Ole Steller Yeller - March 2008
Little by little does the trick. Aesop
As I work with students, some of whom are overwhelmed by a task before them, I am reminded of this quotation. Procrastination, deadlines, projects, the end of the quarter are all contributing factors to students feeling overwhelmed from time to time. Taking an assignment, breaking it down into workable pieces, and prioritizing what must be done often helps a student refocus and see an assignment or assignments as manageable. This is a skill that applies to schoolwork, but also to the many tasks that each of us must accomplish each and every day.
Little by little does the trick also applies to our upcoming standardized tests. By taking each day of testing individually and dealing with each test question separately, students can maintain focus and not become uneasy about testing. In this newsletter, you will find information about the upcoming Standards Based Assessments (SBA’s) and the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam (HSGQE). All of our students in grades 7—10 will be participating in one of these assessments on April 1st (reading), 2nd (writing) and 3re (math). In addition, the students in grades 8 and 10 will be taking the SBA’s for science on April 4th. It is important that our students participate in these assessments and we gain valuable information about our student’s academic needs in specific areas from these tests.
March will go by quickly for all of us with Spring Break from March 10th through 14th. The last All Community Meeting of the year will take place on Wednesday, March 26th. The focus of this meeting is the development of a Steller Mission Statement. The mission statement is a required part of the process for renewing our accreditation. The voices of our students, parents, and staff are a vital part of this process and we hope for a large turnout from all three of these constituency groups.
We will be having our Steller Auction on Friday March 28th. Please plan to join us for this community event. It is Steller’s major fundraiser for the year and supports travel scholarships for our students, technology, and yearbook. This year, there will again be exciting auction items accompanied by the opportunity to visit with others in the Steller Community. The theme for this year’s auction is Hawaii, so pull out those Hawaiian shirts and join us on the 28th of March.
I hope all of you have a wonderful Spring Break and return energized and ready for the last quarter of the school year.
Karin