Principal’s Message
The Elementary School has been working hard to ensure that we are adjusting our instruction to best meet the needs of all students. We have just finished the mid-year benchmark assessments which provide us with critical information to help inform instruction, determine priorities for tier 2 reading and math groups, and ensure our curricular goals are being met. The good news is we continue to see progress within our existing curricula. Both our ELA and Math scores on state assessments and on benchmark assessments point to positive success for student growth and achievement. While we celebrate those accomplishments, we also see opportunities to continue to shape and craft our instructional practices to achieve our full goal of success for all students.

We have seen great growth in our kindergarten and first grade classrooms. They introduced the UFLI curriculum as a supplement to our existing curriculum to take advantage of UFLI’s reputation as a great resource to support phonics instruction in line with the Science of Reading. We see our students having great conversations about how words are formed and showing flexibility in creating new words by switching letter sounds. The word CAP can easily change to the word MAP when our students understand how phonics and word meaning interrelate. This phonemic strength in decoding then supports our work with students to teach encoding. Our students are learning to use phonics to their advantage to create writing passages that convey their stories and opinions to help them see that phonics is just the first step toward our real goal of quality communication.

When the weather is warm enough, we are taking advantage of the great snow this season to encourage our students to get outside and exercise and socialize through play. In a world of electronics and in a region where weather can often determine what our days will look like, we have rededicated ourselves as a school to recognizing the importance of play at the elementary age and the advantages associated with getting outside. Our Student Advisory Council bought sleds for the students to use during recess and the snow itself often becomes more appealing than the playground equipment. It may seem like a small thing, but helping our students see the fun and value of outdoor play seems more important than ever as many students spend larger portions of their time on electronic devices.

Our counselors have been working hard to continue to enrich our students with opportunities to explore college, career and personal finance. We are working with the Livingston County Chamber of Commerce’s Education to Employment office to expose our students to the various careers and professions within our own region. We encourage students to begin thinking about their strengths and how they might align with different professions and job sectors. While we know that they will likely change their minds many times before they graduate, it is important to remind students that there is a larger goal beyond the work that they are doing in the classroom. Regional speakers help our students see the great variety of career opportunities in their own region and show them the various paths possible to achieve those goals. We continue to promote a long term vision of success that extends beyond the idea of simply doing well on tests.

We continue to work hard at the elementary school to support students on all levels. They must learn the fundamental building blocks of reading and math and the enriching depth of social sciences, science, art, music, and physical education. But they must also understand how to do their best work and be their best selves. They must make connections with other students and understand how to grow through feedback from the adults charged with giving them productive suggestions for improvement. Our teachers and professional staff work hard to build safe and welcoming environments in which our students can achieve and thrive. We are grateful for their dedication each and every day.

Warm regards,
Casey Whittel
Phone: 346.4000 ext. 5001  |  Email