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Tuesday, June 18, 2013
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Minds and Matter: Another year of school upon us!
by Kevin J. Hatfield, School Superintendent · Op-Ed · August 03, 2012
Dear West Branch Parents, Students and Friends, I am truly thrilled about the great learning and teaching that is going to take place during the 2012-13 school year.
As superintendent, I am always impressed with the passion and commitment toward learning that each of you brings each and every day to your schools and classrooms. So, I want to personally challenge every student, as well as our great families, to significantly increase the amount of reading, studying and the overall commitment we’ve been making toward learning. I especially want to challenge our students! Parents, please share the remaining paragraphs of this letter with your students.
West Branch students, as superintendent, I am asking you to commit to doubling the amount of reading, math, science and thinking you do each and every day. I would like each of you to commit to this academic challenge; not only while in school, but outside of school, too. Your parents, teachers, guidance counselors, coaches, directors, support staff and principals will be there to assist you. We want to see significant growth and improvement from each of you. We want to turn out the most improved readers, mathematicians, scientists, writers, creators and thinkers that the West Branch Community School District has ever produced. Regardless of your age or grade level, we want this commitment from each of you. You deserve this commitment from all of us as well!
Our teachers, support staff and principals have been busily preparing for this exciting year! I have challenged them to grow, learn, and teach at the highest professional levels they can reach, too. I have asked them to teach so that their students not only understand, but can apply their learning as well. I have asked them to challenge you daily, to assist you, support you, care for you, motivate you, engage you, making learning fun, and, yes, hold you accountable for learning more deeply than you have ever learned before. It will take a lot of work, and the rewards, unlike many things in today’s world, may not show-up for a while, but over time, this effort will pay off for you! By the way, our staff knows that by simply increasing your homework or adding additional reading from a textbook is not necessarily going to help deepen your learning or your commitment to learning.
How will the District and your teachers help you meet this challenge?
Did you know that we have invested in our teachers by providing them with new teaching technologies and training designed to support their professional growth and advanced teaching strategies? We have added engineering classes at the high school and foreign language at the middle school. We have added new, more rigorous math and science courses at the middle and high school levels. We have added health career courses at the high school. Our teachers and staff are committing to collecting and analyzing more information about your learning progress through required student work analysis and data team processes. You will see the principals and me in your rooms even more asking questions about your learning.
Did you know that our school district has made a four-year, $700,000 investment, so that each and every 5th through 12th grade student has a state-of-the-art laptop to assist their learning, studying, creating and thinking throughout the year? Did you know that our preschool, kindergarten, first and second grade students will have access to iPad technology and learning apps? And did you know that we are placing nearly 100 additional computers in the PK-4 grade classrooms?
Speaking of technology, did you know that our “Computer Rollout Nights” will be taking place at the High School to kick-off our 21st Century teaching and learning 1:1 initiative for students in grades 5th-12th grade. Here is the schedule:
• Monday, August 13th, Students going into grades 11 & 12 only, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., H.S.
• Tuesday, August 14th, Students going into grades 8, 9 & 10 only, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., H.S.
• Wednesday, August 15th, Students going into grades 5, 6 & 7 only, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., H.S.
• Thursday, August 16th, Absent students & H.S. football players 7 p.m.-9 p.m., H.S.
*A parent or guardian must attend with their student(s). To help streamline the process, please complete the green information sheet in advance. Parents should bring $30 deposit check or $30 in cash or speak to your building’s principal in advance. Students will receive their computers and learn important acceptable use, care and computer functions and safety information. *Families with multiple students in multiple grade levels (5th-12th) may elect to attend only one of the designated evenings to help streamline the process as well. The $30 deposits per student will not exceed $90 per family.
Did you know that Wednesdays are “District Family Nights.” All District sponsored activities will be completed by 5 p.m. for PK-8th grade and 6:30 p.m. for high school. (Exception may need to be considered for emergencies or required for State-sponsored events.) The District will make every effort to not schedule or hold activities on Wednesdays, after 6:30 p.m., beginning in early August continuing through late May. This should also support your effort to meet the “learning challenge.”
As you can see, we have big plans for all of you! Parents, please continue to encourage great behavior from your students. Model and insist that they read, study and complete homework in a timely, high quality manner. Please keep ongoing communications with your student’s teacher(s).
Parents, as a reminder, Wednesdays remain our Early Release days to provide quality professional staff development. Dismissal is at 1:45 p.m.
As many of you know, we utilize an “All Call” system to communicate weather-related emergencies and school closings, crisis management information, or to simply communicate important District and programming information. This system has the capability of sending email, text and telephone calls to designated stakeholder groups or all parent contacts across the District.
Please don’t forget to visit our great Web site — www.west-branch.k12.ia.us — for easy access to all information about our great school district! We would like to have 100 percent of our parents register on line. The easy-to-access link is available at the top of our homepage!
Finally, the first day of school is Wednesday, August 22nd. It is an Early Release Day. Dismissal is at 1:45 p.m.
On behalf of the Board of Education, the administration and our entire staff, thank you for your commitment to our schools. Our motto of “People, Passion, and Purpose” is what we are truly all about. Let’s have a great 2012-13 school year! Go Bears!
You may reach Kevin Hatfield at khatfield@west-branch.k12.ia.us |
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