I am very excited to begin the 2007-2008 school year. We have worked very hard this summer to fill all newly allotted positions. We have added about thirteen new faces to our staff this school year! I am confident that these new staff members will be valuable assets to East Side.

Our school met Adequate Yearly Progress in the designated grades of third, fourth, and fifth. Per Georgia Public Policy Foundation, East Side ranked # 70 in the State of Georgia based upon our total achievement score on the CRCT. Our overall reading total achievement score was 97.5% with 58% of our students exceeding state standards. Our fifth grade writing scores were very good. Ninety percent of our fifth grade students met or exceeded state expectations for writing. As a staff, we will work hard to bridge the gaps of student achievement to ensure that we increase the level of performance of every child. We, as teachers, must work hard to involve parents by clearly and consistently communicating and defining the learning expectations for our students. Also important are the identification and communication of student academic deficits and concerns.

This school year we will again make writing a focus by continuing to implement 6+1 Traits of Writing with an additional emphasis on conventions. Our school-wide data team met in July to analyze our test scores and discuss planning for this year. It became evident in our meeting that grade level collaboration must be a priority this school year. Grade level teams will collaborate consistently throughout the school year to study the standards and plan lessons that are highly engaging and differentiated for the learning styles of students. Several grade levels planned together this summer and are enthusiastic about their academic lessons for the year.

Also, several staff members voluntarily participated in summer professional reading that I selected related to topics that I feel are pertinent to East Side’s vision and mission. The topics included grading practices, discipline and professional learning communities. We will discuss these topics as a staff and develop common school-wide practices that promote student success and are fair and practical.

As always, I greatly appreciate the commitment that East Side parents make to the total school. How fortunate we are to have a community that appreciates the importance of a strong home-school connection. I look forward to another productive and successful school year! I enthusiastically welcome our new families and look forward to meeting you and your child(ren). You will quickly learn that East Side has a “neighborhood school” appeal even though our enrollment is nearly one thousand!

Elizabeth J. Mavity,

Principal