Thursday, August 20, 2009

Met her new teachers for 4th grade.

Met my daughters new teachers for 4th grade. I like to set up a meeting before schools starts to meet with Mariah's new teacher/s.This year our little elementary school will be doing DEPARTMENTALIZING. She will have 3 different teachers for 90 minutes each. Mariah's morning will start out with going to Mrs. V for WRITING & Social Studies then Mrs. L for MATH & SCIENCE and then her homeroom teacher is Mrs. Moon who will be teaching her READING this year! (names have been changed)

Mariah is soooo ready to start school righth now and is excited to see all her friends and excited to make new ones this year! She was very happy to go to this meeting with daddy and I to meet all her new teachers and to see her Para and her Principal. She was very well behaved and happy during our meeting. She had a little note pad with her and a pen, at home I showed her pictures of her new teachers in the yearbook. I wrote down all of her teachers names on her little pad of paper, she was practicing writing their names and even drew a nice little picture that she gave to her new homeroom and READING teacher Mrs. Moon! That was a good 'ice-breaker' for all of us to see that she 'had good spacing' when she wrote! Her drawing skills were 'more developed' than what her usual drawings are....comments were made on how much she has grown and how well her talking skills had, improved! Oh my girl has no problem talking and communicating...its about if those listening want to really 'connect' to her and give her the time to respond. She is becoming a typical Pre-Tweeny for sure! Loves iCarly these days, using her own cell phone, dancing, horseback riding, swimming, loves lip gloss and I just let her buy her first eye shadow, very light shade of course!

Mariah will be turning 11 years old on September 26th and talks everyday about the BOWLING PARTY she is going to have and wants to invite everyone to!I was nervous of course when I first walked into this meeting...but quickly relaxed when I was met with 3 happy smiling teachers and to see her Para there also! She isn't usually at any of our IEP meetings, she works the closest with my daughter and many times I don't think teachers share 'the details' of what's said at the IEP 'team' meetings or what's important to the parent, so much gets lost in translation. Don't know why the Para's aren't invited to attend IEP meetings!?...I do believe this is going to be a really wonderful year this year! Last year...I just want to put behind us and never have a year like we did last year! I presented to Mariah's 4th grade team 'what my hopes and dreams' are for this school year...also had a WISH LIST of all the things that I believe to be what will help Mariah have a wonderfully academically successful year that we all will be proud of her accomplishments at the end of the year. Will everything go perfectly the entire year....probably not...but gosh if you don't let teachers know 'the foundation' of what is important to you at the beginning of a brand new school year and what you are expecting...and let's not forget the communication that is needed from the first day of school.....being open and honest up front...I have grown in being a better advocate for my daughter....and others as well...I am not new at this...she is going into the 4th grade, I should know how to talk to 'new teachers'....and help them understand what my expectations are from them as my daughters teacher...no fake fronts, getting along and talking is a daily, weekly thing that has to happen to make it a good year for all of us. Being part of an awesome team is exciting...I am happy with the choices of teachers that Mr. Principal has choosen for my daughter. He knows me....God Bless him...he sure does know me....wonder what he really thinks about strong advocate parents like me....wonder what goes thru his mind when he sees my email address pop up on his blackberry....gotta love our Principals!! I am not the only parent he is trying to 'keep happy'!

I will be posting to my BLOGS Mariah's school year experiences....to share with the world how things are going with FULL INCLUSION in the 4th grade...of course with all the supports and servicces that will help her be successful!

Bookmark this blog....keep it handy...the stories...I hope will all be positive and on the up and up....not like what happened to us during her first day of 3rd Grade Reading Camp at Riversand Elem over the summer....it was just the 1st day that was bad...oh so bad...but having her attend the Reading Camp was a wonderful experience for sure! Mariah tells me she misses READING CAMP and Mr. R!

Mariah's 4th Grade Team ROCKS!!

August 20nd, 2009

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