Oak Park Elementary School
Shark Bytes
Principal’s Corner
April 2016
Dear Oak Park Families,
We had an excellent March which included a successful Science
Night, the start of our running club and our March Madness basketball intramurals. We have many more exciting activities
scheduled for April, including spring concerts, Reading Olympics and some field trips. Please read the rest of this newsletter
for specific information.
Inside this Issue
Principal’s Corner
Snow Day Make-up
1-2
3
April Events
4-7
Breakfast/Lunch Menu
8- 9
April is the month our students in grades 3-6 participate in the
required PSSA testing. Our students prepare for the PSSAs all
year long as the assessment measures if a student mastered the
grade level standards. Our teachers work hard throughout the
school year to ensure our students are prepared and ready to go!
Please see Oak Park’s PSSA administration schedule:
PSSA Dates
English Language Arts (grades 3-6) – 4/11, 4/12, /4/13, 4/14
Math (grades 3-6) – 4/19, 4/20, 4/21
Science (4th grade ONLY) – 4/26, 4/27
ALL students taking the ELA and MATH PSSA will be eating a
free breakfast on the ELA and Math testing days. A huge
thank you to our home and school association for providing
breakfast. Please don’t give your child breakfast at home, because they will be eating at school. Please encourage your child
to go to bed early and give their best effort on the tests.
Please see the article on the next page about the very important
topic of family engagement in schools and the relationship between parents/guardians and teachers. If you have any questions
about this article, please let me know.
Oak Park
500 Squirrel Lane
Lansdale, PA 19446-1399
215-368-4017
9:10 am - 3:40 pm
Sincerely,
Doug Povilaitis
Principal
Coaching Parents to Communicate Lifelong Learning
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Arina Bokas and Howard Andress
In a demanding global economy, kids need to know how to adapt, persevere, and think about a problem in multiple ways. To
do so, they need to develop dispositions for self-motivated learning. Schools rely on parents to help support these habits at
home, but the truth is, parents are often unsure what role to take in their child's education.
The evidence is solid: teachers' efforts to reach out to parents on academic matters improve student learning and nurture
habits of minds that become a cornerstone of lifelong learning (Henderson and Mapp, 2002). Teachers can connect with students' families in many ways—weekly newsletters, e-mails, blogs, websites, class Facebook pages, and Twitter chats are just
a few. Regardless of medium, however, a true school-to-home partnership requires two things: consistent and clear communication of the learning dispositions that parents should nurture at home and coaching on how to accomplish this.
Setting Learning Expectations
First, teachers must clearly define and communicate expectations for student learning and for parental support. For parents,
the school can provide preliminary coaching on how to respond to students' most frequent academic complaint—"I don't get
it"—in a way that is consistent with the learning philosophy and expectations set for students. For example,
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The problem may be that your child misunderstood the assignment. Try this: "What do you think the question is asking?"
You may want to read the item together.
Help your child to "think the problem through." Ask "What do you think you are supposed to do?"
Ask your child, "Using your notes, can you explain the problems that you did in class today?"
Suggest, "Why don't you ask your friend _____ to explain how she solved the problem?" Group work, one of our common
approaches in class, involves sharing strategies and answers.
Many times, children understand MOST of the concept, but a small portion of it confuses them. Say to them, "Do the
homework the best you can. Effort is important, and you need to show your teacher how you are trying to figure this out.
When you don't try, your teacher will not be able to help you."
Follow up the next day by asking, "How did you do on that assignment? What did you learn? What strategies can you use
next time? Do you need to see your teacher for extra help?"
Redefining "Help"
Parents often want to provide background on subjects that their child is learning, especially if they are trying to be active partners. In reality, this kind of "information download" is not the most effective way to help at home. Regardless of background
content knowledge, the goal is to help parents become experts in the learning process, not on a particular subject. Parents'
recollection of the Pythagorean Theorem, for example, may be vague, but they can still trigger discovery in their child by using a certain line of questioning and prompts.
It is the teacher's job, then, to help parents understand specifically how they can best assist their child, including what language can initiate independent discovery and guidelines for effective coaching. Teachers can provide this information to parents via a broad weekly communication or as a targeted note sent home with a child, especially when a teacher anticipates
issues with an assignment. Try the following suggestions:
 If your child struggles with the material, immediately providing the explanation is not the best first option. Engage your
child in the learning process by using questioning and prompting tactics, such as "What do you know about this already?",
or "Can you make a sketch of a problem that would involve this idea?"
 Please resist the temptation to do the work for your child; rather help her discover the concept. Getting the child to
acknowledge and recognize that she already possesses aspects of the topic will open the door to better understanding.
Focusing on the Process
Consistent communication of expectations and learning dispositions, along with strategies that clearly direct parents to supportive language and behaviors, can help parents and children form partnerships that nurture lifelong learning. Understanding
that their children are expected to struggle, that learning can be difficult at times, and that it's their responsibility to help their
children persevere can empower parents to assume a supportive role in the learning process.
Reference
Henderson, A. T., & Mapp, K. L. (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and community connections
on student achievement. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.
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Monday, April 4th
Wear a Phillies shirt or your
favorite baseball team shirt
Wednesday, April 6th
Tuesday, April 5th
7:00 pm
Oak Park Gymnasium
Thursday, April 7th
OP Home & School
PLANNING MEETING
For 2016-2017
6:00 PM
Library
Friday, April 8th
AM Kindergarten Students report
9:10AM to 12:35PM
No PM Kindergarten
Friday, April 8th
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Oak Park Gym
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Monday, April 11th
April 12th & April 13th
Clothing Drive
Begins
2nd Grade
Planetarium Visits
North Penn High School
4/11 - 4/22
Monday, April 11th - Thursday , April 14th
3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Grades
Friday, April 15th
Mock Trial
Presentation of Certificates
Complimentary Breakfast Served
For grades 3, 4, 5 & 6
Friday, April 15th
Jumpin Jack’s
Inflatable Playland
777 Schwab Rd, Hatfield, PA 19440
6:00 8:00 pm
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Tuesday, April 19th - Thursday , April 21st
3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Grades
Complimentary Breakfast Served
For grades 3, 4, 5 & 6
Friday, April 22nd
Friday, April 22nd
Spring
Clothing
Drive
Ends
School Dental
Exams
Sunset 4/22 - 4/30
Saturday, April 23rd
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Oak Park Gymnasium
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Monday, April 25th
Bring in non-perishable
food items to be donated
to the local food bank
4/25 - 4/29
Tuesday, April 26th
Snow make-up day
9:10 am - 3:40pm
Tuesday, April 26th & Wednesday, April 27th
4th Grade
Wednesday, April 27th
6:00pm at North Penn High School
Thursday, April 28th
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