Congaree Elementary Home

Hello. I am Mr. Becker, the principal at Congaree Elementary School. I am very excited to begin another school year here at Congaree. Let me tell you a little bit about our theme for this school year.

“Dream it!  Believe it!  Achieve it!”

In order for our students to learn, we will need to look closely at the standards and teach our students to think, reason, and problem solve in real-world situations on a deep level.  To accomplish this, we will all need to "dig deep" with a determination to reach each student at his or her academic ability.  We will "cultivate with care" so that the opportunities for learning each day are supported with compassion and encouragement.  We may then "expect growth."  

This will challenge our understanding of teaching and learning.  It will require we approach problems from a different angle.  It will mean we consider the process and not just the answer.  It will mean putting what we do in a real-world context rather than learning in isolation.  And it will take lots of perseverance from both the students and the adults in the classroom and at home.  Therefore we ask for your partnership.  Please stay in close contact with your child’s teacher.  The best way to communicate is in your child’s agenda or through class dojo.  You may find you child’s teacher’s email address on our school website under “Faculty & Staff.”    

Metacognition is when we think about what we learn.  In other words, when I learn something, what does my brain do, what do I think about, how do I learn it?  Sometimes we have to go through the steps one by one.  Sometimes we have to see the big picture before it makes sense.  Sometimes we have to go back and read it again (research indicates good readers go back and re-read all the time – that’s what makes them good readers).  When we think about our learning, we pay attention to what we do when we learn, so that we can do it again with other information or skills that may not be as easy to grasp.