Welcome to the month of December! Please read this newsletter in its entirety as it contains a parent survey and important information/dates.

The first semester of the 2022-2023 school year is winding down. Your child will take their second round of statewide testing in Math and ELA before the well-deserved winter break. Early Release for all students will be at 12pm on Thursday, December 22, 2022 and Winter Break will start on Friday, December 23, 2022. Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 (see details below).

The entire Team Success faculty and staff wishes you and your family a safe and wonderful holiday season. Thank you for being a part of our Team Success family!

As always, please feel free to reach out to your child's teachers and to our school staff and administrators in the main office with any questions or concerns.

Below is a link and QR code to the Title I Survey for our parents. This survey is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of our federally funded Title I program. The survey is based on five essential components for school success: Leadership, Collaborative Teachers, Ambitious Instruction, Supportive Environment, and Engaged Families.

The survey is completely anonymous and responses will not be linked to your name, email, or IP address. The survey results for each school will be presented in an aggregate form. The survey has 25 statements/questions and takes less than 10 minutes to complete. We ask you to tell us how much you agree or disagree with the statements about your school as a whole.

The survey will open on Monday, December 5, 2022 and will close on Sunday, December 18, 2022. Please complete the survey by using either the link or QR code. Thank you for your valued input!

The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) is a progress tracking tool that will be administered three times a year to track your student's progress in learning the Benchmarks of Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) standards throughout this school year.

FAST testing replaces the FSA testing we had in years past. End of year tests in Algebra 1, Geometry, Science (in grades 5 and 8), Biology, Civics, and US History remain the same.

All students in grades K to 10 will be tested in reading; all students in grades K-8 will be tested in math. FAST assessments are computer adaptive tests that are taken on a computer. The questions get easier or harder depending on how the student answers, and each student will see different questions.

The second administration of the FAST tests is in December for K-10 ELA and K-8 math. The dates are in the calendar at the end of the newsletter.

Parents will have access to student results through Focus, starting a couple of weeks after each exam.

For more information about Florida's state assessment program, visit the portal at https://flfast.org/.

Thank you for supporting your student and encouraging them to do their best during these assessments.

• 12/5 - FAST ELA grade K
• 12/6 - FAST ELA grades 6-10
• 12/7 - FAST ELA grades 3-5
• 12/7 - EOC Algebra retake
• 12/12 - FAST MATH grade K
• 12/13: FAST MATH grades 3-8
• 12/14: FAST MATH grades 1-2

We will have

• Strategies for you in how to help your student to become a better reader
• A student talent show
• An arts and crafts room
• A read aloud of the story The Polar Express
• Our local library coming to help us get more information on books and how to sign up for library account

We are really excited to bring this event as a promotion of how important it is to read and to promote reading in many different ways.

We can't wait to see you! We hope that your family enjoys this event that will be Christmas themed.

The last day of Quarter 2 and the first semester is on Thursday, December 22, 2022. That day is an early dismissal day; classes end at 12 noon and no lunch will be provided.

If you have any questions about how your student is doing, please reach out to your student's teachers.

Winter Packets

Students in tested grades will receive packets in math and ELA class, and for science and social studies in tested grades. These packets need to be completed at home and returned on Tuesday, January 10. Students will be assessed on the packet content on Thursday, January 12.

It's more important than ever to make sure that your child is in school every day for every class, on time and ready to learn. Did you know that missing 10% or more of school puts a child in much greater danger of falling behind academically and struggling with reading and math? It also increases the danger of not graduating from high school.

Ten percent is just 2 days a month! That means that being absent just 2 days a month puts your child at greater risk. This is true regardless of whether the absence is excused or unexcused.

So please, in as much as possible, make medical appointments outside school hours and take vacations or trips during school breaks, so your children receive the full benefits of their time at Team Success.