S.A.T. Testing

First of all, a big thank you goes out to all of the families who made it to our Hawaiian Studies celebration dinner last Friday.  The evening was a wonderful conclusion to two action-packed days of field trips.  Thank you again to Mr. John Clark for taking us on a tour of our ahupua`a.  Please check out photos in the gallery!

For the past few months, we have been preparing for the S.A.T. test.  We have been meeting to practice and talk about test-taking strategies.  Now it is time to apply that practice to the actual test. The fourth graders will be taking the test next week, April 21-25. The test  will be every morning in Mrs. Lorenzana’s classroom. If you know of any possible conflicts for your child, please let me know immediately!  While the fourth graders are taking the test, the third graders will work with Ms. Byrne.  Please read on for some more S.A.T. information.

The S.A.T., version 10, will be composed of the abbreviated battery — multiple-choice tests in reading comprehension, spelling, language usage, vocabulary, and mathematics problem-solving and procedures.
 
Students will also be taking open-ended tests in reading, writing, and mathematics.  The open-ended tests focus on the processes for reading, writing, and problem-solving.  Students will be evaluated on a standard set of performance criteria.  For example, students will have 50 minutes to write on a given topic. In mathematics, students will have 50 minutes to work on ten word problems which incorporate the national mathematics standards.  For the reading section, students read one complete text and respond in writing to several questions of increasing complexity, from stating the main idea to making inferences.
 
The tests are norm-referenced standardized tests, i.e., your child’s score is compared with scores of thousands of other students in the same grade who took the S.A.T. at the same time of the year across the nation.

We usually receive the test results in the summer.  We will send home the test results, along with an explanation of score interpretations. 
   
You can help your child be ready for test-taking in the following ways:

***Make sure your child gets to bed at a reasonable time.

***Provide a good, healthy breakfast and snack.

***Get your child to school by 7:30 a.m. so he/she has time to settle in.

***AVOID asking every day, “So, how’d you do?” “Was it hard?” "Did you finish everything?” Your child will not really know.  When you ask these questions, you want some reassurances.  Instead, your questioning will cause unnecessary stress on you AND your child.

***Your child has already been working on test-prep materials in school and is well prepared to take this test.  Making your child do more test-prep booklets and worksheets at this point will only stress them out.
 
***Remember that this is supposed to be fun.

***Assure your child that you love them and are proud of them regardless of the results.
 

Posted at 10:23 AM| Permalink

Information About our "Day in Manoa" and trip to Polynesian Cultural Center

Attention, Third and Fourth Grade Families!

Our action-packed days of Hawaiian Studies adventures have arrived!  Next week Thursday, 4/10/08, and Friday, 4/11/08, the third and fourth grade classes will be exploring Manoa and traveling to the North Shore to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Here is the itinerary for both trips:

Polynesian Cultural Center
Fukumoto/Holzman Thursday, 4/10/08
Byrne/Lorenzana Friday, 4/11/08

7:40 am -10:30 am      Morning at school preparing for Friday’s dinner.
10:30 am                    Leave Mid-Pac
11:15 am                    Eat lunch at Kualoa Beach Park
12:30 pm -3:30 pm      Explore Polynesian Cultural Center
4:45 pm                      Pick up your child at Mid-Pac (Thursday only) at upper pick-up

Ahupua`a of Manoa (wear your “Day in Manoa” t-shirt)
Byrne/Lorenzana Thursday, 4/10/08
Fukumoto/Holzman Friday, 4/11/08

8:00 am - 9:00 am.        Manoa Chinese Cemetery.
9:00 am - 9:30 am.        Return to Mid-Pac for a restroom stop.
9:30 am - 10:30 am.      Koganji Temple
11:00 am -12:00 pm.     University of Hawai`i Hawaiian Studies Center (Lo'i Kalo) ***Please fill out release form.
12:00 am - 1:00 pm.      Lunch at Hawaiian Studies Center.
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm.        Historic sites on Waikiki Beach, including a walk through the Moana Hotel.
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm.        Maita`i catamaran ride.
4:30 pm                        Depart Waikiki from Monsarrat Avenue behind the Waikiki Bandstand.
4:45 pm                        Pick up your child at Mid-Pac (Thursday only)at upper pick-up

Please contact your child’s teacher if the Thursday pick-up time is going to be a problem for you. We will do our best to arrange rides or child-care for you.

Reminders:

• Bring lunch and snack for both days!

• Wear either your “Day in Manoa” t-shirt (Manoa Ahupua`a day) or dark green Mid-Pac shirt (Polynesian Cultural Center).

• Bring a water bottle.

• Wear a hat/visor.

• Put on sunscreen! Bring some to re-apply.

• Bring slippers or reef walkers for the boat (Manoa Ahupua`a day).

• You may want to bring a small towel on Manoa Ahupua`a day (not for swimming but in case your feet get wet or sandy).

• You may want to bring a change of clothes for Friday’s dinner.  You can bring this in any time before the field trip.
  

•  Please turn in the release form for the University of Hawai`i Hawaiian Studies Center (Lo'i Kalo) as soon as possible.
  

Dinner Information:
Please meet us at 5:30 at Scudder Dining Hall (lower campus).
5:30-6:00 Browse displays and watch slide show.
6:00-7:00 Eat!
***If you signed up to help set up, please meet us at Scudder at 5:00.
***If you signed up to help serve, please check in with Ms. Byrne when you get there.
***If you signed up to help clean up, we’ll give you instructions after dinner.
Thank you in advance for your help!

If you have any questions or concerns about our upcoming field trips, please contact me at (808)441-3817 or llorenzana@midpac.edu.

Posted at 4:22 PM| Permalink