Thursday, August 18, 2011

Savannah's 1st Day of Second Grade and Early Parent/Teacher Conference


First Day of School

Somehow, that tiny little baby I held back in the Summer of 2004, my first child, is now in second grade. That just seems so big to me. It just amazes me that she is this old. People who told me it would fly by are right..it has flown by. She is growing into such a wonderful young lady..I am proud of her, but sometimes I miss that tiny baby that did not seem to know babies are supposed to sleep (well, that is one thing that has not changed - she still thinks sleep is highly overrated).

She attends a local private Christian school. We really love it there. There are small class sizes and the teachers are all great. Also, I love the focus the school puts on Christian living. I am so happy she is able to have this "extra" instruction. I feel safe leaving her there. I never really did when I left her at a public school (not that there is anything wrong with public school usually - that is just a long story).

Here are some pictures of her in her uniform on the first day of school:

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Parent/Teacher Conference

On the 3rd day of school I had a conference with her teacher. I would have requested one anyway, but the school decided to have teachers have Week 1/2 conferences with all the parents in order for the teachers to get a better basic understanding of the kids in their class. I think that is such a wonderful idea!

This is what I found out about Savannah:

Her math skills are off the chart. She is very good at math.

Her reading level test was not finished, but she was already at the 3rd grade level and still climbing. This means she has passed the A to Z leveled readers and will be doing chapter books instead.

Her comprehension skills are also testing high.

Her weak areas are spelling and handwriting. We will work on these. I was always good at spelling. I was one of the first kids picked if you were having a team spelling contest in school, but my husband said spelling was one of his weaker subjects (meaning yeah sometimes he missed ONE). That is okay though..spelling we can work on. She is still around 50%, so it is not like she just CANNOT do it. Handwriting she may always struggle with. People with NF1 often have trouble with their handwriting (this will be mentioned in more than one of the links I will have at the end of this section of the post). I think she can do it if she puts her mind to it.


I also made 2 packets about Savannah. I gave one to the office and one to her teacher. I collected and wrote some information about Savannah and put it in a 3 prong folder with dividers. I also included a calendar of all the days she would miss due to treatments, therapies, and doctors appointments this month. I will send a new calendar every month.

1st Section - Information I wrote about Savannah - her likes and dislikes, things that work and things that do not as far as discipline goes, her reactions to certain stimuli, things to monitor in regards to the mass in her brain, etc.

2nd Section - NF1 information

Educating the NF Child

About NF

About NF1


Third Section Information about ADHD

ADHD Education

Educating the child with ADHD

Fourth Section Information about Sensory Processing Disorder

Sensory Processing Disorder

Educating the Child with SPD


Fifth Section

This was just a section on all the medications she is taking plus a print out on what they are,possible side effects, and what sudden side effects warrant immediate attention.


Outlook for the Year

I have a very positive outlook for this year. The teacher is very hands on and Savannah loves that and will thrive in that environment. I think as far as school goes this will be a great year! I just pray that her health holds out and she is able to enjoy the year fully!

3 comments:

  1. Dana - you are just way too organized! :) But, it sounds like Savannah is off to a wonderful start!! She looks so cute in her uniform! :) Is she going to KCS?

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  2. That is awesome! As a former teacher, I actually suggested parents write a "letter" to me about their child's likes, dislikes, strengths...and so on. I think it very wise to include the teacher and the school. Will the school share with teh school nurse (if there is one)?

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  3. Yes, she is at KCS. We love it there..it is a wonderful place! I would recommend it to everyone! (It is not as expensive as you would think and they do give multiple child discounts)

    There is not a school nurse at this time. However, I did leave another copy of all the information in the office so all the administrative staff and ancillary staff/teachers could read it as well.

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