The arrival of the new school year coincides with the frenzy of baseball season; and like star baseball players who aim their hits out of the ball park, we, too, need to organize our energies around lofty goals. Goals are blueprints of our accomplishments, and goal achievement is hero’s work. How will we hit home runs with our goals this school year?
The school board has pitched and adopted for the second consecutive year, a goal of improving student achievement. That is a goal that all of us….school staff, parents and students can aim at and hit by working together.
Attaining goals is always cause for celebration and many of our grade levels and schools have much to celebrate as they reflect on last year’s home runs and gains in student achievement. As we begin the new school year this September, we need to keep in mind that hard work is the price we must pay for success. Our collective, strong desire for continuous improvement combined with hard work will yield exciting results.
As a district, our mission is to be “A community collaborative dedicated to educating and empowering all learners to excel in our changing world.” To assist us in achieving that mission the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School Board has set six strategic directions that are guiding our goal selection. They are:
- Focus on Individual Student Growth and High Achievement
- Focus on Attitudes and actions that Assure Success for All
- Align Schedule and Structure to meet Student Needs
- Modernize Technology to Increase Productivity, Improve Learning and Better Prepare Students for “Real World”
- Engage in Professional Development to Improve Leadership and Quality of Instruction
- Secure and Manage Money Resources Well Enough to Focus on Mission
We are implementing several new initiatives with those strategic directions in mind. Our high schools are moving to a later start time and implementing a weighted grading system. We are extending the elementary school day by 30 minutes this year and are adding a literacy specialist at each of our elementary schools. These are examples of district initiatives we anticipate will contribute to improved student achievement.
We are a team working toward improved student achievement, and parental involvement is a key ingredient in winning the student achievement game. I encourage you to take the time to become involved in your child’s education. You can support your children’s education by attending the school functions listed in this calendar, by attending parent teacher conferences, and by reviewing with your child the policies included in the student responsibility policy handbook. Your efforts in helping your children accept responsibility for their behavior and helping them improve their academic achievement by providing encouragement; arranging for appropriate study time and space; monitoring homework; and modeling desired behavior, such as reading for pleasure, are all greatly appreciated.
We appreciate the large number of parents willing to volunteer in classrooms, participate in PTOs, serve on school and district committees, attend school board meetings and forums, and serve as advocates, supporters and cheerleaders for this school district. Thank you for your service, and best wishes to you and your children as we commence another year of caring, sharing and learning.
With warm wishes for a winning year full of academic homeruns,
Patricia Phillips
Superintendent
