Setting Our Goals High
Hello Houdini Families,
We have had an amazing first few days together and are very excited about the upcoming school year. As we kick off a new season of learning, I want to share with you two goals that we have set for our school community and need your partnership on to achieve.
Decreasing the percentage of students considered Chronically Absent from 10% (Spring 2024) by 5% in Spring 2025.
A student is considered chronically absent when they miss 10% (or 18) school days. Last school year, Houdini School had the highest number of students chronically absent at the elementary level in the Appleton Area School District. We need your partnership in limiting student absences. There may be days when your child is too ill to attend, and we appreciate you calling the school office to report that information. Being present in school is critical for learning. While our teachers do their best to try and catch a child up after an absence, there is nothing that can replicate the learning that was missed.
All students will be engaged in the general education classroom in the daily universal lesson, and receive growth-based instruction and feedback based upon individualized need, so that 100% of our students will reach their targeted growth in reading on the i-Ready assessment by the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
We believe that every child has the ability to learn and be successful. Our staff is dedicated to providing instruction on the skills and standards needed for mastery of the grade-level curriculum, but beyond that, to meeting the needs of each individual child. I invite and encourage you to partner with us by reading and staying current with the classroom newsletters, reviewing work that has been sent home for the feedback provided, reading together, and talking positively about school.
To achieve our goals, home and school need to be strong partners and work together. I look forward to collaborating with your family throughout the school year.
Yours in Partnership,
Katie Hardesty
Principal, Houdini Elementary School
Hello Houdini Families,
Welcome to the 2024/2025 school year! I hope your family was able to spend time making fun memories this summer. I wanted to reach out and introduce myself to our new families and provide all families with information about the AASD counseling program.
My name is Tracy Aliota and this is my ninth year at Houdini Elementary School as the school counselor. I graduated from Appleton West High School right around the time Houdini Elementary was built. My three sons have also gone through the Appleton Area School District when we moved back to Appleton.
You might hear your student talk about Ms. Aliota's "Yoda" collection in my office. Students think it's fun that my last name sounds like Alley-Yoda.
As part of my job as a counselor in the district, I work with students to help ensure maximum learning and growth. Below is a list of some of the job responsibilities of school counselors in the AASD:
- Plan and provide for developmental counseling and life experiences via individual, small group, and classroom sessions.
- Plan and provide staff development activities for professional staff
- Provide services to parents in the form of consultation and parent groups
- Consult and collaborate with student services and other school staff during scheduled team meetings, as well as informally
- Provide crisis and special need counseling for students, including referral to community agencies
- Provide academic counseling for all students
- Provide career counseling
- Provide short-term personal/social counseling
If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns throughout the school year, please feel free to contact me by phone or email found below. Contacting me via email is the best way to reach me.
I hope you and your family have a wonderful 2024/2025 school year,
Tracy Aliota
920-852-5490
