As we prepare for winter recess, the campus is humming with energy and excitement. Music is in the air as students are practicing for our Winter Sing, and snowmen are beginning to appear all around campus. Visiting classrooms, I am so thankful for the contagious curiosity of our students and the tremendous generosity and support of our school community. With 2012 quickly approaching, I wish you and your family a restful and joyous break and a new year full of possibility. Adventures await at Encinal in the new year! 

Cultural Arts Day

On January 30, we will be transported to the Lake Victoria region of Africa, with several groups and guests from the region coming to Encinal, as well as a whole day of activities! Jointly funded by PTO and a Jeannie Ritchie Grant from MPAEF, this is an annual community-wide celebration of culture. We still need volunteers! Email culturalartsday@encinalschool.com.

Week of the Family at Encinal and Laurel

During the week of January 23, Encinal School and Laurel School will celebrate the Week of the Family to honor the vital role that families play in supporting the growth and education of children. Traditional homework will not be assigned during this week, although students should continue to engage in nightly reading and fact practice.

Strong family connections along with adequate sleep and abundant opportunities to engage in free play are some of the most critical building blocks for a child's success. As we prepare for 2012, I hope this Week of the Family provides your family with an opportunity to focus on these building blocks in a way that aligns with your own values. I also hope this week provides an opportunity for families to enjoy a slower pace in the evenings, reserve some time for simple fun, and connect with friends and neighbors. Roast marshmallows by the fire, enjoy a warm meal together or ask your children how they would like to spend this time together.

At the close of the week, we will conduct a brief online survey to collect community feedback on this week. Enjoy the Week of the Family!

January MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) Assessment

Our second MAP testing window will occur from January 10 - January 31. Students in grades K-5 will complete the assessment in Mathematics and Reading, with the exception of Spanish immersion students who will be taking the Aprenda Spanish assessment in January.

MAP is a computerized adaptive assessment designed to determine a child's progress along an equal interval growth scale, which includes learning levels that extend from kindergarten through high school.  MAP is a norm-referenced assessment which pulls from an extensive bank of questions at different levels. Although we cannot determine exact questions a child answered right or wrong, MAP informs us about each child's learning level across strands. As your child progresses through the assessment, questions "adapt" by increasing or decreasing in difficulty resulting in a unique test specifically created for his or her learning level. Almost immediately, teachers can access individual student reports and tools to inform instruction, including profiles of where to support as well as stretch students in each performance range.

At Encinal School and across the Menlo Park City School District, we use a variety of measures to determine each child's strengths and needs as a learner. In addition to classroom assessments designed by the teacher, we utilize a variety of assessment that measure how much progress a child is making and how that progress compares to grade level expectations.  Examples include the DRA in reading K-3, the ERB WraP writing exam in grades 3-5 and the STAR test. Teachers rely on a portfolio of results to understand each child's progress. No one assessment outweighs the rest. It is only through the tapestry of multiple measures that we gather a picture of each child's learning profile and needs.

Each classroom teacher will communicate with parents regarding testing schedules. MAP student reports will be sent home by each teacher the week of February 6. Students will be reassessed in May (including third grade Spanish immersion students) to capture growth levels for this school year.

Warm regards,

Allison Liner, Principal