Reading Friends Preschool/Kindergarten

I had the opportunity to visit Reading Friends Preschool and Kindergarten in the Highland Village a few weeks ago. I was excited because it is a place that I had heard about from one of my friends as having a really structured, yet creative approach to learning.

The Reading Friends program is is an academic Preschool for children ages 2 through Kindergarten which is structured and multi-sensory.  They take abstract/academic subjects and make them age-appropriate, concrete and meaningful to your young child.

And all of this is delivered in a fun, loving and nurturing environment.

Imagine visiting a jungle (aka Reading Friends Pre-Kindergarten Language Class for 4 year olds):     A different book introduces a jungle friend, and each friend represents a different letter of the alphabet.  The explorers sing along with Sis the Snake and her Jungle Band.  Mag the Monkey leads out with song and dance.  Tat the Toucan teaches about tattling.  Pal the Parrot demonstrates the importance of cleaning up after an adventure.  Every character has its own unique personality, and the kids adore them all! Language is exciting when jungle friends lead the way through learning letters and sounds.

There is great joy and learning by DOING.

Reading Friends was started here in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and has been teaching DFW kids for 21 years.  Their unique and innovative learning program has been developed and refined over the years.  The Phonics Advantage curriculum is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach of teaching phonics and language structure.

The bottom line is…it works!

The kids have fun participating in every aspect of learning.

What I loved the most about the school was the incorporation of exercise, movement and sensory activities into every activity. As a (no longer practicing) Physical Therapist, I know how exercise and movement impact brain function. As a mom of three boys, I know that energy expenditure is essential! Reading Friends keeps their students moving while learning.

Parents love the school almost as much as the kids do…

I met with Graham’s teacher today for the first Parent Conference and she had nothing but good things to say. I have to share that Graham had a green (best behavior) EVERY DAY for the 1st 6 weeks! So we’re off to a great start.  Just wanted to reiterate that I know Reading Friends gave us such a great foundation for K and beyond, and we are so grateful for that. –Kim, Parent of former Reading Friends Student

Burb Mom is excited to announce a Reading Friends coupon for our readers:

Special Offer for new families at the Moccassin Trail, Lewisville location –receive $75 off your first month’s tuition (limit one per family).

It really is something you should check out.  The school is located convenient to Flower Mound, Highland Village and Lewisville at 1439 Moccassin Trail.  You can find out more information by calling Marlo Senick, School Director at (972) 317-7772 or by filling out this form.

You will know if this is the right place for your child after exploring what Reading Friends has to offer…

Parent Advocates for Argyle Schools

There’s a new web site in Argyle.  It’s called Parent Advocates for Argyle Schools.  It’s run by parents, for parents.  It’s mission is to inform.

The site offers resources [many great sites to keep your kids learning this summer!], tips, advice, and pertinent links to help parents navigate through the Argyle ISD educational system [though the majority of the site’s content is applicable to any school district or system!].   As renaissance philosopher Sir Francis Bacon said, “Knowledge is power”.   The site is run by two educators: a principal, and a former middle/high school teacher.  They value and welcome community input in making this site a valuable resource for our schools, so stop by, visit, pose a question, or leave a comment!

If you have a specific question, need help or an advocate, or simply need to voice a concern  or get advice in a safe environment, visit the Ask An Educator Page and post your question.

Be sure to check back regularly as more and more links and topics will be added.  Current topics include:

Policy Topics:

• What is the role of the Board of Trustees?

• What is the Complaint/Grievance Process?

Argyle ISD Topics:

• How do Argyle schools rank compared to similar schools?

Learning and/or Teaching Topics:

• Inspired Teaching

• Discovery Learning

• Dual Credit vs. AP

• Texting and Cheating in the Classroom

General Education and Hot Button Topics:

• Top Performing Public High Schools: Dallas Ranks with # 1 and # 2

• The Importance of Social Responsibility

• Service Learning vs. Community Service

Upcoming informational blog topics will include:

• How do you address an academic concern with your child’s teacher?

• What are the TEKS and how do you know your children are being taught the TEKS throughout the school year?

• How are teachers and administrators evaluated?

TEENS TO LEARN LIFE-SAVING DRIVING SKILLS FOR FREE

Non-profit organization continues its mission to help save the lives of young drivers

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of America’s teens according to the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration. In 2007, there were 3,363 motor vehicle related fatalities in the state of Texas, making
it the 2nd deadliest state in the country for motor vehicle deaths. Of those fatalities, 805 (or about 24 percent)
were young people aged 16 to 24. Driver’s Edge, with its innovative and potentially life-saving instructional
program, will make its eighth visit to Texas to help tackle this problem. On April 18 and 19, young drivers can
benefit from this non-profit organization’s free program as the 2009 Driver’s Edge National Tour visits Texas
Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth.

Driver’s Edge includes the following elements:

- Classroom and behind-the-wheel defensive driving instruction on skid control, evasive lane change
maneuvers, anti-lock braking skills and panic-braking techniques, plus written tests designed to test
knowledge both before and after students are behind the wheel;

- Local law enforcement interaction, including impaired driving awareness and seat belt safety; and

- Proper car maintenance session based on Firestone Complete Auto Care’s Car Care Academies.
WHAT: Driver’s Edge provides real-life training for young drivers in an effort to combat the
unacceptably high annual number of teen auto collisions and driving fatalities. This exciting
half-day program presented with an “MTV flavor” includes classroom and behind-the-wheel
training for young drivers. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend as well.
WHEN: Saturday April 18, 2009 Sunday April 19, 2009
Session One: 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Session One: 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Session Two: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Session Two: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Texas Motor Speedway
3545 Lone Star Circle
Ft. Worth, Texas 76177
WHO: Jeff Payne, Driver’s Edge founder, Steven Tepper, Driver’s Edge president, and the Edge
team of professional racecar drivers and performance driving instructors.
**Members of the media are invited to come out and test their skills behind the wheel.**
TO ATTEND: Young drivers, aged 15 to 21, possessing a valid learner’s permit or driver’s license, must
register in advance at www.driversedge.org. Each day, a total of 200 young drivers (plus
their parents) have the opportunity to attend.
While the value of a comparable program is $450 per person, there is no charge for young drivers to attend
Driver’s Edge, thanks to private charitable donations and the generous support of community-minded
partners such as Bridgestone Americas, Inc., Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC (the “presenting
partner” of the Driver’s Edge National Tour), Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC, the IndyCar Series and the
CarMax Foundation.

Information and image are from the Driver’s Edge Website.

Kinderconcerts by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

We had the pleasure of joining our friends at the Fort Worth Symphony’s Kinderconcert presentation of Green Eggs and Ham recently. Kinderconcerts are part of the educational programs that are provided by the Fort Worth Symphony. They are geared to ages 3-6.

The concert was 35 minutes long – I want to thank those in charge of this program for addressing the needs of their wiggly audience by creating a concert of the perfect length.

It started with an overview of the instrumental sections. Each section of the Orchestra had on a different color shirt so the kids could identify what instruments went together.

They then played snippets of music related to different emotions.

And then on to Green Eggs and Ham which was performed by two singer/actors accompanied by the orchestra. It was cute and well done.

The kids watched with attention.

More information about the educational concert series by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra can be found on their website.

Academic Redshirting

Flower Mound and Highland Village Parents Waiting to Launch Kindergartners

Sam Van Ooven and his twin sister Anna were newborns when their parents began discussing kindergarten placement.

Like many well-educated couples, Steven and Laurie Van Ooven knew that their kids’ late July birthday would likely make them some of the youngest children in their class–and perhaps put them at a disadvantage academically and socially when competing with chronologically older peers.

So by the time their twins were five, the decision was almost a no-brainer: Following an additional readiness assessment, the siblings would do an “encore” year of preschool at Trietsch Enrichment Center in Flower Mound before moving on to kindergarten. This would give the siblings time to mature before taking on the rigors of an elementary-school curriculum.

“I think we almost decided at birth,” Mr. Van Ooven said. “They were summer babies. And since we had a boy coming, well, it was something that was pretty straightforward.”

Sam and Anna have plenty of company.

Six percent of all children eligible for kindergarten under state statutes in the Lewisville Independent School District are held back by their parents–a practice nicknamed “academic redshirting” by educators.

While that number is comparable to those in other communities nationwide, it is noteworthy that more than half of all children redshirted in LISD live in the affluent communities of Flower Mound and Highland Village, said Kathy Haule, the district’s Early Childhood Supervisor.

This means that on average, every kindergarten in these communities has at least one or two children who might be upwards of six and a half years old–a whole 18 months older than his or her classmates.

“I moved here from another part of Texas three years ago and it wasn’t even an issue, but it is quite a big topic here in LISD,” said Ms. Haule, whose position was created to coordinate the district’s pre-K and kindergarten programs.

Meanwhile, national experts are at odds over whether or not such practices help or hinder individuals.

“The research is mixed,” said Donald Easton-Brooks, an assistant professor of Teacher Education and Administration at the University of North Texas in Denton who has studied redshirting. “If you’re an impoverished community where parents can’t provide meals, then schooling…would be beneficial. If you’re a child in an affluent community, I don’t know how delaying a child would be a benefit.”

Moreover, Easton-Brooks worried about the societal impact on ethnic minorities, who are far less likely to be redshirted than their white peers and thus are competing with significantly older children. Pitting such children against one another is simply unfair, he said.

He said one thing is clear: The trend will continue–and escalate–especially in communities like Flower Mound and Highland Village where parents have the money to make choices.

READY OR NOT?

Currently, 125 of LISD’s 3,810 kindergarteners who started school in the Fall of 2008 have been previously redshirted, though parents’ reasons for doing so isn’t clear from district data, Ms. Haule said.

While the district does not currently keep track of redshirting trends, it seems as though more families become more concerned about kindergarten readiness when the district moved from half-day to full-day kindergarten in the 1990s, said Dean Tackett, a public information officer for LISD who served as an elementary school principal for 17 years.

“Parents began worrying about the demands and the endurance needed,” Mr. Tackett said. “When you’re in the suburbs, parents want kids to be stronger, faster, brighter.”

Despite interest in the topic, the district’s policy is in line with state laws and thus administrators encourage those with children who turn five years old by September 1 to enroll them in kindergarten, Ms. Haule said.

“Our official position is that any child legally of the age has a right to be education,” she said.

Still, many practitioners throughout the district including Ms. Haule encourage families to assess their children themselves for signs of readiness, consult with preschool teachers, day care providers and pediatricians before making any decisions.

Brandi Valor of Flower Mound talked to her daughter’s preschool teacher then opted to redshirt Isabelle, who was born August 13, based on the belief that she needed time to master academic fundamentals.

“Our daughter has always excelled socially, with her vocabulary, her conversation skills and the like,” Ms. Valor said. “We felt the extra time to master her letters and numbers would be time well spent. We want school to be a fun, exciting experience for our kids, not something they have to struggle with.”

Marion Greer of Lewisville was sure her “sweet, sensitive son” was ready academically for kindergarten even though he had a late August birthday, yet she was concerned he didn’t quite have the social skills necessary. Thus, she held him back.

“It was the best decision we’ve ever made–he bloomed in that extra year,” the former kindergarten teacher said. “I truly believe allowing students to have maturity when starting school is the greatest gift we can give.”

She added that the benefits have been long-lasting: Not only did he have a positive kindergarten experience, but he also excelled in first and second grades and is performing well now as a third grader.

While parents like Ms. Greer often make such observations, early childhood education advocates aren’t so sure children who are redshirted gain anything from it.

“There is no research to support the idea that holding a child back helps them in school–even if the kid is young,” said Jerlean E. Daniel, the deputy executive director at the Washington-based National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Ms. Haule, of LISD, countered that even if there is an advantage early on, “the bottom line is that any gain the child seems to have socially or emotionally going in seems to diminish by middle or high school.”

She added that “research shows that academic gains…begin to even out by third grade.”

Furthermore, Ms. Daniel contends that some of the very children who parents aim to help are actually hurt by redshirting.

Families have to ask themselves, “is my six-year-old going to be bored (academically) or really far ahead in terms of life experience?” she said.
If so, hanging out with five-year-olds is going to be a drag, Ms. Daniel added.

Furthermore, children who are bored often become behavior problems, she said.

ASSESSMENT KEY

The best thing to do, then, is to assess the individual child and remember that kindergartens include a diverse group of students, said BeLinda Nickel, who has served as principal of Heritage Elementary School in Highland Village for 11 years. “Some kids come very, very prepared and others don’t know letters or have number recognition.”

This is expected, she said, and addressed by kindergarten teachers who aim to help all children gain the knowledge an skills needed to move on to first grade.
Moreover, a child who has a strength in one area will likely have a weakness in another, added Robin Macke, the principal of Wellington Elementary School in Flower Mound. Thus, a student who has mastered the alphabet can work on learning to sit quietly during story time, she said.

Remember, too, that age won’t change a child’s personality, she said. Those who are shy might always be shy–and they’ll gravitate towards others who are quiet, too.

“If you can rule out possible learning issues…and everything else is intact, bring ‘em to me,” Ms. Macke said.

As a mother of six children, she admits this is easier said than done.

“The hardest thing,” Ms. Macke said, “is to stand back and say ‘It’s going to be fine.’”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Julie Blair is a freelance journalist based in the Dallas area. She has written about local, state and national education issues for more than 10 years. Ms. Blair is also the author of the book “Building Bridges With the Press: A Guide for Educators.” Julie writes a personal blog, Chocolate Covered Pajamas.

New Program Takes Argyle Texas School Worldwide

Liberty Christian School started in 1980 in one room of a church. They now have a large, beautiful campus in Argyle that hosts 1200 students. Starting this fall an online program for 7th through 12th grades will take this local school worldwide.

Liberty Christian School has partnered with Point of View Ministries to extend a Liberty education to anyone, anywhere with a computer. This type of program has become very popular among college students and the trend is growing at the high school level.

Liberty Christian School will provide 7th – 12th grade online studies from a Christian Worldview curriculum. The tuition for the program is $6000. This is not a home school program. The students enrolled in Liberty’s online school will be taught by Liberty teachers. There are online groups and clubs. Through specialized conferencing software the online students will interact with each other and their teachers through video, instant messaging and chat groups. The students at home even see what the teacher writes on the white board.

More information and a “campus tour” of the Liberty Christian Online School can be found on Liberty Christian School’s website.

LookyBook: Bibliovores Beware!

Thanks to my friend Chandra, I found the greatest website called LookyBook and it is soon to become a favorite site of yours, I’m sure!

LookyBook allows you to click your way through children’s books with great detail. Enough to read the book yourself & see if it’s worth buying. Enough to even share with your child online & not have to buy the book! If you click on the little orange eyes at the top right corner of each book, it will take you to the LookyBook website to see a larger version of the story!

What a fantastic resource to have on hand! Granted, they don’t have some children’s titles. My first two searches for Where The Wild Things Are and Shel Silverstein came up empty.

BUT…there are tons of ideas they offer you, as well as a nifty search box that turned up great books when I searched for “insects” and “family.”

I looooove Patricia Pollaco!

Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is coming up on February 12th. No luck finding a book at the library…everyone already checked them out? No worries! Check LookyBook…

Working on a seed study, but not sure if a Gail Gibbons book is too young for your kiddo? Flip through it, give it a look…see if it’s a good fit!

I am so excited about this website! What a wonderful resource…thank you Chandra for sharing it!

When Heather isn’t snuggling on the couch reading books with her son, she can be found sharing homeschool stories at Reese’s View Of The World.