Year-to-Date: 1,473; September 2023: 108.2; Last Week: 34.1
“Perfect practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” – Vince Lombardi, National Football League Hall of Fame Coach
Repetition is important for mastering any skill enough so that the skill becomes second nature. Walking, in and of itself, is not really a skill that I need to develop; running too. Of course, environmental conditions (e.g., sunlight, air temperature, humidity, cover from trees, etc.) have an effect on the extent of me reaching my movement goals. It’s when I consider why I am training that repetition becomes critical for success.
Walking up a mountain is not really a skill that I need to develop; unless it’s at high altitude, at night, with poor visibility, with not enough attention to hydration, nutrition, sleep, and so on and so forth. When it’s summit day and these (just mentioned) conditions are the norm, then walking, running, or movement in between must be skills mastered to the point that they are automatic. When I lose sight of my goals whilst training or when I lose the motivation to train, I remember that on the side of a mountain–in less than ideal conditions–perfect practice makes all the difference between success and failure.
In the same way, learning to read and write takes time. Learning to add, subtract, multiply, and divide takes time. Learning to inquire takes time. Learning to learn takes time. When we factor in how learning engagements are sequenced over time (whether that is a day, week, month, school year, or over a few programs), practicing perfectly makes the most difference. We had a great fifth week practicing these skills to perfection and please use the following link for photographs: G6 in Pictures W5.
Essential Agreements
Throughout the first unit of inquiry, G6 teachers are explicitly teaching self-management skills. As a best teaching practice, we, Glen and I, are providing opportunities for students to reflect on their behavior rather than enforcing or imposing consequences. As part and parcel of this learning expectation, students must complete their homework and have parents sign off before handing it back in. G6AW students are doing excellent work in this respect! Keep the learning going 🙂
Home Learning – aka Homework
Thank you for taking the time to check in and sign your child’s home learning engagements. It’s great to note the high engagement with learning and the strong home-school connection. Please note two shifts this week. First, there is a packet of word problems related to ratios. It’s best to encourage your child to approach one problem positively rather than too many negatively. Second, there is a Tiny URL with an article about passion. It might be a chance for everyone in your family to share a conversation about each other’s passions and where your child’s passion might take their Exhibition.
SeeSaw
Students will begin using SeeSaw as the platform to showcase and reflect on their learning up until Exhibition. Please be reminded that SeeSaw posts are on a developmental continuum, they are a work in progress, and they will be reviewed weekly as part of reflection on learning an assessment as learning.
Social-Emotional Learning
This week students debriefed about the mock presentation that they gave last week by focusing on how using questions to inquire might build more confidence. What was so very informative was how students took risks to take care of people they do not regularly care for. For example, some boys realized the value that some girls add to their thinking and some girls realized the value that some boys add to their thinking.
School Events – Important Dates
All G6 students completed the speaking interview as part of the WIDA MODEL assessments. IT staff checked everyone’s iPad to ensure that all devices will work for the rest of the assessments. Please be reminded that all students must have a functioning set of headphones or earbuds and a fully charged iPad for the dates listed below.
- Listening: Sunday, September 24, 2023
- Writing: Monday, September 25 2023
- Reading: Tuesday, September 26, 2023