Conference Time

Well, I ALWAYS love this time of year. It usually feels like a great, pat on the back when I get to visit with my boy's teachers. This time it wasn't much different, it's just since these two kids refuse to stop getting older, the expectations become higher, and the teacher's praise becomes a little more minimal.... because by this time a child should be able to function in school. I need to remind myself to be thankful for this, because I could dread conference time.

Let's start with Riley, who has Mrs. Smith. Riley is currently with the highest reading group in his class. He is officially an "T+" but the book he is reading is considered a hard "S." The benchmark for this time in 5th Grade is R. Mrs. Viola is ready to push and make this group digest these books. I'm slightly concerned she is expecting my kid to think beyond a high school level. There are days Riley is doing Guided Reading homework for over two hours. I did mention this to his teacher, and they may reevaluate his group. I'm not wanting to make school easier for him, but I'm worried his little brain will be turned off of reading if this continues. Mrs. Smith said that it's so rare for a student to read at such a high level, but struggle with fluency. This means that Riley gets extra help in fluency 3 days a week at "BAT" time.... aka "Brainiac Attack Time." On a side note.... Riley is actually starting to enjoy reading on his own! :) Of course, we are one chapter away from finishing the 6th book of HP, and he has been getting into the Percy Jackson books. Yay!

Riley is right on target with Writing and learning cursive, and Mrs. Smith thinks he has beautiful handwriting.... which means it's very legible. He has very creative ideas, but getting them out of his head is a challenge. Riley can be a perfectionist, and he wants to skip the "sloppy copy" or "rough draft" steps. She would like him to work a little quicker in the beginning stages.

 Spelling grade is a 96%. He usually passes the pretest so he doesn't have to take the official spelling test at the end of the week. There are some priority words that he gets hung up on, usually if doubling a letter is necessary. He has always studied Spelling words, but retaining them has been his strong point.

Riley is doing great at Math. He took a test at the beginning of the year to see what he remembered from 4th grade and didn't miss a single one. He loves this subject. He wishes he could join in with the "gifted" kids, like last year, but they have a new teacher, and I know her from my school, and she is a scattered mess.... it's just not panning out. But I know in Middle School we can start pushing a little more.

Science and Social Studies are favorites too, but there really isn't much to say about these subjects. Mrs. Viola wants us to consider having Riley sign up for "Destination ImagiNation." It is an online, nationwide program that is critical thinking and problem solving. They haven't formed a team yet, but should soon.

Overall, she is enjoying Riley in her class. She could probably use a few more kids like him in their class of 24. Her last input on his report was: "Riley follows directions, shows respect to peers and adults. Stays on task while working and is able to work independently."

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Next is Reece who has Mrs. Backhus.

Reece is reading at level "J". Benchmark is "M" at this point in the year. He has Mr. Wine as his teacher. He is really doing well in reading so far, so his "BAT" time is used for more enrichment practice, 4 times a week. He is learning some of the more difficult rules of reading. I realize everyday, when I am at school teaching kiddos, just how hard the English language is. Most rules don't even make sense and I wonder how I ever learned myself.

Writing is going well, and again, his teacher thinks he has gorgeous handwriting. I've seen a lot come home, and I agree. I sometimes wonder how he gets homework done, because his handwriting looks like he takes a lot of time writing.

Reece is getting a 97% on Cloze tests, and 100% on his priority words.

Math is a 88%, which is funny, because he will do some Math challenges with Mr. Wagoner, and do really well with them. I think he gets rushed and makes mental mistakes. It's crazy to see some of the advanced Math I see him bring home from Mr. W. He is a new pro at reading analog clocks too. I'm pretty proud there, I've worked with 5th graders that can't pick this task up.

Reece scored at 4 out of 5 in both "This is it!" (we do our best now and we know some things are easier than others)  and "Integrity" (we have values that we talk about and we know and understand.)

Overall, I'm super proud of these boys. They sure do make being a mom an easier job!
(AND this was so long, I'm not editing it, so sorry about my many errors I'm sure I've made.)