Greetings SHMS Community!
I hope that everyone has been enjoying a rejuvenating winter break and is excited to return for school in 2025! Before the break started our team of educators began preparations to carry our many successes forward and initiated adjustments to help us in our pursuit of excellence.
I am so proud of some of our shared achievements already this year. One the Fall Panorama survey student responses to questions about "Sense of Belonging" put our school in the 90th percentile for urban middle schools nationally. Additionally, our school attendance rate is almost 95% which is more than two full percentage points higher than where it was at the same time last school year. These two data points demonstrate that we are creating conditions and experiences that make students excited about being at school and that SHMS is a place where they find authentic community and connection with adults, programs, and each other.
What we have also learned from the Panorama survey is that students want our support with navigating their many and diverse social interactions throughout the school day. Whether it is discourse in class, a debate at a lunch table, or making the right call during a recess football game, students need us to support them in having intense and meaningful interactions while maintaining high levels of respect and safety for everyone involved - even when we cannot agree in the end. We will be working to revisit norms for respectful and safe interactions throughout the rest of the school year in classrooms, shared spaces, and extra-curricular activities.
Shortly after students return we will also begin middle of year assessments. These tests will be our last chance to gauge students' progress against grade level expectations in ELA, math, and science before we begin State (DC CAPE) testing later this Spring. I hope that everyone is excited to seize the many opportunities that will help all students achieve excellence in the second half of the school year and 2025. We will be back and as busy as always soon.
Enjoy these last few days of break and I look forward to seeing everyone dressed cozily when we return on Thursday!
Warm regards,
Eric Fraser
Principal
