UNDERSTANDING THE STANDARDS

Each year we hear from families about the need to better understand the standards that we are using to build and revise our curriculum, prepare for instruction, and target in our assessments. Students at every grade, kindergarten to 12th grade, are expected to work towards mastery of these set standards over the course of the year. The National PTA created Math and ELA overview guides for families that target the standards at each grade level.  We have found these to be of high quality and really helpful for parents.  These helpful documents are available by clicking on the following links, and through our Clark-Wilkins website.

Parents' Guide to Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade, Fourth Grade

NWEA

During the weeks of September 24th and October 1st, all Kindergarten – fourth grade students will participate in our NWEA assessments. The reading and math NWEA assessments help your child’s teacher to develop a clear picture of what your student knows and what they are ready to learn next. Both assessments are administered on the computer and are “adaptive,” meaning that the questions presented to the test take change based on the child’s response. For example, when a student answers a question correctly, the test follows up with a more challenging question. When an incorrect response is given, the assessment follows up with an easier question. The results from these assessments will be shared with families at the end of the first trimester with report cards.

OPEN HOUSE

The dates and times have been set for our Open House Nights, which take place on Monday, September 24th for grades one and two, and Tuesday, September 25th for preschool, Kindergarten, grade three, and grade four. Your child’s classroom teacher will also be sending out reminders about Open House Nights. Open House Nights provide families with an opportunity to meet the staff, visit classrooms and learning spaces, and see the school through your child’s eyes. We hope that you can join us.

ATTENDANCE

Thank you to all families for working hard each day to get your child(ren) up, out and ready for school on time. Regular and punctual attendance at school is essential for your student’s immediate and long-term growth and success. Arriving at school on time (8:10-8:25 AM) and staying until the end of the day (3:00 PM at Clark, 3:05 PM at Wilkins) ensures that your student is present for all learning opportunities (social, emotional, academic, and behavioral).

This year, we will be reaching out more regularly to families when a threshold of excessive tardies and absences are recorded. Our goal in connecting with families is to build a supportive relationship where we can work in tandem to increase student attendance at school, and therefore positively impact student success. If your child is sick and staying home from school, please call the school before 8:25 and/or enter the absence in PUP. Please state the reason why your child will be staying home, this information is important as we track illnesses passing through the school. Please refer to the Parent/Student Handbook for more details about when you child should stay home.

Have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy the first days of fall.

Respectfully submitted by Nicola Fraley, Principal