2014-15: The Year in Review

At the conclusion of the previous school year (and again at the beginning of the current school year) I shared with the teaching staff at the secondary building what I consider to be our list of accomplishments for that year. For you, I'd like to start off this year's series of newsletter articles by sharing that same list. 1. WIN Time—25 minutes a day are now dedicated to providing specific support to students earning low grades in their classes, needing extra help, and those with incomplete work. Students excelling in their coursework (which is most of them) use this time to keep up with class expectations and to help other students and work in groups. 2. Character Counts-- monthly activities based on a particular quality of a person’s character. Assemblies, breakfasts, and other activities tap into student interests, and are often student-planned. 3. Re-dos and re-takes are allowed on assignments and assessments. This emphasizes the fact that learning doesn’t stop, and encourages students to work harder for a better result. 3. Continuous curriculum improvements. Physics is offered on-site again, more rigorous mathematics curriculum for junior high students, even more refinement of the PSEO courses offered to our students, FOSS for grades 7-8, some new directions in the CTE and arts departments. In the 15-16 school year, we will re-examine our reading curriculum and results. 4. Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). D/F list now discussed and acted upon weekly by a small team of educators, committed to doing whatever it takes to see a child succeed. When a student is struggling, we are equipped to respond more quickly with interventions. 5. Our new Alternative Program allowed students to earn far more credits than they were earning in the regular program. Not only do many of the Alternative Program students credit this environment with preventing them from dropping out, but we saw a number of our students graduate last spring as a result of this opportunity. 6. Our new Credit Recovery option in the summer had a number of students attending in June and part of July working on recovering credits they lost through failing grades in regular classes, or taking required classes that are missing from their transcript. These accomplishments are only possible with the hard work and enthusiasm of our staff, but also through the trust and cooperation of our parents and students. We'll continue to do our best in educating and communicating with you throughout the year.