Minnehaha Parents & Families,
Happy New Year! I hope 2019 is off to a strong & positive start for your families – you’ll never hear me complain about Winter Break… but it is always great to see our students’ smiling faces when we return in January! At Minnehaha, we recognize that the transition back to the routines & daily schedule of school can sometimes be a bit difficult for students, but trust that at two weeks in, most things are back on track and know that you will continue to communicate directly with your child’s teacher as we partner together to ensure a wonderful second half of the school year.
Beginning this week, our Winter iReady diagnostic assessment in both Reading and Math will begin. All students 1st through 5th complete these assessments each Fall, Winter, and Spring, and most testing is done directly in the classrooms either on ipads or laptops. While we know that single, summative assessments such as the iReady are not comprehensive and final determinations of students’ learning, we do know that they provide very useful & informative details about the current strengths and deficits related to specific concepts. Additional-ly, the ability to identify growth from Fall to Winter is extremely helpful for our teachers as they continue to adjust and flex the learning & academic environment for students. For the most up-to-date schedule of when your child will be taking the Winter iReady assessments, please connect with your child’s teacher.
Additionally, if your student receives any ELL instructional support from either Mrs. Paveglio, Mrs. Greenwood, Mrs. Jorgensen, or from your child’s teacher – the annual English Language Proficiency Assessment (or ELPA) window has just begun. This means that your child will be assessed in his/her current proficiency levels in various language categories such as listening, speaking, writing, etc. For specifics for when your child will begin this assessment, please contact your child’s teacher and he/she will get you that information.
As we head into the 3-day weekend to honor & celebrate the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, I want to again thank you for your ongoing support and partnerships with our staff – it truly takes a village!
Troy