Dear Parents,
On Thursday, October 29, the first quarter of the school year will come to an end. I know that
we often comment about the quick passage of time as these benchmarks of the year pass. The
first quarter is a very busy time; the excitement and flurry of activity that marks the start of the
school year, fall achievement testing, and Character Counts! week are just examples of the tasks
in which we participate during this time.
The first quarter is also the time when teachers and administration review and analyze the state
test results from the previous spring. With that information, building, grade level, and committee
goals are set and action plans are put into place. This was the focus of the School Improvement
(SI) Day held at the beginning of October. The staff has changed the goals of our School
Improvement Plan (SIP) from what they have been in recent years. Instead of focusing on grade
level performance from year to year, we will be working to improve student outcomes in an
identified group of students as they move through the grades. Here are our SIP goals for this
year:
Goal 1:
will meet or exceed state standards, as measured by the ISAT tests. This goal is based upon
growth within the cohort of students that were third graders in spring, 2009.
Goal 2:
will meet or exceed state standards, as measured by the 2009 ISAT Test
growth within the cohort of students that were third graders in spring, 2009.
GOAL 3:
groups are identified, using a variety of assessment devices, research-based interventions will be
provided, either by teachers or by teaching assistants, with regularity and intensity. Grade level
teams will meet quarterly to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions for individual
students, using progress-monitoring devices, and adjustments will be made in a timely manner.
Our academic focus is on literacy, building our students’ abilities to read efficiently, demonstrate
understanding of what they have read, and communicate effectively in writing. Our early
Wednesday meetings, grade level collaboration time, and staff development will relate
increasing our skills in providing even more valuable instruction for our students.
As always, if we can be of service, please do not hesitate to call or email Mr. Griffin or me.
Mrs. Susan Tiedt
Principal