Michael J. Clark, High School Principal
Lisa Delorme, Elementary School Principal
Thomas J. Walsh, Middle School Principal

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Margaret B. Stewart, Chair Barbara Murphy, Clerk Kim Lesny Elaine Carpenter Robin Freeman
Christopher Hogan, Student Rep Benjamin Langelier, Student Rep

November 30, 2009

To Parents/Guardians,

I hope everyone had a restful Thanksgiving break. This is an extremely busy time of year and I wanted to provide a clarification about Enrichment, follow-up on Student-Led conferences, and provide some important dates leading up to the next break.

After reviewing the first quarter report cards and receiving some feedback from parents, I wanted to clarify the purpose of Enrichment class. All students participate in Enrichment class three to four days per week, for approximately forty-five minutes per session. Enrichment class provides targeted literacy and math instruction to students based on state and local assessment data. Student are grouped by their readiness levels and provided instruction in specific reading, writing, and math skills and concepts. Each quarter, we examine how each student is progressing and make adjustments based on this data. Students receive grades under the same criteria as any class. We will report progress on Enrichment class on both the Progress Report and the Report card. Please feel free to contact your child’s homeroom teacher if you have questions or concerns.

I wanted to thank everyone who participated in Student-Led conferences. We had a high level of participation. We have consistently received positive feedback about the process, but have also received suggestions to enhance the format. Specifically, parents share that they enjoy the opportunity to listen to their child discuss his or her learning and goals for the remainder of the year. Parents also share that they would like to have a component of the conference include teacher feedback and recommendations. Please continue to provide us your thoughts on this process. We appreciate the input and will be reviewing the information and discussing ways to improve the Student-Led conference process.

The time between Thanksgiving and the Holiday break passes quickly. Nevertheless, there is important teaching and learning that occurs during this time period. The following are several important dates leading into the next break.

ACTIVITY DATE
“Cram The Complex” Food Drive Ends December 04
Progress Reports Go Home December 14
Holiday Break December 24 –January 01

Thank you for your ongoing support of teaching and learning at the middle level. Please feel free to contact me at twalsh@bfafairfax.com or 849-6711. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

Respectfully,

Thomas J. Walsh
Middle School Principal

    - Submitted: Wednesday, December 2nd by jordan wiener