Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome
to the 2013-2014 school year! My name is Miss Critser
and I would like to introduce myself to you as well as describe what you
can expect to see this year in my classroom. I obtained my bachelor's
degree in education from Boise State University after completing my
student teaching in the Meridian School District.
It is
my goal to create a classroom environment where risk-taking is
encouraged, there are a variety of hands-on and minds-on activities, and
students are enthusiastically engaged in lessons that incorporate their
individual learning style. Taking risks is what builds our
self-confidence and the most meaningful learning occurs when we can make
a personal connection to the information being taught. By establishing
a classroom culture of mutual respect and inspiring and engaging
students in the learning process it will help students keep making
connections to material, applying their knowledge in the future, and not
be afraid to make some mistakes along the way.
My
classroom policies and procedures are the same as the school rules, and I
will follow all policies as they are described in the student
handbook. I feel that students are in control of their own behavior and
that any behavior is acceptable unless it causes a problem for someone
else. Students are capable of correcting their own behavior problems,
and I will always give the student an opportunity to correct a
problem. If a student is unable to self-correct the problem, I will find a solution to the problem. I will work collaboratively with the student on the
consequence so that it is appropriate and fair.
On
most days students will be engaged in differentiated lessons. This
is based on each student's readiness to learn a concept or
skill. Teaching this way means students are receiving higher
quality instruction that is matched to their unique needs. Language
arts and mathematics are two subjects that will typcially always be
arranged in different centers or activities where students can apply
their learning in a hands-on way. In science students will engage in
inquiry-based experiments that are based on discovering how things work
rather than being told how they work.
As
parents there are ways that you can be involved in our classroom; if
you are interested in volunteering in the classroom, being an art
parent, or a party planner I will have a sign-up calendar available online or in the classroom at parent conferences. If you are unable to participate in any of
the above, there are still many ways for you to help your child be
successful. The most important thing is to maintain communication with
me on your students progress. If you have any questions or concerns
please don't hesitate to contact me via e-mail or phone. E-mail will
generally be the easiest way to contact me, as I am able to check it
frequently throughout the
day. If you leave me a voicemail I will often not be able to return
your call until after school. For your convenience I have a classroom
blog that is updated weekly to show what we have been working on in
class and what homework was given.
I am
so excited to have each of your students in my class this year and hope
that it will be a fantastic year for you and your child! It is my
sincere hope that your students will look back on their experience in my
classroom and remember me as a teacher who was truly passionate about
learning, who modeled respect and genuinely cared about their success
and well-being. I also hope to provide the tools they will need in
order to reach their highest potential in an environment that is
positive and uplifting.
Sincerely,
McKensie Critser
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