SUPERINTENDENT’S MESSAGE

by John Williamsen

SUPERINTENDENT’S MESSAGE

My greatest joy is being able to have the opportunity to work closely with the parents, students, staff, community and Board of Education and community members at Fairmont School District 89. We are joined by our united interest in providing high quality learning experiences for all of the students in the district.

I am equally; focused on ensuring that as adults we continue to develop ourselves as professionals, parents and community leaders so that our efforts remain relevant and positively beneficial to the students.

With this in mind, I would like to introduce you to the district motto which is “Ensuring High Levels of Learning for all.” This simply means that our goal is to make sure that we are all learning and contributing to the success of the school, district and community as a whole.

Together we can and will make a difference. It will however, take the collective commitment of all stakeholders to move the district forward by advancing student learning. I would like to invite all interested persons to join me in this effort by contributing your time and your talent to the organization.

Each of us has a unique gift which separates us from all other human beings. My challenge to you is to identify what that gift is and connect with building or district administrators in order to gain a better sense of how your gift can be used in Fairmont School District 89.

I would also like to challenge you to give of your time. No time is too little or too much! Every little bit of help is of big help. Additionally, I would like to challenge you to consider giving of your treasure (resources), by identifying how you might contribute to the organization’s mission, which is to dramatically improve student learning in the areas of literacy, mathematics, science, social science and technology.

PARENT LITERACY NIGHTS

Fairmont School District 89 is committed to empowering parents. We intend to accomplish this goal in part by hosting Parent Literacy nights on an ongoing basis. The purpose of each session is to equip parents with the tools needed to assist the school in increasing the reading and writing skills of our students. 2011-2012 Parent Literacy Nights are currently scheduled to take place on:

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The Top Four Questions for Engaging in Important Conversations

With Your Child’s Teacher

Studies have shown that the more involved parents are in their child’s education, the more successful they will be in school. Therefore, the teaching and administrative staff have spent a considerable amount of time developing plans to implement non-traditional approaches to involving parents. Another way to accomplish this goal is by encouraging parents to utilize the Top Four Questions for Engaging in Important Conversations with Your Child’s Teacher

What is my child expected to know and be able to do?

Fairmont School District 89 is pleased to share that we have developed our Core Comprehensive Reading Curriculum in direct alignment with the Common Core National Standards. To view Fairmont School District 89’s Comprehensive Reading Curriculum please click here.

We were one of very few school districts in the state of Illinois to accomplish this goal in such a timely fashion. The Common Core National Standards were designed to expose students to the skills that they will need to be successful in college and in the workplace. Additionally, great emphasis is placed on preparing students to be able to compete nationally and internationally in their chosen profession.

In order to be clear about what your child is expected to know and be able to do the first step is to make sure that you have a copy of the curriculum. The curriculum document clearly identifies what your child is expected to know and be able to do by the end of each grade level. Fairmont School District 89 is currently in the process of developing the math curriculum, which will also be in alignment with the Common Core National Standards for Mathematics.

How will you know when my child has reached the goals that have been set for him or her?

In addition to state testing for appropriate grade levels, each student at Fairmont School District 89 will be assessed using NWEA’s Measuring of Academic Progress Assessment tool. Students in grades K-8 are formally assessed at least three times a year. The results from these assessments are used to determine appropriate enrichment or intervention for each child. Fairmont teachers are also currently in the process of developing formative common assessment for each grade level. This means that there is more consistency in the tools used at the classroom level to determine what a particular student knows and is able to do. The results from common formative assessments are discussed during grade level team meetings. It also during the team meetings in which classroom teachers develop a plan of action for re-teaching as is deemed necessary.

What happens differently if my child is not experiencing success in school?

In the event that results from the state assessment (ISAT), Measures of Academic Progress and/or common formative assessments indicates that a child is experiencing difficulty the following action is taken:

1. Teachers first engage in the process of re-teaching a particular skill or concept. As per Response to Invention this level of interaction with teacher and student is referred to as Tier One Intervention. To learn more about Response to Intervention please click on www.responsetointervention.com

1. The student may be exposed to a different assessment tool in order to ensure that the assessment measure in an appropriate match with how the student demonstrates what she/he knows and is able to do best.

1. As per Response to Intervention, a student may be referred to tier two intervention after repeated attempts to make the necessary adjustments in instruction and assessment have not warranted the student positive academic achievement results.

1. Tier two intervention requires that students be provided with the opportunity to receive an additional 30 minutes of literacy or mathematics instruction daily. Students that receive tier two intervention will be assessed weekly and a determination will be made (based on assessment results) as to whether or not a heightened level of intervention is warranted.

1. Tier three intervention requires that students be provided with the opportunity to receive an additional hour of literacy or mathematics instruction daily. Students that are identified for tier three instruction have struggled significantly during both one and tier two intervention sessions. A team approach (including parental input) is used to determine the most appropriate next level of intervention for a student who does not experience performance growth.

What can I do to help my child achieve the goals that have been set?

In order to help your child achieve the goals that have been set for him or her, it is imperative that parents familiarize themselves with the curriculum. Additionally, all parents are encouraged to attend each of the three Parent Literacy Nights which have been designed to provide parents with explicit strategies for how they can help their child increase their literacy skills in the home setting.