www.wolfordpta.org

Current Research on Learners

In a recent article in Kappan, it was noted that great leaners have the following habits and attributes which depict the characteristics of lifelong and resilient learners:

1. Believe that learning requires effort and is not an "inborn" ability
2. Get great pleasure from learning and constantly seek opportunities to learn something new
3. Do not focus on their failures or disappointments
4. Focus on what they are good at and not what they cannot do
5. Follow and nurture their passions and interests
6. Embrace challenges and are willing to ask others for help
7. Create their own identities and resist labeling from others

These are lessons that each of us can work towards as we become more resilient learners. Source: Olson, K. (2011, September) "I learned to believe in me." Kappan, Vol. 93. No. 1. pp. 49-53

Students Get Smarter as Their Brains Speed Up

Researchers from the University of Texas-San Antonio conducted a study that examined the results of twelve intelligence and mental speed tests given to approximately 7,000 children between the ages of 13 to 17. The study was party of a Longitudinal Survey of Youth and was a program of the United States Department of Labor. The various intelligence tests covered math and vocabulary knowledge, and the mental speed tests included timed exams with arithmetic and computing tasks. The researchers found that as the children aged, they actually got smarter. They attribute this increased intelligence due to an increase in the brain's processing speed. In all of the tests given, the older children performed better and more quickly that the younger children. This led researchers to the conclusion that the faster the brain works, the more intelligent a child becomes. Source: United Press International Inc., www.upi.com

Screen Time Trumps Reading

The American Academy of Pediatrics believes unstructured play remains the best way to promote brain development in young children. However, more children between the ages of infanthood to age 8 spend large amounts of time in front of the screen including mobile devices. Another study done recently by Common Sense Media, which is a San Francisco nonprofit group, shows:

1. Kids spend more time using media instead of reading.
2. Television accounts for the biggest share of screen time and almost a 1/3 of children under two years old have televisions in their bedrooms.
3. An emerging "app gap" between more affluent children who tend to have more access to mobile devices compared to low-income children.

April is a health awareness month!

Appreciating Differences: We are all different; we come from different backgrounds, experiences and cultures. This month, the focus will be on getting to know and appreciate the differences that we have and utilizing those to build strength in our community. Appreciating differences in others can seem hard to do at times.

National Autism Month: This month is a focus on the awareness of autism and having knowledge on the conditions. Be a proud supporter of this awareness by wearing primary colorful combinations and working puzzles! You can access more information on helpful hints, treatments and conditions at the Autism Research Institute website.

Sun safety:  Always remember to wear sunscreen (not tanning lotion) when out in the sun. Refer to a dermatologist for any skin concerns or abnormalities. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that, regardless of skin type, a broad-spectrum (protects against UVA and UVB rays), water-resistant sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 30 should be used year-round. Sunscreen should always be reapplied every hour. Even in different environments, including snow covered ground, water, and cloud cover, sunscreen and sun safety are still important.

Natural Disasters Safety: remains a focus as natural disasters become more frequent this time of year in Texas. Risk Watch in PE will help your children learn about how to help themselves and others during these events. Does your family have a plan for a tornado or other natural disaster? Do you have a weather radio and home disaster kit? Visit www.fema.gov for more information.

Hearing Loss Prevention: Kids are enjoying music through advances in personal audio technology more than ever, but at what price? The loss may be gradual and painless. Listening to headphones at high volumes for extended periods of time can result in lifelong hearing loss. Even minimal hearing loss can affect social interaction, communication skills, behavior, emotional development and academic performance. For more information visit http://www.listentoyourbuds.org/learn.

Yours in Health,

Kathy Johnson, RN, BSN
Wolford Elementary School Nurse

Grant Information - Some Companies Have Matching Grants
....if your company does....
I would love to know and to garner your help.

Dear Wolford Parents,

I am in the process of applying for a grant in the area of technology. As you know, our teachers at Wolford extensively use technology to support student instruction with engaging and relevant lessons. At Wolford, our journey has begun, and many conversations, ideas, and explorations continue to occur as our entire teaching community considers our roles in developing 21st century skills for our students. As we consider creating the best future for our students, questions and important conversations around how we as educators can design truly engaging student-centered instruction are topics of exploration.

All of the Wolford teachers are using the Smartboard equipment to make lessons more interactive for our learners. Many Wolford teachers and students are utilizing the Smartboard document camera to model, capture and display documents as visuals. Wolford teachers have been documented at the district level as one of the campuses that highly uses on-demand, streaming videos from United Streaming and Safari Montage to enhance their curriculum. This data was tracked through our campus logins. Each grade level team uses technology (grade level Weebly sites) to communicate with their students and parents as a campus and 21st century level classroom tool.

Wolford technology is currently strictly PC orientated. Currently industry trends have many students using Apple mobile products within their class environments such as i-Pods and i-Pads. Wolford would like to expand into Apple platforms to engage our students' exposure to hardware and software that are common place within the Apple's educational industry. We wish to enhance student learning with the use of iPads to support student instruction. If we are fortunate enough to gain access to a grant, these are some of the ways our teachers wish to make learning more engaging and relevant with iPads: working with their striving students on appropriate apps, working one-on-one or in small groups with striving learners on specific skills (hot words, phonemic awareness, counting, adding, subtracting), using apps for writing and reading  such as: StoryKit, StoryPatch, StoryRobe, Vimeo or VoiceThread, just to name a few. These reading/writing apps will present learning in more engaging formats for our students at Wolford, or supporting student learning with technology for project-based learning as students create presentations using apps such as Vimeo, Photobabble, or Puppet Pals. Students could model what they have learned about a particular concept such as sequencing in reading or magnetism in science through these presentation apps. Apps that allow students to perform an algorithm in math with the touch of a finger and thereby allowing teachers to check the student's steps in the event of an error are other examples of how we could use iPad technology. The list is endless and only inhibited by the human mind and are only a few examples of how we could use this technology.

If you work for a company that has matching grants, please call me at 469-742-4700. I would love to set up a time where we can sit down and talk about this possibility. Thank you.

Fran Gratt
Principal - Wolford Elementary