February 2011

Dear Parents and/or Guardians:

It’s only the beginning of February and there is so much to share!

First, students at Blue Ridge have begun what we call “Winter Benchmark Testing.”  Students are engaged in different assessments in both reading and math.  These assessments allow teachers to examine if students are making academic growth or not.  If students are not, this is a time to discuss interventions that need to be re-examined or implemented for the benefit of your child.  I must say we have had many students throughout K-5^th grade make academic growth and managed to describe this program in papermasters https://papermasters.org/ for example, 83% of first graders made growth in math computation. Fourth graders participating in our after school program made an average of 7.6 points growth on the math MAP test.

We are proud of the hard work students are doing.  At Blue Ridge, we focus on and celebrate the small wins that students display in their learning each day.

Second, we have a family night coming up soon; Thursday, February 10, 2011 from 6:00-7:30 PM.  The featured book will be Oh No, Gotta Go.  Families we be able to enjoy a snack, crafts and various information form local businesses.  We hope your family can attend.

Lastly, we have a couple of fundraisers going on.  Hot Cheetos and pizza coupons are being sold.  All money that is raised from these fundraisers goes into our ASB (Associated Student Body) fund.  The ASB fund has purchased choir shirts and extra basketball uniforms.  In addition, play equipment, classroom supplies and books are also purchased from this fund.

Finally, thank you for your support and sharing your child(ren) with us.  I speak on behalf of the staff at Blue Ridge when I say, “We love our jobs!”

Thank you,

Kim Doepker