
District Student Achievement Team
April 2019
Congratulations!
We’ve turned a corner. Spring Break has come and gone & the Detroit Tigers won their game opener. Spring is in the air! The month of April has arrived. I prefer not to look at all the trash on the ground now made visible by the melting snow. Or the gigantic pot holes due to the spring thaw. Or the inconsistent weather forecast. Instead I will focus on all the things that spring brings that makes my soul smile!
1. The birds chirping in the morning
2. The bright colors
3. Spring cleaning (It’s tedious but it brings a fresh new feeling)
4. Being able to step outside and not freeze
5. Driving with the windows down
6. It stays light outside later
7. Kids are playing outside
8. Walks with my dog & bike rides
9. Fruits and veggies are in season
10. Everyone seems to be happier in the spring
As we head into arguably the busiest time of the school year, I encourage you to look at the sunny side of things. What do you look forward to this spring?
District Updates
Bond Update
Work has also begun on the athletic complex upgrades at WWT. The underground boring is 80% complete. New boxes have been installing in the dugouts for the new scoreboard controllers. Conduit has been run to Tower for new data at the stadium.
Replacement of the heating and cooling controls district-wide kicked up with work at the Education Center over Spring Break and that work is expected to be complete by the end of this week. The contractors will be moving onto Briarwood Elementary next with work expected to start there the week of April 15th.
Special Education Newsletter
English Language Learners Update
As a team, we're also continuing our review of potential curricular resources that could be used to support our students' acquisition of the English language. It is our hope that the team is able to develop a recommendation so that we can provide a system of support to best meet the growing needs of our ELL students.
Instructional Technology Team Update
Assessment Update
Monday, April 8th we kicked off the beginning of Michigan’s annual testing season. As you’re all aware, this winter’s weather was a tough time for schools, with heavy snow and frigid temperatures forcing us to shut down for days at a time. So, officials at the Michigan Department of Education have given schools an extra week in which to test students. That extra time means some schools might delay the beginning of testing from next week until the following week in order to get in as much learning as possible. The extra time, though, only helps students taking Michigan-produced exams. National exams, like the SAT, can’t be rescheduled so they will be administered as previously scheduled. There was also a new lineup for some middle school students.
Our eighth-graders will take a different exam this year. In addition to state-produced tests in social studies and science, the eighth-graders will also take the PSAT — a practice exam for the SAT — in literacy and math. The PSAT will also be given to students in grades 9 and 10, as it has in previous years. While we support parents in making choices for their children, there is no allowable way in state or federal law to “opt out” of state assessments. Students who are not assessed will count against their schools' participation rate and create an incomplete picture of school performance. Schools rely on accurate test results to focus on students or programs that may need more academic support. That’s one reason federal law requires a 95% participation rate target on state assessments be used in a school’s accountability rating. Meanwhile, state law requires that 40% of a teacher’s year-end evaluation must be based on student growth and assessment data.
Federal and State Funding - Grants Update
Elementary & Middle School Summer Programming
In addition to our Title I summer programming for our K-5 students, we will host several programs in partnership with Macomb Intermediate School District. First Fundamentals and Kinder Connect will once again be offered for our young students. Students will be engaged in interactive literacy experiences to strengthen their reading and writing skills. See flyers below for additional information. We are also working with the MISD to offer two sections of Science & Literacy Camp experience for students in second through fourth grade. More information to follow as we receive an update from MISD.
We are especially proud to once again offer middle school math support this summer aimed to support students entering 7th and 8th grade who believe mathematics is not their strength. The goal is to communicate the brain research to math students and teach them through an approach that is open, creative and visual. The term "growth mindset" comes from the work of Carol Dweck. Her studies show that everyone holds ideas about their own potential. Students with a fixed mindset are those who are more likely to give up easily, whereas students with a growth mindsets are those who keep on going even when work is hard, and who are persistent. The curriculum is based on a model used at Standford University with 81 students with a wide range of achievement levels. Students in the study demonstrated 1.6 years growth after 18 days of instruciton. (Jo Boaler, Mathematics Education Professor, Stanford University) www.youcubed.org
Parent and Family Engagement
About Us
Email: kbeal@mywwps.org
Website: www.mywwps.org
Location: 12900 Frazho Road, Warren, MI, USA
Phone: (586) 439-4469
Facebook: facebook.com/warrenwoodspublicschools
Twitter: @WarrenWoodsPS