Dear Panther Parents,  

                It is spring already and our fantastic year of learning is not over yet. As we enter this month of MSP (Measurement of Student Progress) testing, we would like to highlight the things we have done, and the things which can be done to help kids learn more. We have attempted to assist as many kids in math this year with 30 minutes of help or extensions every day. It hasn’t been perfect, but we have made great strides to create a way for students who are experiencing difficulty to get help and not fall behind in math. We are working hard to implement the Common Core State Standards in math and English language arts. This is a huge undertaking, which causes changes in what kinds of learnings are expected from kids at each level, as well as a change in the resources used to support those standards. On top of that, our state has changed the evaluation model for teachers and principals to more of a “growth” model. This means there are over 40 dimensions and sub dimensions on which teachers and principals will need to be evaluated. Even though this new evaluation system holds tons of potential to positively affect learning, it will be a large shift for our teachers.

                All of this is to say we are juggling many balls in an effort to improve, and we need your help to sustain this effort. In surveying hundreds of research projects dealing with parental influences on student learning, author John Hattie summarizes, “Across all home variables, parental aspirations and expectations for children’s educational achievement has the strongest relationship with achievement…” In other words, when parents value learning at home and communicate high expectations to their kids on a consistent basis, kids achieve at higher levels. Do you want to know one of the worst contributors to student achievement? TV. I can hear the groans already! If all of us as parents would limit time in front of the television, and increase our discussion of school and learning, the research is crystal clear…our kids would learn more, way more.

                We appreciate all that you do as parents, and we know that the parent-school partnership must be strong in order to get more kids to learn more. Thank you for valuing school at home and giving our Panthers the consistent message from you that learning is super important now and in their future!

Sincerely,

Eric Price, Principal