Can you believe we are already HALFWAY through the school year!! We are having so much fun and working our tails off. We just completed some very successful and meaningful service projects. First was our food drive, we were able to donate a significant amount of food to our local food bank. Next was our “Candy Cane Gram” where we were able to donate a substantial amount of money towards the Shop With a Cop program. It feels so good to be living the 7 habits and give back to this amazing community. I want to sincerely thank all the parents, staff, community members and students who worked so hard to make these service opportunities possible.
I am so excited to tell you about this next item! We finally received our school report card from the state. Milford Elementary attained the highest achievement scores since SAGE/RISE testing began. The achievement scores are as follows: ELA = 63% Math = 57% and Science 71% .
All these are well above the state averages in all three areas. I want to personally thank the staff, parents and especially our students for working so hard to achieve these marks. But what do these numbers/percentages really mean? It means more students than ever at Milford Elementary are reading, writing, computing, and developing scientific knowledge that will enable them to compete with other students from all over the nation.
Finally, I want to offer some advice to help you as parents to begin having conversations about school with your students.
1.) Ask Questions Asking “How was school today?” might not get you very far. Instead ask questions like: “What’s the coolest thing that happened at school today?” “What made you laugh?” “What made you think in a different way?” “What was the most creative thing you did?” “What Habit did you practice today at school?” “How were you kind or helpful today?” Hopefully, this will start a great conversation!
2.) Go through his/her backpack Look at completed work to find out what your child is learning and how they are doing. Say something positive about his/her work. Also, respond to any teachers notes and sign weekly reading notes or daily planners if required.
3.) Complete Homework It’s your child’s job to do his/her homework but parents play a vital role. Make sure your child knows what they are supposed to do and have a specific time and place(routine) for finishing the work. Once they have completed their work glance over it to see that it is done correctly.
4.) Celebrate progress Talk to your child about all the things he/she has accomplished. Children love to express “I did it” moments and parents we should be their biggest fans.
In conclusion, I am so excited for the direction Milford Elementary is heading. We still are trying to achieve our school wide goal of reading 500,000 minutes by the end of the year. Please make time to have conversations with your child and remind them of their endless potential.