watching the modules and using the booklets.
As usual, the Coates administrators are teaming up with our fabulous PTA to show our teachers thanks. Most years, we give them lunch and treats during the week in school. Of course, this year is different. We are working on a small gift for our staff members, but we’re hoping that all parents might help share the love in the following ways:
- Have your child write a thank you note or picture for his/her teachers. We’ll have a drop off bin out front of school between 10-1:00 on Monday & Tuesday. It’ll be located near the Grab & Go set-up near the front door. Drop cards in there. Be sure to name the teachers on the cards!
- Recognize a teacher on the FCPS Cares page: https://www.fcps.edu/careers/employee-recognition-programs/fcps-cares-program . It’s a great way give specific praise!
- Have your child email his/her teacher a note, card, drawing, selfie that expresses thanks.
Look for a communication from your child’s teacher about our Help Desk service. Here’s how it works: if your child is working on an assignment at home and needs help, they can use a link to join our office staff. Our Help Desk will be standing by to help any child (or parent) who needs it. It’s like having a tutor on-call.
If you have a child who is coming to Coates for Kindergarten next year, please join us as we explain the kindergarten program at Coates and help parents with registration questions. The link to this virtual presentation will be out soon. For now, we ask that you help spread the word in your community so that parents of our rising kindergartners can mark their calendars.
We need your help in projecting our total enrollment for next school year. For families NOT returning to Coates in the fall of 2020-21, please complete and return the “Student’s Intention for the Next School Year” form by June 5.
A typed parent/guardian name on the Parent Signature line is acceptable. Student ID Number may be left blank. Save the completed form, attach it to an email and send to ajmarney@fcps.edu
Access the “Student’s Intention for the Next School Year” on the FCPS public website:https://www.fcps.edu/registration/forms#intention-form
Cox has extended free internet services for qualifying families to July 15th. Follow this link: https://www.cox.com/residential/internet/connect2compete.html
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