3rdQuarter2013Newsletter - East Penn School District

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the Macungie teachers and other staff members who helped with the preparation and organization of administering those assessments, to the Macungie parents who helped make sure their children were present at school and focused for the tests, and to the students themselves who put forth their best efforts in completing the assessments. In the Spring of 2014, grades 3, 4 & 5 PSSA Reading and Math tests will be administered during the weeks of March 17 th and March 24 th (March 17 th to March 27 th ) and grades 4/5 PSSA Science tests will be administered during the week of April 28 th (April 28 th to May 2 nd ) If you have a child or children in grades 3 through 5, please do not plan a vacation during their respective assessment time period(s). As always, our Macungie PTC organization was very busy organizing and running student events during the winter and early spring months. Macungie students and families had the opportunity to attend a Family Movie Day at the Emmaus Theater on January 12 th . Thanks to the efforts of two Macungie parents (Kathy Heilenman and Nicole Adams), Macungie students had the chance to “show their stuff” at our first annual Macungie talent show on February 22 nd . March brought the Barnes & Noble Bookfair day at the Promenade Barnes & Noble and the PTC sponsored roller skating parties on March 6 th and 13 th . Finally, “Bingo” was the word of the evening on April 12 th for our annual P.T.C. Family Bingo Night. As always, I am very grateful for the efforts of our PTC organization and all that they do for the benefit of Macungie students. I’ll conclude this newsletter with a listing of some fourth marking period highlights-. It is always a pleasure to serve as the principal at Macungie Elementary School and I thank you for your on-going support. Fourth marking period highlights to keep in mind include: School Meetings on April 19 th (9:10), May 15 th (9:10) and June 11 th (9:15am) PTC Meetings on May 14 th and June 4 th April 25 th -Elementary Spring Band Concert (7pm @ Shoemaker) May 2 nd -Macungie Spring Concert (7pm) May 8 th -Macungie Open House (6pm) May 17 th -Macungie School Festival (@ Macungie School) Field Days- Grade 5, May 20 th ; Grade 4, May 21 st ; Grade 3, May 22 nd May 27 th -Memorial Day (schools closed) June 11 th -Final Day of School (tentative)-dismissal @ 12:00pm
From Mr. Best’s Office With the month of May comes the process of beginning to plan for the next school year. A big part of that process is the creation of classes for the upcoming year. Throughout my years as a school administrator, I have fielded many parent questions in regards to the process and their child’s placement. Therefore, as a proactive measure, I am writing this letter to give you an idea of the steps we go through to create next year’s classes. At Macungie, we have a very comprehensive procedure that takes into account many factors. The goal of the procedure is to develop balanced classes that maximize the educational and social opportunities for each student at Macungie Elementary School. In order to achieve this end, we rely on important input from the people who work most closely with the students here at Macungie, the classroom teachers. With that stated, allow me to list the steps we follow over the course of six to eight weeks that help us develop class lists. 1. Each classroom teacher completes an information card that identifies the child’s academic strengths, weaknesses and learning styles. If needed, special education teachers consult with the classroom teachers to complete the cards. Classroom teachers then works as grade level teams to develop preliminary class lists for next year’s classes. 2. Mrs. Smith (guidance counselor), Dr. Deegan (Instructional Support teacher) and myself review the information on the cards and the preliminary lists. Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Deegan consult with individual teachers as needed to address questions and elicit feedback on any social issues that must be taken into consideration. 3. The three of us meet, as a team, and complete balanced class lists based on the information we have gathered. Many different factors will determine the specific group dynamics of an individual class. After lists have been generated, they are distributed to special area teachers for feedback. Necessary adjustments may be made based on teacher feedback. 4. After final lists are generated, I will assign teachers to each one of the classes. Classroom lists are then sent to receiving teachers and in early August assignment letters are sent to the homes of Macungie children. Having followed all of these steps, it still does not ensure that the classes remain balanced. Keep in mind that parents will register students for school over the summer months and those students then need to be delicately placed into classes, and this sometimes happens without much background information on the student or much interaction with the student. I hope that this information has been helpful. I do believe the process focuses the attention and takes into consideration the insight and opinion of the many professionals who work with your children everyday and in many different settings.
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3rdQuarter2013Newsletter - East Penn School District

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