Science Fair

Last Friday, our 5th grade students competed in the final part of our school science fair. Winners from the classroom level competed and nine school winners were chosen. These students will compete in the district science fair on Monday, February 2nd. The following students were judged as school winners:

Daniel Charles
Erica Herndon
Tristan Hightower
Jordan Moran
Seth Rosier
Mary Grace Estes
Josie Sanders
Brion Schwery
Zach Vaughn

Best wishes to these students as they move to the next level of competition and congratulations to all of our students for their work on their science fair projects. You can check out their good work at our Math and Science Night on Monday, February 9th starting at 6:30 pm.

MAP Testing

I want to let everyone know our winter session of Measuring Academic Progress (MAP) testing begins on Monday. Over the next three weeks students in grades 2 - 5 will take computerized tests in reading, math and language usage. Our staff uses the data from these tests to individualize student instruction, look for trends and patterns within classes and grade levels, plan for remediation, and to share suggestions for improvement with our parents. You can help your child perform his/her best by ensuring they have a good night's rest before testing and that they have a good breakfast. Please also encourage them to do their best on the test.
After the testing cycle is complete, please contact your child's teacher to schedule a time to discuss the results.

The New Year

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We are off and running on the second half of the school year. We actually have a few days left in the first semester, but close enough! We have had a pretty good start after the holidays. It takes a little time to get everyone back in the swing of things but we are making progress.
Report cards will be sent home on January 21st. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's academic performance, please contact the teacher to schedule a conference. We will have an extended day for conferences on January 26th. Teachers will be available to meet with you until 6:30 that evening. Please contact your child's teacher to schedule a conference for this day or any other day that fits your schedule.
I want to share something I have noticed throughout my time in education. Generally, if a child is going to have a drop in academic performance, it happens during the 3rd nine weeks. It is after the holidays and we generally have fewer breaks during that time and that tends to wear on the students (and staff). Please work with us to be sure that is not the case for your child.
Have a great 2009!