Mrs. Molina's Principal Post
March 2, 2020
Spring is here!
Dear Families,
March and April are two of the busiest months in the school calendar; but, they are also two of my favorite months for the following reasons: daylight savings time (Sunday, March 8th) and spring break begins (April 9th). I am looking forward to longer hours of daylight and warmer days!
We look forward to seeing all parents and guardians at Parent-Teacher Conferences on Thursday, March 19th and Friday, March 20th. The student who are in need of more academic support and/or eligible for summer school will be mandated to attend these conferences. However, the forms will also have an option for you to meet with the teachers even if your child(ren) does not need academic support. Parents will be notified by the end of the week if their student is mandated to attend and they will also be given the digital link to sign-up for a time slot.
Maternity B.V.M. School is also starting a new survey for parents to have more opportunities to give feedback and become a part of our school improvement process for the 2020-2021 school year. Beginning March 2nd, teachers, parents, and students across the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools will have an opportunity to participate in the Climate, Culture, and Catholic Identity Survey utilizing the 5Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child’s school. As a parent, this opportunity will allow you to share your thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness in a survey about your child’s school.
The 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago. The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains. These five indicators that affect and predict school success are:
· Effective Leaders
· Collaborative Teachers
· Involved Families
· Supportive Environments
· Ambitious Instruction
Prior research has shown that schools that were strong on at least three of these “5Essential” indicators were 10 times more likely to improve student learning gains in math and reading than those that were weak on three or more Essentials.
All teachers and 4th through 8th grade students will be responding to this survey. 5Essentials Reports will be generated for schools if their teachers and/or students meet the response rate threshold of 50 percent. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.
The 5Essentials Survey will be conducted March 2, 2020 – March 20, 2020. Each parent who completes the survey and takes a screenshot of the first or last page of the survey will receive one free service hours. Parents may e-mail the screenshot and/or show the office staff in person.
To take the survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/archchicago/survey/parent/.
Lastly, the Aspire testing for grades 3-8 will begin March 30-April 7. We will send a separate e-mail with helpful test prep and parent suggestions to ensure a success testing session for all students. The Aspire assessment is given to all Archdiocese of Chicago students and tests in the areas of Math, Science, Writing, English, and Reading. Maternity BVM has been working rigorously to continue to maintain the 5-10% higher scores than all local CPS schools. However, our goal this year has been to increase those scores in Reading and English an additional 5%.
In school we have completed our first round of benchmark assessments for the spring semester and our teachers are preparing for their data and reteach plans. We are continuing to take the necessary steps to ensure optimal student achievement for those scholars that are struggling as well as our high performing students. We are ensuring that the academic rigor in our classes is appropriate, as we continue to present our scholars with engaging activities that promote critical thinking and problem solving.
Teachers are looking at work samples, academic trends, and reflecting on their practices and adjusting. Teaching is a profession and the expectation is that we teach all students. If our students aren't learning based on our current instructional methods then we are adjusting our methods. Thank you for ALL that you are doing as we engage in this work to ensure that all scholars are prepared for a prosperous and successful life. We must continue to build positive relationships to support the unique need of each Maternity B.V.M. student by being effective. A commitment to this kind of approach benefits teachers, students, administrators and the entire school community.
I hope you all have a great week,
Mrs. Molina