Author: Van Am Gram

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Let’s get it started!

It’s an exciting time…the office is buzzing with new families enrolling, packages and boxes of supplies arriving, the phones ringing, and lots of fun conversations (just to name a few).  Teachers are arriving early to work in classrooms and design engaging lessons for learners.  We officially badge-b2sstart “staff meetings” on Tuesday morning next week, but we could almost start school today the building is so full (remember, I said almost…).  🙂

In preparation for the big day on Monday, August 26th, here are a few items to consider:

  • Go online to complete your child’s registration packet of updated information with your child’s code (see previous blog and links).
  • Start the daily routines now with a set bedtime; rest is critical and “banking” some extra rest now will help when the reality of routine kicks in later.
  • Explore healthy meal and snack options for school days; busy brains need great fuel!  What about those important after-school snacks too?
  • Check out the MISD Dress Code so there are no surprises.  Get those hair cuts scheduled too.
  • Pick a special shirt, pair of socks, sneakers, or another clothing item for the first day of school–everyone likes a little something special that very first day (hint, hint, Mr. Van).  🙂
  • Finally, talk about school, set up a homework area, and pack up the backpack.

We look forward an extraordinary year, Team Miller!  As a new young friend said today, “Let’s get it started!”  🙂

Meet the Teacher Night is next Thursday, August 22…HS – 2nd grade from 5:30-6:15 and 3rd-5th grades from 6:15-7:00.  See you then!

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Oh, the places we’ll go…

I had the honor today of reading to a sweet new friend coming to our Printcampus this year.  He chose the Dr. Suess book Oh The Places You’ll Go as his preference and we gathered together on the sofa for a few moments of shared reading time while his mom completed her “homework.”  I was instantly struck by this child’s questions, his curiosity, and his charming wit, not to mention his enthusiasm for learning to read in the days ahead.  “I will read with my new teacher on the first day, won’t I?”  (and believe me when I say I will make certain this occurs).  In fact, his entire attitude about starting school in a new place warmed my heart!  You see, this is his fifth school in one year of formal education; he is accustomed to moving and making new friends at a tender young age.  His resiliency and desire for learning are strong; he forges ahead with great passion.  His parting comment to me today: “We ARE off to great places so we’re on our way, Mrs. Van!”  🙂  Welcome to LaRue Miller Elementary little friend; oh the places we’ll go indeed!

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Online Registration is here!

online_regBack by wildly popular demand, this quick, easy online process allows our parents to electronically sign-off on their child’s first-day registration packet (sure wish I had this option when my own children were in school!).

To register, parents will need their child’s code that was recently mailed home on August 5th. Then, click the button below to start the registration process, or visit our first day packet webpage for more details.  Here’s hoping you find time today to take care of this process!

Registration (English)

Registration (Spanish)

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WHY reading is important…

Reading is everywhere!  Reading is the key to opening doors and avenues for every learner, no matter the age.  Whether it is success in school or society, a child’s ability to read is essential.  The written word is everywhere in our global lives and must be mastered…simple, huh?!

Of course I’m biased, but reading, just for the enJOYment of the experience, is a treasure to be savored.  Baby ReadingIt can take you to new heights on any given day in any given situation.  Reading stimulates the imagination through various genres—whether delving into a juicy mystery, solving the challenge of a crossword puzzle, devouring a recipe, or developing a wealth of knowledge on a new topic, reading is the catalyst for everything we do.

You are your child’s first teacher and your responsibility for the reading process starts long before entering the school doors.  Readiness involves inspiring your child to read through your example, making reading fun, and ensuring reading is a critical part of daily family life.  Making time for reading and creating an environment filled with non-stop reading experiences can be a challenge to every busy family, however, we know children emulate what is created around them.  What does your family do to support reading daily in your home?

Attaching positive experiences to the reading process for children creates an association of reading and enJOYment.  Even 5-yr.-olds still like “lap time” with a parent or grandparent!  Reading items in the grocery store while you shop, reading billboards and logos or signs as you drive, reading menus at restaurants—all these daily activities help in the overall process of learning to read!  A light bulb will go on when you least expect it and suddenly, you’ll find your child will read everything to you!

Library or bookstore cards can be a celebration of reading.  Visits to the library, a book store, or book fair should become a routine part of family life.  Encouraging a child to discover and find books on his or her own is rewarding.  After all, books personally chosen are usually books read because interest is there first; these same books often create memories and experiences the child uses later in life.

There are really two important aspects to the reading process:

  • Learning to unlock the word sounds
  • Understanding what those words mean

As a parent or teacher, children’s literature becomes an important tool to teach young learners not only words, but the meaning of what they read—those tricky comprehension skills.  Asking questions during the reading process enhances comprehension because it allows the learner to explain what she did (or perhaps did not) understand during reading.  Children experience life lessons during the reading process as well.  While hearing (or reading) a story, the child begins to relate her own life experiences and thoughts to what is read while gaining additional insight into who she is and what her ideas are.

We have many ideas to challenge our learners in their reading in the coming school year and we invite YOU to actively participate in this quest with us!  We can all agree, reading is important…now we need to unlock the desire in every single child this year to become a lifelong reader and learner!  Please join us!  🙂

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The little homerun lessons of life…

“Everyday is a new day which gives us a new opportunity to shape a child’s life.”  Thus begins the little jewel of a book called Life’s Little Lessons…An Inch-by-Inch Tale of Success by Joanne Scaglione and Gail Small.  This tale for children, parents, and teachers, inspires with a simple message, in fact, the authors have this to say: LLLbook “We hope to teach children that although life has it’s twists and turns…if we face life with our chin up we can accomplish anything!”  The story centers around a caterpillar named Cyrano who lives with his mom and spends a great deal of time in trouble with the school’s principal, Mr. Tweeterman.  Cyrano cannot make or keep friends, his teachers are so hard on him, and his dad has left home.  He is sent to Mr. BeeCallus’ class (known as the Bee Better class) where Mr. B recognizes his talent with a baseball…and you can probably guess the rest of the story.

Resonating throughout the book is the importance of learning life’s lessons when we’re young and how knowledge can lead us to greatness in the future.  When a young learner looks at me and asks, “Why do I need to know this, Mrs. Van?”, it is my sincere hope the WHY is always more important than the WHAT.

As we begin to start a new school year, there is great excitement and anticipation on the road ahead.  Here’s hoping you savor these last few days of summer time, family, friends, and fun…and here’s hoping the new school year allows each learner the opportunity to make multiple home runs of success!

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A little side trip…

Yes, it’s been a month since the last post and life certainly happens in the meantime!  Let’s just say I took a real break this summer by traveling beyond the borders, using my passport for the very first time, reading some ancient materials, absorbing astounding facts and history, and enJOYing the journey.  As a special gift this year (for a momentous birthday this month), my extraordinary husband flew me to my sister Assisiin Italy (who spends her summer teaching opera to up-and-coming stars in the genre).  If a place can be a soul friend, Italy is certainly a personal contender.  From small communities to cities like Florence and Rome, I had the uncanny feeling I truly belonged.

One of the most powerful observations along this journey were the children with their families.  It is tradition to work hours in the morning until about Noon, take a 3-4 hour break for lunch and sieste (most places close their doors during these hours!), finish up any business, and then go outside to greet friends and neighbors in the city squares (piazzas) before a family meal.  No matter where we traveled, this expectation was present.  While Italy certainly has beautiful cars and other interesting modes of transportation, walking and biking are usually their first choices.  Children are calm, well-behaved, interested, and incredibly tuned-into their environment.  Families and friends are highly engaged with one another by forging IMG_2846relationships, talking, and interacting together (like dads taking off their beautiful Italian shoes to play soccer in the piazzas on the walk home from work while still wearing their business suits).  There is a serene, subtle energy, but no one appears stressed or in a big hurry.  Meals can take hours, especially in the evening when several courses are served, because they talk about family, traditions, and life.  My Italian friends proudly tell me Italians know more about family and traditions than anyone; I believe them now!

We can take a lesson from these friends by slowing down some, savoring the moments more, and approaching everything with greater care and anticipation.  My challenge to learners, classroom leaders, and our families this coming school year is to try this at least ONE night per week.  Turn off the electronics (all of them), share a meal prepared together, and talk with one another about family, traditions, and life.  Here’s hoping you heed the challenge with great success!  🙂

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A.C.E. launches into new adventures!

MISD’s annual Academic Camp for Elementary or ACE is winding down today, but what a week around here!  Elementary students from around MISD have participated in the following ways:

Camp SCRAPs (Super Cool Recycled Art Projects), taught by Baxter teacher, Amy Sears.  Artists explored who uses recycled materials in their work while creating their own unique prints, paintings, drawings, collages, and other crafts using a variety of previously enjoyed materials blended with quality resources.

Drawing! Painting! Pottery! Crafts! was designed by Miller teacher, Scott Fiorenza.  Various art topics were explored through different mediums to create inspired artwork based on the art elements and principles of design.

Creating Music Using Technology, shared by Irvin’s music teacher, Adriane Brown, had students using technology to create and perform original compositions.  Digital instruments, iPads,, and other innovative online music programs were used.  Students performed a short program to showcase their amazing musical creations.

Be A Rocket Scientist, engineered by MHS teacher, Sarah Hardin, challenged rocketlauncherslearners to build genuine combustible engine rockets.  Young scientists ignited and launched their rockets in a special ceremony, marveling at each one soared upwards of 700 feet and then gracefully returned assisted by their skillfully crafted parachutes.

Balanced Brain-iacs, led by Vitovsky teacher, Paula Doskocil, focused on activities designed to enhance the brain’s function.  Students used balance boards, too backboards, rotation boards, balance beams, and the pendulum ball to enhance their handwriting, reading, and math skills as well as hand-eye coordination and focus.

Go Google, conceived by Vitovsky teacher, Stacee Johnson, used iPads and laptops to “go Google.”  Students researched topics of choice as they explored Google educational tools and web 2.0 applications to learn web search techniques and create a finished technology project to share with others.

Campers enthusiastically shared their overwhelming appreciation and thanks to these talented teachers for their creative experiences.  MHS Pals assisted and earned community service hours for participating during the week.  Special thanks to Miller AP, Robin Bass, and her team for leading the groups throughout the week.  Thanks to the campers, their leaders, and families who embraced the ideas and participated at the highest levels.  It’s great to launch into new adventures…and never better than the summertime!  🙂

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If you could not fail…

The picture asks the poignant question:  notfailWhat would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?  Failure is often perceived as an enemy, yet failure often provides the best lessons in life.  As a child (who is attending summer school in math right now) reminded me today, “we all need to experience failure in order to appreciate the success even more.” What a profound and positive attitude to have as we move forward to success!  So…what WOULD you attempt to do today if you were guaranteed not to fail?

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Summer Reading for Parents

“You who are on the road must have a code that you can live by…” ~Graham Nash~

“They certainly don’t come with instructions, Mrs. Van, and I didn’t even need a license to birth them either!”  Such was the beginning of a difficult conversation with a parent recently.  She’s correct!  I remember thinking, upon hearing the first whimper of my precious newborn child, “Oh dear; now I have to take her home, raise her, and pray it all turns out okay…”

There are two outstanding parenting books I recommended and loaned to this mom; we’re doing a book study with the first one right now:

Teach Your Children Well:  Parenting for Authentic Success (Why values and coping skills matter more than grades, trophies, or ‘fat envelopes’) by Dr. Madeline Levine, and

Building Resilience in Children and Teens:  Giving Roots and Wings by Kenneth R. Ginsburg.

Both books are highly recommended parent reading by the American Academy of Pediatrics in fact and I certainly wish both had been around for my personal reading long before now.

Teach-Your-Children-Well-Levine-Madeline-9780061824746Dr. Levine discusses in depth the critical need for strong core values and parenting choices that lead to authentic success for our children in place of exhausted, externally-driven children who believe they are only as good as their last performance.  As adults, we know real success is not measured by today’s report card, but by the person the child becomes in 15-20 years.  Dr. Levine argues and proves a strong point that our parenting style should solely concentrate on both enabling academic success as well as developing a sense of true purpose, well-being, connection to others, and meaning in their lives.  Her book is a call to action as we return to healthier, saner versions of ourselves.

When it was originally written in 2006, Mr. Ginsburg’s goal was to “translate the Building_Resiliencebest of what was known about positive youth development and resilience into strategies parents could apply at home.”  His pearls of wisdom now include previous observations as well as other gems devoted to preparing parents and communities to stand together against toxic society messages, maintaining  vital connections despite multiple moves and deployments (based on his work with military families), and how resilience should never be confused with invulnerability.  Just as children can reach their limits of resilience, so too can the adults who love and care for them…we all need to reboot!

Children thrive best when they have many layers of support!  We all are responsible for developing the strengths, values, and choices needed for personal success now and in the future.  Here’s hoping you’ll join us as we all continue working together to nurture our children today so they become the compassionate, creative 30-year-olds we need tomorrow.  After all, as my precious newborn (now 24) reminds me:  “I will be picking your assisted-living care, mom…”   🙂

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Water Safety Tips

As summer gets rolling now for our learners and their families, water safety is on my mind.  water_safetyHere are some tips from the American Red Cross:

  1. Learn to swim.  There are multiple courses offered by organizations and certified individuals in our area.
  2. Always swim with a buddy and never alone.
  3. Swim in areas supervised by adult swimmers (lifeguards at public pools, lakes, and beach swimming areas).
  4. Read and obey all the posted rules and signs, especially at the beach.
  5. Watch out for the dangerous “too’s” — too tired, too cold, too far from safety, too much sun, too much strenuous activity.
  6. Set water safety rules for the whole family based on swimming abilities.
  7. Be knowledgeable about the water environment you are in and the potential hazards (shallow or deep, riptides, etc.).
  8. Pay attention to local weather forecasts and conditions (summer storms and lightening in particular).
  9. Only dive when the area is clearly marked for it.
  10. Know how to prevent, recognize, and respond to water emergencies.  Being proactive versus reactive goes a long way to ensuring everyone’s water safety and a fun time!

We want our LME family and learning community to have a safe summer filled with all those activities (water in particular) that bring JOY.  It’s time to splash into some safe water fun today!  🙂