MVES Newsletter
January 21, 2022
Parenting Corner
Family Connections: What does that letter grade actually represent?
With report cards due to come out next week (we plan to send them home with students on 1/27), this is a great opportunity to zoom in on grades, expectations, and accountability. We know that learning takes place at different rates, at different levels, and at different times, so, at best, a report card/ progress report represents a snapshot of where a student is on that continuum. For students at the secondary level, grades tend to represent a blend of effort, participation, and understanding. At the tertiary level and beyond, grades tend to represent a level of mastery: I think this is a great thing! The last person I want performing surgery on me is a doctor who passed medical school just because they tried really hard and not because they mastered Surgery 500!
What about letter grades in primary school? Do they represent effort, completion, participation, or understanding? The answer is “all of the above!” Because these letter grades represent so many things, they can be tough to interpret. Is a “C” a bad thing? It depends on what that “C” represents. Is it because your child is not participating in class or completing assignments? If that’s the case, a conversation focused on why and how you and the teacher can help them is essential. If it is because they would rather play Minecraft than complete a few math problems. It’s probably time to set up a system where math needs to be completed BEFORE playing Minecraft. Or, better yet, play Minecraft with your child and help them apply the math they are learning in school (there is a lot of math involved in that game)!
While I was principal at the middle school, it was not uncommon for me to work with students and parents to create a grading contract: students set realistic goals for themselves in each class, explained how they could achieve those goals; listed who could help them achieve those goals; and, finally, what should happen if they did or did not achieve the goals they had created. These were great conversations!
Countless studies have shown that parental involvement increases student achievement and that parents “should try to provide an environment at home encouraging learning (and) communicate reasonable but high expectations regarding their childrens’ future” (Henderson & Berla, 1994, as cited in Erdem & Kaya, 2020).
As report cards arrive home next week, please take the opportunity to talk to your kids about the exciting things they are learning here at Mountain View and ask them how you can support them and their learning here at school!
RCPS Suggested 2022-23 Calendar
Rockingham County School Division's calendar committee is beginning work on the calendar for the 2022-2023 school year. I have attached a "first draft" of the proposed school calendar for next year. You are welcome to review it and send any suggestions, concerns, or questions about it to Drew Miller. I will gladly forward your inquiries to the calendar committee for its review.
22-23_RCPS STARTING POINT Calendar_175 days.xlsx - Sheet1 (2).pdf
School Bus Drivers Needed
Help Wanted: Cafeteria Monitor Needed
Heating Assistance
From the School Nurse...
As COVID numbers in our area are rising we need to come together as a team to keep our children healthy and safe.
DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL IF:
They have to take any medications to make them feel better or reduce fever
Have had a fever of 100.4 or higher in the last 24 hours
they have a bad cough, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, a runny nose that will soil more than 2 masks per day
Someone in your household is sick and being tested for COVID
If you think that you have been exposed to COVID DO NOT send the child to school without consulting the school first.
If you are unsure of household contact or have any questions if your child should attend school please call the office at 540-438-1965 and ask to speak with Nurse Angie or you may email her at atusing@rockingham.k12.va.us.
Please refer to the following Daily Home Screening tool before sending your child.
Attendance
Parent Portal
The parent portal is an online portal accessible anywhere on the web that parents can log in to and see all of their children in one place, their grades, assignments, scores, attendance, schedules, and teacher comments for each school your children attend.
Parents need to contact the school to get access information to create an account in PowerSchool.