It is hard to believe that the school year is almost over. Earnest Hemingway, novelist and Nobel Prize winner, said, “It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.”
What a great journey we have had this year! Thank you for taking that journey with us.
This year, we focused on three main goals:
1. Students construct mathematical knowledge and grow as mathematicians/problem solvers.
We put an emphasis on more multi-step problems, estimating all problems, putting all problems in context, and varying wording and types of questions to promote critical thinking.
We implemented DreamBox for use at school and at home. We tracked the number of Dreambox units and lessons completed and set school goals per trimester. To encourage friendly competition among classes, we implemented the Dreambox class of the month, providing Husky Dogs and trophies. We implemented Dreambox as homework to ensure a minimum of 90 minutes per week for all students.
2. Students efficiently and effectively read and write.
Students were encouraged and expected to read independently. We focused on the three key shifts for English Language Arts by building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational texts and by having students read, write, and speak grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational. And, students were regularly provided practice with complex text and its academic language.
Teachers developed a writing workshop, so that students wrote routinely as part of the process.
Students were expected to become independent writers of narrative texts, research reports, idea-based writing, memoir writing, opinion writing, and argumentative essays.
Students independently read and passed tests on 55,239 books this year, making an average score of 87 on their tests. Our students achieved a total of 125,131 Accelerated Reader points this year. This translates into 827,763,414 words read by our students! We have approximately 300 students who read a million words or more!
3. Students assume leadership roles in our school, our community, and their homes.
Students were expected to assume leadership roles in class, clubs, community activities, and in the home.
Opportunities to lead were created in the classroom, WPIN, Safety Patrol, Clubs, etc. Student of the Month and Leader of the Month ceremonies acknowledged and celebrated student leaders.
Leadership was highlighted through displays throughout the building. Teachers read The Leader in Me and implemented strategies from the book. The counselors used The 7 Habits as the foundation of their guidance/character education program. Student leaders lead monthly assemblies and parent meetings that highlighted student leaders. American history, government, and democracy were taught to all students in grades 3-5. Students said the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag and sang patriotic songs daily.
This summer we encourage students to continue the reading they have done throughout the school year. Summer reading lists will be sent home with report cards. Students are expected to read one of these books this summer, in addition to others of their choice. Students who don't read over the summer return to school at a disadvantage. It is a challenge to get back in the academic habit when students don't read or do any math for several weeks.
Please take advantage of DreamBox this summer. Students who complete 25 or more lessons this summer will be rewarded by the math coach in August. The lessons do not have to be unique lessons; students may repeat lessons, gaining valuable practice and exemplar status.
Thank you for your support of our students, staff, and programs this year. We hope you have a safe, fun, restful summer! We look forward to beginning a new journey in August.
Beth Bruno, Principal
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