Welcome to a new school year!
We have been getting ready and can’t wait to see you and the students after what we hope was a fun and relaxing summer for all of you. We are very excited about the results of our academic testing last year. Our students consistently scored in the top three or four schools in reading and math on the ISAT with a score of 96.4% proficient in reading and 94.6% proficient in math. We were proficient in all grade levels on the IRI with some of our grades scoring first, second or third in the district. Yet we are not satisfied! We will be working to increase academic achievement for all students this coming year and look forward to working with you to do this. This also requires students to be actively engaged. They will be setting their own goals as usual and living up to the school mission: “I am responsible and always learning.”
There will be many resources which will help us realize gains this year. At the Kindergarten level, it is hard to maintain a consistent momentum when students are in every other day. Therefore an online resource KISS (Kindergarten Instructional Support System) has been developed with activities that will promote learning on the days when students are not in school which Kindergarten parents will explore during parent orientation. Additional systems that promote learning are in place in all regular classrooms. You may have seen the interactive whiteboards which allow us to provide more visual and auditory learning opportunities and we have been able to acquire them for all regular classrooms through grants and Title I funding. We also have sound systems which provide another means of engaging students in all classrooms. Technology will help us this year as we work to provide parents and students with resources and work to personalize and individualize learning to meet the needs of all students.
I know that all students will be looking forward to the Carnival being held in September- our PTA has spent hours making sure it will be a fun and exciting event. Look for the packet coming home the first week of school for dates and times. Another important date will be back to school night on September 7th. During this time you will find out about classroom curriculum and expectations for the year. We look forward to seeing everyone there and to your involvement in school this year. We know how important parents are and love to have you in the classroom. There are a wide variety of opportunities to support your child and the school. To find out more about this, talk to your child’s teacher and the PTA.
Thank you for your strong support for Ellis!
Dr. Betsy Goeltz
“We are responsible and always learning.”
