Teaching & Learning

Season of SBA
Next month, all 3rd-6th grade students will be participating in our state
Preparing a student for a Testing Session – For Parents 1. Make sure your child gets an ample, normal amount of sleep the night before the test 2. Mark testing days on your calendar to help remind you and your child when the testing will take place and plan your preparations. 3. The student should eat a nutritious and filling breakfast. Avoid high sugar cereals which can make the student hyper and/or unfocused. 4. Set aside time each night prior to the test for several weeks to review the concepts that will be covered 5. Work with teachers and administrators at your child’s school to find materials to work on at home in preparation for the test 6. Make sure the student is on time (if not early) on the day of testing 7. Set a backup alarm to avoid the possibility of oversleeping 8. If you child is sick please contact the school immediately to inform them
Need a place to do your homework after school?
Otis Orchards Knight Homework Club*
Grades 1st – 6th**
When: Every Thursday
Time: 3:30- 4:30
Where: Room 209
*Parent must pick up their child @ 4:30 in foyer
**Student must have homework in order to attend.
Math Moment
How does GO Math! provide real world connections and applications?
- Problem solving is practiced daily in lesson practice sets that include real life application problems. You will notice the Real World problem solving logo used throughout the student book lessons. The problem solving skill or strategy lessons provide strong reading support, and problem solving practice moves from specific strategy practice to mixed strategy practice. Students learn how to use models and representations to help them solve problems.
How can I help my child with math at home?
- Encourage your child to solve everyday problems involving numbers.
- Talk about the importance of math and how it is used in daily life.
- Review your child’s homework and ask them to explain how they arrived at their solutions to problems
- At grades K-2 there is a Home Activity at the bottom of the fourth page of each lesson in the Student Book.
- Have your child practice using the math vocabulary for the chapter.
- Play the math vocabulary game at the beginning of each chapter with your child.
- View the Math on The Spot videos with your child for concepts or skills he or she may be having difficulty with. You can access this on the EVSD district website under the Families tab.
- Personal Math Trainer - a great way to review the lesson for the day. Each student has their own login. If you do not have it, speak to the teacher during conferences,
- Talk with your child’s teacher about any questions you have about the math your child is learning.
Meaningful Mondays
Continuous improvement of our school remains the cornerstone of our Monday Collaborations and our School Improvement Plan (SIP).
Our collaboration time on Mondays is spent analyzing data, developing goals, and planning researched-based activities and strategies. Monitoring, and assessing implementation effectiveness remains ongoing.
Conferences Coming SOON!
Spring conferences will be held during the week of March 25th. It is very important that your child attends the conference. During this week, students will arrive at the regularly scheduled times but will be released at 12:30. Also, there will be NO late start on Monday, March 25th; School will begin promptly at 9:00 for all students.
Teachers have sent out links to our online scheduling platform called:
If you have not received the link or have not yet signed up for your child's conference, please do so as soon as possible. Last fall, Otis Orchards reached their school-wide goal at having 100% participation from families attending their child's conference. Let's maintain our goal by again reaching 100% participation!
PEP, PEP, HOORAY!
The East Valley Planned Enrichment Program (PEP) would like to announce the spring 2019 testing session. If you would like your child considered for the district’s highly capable program, please talk to your child’s teacher during spring conferences. We are accepting nominations for students in grades 1-7. Alternatively, you can call Heather Schultz or Nicole Thomas at 927-3228. Completed applications are due by April 26th. Testing will take place in May and June.