Classroom routines, procedures and norms

To the parents/guardians of Angie,

My name is Jeanne Lee, and I am a student observer from California State University
Dominguez Hills in your daughter’s classroom. I am writing the letter to inform you about
Angie’s academic progress and goals, as well as behavioral goals. Students in the
class, including Angie, are aware of our classroom’s daily routines. The classroom rules
and norms were set from the beginning of the school year, and it has been followed and
respected by everyone in the school. Each morning starts at the benches outside of the
cafeteria, as students arrive at school. Students work on a worksheet as they wait for
the bell ring. When the bell rings, students line up and wait for the teacher to escort
them to the classroom. They hang their backpack outside of the classroom and turn in
their homework folders. Once everyone is seated, students start their day with
breakfast. After breakfast, students go to the bathroom and get ready for active
learning. Each day has different schedules and different learning activities. Each day
students have learning time for math. Some days students have individual work, some
days students work on math projects. The classroom uses ABCYa.com for various math
related contents. The class has a couple of rules of how to treat one another, such as
using kind words and not to get mad when you lose. They are always reminded to treat
each other with respect and be a peacemaker, not a peace breaker.

Academic goals and progress

Past couple of weeks, I assessed Angie on her single digit addition skills. Angie was
given 5 addition questions to solve. First I explained what the questions are about. Then
I asked her to solve the questions. She was given manipulatives to use along while she
solves problems. Angie was able to solve 3 problems out of 5. She had a hard time
summing up the numbers when the sum is more than 10. She answered all the rest of
the questions correct, except the ones that exceed 10 in sum. My goal for Angie is to
master her counting/addition for numbers that become greater than 10. Angie may need
more support in math, and I recommend using ABCYa.com for various math-related
activities. She is familiar with ABCYa.com as we use it in the classroom. She navigates
through the website with no help. ABCYa.com is a website with lots of math activities
and games. It will be helpful if Angie could go online for 30 minutes a day to practice her
skills.

Behavioral goals and progress

Angie is an active learner. She positively cooperates with her classmates. She is good
at emphasizing with other people. While working with Angie, I noticed that she is shy to
share her answers when she is not confident about whether she is right or wrong. I
always mention that there are no “wrong” answers. Angie gets timid when it comes to
math-related discussion. I would like to see her sharing her opinions, even if she might
be wrong. Her shy personality sometimes hinders her from learning. Angie often gets
frustrated that she doesn’t know the concept, but she will not speak up, and I could see
that she is not showing her frustration in a good way. She decides to close up when she
doesn’t feel confident. I think it will be a good practice for Angie to share her opinion, no
matter how hard it is. When I see that Angie is shy and timid, I would simply look at her
and give her a quick nod to boost her confidence. Sometimes that simple nod does the
trick and she participates. I know we often look over these simple issues, but I think it is
important to notice such things. It will help Angie to grow in education. I know she does
not have anyone around her age to interact with at home, it will be great if you can
practice with her on how to be confident. Also, Sesame Street and TBS have great
contents for young students. It will be beneficial for Angie to watch a couple of episodes.

Student's self-assessment and reflection

Although Angie’s shyness is something that is not a significant problem, I believe that it
is important for Angie to remind herself to be confident and speak her mind, even if it
may be wrong. She could practice participating once a day, and this will give her a good
chance to be confident and independent.

Letter closing

It is a pleasure having Angie in the classroom. She is indeed a gem and adds so much
personality into the class. I personally enjoy working with her, and I am excited to see
her grow. I want to support her in math, so she can master her addition skills before she
moves on with 1st grade. Also, I would love to see her start adding a number greater
than 10. I will do everything I can to help her thrive in the classroom. Please help me to
support Angie in her learning journey. If you have any questions or concerns, please
reach out to me via email, phone call, or conference.