1=begining to develop standard
2=working and progressing towards the standard
3=Meeting the grade level standard
4=exceeding grade level standard
At our Parent Teacher Conference last week, the teachers told us it is typical for kids to have 1's and 2's at the beginning of the year.
Ok, here goes:
Learning Attitudes and behaviors
Respects others 2
Follows classroom and school rules 2
Works Independent 2
Works cooperatively with peers 2
Listens Effectively 1 (Joanie-sound familiar?)
Is responsible for homework 3 (yea, mom and dad!)
Manages transitions 2 (Thank you, Ms. V)
Is organized and prepared to learn 2
Shows persistence effort 1
Takes responsibility for own actions 2
Communications skills 2 (yea!!!!!!)
Guided Reading
1. Applies Appropriate reading strategies:
Visual cues 1
Phonics 2
Contextual clues 1
Self-corrects 1 (though I've noticed he just started doing this a little bit)
2. Reads with understanding
-Responds to literature 2
-Re-tells a story 1 (actually, he does do this, just in his own time frame and way. He'll tell us stories later, but we don't always understand them.)
Participates in group discussion 1
3. Fluency
-Demonstrates fluency and expression in oral reading 1
Self Selected Reading
Chooses appropriate literature 3
Attends to text during independent reading times 3
Reads with understanding 2
Working with Words
Uses known word parts and patterns to spell new words 1
Applies word building skills and spelling strategies independently 1
Writing
Generates ideas independently 2 (yea!!!!)
Communicates thoughts and information effectively 2 (yea!!!!!!!!!)
Uses grade appropriate capitalization and punctuation 1
Writes legibly 1
Mathematical Numbers & Operations
Counts fluently 2
Skip-counts fluently 1 (we just started doing this with him, he seems to sort of get it)
Reads and writes 2-digit numbers
Identifies and calculates value of coins 2
Addition 3
Subtraction 3
Mathematical Concepts
Shows evidence of mathematical reasoning 2
Identifies and uses number patterns 1
Understands geometric concepts 2
Science
Process Skills 3
Understands concepts 3
Applies concepts in written work 3
(it does this Engineer's heart proud over the Science score!!)
Social Studies
Understands/applies concepts 3
Understands/applies concepts in writing 3
There are a few more things, but that is the bulk of his report card. Now this is our first report card, and we are pretty happy about it!
Monster has not been wanting to go to school. When I ask him if school is Happy or sad, he often says sad, but I think that just means he isn't getting his way as much. He, by no means, seems to hate going nor does he seem to have any problems once we get him dressed and out of the door.
I wonder how much is related to him being different, or not fitting in. I know he knows he's different, just as I know he wants to be around other kids. I suspect he is scared a lot-unsure how to get to where he wants to be (playing with the other kids). It takes time, and he has never been very patient.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
5 RSVPs and Counting-Monster's B-Day Party Saga, Part 1
I'm a total nervous Nellie, so just ignore me, but I need to rant/vent, etc. Feel free to skip this entire post. But if you do read it, feel free to let me know what I'm missing.
We have had a total of 5 kids RSVP yes, and 2 for no.
Mr. and I had decided to prepare for all of the kids/parents, which, when we sat down and counted, was 23 kids (if 1 parent per child shows up, that's 46 people plus us-I think we are insane). So the 2 noes were welcome (though they will be missed).
We took Monster back to the bounce place last weekend, and he played there for about 90 minutes, which is good and means he will have endurance for his own party (it was fairly busy, so it was a good mimic for his bday). There was even 1 or 2 bullies trying to get him to NOT play some places that he (and well, I) dealt with. Mr. was funny, after I grumbled in his ear. He said "Do you really think he cares what those other kids say?". Unfortunately (or fortunately?), Monster did care, and would follow a direct instruction (for about 30 seconds). Finally, I, another child and the kid's mother all told him that ds was allowed to play there and that he needed to share (to be clear, I and another child both told him that Monster wasn't in his way-he wasn't-and to just play around him, his mom told him he needed to share).
I still need to put his giftbags together, I'm stressing that they aren't "cool" enough. I tried to stick to things Monster likes to play with-a moldable eraser, a gummy pencil grip (on a pencil), one of the sticks that makes noises when you turn them upside down, super bouncy ball, a pack of Monster's favorite gum, some stickers and a balloon. I'm sure (logically) that they are fine, but there is that social anxiety rearing its ugly head.
The menu is set-pizza (with me making a special one for ds and one other girl who is also gf/cf), carrot sticks, raisins, chips and juice/water, coffee and soda for the parents. Mr didn't want to serve any soda, but I told him I *would* be drinking some (I don't drink coffee, he does) so it would be rude to not offer any to the parents. Monster's "cake" is GF/CF brownies and chocolate chip cookies.
We decided to go with the No. 7 candle (instead of 7 candles) and Mr is going to work with Monster this week to teach him to blow it out. We are planning on having all the kids "help" him blow it out.
Presents have been a tough one for us. On the one hand, we don't expect anyone to give him anything-times are tight and we are of the "your presence is the present" mindset. On the other hand, Mr thinks this is a great opportunity for us to see what other kids are playing with (Monster just does DVD sneak peaks, internet and his bike games) to see if they are interesting to him. When asked, I originally said "books or cars", since he does enjoy cars occasionally, but Mr suggested we ask the parents (who ask our opinion) to bring something their child likes to play with-a favorite book or whatnot. Partially so we can have something they enjoy for future (hopefully) playdates.
Also, since Monster isn't the best at opening presents, we decided to have the child help him open his/her present to him.
Finally, we bought a t-shirt from the bounce place and I'm going to ask the kids to decorate it with sharpie markers for Monster (then he can wear it to school, or use it for show-tell).
I was also going to use the time to see if parents want to exchange contact info with each other ( a sign-up type of sheet that I would pass to the other parents with the thank you cards). I've been toying with the idea of a yahoo group, but think that may be too much.
Well, if you made it this far, you get a cookie-a gluten/casein/dye/nut-free cookie!
And, yes, I do realize I'm worrying way too much. It's genetic.
We have had a total of 5 kids RSVP yes, and 2 for no.
Mr. and I had decided to prepare for all of the kids/parents, which, when we sat down and counted, was 23 kids (if 1 parent per child shows up, that's 46 people plus us-I think we are insane). So the 2 noes were welcome (though they will be missed).
We took Monster back to the bounce place last weekend, and he played there for about 90 minutes, which is good and means he will have endurance for his own party (it was fairly busy, so it was a good mimic for his bday). There was even 1 or 2 bullies trying to get him to NOT play some places that he (and well, I) dealt with. Mr. was funny, after I grumbled in his ear. He said "Do you really think he cares what those other kids say?". Unfortunately (or fortunately?), Monster did care, and would follow a direct instruction (for about 30 seconds). Finally, I, another child and the kid's mother all told him that ds was allowed to play there and that he needed to share (to be clear, I and another child both told him that Monster wasn't in his way-he wasn't-and to just play around him, his mom told him he needed to share).
I still need to put his giftbags together, I'm stressing that they aren't "cool" enough. I tried to stick to things Monster likes to play with-a moldable eraser, a gummy pencil grip (on a pencil), one of the sticks that makes noises when you turn them upside down, super bouncy ball, a pack of Monster's favorite gum, some stickers and a balloon. I'm sure (logically) that they are fine, but there is that social anxiety rearing its ugly head.
The menu is set-pizza (with me making a special one for ds and one other girl who is also gf/cf), carrot sticks, raisins, chips and juice/water, coffee and soda for the parents. Mr didn't want to serve any soda, but I told him I *would* be drinking some (I don't drink coffee, he does) so it would be rude to not offer any to the parents. Monster's "cake" is GF/CF brownies and chocolate chip cookies.
We decided to go with the No. 7 candle (instead of 7 candles) and Mr is going to work with Monster this week to teach him to blow it out. We are planning on having all the kids "help" him blow it out.
Presents have been a tough one for us. On the one hand, we don't expect anyone to give him anything-times are tight and we are of the "your presence is the present" mindset. On the other hand, Mr thinks this is a great opportunity for us to see what other kids are playing with (Monster just does DVD sneak peaks, internet and his bike games) to see if they are interesting to him. When asked, I originally said "books or cars", since he does enjoy cars occasionally, but Mr suggested we ask the parents (who ask our opinion) to bring something their child likes to play with-a favorite book or whatnot. Partially so we can have something they enjoy for future (hopefully) playdates.
Also, since Monster isn't the best at opening presents, we decided to have the child help him open his/her present to him.
Finally, we bought a t-shirt from the bounce place and I'm going to ask the kids to decorate it with sharpie markers for Monster (then he can wear it to school, or use it for show-tell).
I was also going to use the time to see if parents want to exchange contact info with each other ( a sign-up type of sheet that I would pass to the other parents with the thank you cards). I've been toying with the idea of a yahoo group, but think that may be too much.
Well, if you made it this far, you get a cookie-a gluten/casein/dye/nut-free cookie!
And, yes, I do realize I'm worrying way too much. It's genetic.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Our First Parent-Teacher Conference
I have videos that I'll upload later, showing Monster reading and cutting and the like, but I wanted to put down an account of Mr. and I's first parent teacher conference while it is still relatively fresh in my memory.
Our previous school was somewhat special, it only included (for the most part) children with special needs. Thus, we didn't really have things like open house and parent teacher conferences. Then, we would consider our annual IEP as the parent-teacher conference with multiple off-the-cuff meetings whenever parents and service providers/teachers managed to find time.
So today was a new experience for us, and with all of our new experiences, it was both wonderful and emotional. Of course, I had a difficult time not crying (and in fact did shed some tears but Mr. says it wasn't noticeable). I found out something I never knew about Monster, and given the degree to which Mr and I know him (which is quite extensive as we have had to infer emotions/moods likes/dislikes given his previously limited verbal skills), it was a unique and blessed surprise to find out that he likes to write. Not just copy letter or words (which he really doesn't seem to enjoy, or rather rushes through most of the time we work with him) but to put down thoughts and feelings.
When we first found out he was keeping a journal at school, as a class assignment, I naturally assumed he was just copying something that someone else wrote or told him to write (To the wonderful women of his school, my deepest apologies for such an ignorant assumption). Not so. Not so at all. He writes (in his very poor handwriting, rushing too much, I'm sure) about what he sees in pictures, what he draws (he does quite a wonderful self portrait ;)), what he likes. His teacher told us that he will often keep writing beyond the simple statements they expect and they are even incorporating his writing down of requests. It may seem odd to the parent of a typical child to find out that their kid likes chocolate chip cookies-their kids have probably told them many times, both directly and indirectly, of their affection for them. I knew that Monster was partial to cookies since he will ask for them, but for the first time I saw, in his own hand, that he likes chocolate chip cookies (even the gluten/casein free ones we give him). He, apparently, also enjoys playing heads up, seven up, which was a personal favorite of mine growing up, and has raised his hand in class.
And we all marveld at how wonderful Monster's aide is and it just reinforces what we've known all along, Monster can do this if he has the right support.
And he's smart. I'm sure the teachers had no idea how much it meant to Mr and I to hear an educational professional say he was smart. Once upon a time in an alternate universe, Monster's IQ was measured at 58. There was no discussion about the relevance or how kids with autism had issues with IQ tests, yet it was implied that he had cognitive delays. It really wouldn't have mattered to us if he did have cognitive delays, but given the inaccuracies of the testing, we had no idea if he did indeed have more challenges to face. It may not be a wise or good thing to do, but I do have expectations about Monster's future and the not-knowing was worrisome, at least to me (I think Mr. has always had faith). Being told he was smart, along with his enjoyment of wanting to be around other kids does a lot to put my mind at ease.
All-in-all, a very wonderful (if also emotional) experience and one I would gladly repeat!
Today's videos include Monster reading with his dad-it is a PEC book where he matches the icon (an illustrated word to finish a sentence-a cool way to learn vocabulary, especially for a visual learner like Monster).One is him cutting out a shape (actually I decided to go with him doing math) and one is him at horseback riding. I'll post them in a bit.
Our previous school was somewhat special, it only included (for the most part) children with special needs. Thus, we didn't really have things like open house and parent teacher conferences. Then, we would consider our annual IEP as the parent-teacher conference with multiple off-the-cuff meetings whenever parents and service providers/teachers managed to find time.
So today was a new experience for us, and with all of our new experiences, it was both wonderful and emotional. Of course, I had a difficult time not crying (and in fact did shed some tears but Mr. says it wasn't noticeable). I found out something I never knew about Monster, and given the degree to which Mr and I know him (which is quite extensive as we have had to infer emotions/moods likes/dislikes given his previously limited verbal skills), it was a unique and blessed surprise to find out that he likes to write. Not just copy letter or words (which he really doesn't seem to enjoy, or rather rushes through most of the time we work with him) but to put down thoughts and feelings.
When we first found out he was keeping a journal at school, as a class assignment, I naturally assumed he was just copying something that someone else wrote or told him to write (To the wonderful women of his school, my deepest apologies for such an ignorant assumption). Not so. Not so at all. He writes (in his very poor handwriting, rushing too much, I'm sure) about what he sees in pictures, what he draws (he does quite a wonderful self portrait ;)), what he likes. His teacher told us that he will often keep writing beyond the simple statements they expect and they are even incorporating his writing down of requests. It may seem odd to the parent of a typical child to find out that their kid likes chocolate chip cookies-their kids have probably told them many times, both directly and indirectly, of their affection for them. I knew that Monster was partial to cookies since he will ask for them, but for the first time I saw, in his own hand, that he likes chocolate chip cookies (even the gluten/casein free ones we give him). He, apparently, also enjoys playing heads up, seven up, which was a personal favorite of mine growing up, and has raised his hand in class.
And we all marveld at how wonderful Monster's aide is and it just reinforces what we've known all along, Monster can do this if he has the right support.
And he's smart. I'm sure the teachers had no idea how much it meant to Mr and I to hear an educational professional say he was smart. Once upon a time in an alternate universe, Monster's IQ was measured at 58. There was no discussion about the relevance or how kids with autism had issues with IQ tests, yet it was implied that he had cognitive delays. It really wouldn't have mattered to us if he did have cognitive delays, but given the inaccuracies of the testing, we had no idea if he did indeed have more challenges to face. It may not be a wise or good thing to do, but I do have expectations about Monster's future and the not-knowing was worrisome, at least to me (I think Mr. has always had faith). Being told he was smart, along with his enjoyment of wanting to be around other kids does a lot to put my mind at ease.
All-in-all, a very wonderful (if also emotional) experience and one I would gladly repeat!
Today's videos include Monster reading with his dad-it is a PEC book where he matches the icon (an illustrated word to finish a sentence-a cool way to learn vocabulary, especially for a visual learner like Monster).One is him cutting out a shape (actually I decided to go with him doing math) and one is him at horseback riding. I'll post them in a bit.
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