Dear Challenger Families-
We recently celebrated our 100th day of school and are, therefore, over half-way through the year! We have had a fantastic 1st half of the year, and I know that we will continue this positive momentum.
I wanted to take a few minutes to share the process our school uses to ensure our students’ needs are being met and how we support our staff's growth. In education there are many fads, initiatives, and programs that regularly come at schools. It is easy to get off course when it comes to doing what is best for students. The best way to ensure that we are focused is to set individual goals, school goals, and utilize our resources. The following outlines some of the ways that we at Challenger make sure we are doing the best for our students.
School Improvement Plan- This is a document that is created in the spring of the previous school year. We have a School Improvement Team that consists of teachers, parents, community members, and administrators. This team, in conjunction with all of Challenger’s teachers, create a plan that includes goals, achievement targets, and strategies that all of the school follows. This year’s plan includes goals in reading and Social Emotional Learning. We then align our school’s funding with this plan to make sure we our using our resources in a fiscally responsible manner. If you would like to be a part of the School Improvement Team or would like to take a look at our goals, please contact me.
Growth Plans- Growth plans are personal goals that teachers and administrators create at the beginning of the year. Teachers work hard to create these goals at the beginning of the year. We look at data in the classroom to determine where there is a need to improve our practice and ultimately student achievement. We then implement these goals throughout the year and review our achievement of the goal at the end of the school year.
Title 1- Challenger is fortunate to receive Title 1 funding from the Federal Government. We receive this money to support ALL students at Challenger. These funds allow us to have a Title 1 Intervention Teacher, multiple instructional assistants, technology, books, etc. This year we have focused a lot of these resources in grades K-3 to support students’ literacy needs. By supporting students in early elementary research shows that they will be more successful in attaining the curriculum as they move through the grades.
If you ever have questions or would like more information about these initiatives, please feel free to contact me via email, by phone, or in person.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mr. Cherry
______________________________________________________________
Kindergarten Registration is March 17
Howell Public Schools will hold its annual Begindergarten and Kindergarten registration event on Tuesday, March 17. To learn about the district’s Begindergarten and Kindergarten programs, find your child’s home school and begin the online enrollment process, please visit HowellSchools.com/KDG.
Livingston Educational Service Agency Early Childhood Programs are Enrolling for Fall
Livingston Educational Service Agency Early Childhood Programs are enrolling for the 2020-2021 school year. Head Start and Great Start Readiness Programs offer no-cost/low-cost preschool to income-eligible or children “at-risk” who qualify under federal and state guidelines. Families meeting eligibility guidelines have access to learning opportunities, health and wellness, social and disability services, and other community resources. Children of all abilities are encouraged to apply. To learn more, please call 517-548-2100 or visit www.startfreepreschool.org to complete an application.
Information for Fifth Grade Families Regarding Middle School
As you and your child prepare for the transition to middle school, the middle school principals wanted to share some upcoming dates. On March 12 and 13, the middle school principals and counselors will be visiting all fifth-grade classes in the district. During these visits, they will be going over the changes to expect in the transition to middle school and some things students can start doing now to prepare. Additionally, they will review how the middle school day is structured and the encore class choices available to students. A fifth-grade parent night will be held at both Highlander Way and Parker on Wednesday, March 18th at 6:30 p.m. Students and parents are encouraged to attend this meeting.
No School on Monday, February 17
Please remember that there is no school on Monday, February 17 in honor of Presidents’ Day. Classes will resume on Tuesday, February 18.
_______________________________________________________________
Counselor’s Corner: Celebrating Diversity and Ability
We are pleased to offer an informative and interactive experience for our second-grade students: Ability Awareness Day! This is a program of many activities designed to heighten sensitivity and appreciation for people who are perceived as “different.” On Tuesday, March 24th, our second-grade teachers and our counselor, Mrs. Wilson, will help our students better understand how children with various disabilities (learning, physical, emotional) are just like other children through hands-on learning activities, an interactive puppet show, and much more!
To make this happen, we need volunteers! If you would be willing to volunteer at one of the hands-on learning stations, please reach out to your child’s 2nd-grade teacher (or me, if you don’t have a second-grade student) as soon as possible. We will need volunteers from approximately 8:45 a.m. (the classrooms will begin rotating through the centers at 9:15 a.m.) until around 11:15 a.m.
Feel free to contact Aubrey Wilson at 517-548-6375 or at [email protected] for more information!
Aubrey Wilson
School Counselor