Kiker's Strength-Based Learning Cohort

We've enjoyed such a busy week full of Kiker opportunities!  We learned about the upcoming science fair, watched a fantastic 5th grade play, and participated in Track and Field.  Your students will agree that we're ready for a relaxing Thanksgiving break.  Ms. Fraser reminded us in assembly that we need to be reflective about what we're grateful for every day during this upcoming holiday break.  This habit of gratitude brings us to a more mindful and peaceful state. We've also spent some time this week reflecting on our quality work artifacts as we progress through the second quarter. Students are bringing home their notebooks to share with you.  Please create some time during your Thanksgiving break to celebrate your child's work quality and to discuss areas of growth. SBLC mathematicians all reflected on the importance of math fact fluency.  Now that we find ourselves using multidigit multiplication and division frequently as useful tools, it's labori...

Students, explore the link below to complete the Kiker science fair scavenger hunt in class today: http://kikersciencefair2018.weebly.com/  

We are so excited about our outdoor space!  Thanks to all who supported this process with materials, donations, and gifts of time.  We enjoyed the gorgeous warm weather at the beginning of the week and many of us came outside for our landing reflection time.  Smiles all around... SBLC mathematicians learned some important calculation strategies this week.  3rd graders reviewed how to multiply using partial products and created their own visual proofs.  Then we used our deep understanding of arrays to learn about the standard multiplication algorithm.  With just a little practice so far, we're off to a great start and have even tackled some multidigit multiplication with regrouping. 4th graders are developing a clear understanding of multidigit division. We started the week modeling 3-digit division problems with place value blocks and noticed that we worked most efficiently when we used a pattern of dividing, multiplying, and subtracting to record ho...

As we move into the second nine weeks, it's the perfect time to reestablish expectations about quality work. SBLC teachers listed their responsibilities, from delivering effective instruction to checking for understanding and providing examples of quality work. With each of the teacher expectations, students considered and listed their responsibilities as active, engaged learners.  We created a contract to demonstrate our commitment to producing quality work and are excited about how this increased awareness of the learning process is deepening our understanding. Thanks for engaging in this important conversation with your student at home and for supporting his or her ownership of the learning process. We've already received positive feedback from two parents. One commented, "This is great! I know my student is clear on what is expected and can't say, 'I didn't understand,' when turning in graded work. They know they should ask questions in the process of...