WGO - ES Archive: April 10

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Issue #30: April 10, 2025

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From the Principal

Ms. Michelle Alzamora

Dear Families,

As we navigate another vibrant week at ACS, I’m reminded of the incredible potential our students possess. Our mission, "Together we create opportunities for compassionate learners to embrace challenges, value perspectives, and become resilient global advocates," highlights the importance of equipping our children with the tools they need to thrive. A crucial aspect of this is fostering independence, particularly in problem-solving.

As parents, it's natural to want to shield our children from difficulties. However, stepping back and allowing them to grapple with challenges is essential for their growth. Child development theories, such as Piaget’s stages of cognitive development, emphasize that children learn through active engagement with their environment. When we solve every problem for them, we inadvertently hinder their ability to develop critical thinking and resilience.

The Power of Independent Problem Solving

Independent problem solvers are not born; they are cultivated. They learn to:

Identify problems: Recognizing when something isn't right.
Generate solutions: Brainstorming multiple approaches.
Evaluate options: Weighing the pros and cons.
Implement and adapt: Taking action and adjusting as needed.

These skills are not just academic; they are life skills that will serve our children well in their future endeavors.

Practical Tips for Parents

Here are some practical strategies to support your child's journey towards independent problem-solving:

Resist the urge to rescue immediately: When your child encounters a problem, resist the impulse to jump in. Instead, ask guiding questions like, "What have you tried so far?" or "What are some possible solutions?"
Encourage brainstorming: Help your child generate a list of potential solutions, no matter how outlandish they might seem. This fosters creative thinking and expands their problem-solving repertoire. Also, when the solution that they choose does not work, they have others that they are ready to try.
Promote reflection: After your child has attempted a solution, discuss what worked and what didn't. This helps them learn from their experiences and refine their strategies.
Embrace mistakes as learning opportunities: Children need to understand that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process. Reframe failures as opportunities for growth and encourage them to try again.
Model problem-solving: Children learn by observing. Share your own problem-solving process with them, explaining how you approach challenges and make decisions.
Provide age-appropriate challenges: Present children with tasks that are slightly beyond their comfort zone, but still achievable with effort. This helps them build confidence and resilience.
Foster a growth mindset: Encourage your children to see challenges as opportunities for growth, rather than obstacles. Emphasize the importance of effort and perseverance.

As we continue to foster a supportive and challenging learning environment at ACS, let's also remember the crucial role parents play in cultivating these essential skills at home.

Thank you for your continued partnership.

Yours,

Michelle

Parent Chat

Please join me for our next Parent Chat on April 28th at 6:00 pm about how we are approaching Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI). YOu can access the chat at this link.

MAP

We will begin our Spring MAP assessments after the break. Students in grades 2-5 will take one MAP assessment a week following the schedule below. Your child’s teacher will let you know when they will take the assessments. You will note gaps between some of the assessments. This is due to holidays.

Language Assessment - This last week
Reading Assessment - Week of April 13
Reading Assessment - Week of April 27
Make Ups - Week of May 4

The MAP assessments provide external data that compares your child’s performance with a set of recognized standards. Because the assessment is adaptive, we can gather information about children outside of the constraints of grade-level bands.

This is not an assessment that your child can study for. To help her or him do their very best, please ensure that your child gets plenty of rest and eats a healthy breakfast. You can also help your child by not making a big deal about this testing experience. It is not a high-stakes assessment; the children have no reason to feel stressed about their performance. After all students have completed the tests, you will receive information about your child’s performance on the MAP assessment. You can jump to the MAP Family Toolkit for more information about the MAP assessment.

As a school, we look at the results of the MAP assessments to help us better understand each learner and our academic programs. Our classroom teachers will spend time together looking at MAP results in conjunction with other data about learning. As administrators, we use multiple data points (including MAP) over time to help us understand where our students are doing well and where we might consider making programmatic changes. The Spring data helps us see student growth trends over the year. Additionally, we will collect and analyze data from reading and writing assessments.

From the ES Counselors

April Family Connection Challenge

The ES counseling department is excited to share another fun challenge for families to enjoy at home! This April, make it your family’s mission to create 100 moments of connection.

With spring break on the horizon, this is a perfect opportunity to be intentional about spending quality time together. Connection doesn’t have to be fancy or time-consuming—what matters most is presence and love. Whether it’s taking a family walk, having a game night, spending ten minutes drawing together, or sharing jokes, every little moment counts!

How It Works:

Choose a handout from the available options. You can print one at home or pick one up from Ms. Hayley or Mr. Tim’s office.
Hang it somewhere visible—on the fridge, a bedroom wall, or anywhere your child will see it often.
Each time you share a moment of connection, your child can color in one space on the handout.
Need inspiration? The handout includes 100 ideas to connect, or you can create your own!
Once all 100 spaces are colored in, have your child bring it in to show a counselor!

Enjoy this special time to bond as a family. We can’t wait to hear about your moments of connection!

Updated Resource Webpage - Discussion ideas and coping strategies when approaching unfairness, violence, crime and war with your child.

Talking about topics like unfairness, violence, crime and war can be hard. You might not know what to say in the moment. Being ready for these talks can help. Please check out the resources on this page and let us know how we can support you!

Tim Steadman and Hayley Jeanes