Ten Week Update

 

We have been enjoying a mixture of beautiful fall leaves and snow topped peaks. Few would disagree that the setting of ACS is nothing short of breath taking.

 

Here are a few highlights since my last update:

 

Parent Teacher Conferences – On October 15 and 16 parents, teachers and students met to discuss student progress at school. The turn out was excellent indicating that parents are more interested than ever in partnering with school to enhance student learning. Our focus at conferences is on providing accurate information in four areas:

 

I’d appreciate any feedback you have about your conference. jgilchrist@discovercompass.org

 

School Improvement Plan – Every year we write a plan to improve the quality of education at ACS. It takes about three weeks of intense meetings and discussion and it’s worth the effort. The School Improvement Plan provides us with a clear road map of priorities for the year. We look at three areas: academic excellence, creating relevant leaning experiences and fostering relationships. Our goals are very specific and measurable. For example, we are focusing on research based quality instruction in the classroom. Part I of this goal was to create a clear description of what quality instruction looks like.  Part II is to increase the amount of feedback teachers receive from the Principal (5 Principal observations, per teacher per semester). Part three is to increase the amount of feedback teachers receive from their peers (two observations per semester).

Please take a look at the ACS school improvement plan for 2009-2010.

 

Community–  I see an incredibly focused staff, working with excited, motivated students. We are blessed with dedicated parents who are more than willing to partner with school to provide a quality experience.  What a team!

I’d like to invite you to attend an all school meeting at the Aspen Community School. Every Friday we meet as a school to celebrate achievement, share ideas and discuss shared challenges. Every student and every teacher attends. Meetings take place from 8:20-9:00am, and you are always welcome. It’s always a good idea to give Cindy a call to make sure the meeting is on, as we occasionally reschedule.

 

Today at all school meeting we participated in a cross-age activity called Pinwheels for Peace. Cross-age learning is when students of different ages work together on a learning task. The younger students benefit when they see older students modeling more sophisticated approaches to learning and social behavior. The older kids benefit by acting as mentors. Plus, cross age learning builds relationships and community. And it’s a blast! The Pinwheels project promotes the concept of “peace” in the world. Students make simple pinwheels and decorate them with artwork and messages. Next week we will “install” the pinwheels on our soccer field. All around the world like-minded folks are doing the same thing. There’s even a web site www.pinwheelsforpeace.com

 

The real joy of my job is being able to witness the process of learning every day. For about 30 minutes this morning kids of all ages worked together and learned together. There was a sense of purpose and would you believe it, calm.

 

Have a great weekend.

Why All Parents Should Attend Back to School Night

 

Did you know that decades of research has shown that when parents are involved in their child’s education students have:

 

Back to School Night, is on Tuesday, September 8, from 5-6:30PM. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about our school goals, meet teachers and understand your child’s educational program. Every year we seek to do a better job teaching all of our students and we need your help and partnership. Back to School night is the place to start. Your attendance at school sends a powerful message to your child that you are involved and care deeply about their education. Consider; Family participation in education is twice as predictive of students’ academic success as family socioeconomic status. To see more research on parent involvement check out:

 

See you on Tuesday Night at 5:00PM!