Dixon Elementary Newsletter
December 9 2015
Reed Goes to China
In October of this year DES hosted 29 Chinese principals from the Jinzu province of China. The reciprocal agreement allowed me to go to China for 10 days in the early part of November (pre-Red Alert for air pollution, it was only Yellow Alert while I was there). During this visit I had an opportunity to learn about the Chinese educational system firsthand as well as develop a deeper understanding of their challenges and successes. As North Carolina's third largest trading partner, I had a vested interest in strengthening our relationship with the People's Republic of China. Additionally, I had the opportunity to visit the city of Chongqing, the country's largest city (32 million people, almost three times the size of NYC). In Chongqing I was able to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Shu Ren Jin Rui Elementary. This will allow us to expand our partnership and develop a true cultural and educational exchange. We have been invited to send two teachers and five students next year to spend a week attending their school. Dixon will reciprocate in Spring of 2017 and will host teachers and students from Shu Ren Jin Rui.
Dixon Elementary Holiday Performance
It's Christmastime at the North Pole and all are excited about the commitment they have made to making this year an environmentally-friendly holiday. Everyone that is, except the main attraction, Santa Claus. He just doesn't understand the whole "green" push and how it applies to him. Come watch the Dixon Elementary Chorus' performance of "Santa Goes Green" on Tuesday, December 15th at 7:00 pm to find out if the cast of characters can convince Santa to go "green" this Christmas!
The PTO Santa Shop is open until noon on Friday the 11th.
Research shows that attendance is an important factor in student achievement
A missed school day is a lost opportunity for students to learn. In this era of increased accountability for states, districts, and schools, the connection between student attendance and learning is being studied more than ever before. As a result, education agencies are asked with increasing frequency to report attendance data in a standard manner to allow comparisons across organizations and jurisdictions. Poor attendance has serious implications for later outcomes as well. High school dropouts have been found to exhibit a history of negative behaviors, including high levels of absenteeism throughout their childhood, at higher rates than high school graduates. These differences in absentee rates were observed as early as kindergarten, and students who eventually dropped out of high school missed significantly more days of school in first grade than their peers who graduated from high school. In eighth grade, this pattern was even more apparent and, by ninth grade, attendance was shown to be a key indicator significantly correlated with high school graduation. (Cited from Every School Day Counts from the National Center from Educational Statistics).
December -January Calendar of Events
12/11 Santa Shop closes at noon
12/14 Very Important Visitor to DES at 10:00 am (more information coming)
12/15 DES Chorus Performance--Santa Goes Green at 7pm
12/17 Holiday Spirit Day--$1 to wear Holiday Spirit Clothing, proceeds go to 5th grade
Washington DC trip
12/18 Last day for students
1/4 Students return