You want to help your children but you don’t
speak the language well?
DUAL CONVERSATION CLASS
English and Spanish
Wednesdays 7:45 – 8:45 AM / Thursdays 5:30 – 6:30 PM
Library
¿Quieres ayudar a tus hijos pero no hablas
bien el idioma?
CLASE DE CONVERSACIÓN DUAL
inglés y español
Miércoles 7:45 – 8:45 AM / Jueves 5:30 – 6:30 PM
Biblioteca
Hi Ridgetoppers! $3745 has been raised in our fundraiser so far but we still have another week to go! If you’ve already donated, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! And if you have just forgotten you still have a week to go! You can find a donation envelope/letter on the community table in the front hallway or donate online via Paypal. Every penny goes right back to the classrooms. We’re already more than halfway to our fund raising goal for the year. Way to go!
Ridgetop Pre K Program
Q&A by Principal Gloria
(1) Will the tuition based Pre K children be integrated into the existing Pre K population or will they be in separate classrooms?
They may start out in different classrooms but they will be integrated throughout the day for the bilingual centers, read alouds, the content areas to develop the 2nd language, and other activities as appropriate. The goal is to get as many students as possible into the dual language setting while maintaining the proper ratio as we get the best results that way. Fidelity to the model is crucial and it’s what the Gomez brothers recommend.
(2) Will the dual language curriculum be extended into the Pre-K with the children receiving Spanish instruction and being in English-Spanish language pairs for part of the day’s activities?
Dual language is already a part of the PK program for the Spanish monolingual students and it will be extended to the English monolingual students next year. Ideally I can have 3 dual language PK classroom with 2 Bilingual teachers and one ESL teacher. Both teachers have been trained and it would be a matter of hiring a 3rd teacher so that she can be trained as well.
(3) Is it true that the Pre K ratio of teacher to student will be 1:20? Will you have an assistant in the classroom?
The PK student to teacher ratio is going up to that number. We do have one assistant here who is part of our collaborative with Child Inc. That should still be the case next year. If we get more Spanish speaking students we may get a second assistant from them. I’m going to mention that in my exit conference with them.
(4) Some Pre K kids still have voiding/stooling accidents and need help with the bathroom. If you have a ratio of 1:20, who will be working with the kids if the teacher has to deal with a voiding/stooling accident?
Ideally, the kids are fully ‘potty trained’, but accidents do happen from time to time during the first days of school. We do ask that each child bring an extra set of clothes for that purpose. The PK classrooms do have restrooms in them and the teachers know to remind the children that they can and should use the restrooms when they need to to prevent accidents. In the event that there is an accident, the teacher sends the student to the office or someone comes to her if coming to the office is not possible so that someone other than the teacher can help supervise the child while he/she changes into clean clothes. Typically this is one of our Healthcare professionals (a Nurse or her assistant). If they are not available one of the office staff will supervise the child. Some parents would rather we call them so that they can come change the child themselves and that’s OK. : ) Most of us have children of our own so we are sensitive to the needs of little ones and do our best to make them feel comfortable and not be ashamed when they have an accident. The goal is to make them more independent so shaming them would be counter-productive.
(5) Do the PreK teachers have face-to-face, phone, or written communication with parents at least twice a month regarding child performance?
Teachers are accessible daily at pick up or drop off and especially during their planning time for parents who wish to meet with them. Parents receive feedback daily on behavior using the color system, but you are always welcome to contact them in person or on the phone.
(6) How often are PreK parent-teacher conferences?
The District requires at least 2 conferences during the school year, one in the Fall and one in the Spring to share progress/address concerns. Now, that doesn’t mean that you can’t meet more than that with the teacher. Parents can request a meeting if they have concerns or feel they need an update more often than the standard requirement calls for.
(7) In what ways are parents invited to become involved with their child’s PreK classroom?
We do encourage involvement, but know that some parents work/have busy schedules. We do have multiple opportunities for parents to become involved including Academic Nights (Science, Reading/Writing, Math), Multicultural Nights (Jamaica/carnival/Fall Fest, Celebration of Cultures in Spring), LAMP nights (Library, Art, Music, and PE – one each in Fall and Spring), Gardening Days (twice a semester), Track & Field day, and Field Trips (PK goes to the Crow’s nest and possibly one other Big field trip). Some parents help by taking things home to help the teachers such as cutting out laminated items, making phone calls for reminders, etc. Some parents volunteer by coming to read to the children either in their child’s classroom or another classroom. Some parents volunteer during our Career Day by sharing what they do for a living so that our children can see what parents do while they are at school. Of course, many parents drop in when they can to have lunch with their little ones which is always cool. : )
If you are a current Dual Language parent and have purchased the Rosetta Stone program from your Ridgetop your contact for questions is Dr. Shelley Wright-Patterson.
You can reach her at spatterson@RosettaStone.com and phone 540-236-7845.
Have fun practicing or learning your new language!
Claudia Kramer Santamaria
Parent Support Office (and Rattler parent!)
512-414-3196
June 14th : 5:30 -7:00pm
Ridgetop Elementary
5005 Caswell Ave. 78751
Pelicula para padres de clases Idioma Dual de Ridgetop
Ridgetop Dual Language: Parent Movie Night and Meet
“Speaking in Tongues”
“Hablando en Lenguas”
Speaking in Tongues follows four diverse kids on a journey to become bilingual. This charming story will challenge you to rethink the skills that Americans need in the 21st century.
“Hablando en Lenguas” sigue a 4 niños diversos en el viaje a hacer bilingües. Esta historia encantadora lo hará que piense diferente de las destrezas que los niños necesitan para el ciclo 21.
Parent discussion and presentation by AISD Dual Language Director will follow 60 minute movie.
Discurso de padres y presentacion de la directora de Lenguage Dual de AISD- despues de la pelicula de 60 minutos.
Light snacks provided *Merienda ofrecida * Kids movie in library *pelicula de niños en biblioteca
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Join us for Ridgetop Kindergarten Round-Up!
Tuesday, May 3rd 8:30-10:00 am
Meet at the Ridgetop Playground
Martes, 3 de mayo 8:30-10:00 am En el parque de Ridgetop Elemental
Las familias que han aplicado al programa de Lenguaje Dual, seran notificadas la semana del 4 de abril por coreo electronico o coreo postal. Familias que esten en la lista de espera tendran sus numeros de ‘loteria’ asignados por la Oficina de Evaluacion del Distrito Escolar de Austin.
Families who have applied for the Dual Language Kinder or First grade program will be getting formal notification of “acceptance” or “waiting list” this week (April 4-8) through email or US mail. Those on the waiting list will have a ‘lottery’ number generated by the AISD Office of Program Evaluation.
AISD Parents & Families,
Your feedback is important as we strive to serve you better. Please take a few moments to complete the AISD Parent Survey to help us learn what we are doing well and where we can improve. If you prefer, you may complete the survey on paper. Forms are available at your child’s school.
Results from this survey are used to monitor parent opinions and involvement on AISD campuses, and to monitor important District policies and initiatives. The results of our survey will be distributed to each campus Principal, district administrators, and the Board of Trustees. The district results report will be available next Spring on the AISD Website at http://www.austinisd.org/inside/accountability/evaluation/reports.phtml.
Your responses to the survey items are completely anonymous.
If you have any questions or concerns about the survey, you may contact the AISD Department of Program Evaluation at 414-1724.
Thank you for taking the time to help us understand our strengths and opportunities for improvement.
Su opinión nos es muy importante ya que nos ayuda a servirle mejor. Por favor tome unos minutos para completar esta encuesta para ayudarnos a entender que estamos haciendo bien y en que podemos mejorar. Si prefiere, podrá completar esta misma encuesta en papel. Los formularios se encuentran en la escuela de su hijo(a).
Los resultados de la encuesta se distribuirán al director(a) de cada plantel, a los administradores del distrito y a los miembros de la Mesa Directiva. Los resultados del informe estarán disponibles alrededor del fin del año escolar en http://www.austinisd.org/inside/accountability/evaluation/reports.phtml.
Sus respuestas a dicha encuesta son completamente anónimas. Si tiene alguna pregunta o duda acerca de la encuesta, puede comunicarse con el Departamento de Evaluación de Programas de Austin ISD al 414-1724.
