ESOL with Ms. Briggs

ACCESS Testing Begins

                           What is the ACCESS Test?

 

ACCESS testing begins here on Monday, January 23rd, and will continue through mid-February.  These tests are administered to all students who qualified for ESOL services (even those whose parents signed a waiver).  These tests measure a student's English language proficiency in four different domains: Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing.  The ACCESS is given every year during the Spring term (January-March). Score reports, delivered in May, will help determine whether the student is ready to exit the ESOL program. 

Due to the testing schedule, the regular ESOL schedule will be interrupted.  However, students will continue to be served on an informal basis.

Your patience and understanding during this time is greatly appreciated! 

Winter Break and More...

Peace and Joy to each of you during this Winter Break

Rest up, have fun, and don't forget to read for at least 20 minutes a day ~ we want you to return in January with all of your skills intact!

IMPORTANT REMINDER:

Beginning in mid-January, the ACCESS for ELLs test will be given to ALL students who currently qualify for ESOL services:

(a) students who are being served on a daily basis AND

(b) students whose parents have waived services and are not currently being served 

                                   SEE YOU IN 2012!            
    
                            

 

THANKS GIVING THANKS

 

 

Enjoy ~ be happy ~ be safe!

THANK YOU PARENTS...

 

...for your participation in Conference Week!

It was wonderful to have the opportunity to meet with you and discuss your child's learning and growth!

 

ESOL Schedule Interruption:

There will be a brief interruption to ESOL classes from November 1-3. I will be administering the Reading and Writing portions of the W-APT test to kindergartners who were tested for English proficiency in August. Your patience is sincerely appreciated.

Chick-fil-A Spirit Night Tuesday!

Please join us for our monthly Chick-fil-A Spirit Night on Tuesday, 10/18, any time between 5pm and 8pm!

While we dine and socialize, we will also be working on writing letters to service men and women as a part of The Bert Show's Big Thank You!  We will have paper and pencils available, and you will leave the letters with us.  We will make sure the letters get delivered.  More information on The Big Thank You, click here. 

Our goal is to have Sope Creek submit at least 1,100 letters!!!  If you would like to write letters at home, you are welcome to have your child bring them to the front office before October 26th.  They must be hand-written on 8.5 x 11'' paper and contain no political messages.

Thank you for supporting our school (a percentage of all proceeds help to fund field trips and staff development) and for supporting our troops!

Conference Week is October 24th – 28th

                            It’s “just around the corner!”

 

IMPORTANT:  If you’d feel more comfortable having a language facilitator/translator present at your conference, but have not yet communicated this to your child’s teacher, it's not too late! PLEASE let me or the teacher know as soon as possible!

                  Things to remember:

• Parent-Teacher conferences will be 20 minutes
• Sibling conferences have been scheduled back-to-back if possible
• Dismissal will be at 12:20 for the entire week
• ASP will still be available until 6:00 pm.

             We look forward to seeing you there...

PTA REFLECTIONS CONTEST: Entries Due October 7th

"Diversity means..."

Unleash your artistic talents through the 2011-­2012 PTA Reflections program! The National PTA believes all children deserve a quality arts education and encourages students to pursue artistic expression through participation in its annual arts Reflections program.

The program offers students the opportunity to create works of art for fun and recognition.

The Reflections deadline for this year is October 7th! Entry forms and Reflections rules are available here or you can download the general rules here. 

Specific Category rules can be downloaded at the following link:  http://ptareflections.org/cs/rules_and_documents

Make sure you complete the Student Entry Form & include it with your entry!  Download 2011_Student Entry Form

For questions or more information, please contact the
Sope Creek PTA Reflections Committee: 
Deb Papenhagen (papenhagendeb@yahoo.com) or
Wendy Walden,(wendywalden@hotmail.com).



Our First Month of School

Dear Parents,

It has been a busy few weeks at Sope Creek, testing many new students for English language proficiency. Some have just arrived in the U.S. from distant lands; others were born here and speak a primary language other than English. Hopefully, as students begin to acquire their new language they will also maintain their first language, becoming strong in both. In this way, they will have the opportunity to be bilingual.  My belief is that language is power! In addition, as students from other countries learn about American culture, I feel it is important that they continue to honor their home culture, as this is one of the foundations of a person’s self-identity.

Testing new students is often a long process, particularly with so many newcomers and just one ESOL teacher (me). For this reason, ESOL classes only began this week.  In the last few days, it’s been wonderful to get to know my new students, and see many familiar faces. I’m excited about all the learning that will take place in the coming months!    

If you have questions about ESOL support your child is receiving, or would like to speak with me for any reason, please email or call me: sondra.briggs@cobbk12.org; (770) 916-7085 Ext. 320  

I look forward to meeting each and every one of you!

 

 

 

 

 

Keeping You Posted...

Dear Parents of ESOL, ESOL Waived, and ESOL Monitored Students:

A letter will be going home with your student within the next five days with information about Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO) among English Language Learners (ELLs) in Cobb County.  The parent letter is a requirement set forth by the U.S. Department of Education per NCLB (No Child Left Behind).  It is only for the purpose of providing information; there is no need to sign or return anything.

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We have the STEM collection baskets in each of the 2nd-5th grade hallways. Please encourage your students to bring in the following items from home and/or school:

*STEM would love your shoeboxes! It would be especially appreciated if the boxes have their lids intact*

Empty aluminum cans, for soup or other canned food (please rinse cans before you come to school)

6 oz., 8 oz., and/or 16 oz. plastic cups (the heavy duty cups are preferred)

Cardboard paper towel and toilet paper rolls

Medium or large storage bins, with or without lids (even slightly broken bins would be acceptable)

Any recyclable materials that you can donate are appreciated. Thank you all for your support of STEM!

Mrs. MacQuinor

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                                               IMPORTANT NEWS!

SOPE CREEK'S SECOND ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL IS ALMOST HERE!  PLEASE BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT HOW YOU'D LIKE TO BE INVOLVED, AND WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT YOUR CULTURE/YOUR COUNTRY WITH THE SOPE CREEK COMMUNITY:

    * STORIES    * FOOD    * NATIVE CLOTHING    * DANCES    * ARTIFACTS    

* CRAFTS    * MUSIC    * CALIGRAPHY    * PHOTOGRAPHS    * HISTORICAL DATA 

...OR ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF!  WE ARE A DIVERSE COMMUNITY OF MANY TALENTS AND FILLED WITH KNOWLEDGE! 

FESTIVAL DATE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2011

PLEASE READ MORE ON SOPE CREEK'S HOME PAGE, AND PLEASE TAKE THE FESTIVAL SURVEY!

Keeping You Posted

Dear Parents,

 

We are using our 21st Century Tools to collect parent input through Conference Surveys this year. Please take a moment and complete this brief 10 question survey regarding conferences, our academic program at Sope Creek, and the school in general. We take this input seriously and use it to improve our practices.

The survey can be found on the front of the blog or you can access it directly at this link:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&pli=1&formkey=dEd1aU5kMXBwalVxbDY4TkNqS3JDdUE6MQ#gid=0

Thank you for your time, consideration, and continuous support of your child!

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In other news, Conference Week is in full swing and going great! Remember, early release (12:20 pm) will continue through this Friday, October 22nd.  Also, please stop by the exciting Book Fair in the Media Center; you're sure to find a high-interest selection that your child will enjoy!