October 2008
Dear
Parents,
It is hard to believe that we have completed eight weeks of instruction. I am proud of our students’ progress and the teachers’ efforts. The grade level team collaborative meetings have changed the way we work with students. The teacher teams are involved in the constant, collective inquiry into “What is it we want our students to learn?” and “How will we know when each student has learned?” The research proves that “continuous and sustainable school improvement requires three ingredients: a shared language,an empowered leadership group, and time” (DuFours, Learning by Doing, 2006). The teachers on grade level teams are creating common assessments and jointly analyzing the students’ performance in order to make instructional decisions for each child. Students’ test results and classroom performance data will drive our instructional strategies. The September national tests results of our first, third and fifth grade students will be valuable information which will also aid in the planning for units of learning.Our kindergarten teachers are using the new GKIDS assessment program to gather information. The second and fourth grade students will be involved with math on-line testing during October. The new Super Specials schedule is developing our capacity to help all students learn at high levels.
The Due West PTA continues to go above and beyond by supporting our professional work. The Boosterthon Fun Run was a huge success. The community evaluation of this fund raiser was extremely positive.Thank you to Suzanne Beall, Susan Piotrowski, and their committee members for your research and time.
Together We Are Better! Thank you for your support and communication as we all help the children grow.
Sincerely,
Cynthia N. Hanauer
