Hi 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Families!
We've received a few questions from some of you about
upcoming Conferences (Monday and Tuesday, November 25th and 26th) and thought that others may have similar questions, so
decided to put together this more detailed explanation of the upper-grades
conference format. We've put it in a FAQ type format for ease of reading. If
you have any questions, don't hesitate to write Aly, Brittany, or I!
*FYI, Conference location will be in
gym, not in cafeteria as previously noted.
Should my student come to
conferences?
YES, we would absolutely like
students to be in attendance at conferences. This gives a chance to all sit
down, discuss work/progress, share successes, and most importantly goal set for
the rest of the year. Student involvement and feedback in conferences is extremely
valuable and an empowering process for students as they openly discuss their
education and plan for the future!
What are the objectives/goals of
conferences?
Our goals for conferences are to
discuss student accomplishments, academic progress and skillsets, and to set
goals for this year and beyond with your student's direct involvement. Choosing
specific areas of focus to both celebrate and areas for improvement moving
forward are important features of conferences.
What do "drop in" conferences
in the gym look like?
On Monday and Tuesday, Aly,
Brittany, and I will be set up at separate small tables in the gym. When you
arrive, feel free to start with any teacher who is available. That teacher will
discuss your student's progress and goals for that particular class. About 10
minutes per teacher is usually sufficient (less time for teachers who only
teach your student one subject, and more time for teachers who teach your
student multiple subjects). Please plan on spending more time with your
student's Homeroom teacher as they will be discussing your student's
Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA), our new report card format that you'll
see in January, and Common Core State Standards.
What do I do if all teachers are
already meeting with other families?
We will have extra chairs set out in
the gym away from our conference area. Please wait and then fill-in at the
first open teacher. We will be working hard to stay on our 10-minute timeline
with each teacher, so the wait shouldn't be long.
How much time should I budget for
conferences?
If you plan to visit all core-subjects
teachers, please budget about 40-50 minutes (10 minutes per core
subject--Social Studies, Language Arts, Science, Math, Health/PE).
Why are conferences "drop
in" with multiple teachers at different tables instead of individually
scheduled?
Due to 72 students spread out over
up to 5 teachers, scheduling individual conferences to complete in two days is
logistically not possible. Also, since in the upper grades each student has
between 4 and 5 teachers depending on their enrichment, we feel it is important
for parents and students to meet with all teachers instead of just the homeroom
teacher (who may only teach your student one subject).
How private are conferences
considering we're all in one room?
Based on our experience last year,
we found no issues around privacy and confidentiality. The gym is large enough
that conversations at one table can remain at that table. Each teacher also
only meets with one family at a time.
We hope that this helps clarify any
questions you may have about our conference format. Again, please don't
hesitate to contact any of us with further questions.
Sincerely,
Matt, Aly, Brittany, Julia, and
Shelly
