April 2008

Dear Parents,

I can’t believe its April already.  With “April showers” and “May flowers” we also move into fourth quarter.  How could the year have gone by so quickly?  It’s already time to start thinking about next year.  I have often told my teachers that in the beginning of each school year, we should treat our students as if they were still in their previous grade and at the end of the school year we should begin to behave as if they were in the next grade.  Just as the year goes by so quickly, so do the years.  Before we know it, our entering fifth graders are entering ninth graders.  During our brief four Middle School years we must prepare elementary age children for the demands of a High School program while supporting them through all the other changes in their lives.

As your children progress from grade to grade, the demands regarding organization, study skills, and higher level thinking will increase significantly.  In preparation, for these changes we need your assistance at home.  It’s time to begin looking at what needs to be put in place to support your child as they move to their next grade level.  Current fifth graders will require strong organizational skills as they move to a departmental program.  Current sixth graders need to begin broadening their abstract reasoning skills to meet the demands of a secondary program and current seventh graders need to get ready for High  School transitioning and long term goal setting. 

I know this sounds like an awful lot in these four brief but very complex years, but if we stay calm and all work together our children will reap the rewards.

Have a wonderful fourth quarter and a beautiful spring!