November 17, 2007

November 8, 2007
Vol. 17, Number 6

Kit’s Komments
RtI? Response to Intervention is a process, not a program, utilized by educators to help students be successful. As a parent, you want what is best for your children. Response to Intervention (RtI) has emerged out of that need…what is best for children. The need to improve student outcomes was emphasized in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). NCLB states that “all students must make continuous and substantial improvement” to achieve educational goals in general education.

Our charge as educators is to identify students who may be at risk in achieving these goals. If data collected by your child’s teacher identifies a gap in your child’s learning, that teacher will “bring” his/her concerns to a Horizontal Team meeting to discuss ways to intervene. Horizontal Teams are made up of grade level teachers, representatives from ISS (Instructional Support Services,) and the leadership team.

All members of the team brainstorm interventions relying on the expertise of all individuals in attendance. Intervention strategies are always based on best practices and have the whole child in mind. Student progress is monitored to ensure the interventions are meeting the needs of the individual child.
Interventions are:

Supplements to core curriculum

Instruction linked to assessment.

Increased exposure to curriculum

A more intensive focus of curriculum.

Small group or 1:1 instruction.

RtI offers commonsense tools for helping your children. RtI allows teachers to “catch” student concerns early before they fall further behind. The RtI process:

Validates effective teaching.

Determines areas of concerns immediately.

Allows teachers to set goals and determine progress over time.

Evidences student growth with data.

Be assured that the RtI process will ensure the quality of instruction continues in your child’s classroom. The emphasis is on early intervention and improving the academic performance of all students.

[Kit Orlowski is Coyote Creek’s Building Resource Teacher (BRT). She works closely with staff for the main purpose of staff development, which includes assistance with students from time to time.]

November 8, 2007 Vol. 17, Number 6
A Message From Ms. Dow Kids Korner Information Board Field Trips Lost and Found Coyote Creek Leadership Team Coyote Creek Advisory Council Coyote Creek Home PDF Version Kit’s Komments RtI? Response to Intervention is a process, not a program, utilized by educators to help students be successful. As a parent, you want what is best for your children. Response to Intervention (RtI) has emerged out of that need…what is best for children. The need to improve student outcomes was emphasized in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). NCLB states that “all students must make continuous and substantial improvement” to achieve educational goals in general education. Our charge as educators is to identify students who may be at risk in achieving these goals. If data collected by your child’s teacher identifies a gap in your child’s learning, that teacher will “bring” his/her concerns to a Horizontal Team meeting to discuss ways to intervene. Horizontal Teams are made up of grade level teachers, representatives from ISS (Instructional Support Services,) and the leadership team. All members of the team brainstorm interventions relying on the expertise of all individuals in attendance. Intervention strategies are always based on best practices and have the whole child in mind. Student progress is monitored to ensure the interventions are meeting the needs of the individual child. Interventions are: Supplements to core curriculum Instruction linked to assessment. Increased exposure to curriculum A more intensive focus of curriculum. Small group or 1:1 instruction. RtI offers commonsense tools for helping your children. RtI allows teachers to “catch” student concerns early before they fall further behind. The RtI process: Validates effective teaching. Determines areas of concerns immediately. Allows teachers to set goals and determine progress over time. Evidences student growth with data. Be assured that the RtI process will ensure the quality of instruction continues in your child’s classroom. The emphasis is on early intervention and improving the academic performance of all students. [Kit Orlowski is Coyote Creek’s Building Resource Teacher (BRT). She works closely with staff for the main purpose of staff development, which includes assistance with students from time to time.]		As I write this, I am anxiously awaiting the birth of a granddaughter. I’ll be heading to Albuquerque as soon as I get a call saying that little Katie has started her journey into our world. I’ve never been one of those mothers who live to have grandchildren, but I’m experiencing some new emotions right now and getting a bit impatient—I can hardly wait to meet this new little one! Our immediate future here at CCE is looking pretty full. Of course, we’re coming up on the holiday season which often means students coming to school very tired after an evening at the mall shopping for holiday gifts, so I would ask that parents remain aware of the effect of holiday preparations on your children. Contrary to some beliefs, instruction does continue right up until Winter Break begins. We may present that instruction within holiday themes to keep student interest up, but it is not discontinued. Missoula Children’s Theater will be at CCE during the week of January 7, which is very close to our return after Winter Break, so be sure to keep your eyes out for the information which will be sent home. Hopefully, we will soon be hearing about the 2008-09 calendar structure for Coyote Creek; we all are waiting breathlessly for this decision and I will alert the community as soon as information comes to me so we can start planning. On another note, I have just received information about a new Douglas County School District policy regarding school grounds. Look for the article in this issue of The Chronicle that describes the new policy. This is quite a collection of various items, but all are pertinent right now. We are also wondering how, or if, the electronic distribution of The Chronicle via the Parent Portal feature of Infinite Campus is impacting your accessibility to the newsletter. So any feedback you want to pass along will certainly be welcomed! Jan Back to the top Readers are encouraged to submit items for this column. Often we at school do not know the accomplishments of students outside school. Please include your phone number so we can reach you if we need more information. Back to the top INFORMATION BOARD This is a current listing of all items that can be found on our Information Board, which is located just outside the Music Room. The listing we are providing will give all parents an opportunity to see what is available, and they can have their student pick up any of the items from the main office, or parents can call our office to “order” items that can then be sent home with their student. *5th Grade Ski Passport* *Child Health Plan of Colorado* *Douglas County Schools 2007 Annual Report* *Sportstacking* *Young Champions Karate* *School Nutrition for your student* *The Parent University* Back to the top Field Trips Nov. 27 3A & B Museum of Nature & Science Dec. 13 3 C&D Museum of Nature & Science Back to the top Lost and (Tons!) Found It is only October and already we have a large collection of miscellaneous items in our lost and found! Many of our Girl Scout troops volunteer monthly to sort the lost and found. If an item is labeled with a student’s name, the item is returned to them when the piles are sorted. But please don’t wait! Our lost and found is located by the cafeteria doors. Please check to see if one or two of the many items we have belongs to you! Girl Scout Troop 1208 will sort on Nov. 26th. Back to the top Coyote Creek Leadership Team Jan Dow- Principal Kristi Montagrifff- Assistant Principal Kit Orlowski- Building Resource Teacher Back to the top p Back to the top
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