Hi Five and Happenings at South Park

• March 19-23 - Parent Conferences & Report Cards
• Friday, March 30 - NO SCHOOL
• April 2-6 - Spring Break
• May 8-24 - CST Testing

Hi five to our parents and students for making our cheese cake fund raiser a fantastic success.  Together, our efforts earned South Park $7500.

Hi five to the administrators, support team members, teachers and students for the hard work they did in organizing and running our day with NBA cares. We now have a new computer lab and updated library because of their diligent efforts.

Focus on Parents

Parents are an important partner at South Park.  It is a proven fact that a parent's involvement is a major factor of their child's success in school. We, the staff, need our parents to participate daily in their child's education.  Here are a few simple steps to follow that will make your child a standout in their classroom:

• Start the day with a good breakfast.  Make sure your child eats a healthy breakfast at home or send them to school on time so that they can eat a good breakfast before class starts.
• Make sure they are prepared when they leave home.  Check to make sure they have their homework and any materials, projects and supplies they will need for a successful day. 
• When you or they get home have a conversation about school.  What did they learn?  What was the best part of the day?  Were there any problems?  What is the homework?  Make and effort to show that their schooling is important to you.
• Make sure you check their backpack.  See if their are any important papers or notices from the teacher or the school.
• Set aside time for homework.  Sit down with your child and guide them if they have any problems.  Make sure they know that you value their hard work and their effort.  If your child is having a hard time with the homework, contact their teacher and find out how and what you can do to help.
• Read! Read! Read!  Read to or with your child.  Read for your own enjoyment.  Read newspapers, magazines, and books. Turn off the TV, radio, ipod and video games.  Teach and model the value of reading.
• Send them to bed on time.  A child in elementary school needs at least 8 hours sleep.  Look in on their room to make sure they are actually sleeping and not doing some other activity that can keep them awake.
• Spend time in your child's claassroom.  Visit or Volunteer when you have a chance.  You'll be amazed at what you will see and learn.

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  Coaches' Corner  

How many words can your child read in one minute?

The number of words your child can read in one minute is called fluency.  Fluency along with comprehension, the meaning of words, are the most important factors in a child's ability to succeed in school.  One of the main parts of our literacy curriculum at South Park is to improve your child's fluency. Here is a list of grade level fluency expectations to show you how many words a child should be able to read at each grade level.  When you have the  parent conference with your child's teacher ask about fluency. The questions are: How many words can my child read in one minute?  Is my child reading at grade level?  What can I do to help?

                                                               Grade     Feb.-March     April-May     June     (wpm - words per minute)

                                                                   1         55 wpm          70 wpm        80 wpm

                                                                   2         106 wpm        115 wpm      120 wpm

                                                                   3         123 wpm        131 wpm      138 wpm

                                                                   4         139 wpm        143 wpm      148 wpm

                                                                   5         156 wpm        160 wpm      164 wpm

                                                                   6         167 wpm        171 wpm      174 wpm

          Karima Gillenwaters, Literacy Coach