It's hard to believe this is our sixth week of school! A goal at the beginning of the year was to have a quick and efficient school year start. We wanted to jump into culture building and academics simultaneously, so that our students could develop routines to be successful in school - and at the same time dive into rigorous, engaging work. I've been impressed by our students' and teachers' focus and joy in this work.

 

Another goal is to increase collaborative classroom conversations. We want students to increase academic vocabulary, develop thinking skills, and become critical, perceptive listeners. Through these conversations, we're also challenging students to be readers who analyze texts with surgical precision.

 

Thoughtful information processing is an important 21st-century skill. We have more information at our fingertips than we've ever had before. When I was a child, if I wanted to find out the most desolate island in the world, it would have taken hours with an encyclopedia or research in a library. Last night, my son looked it up on Google and found the answer in two minutes.

 

It's a challenge to sift through information online and determine what's true or false. As a society, we also struggle when conversing with people who think differently than us. At Steele, we're teaching students to be attentive listeners and finders of truth. We want them to be able to gracefully state an opinion and help build a better world.

 

We'll have parent-teacher conferences on October 27, 28, and 29. We'll send an electronic sign-up sheet to parents early next week. If you're the parent of a special education student, please don't sign up; we will have already assigned a time slot for you. This is so all your child's teachers can be a part of the conference. If the time you were assigned doesn't work, let us know and we'll arrange a time that works for everyone. We look forward to discussing your child's progress with you!

Remember, we'll have our first coffee with the principal tomorrow, October 2, 8:30 to 9:30 AM. We'll meet in either the library or cafeteria. If you can't find us, ask in the office.

 

This is a great opportunity to meet with other parents and me in an informal setting. We'll get to know one another better, and you can learn more about Steele. I'm always impressed with the thoughtful questions that parents ask and the conversations that ensue. This is also a great time to hear other parents' perspectives and to learn ways they've addressed issues. I always leave coffee with the principal a better principal and father. I hope you can join us on Friday, October.

 

Thanks for all you do!

 

Cheers,

Kevin

Plan to attend the next Steele Dines Out at Homegrown Tap & Dough on Tuesday, October 6, dine in or take out from 3 PM to close. Come enjoy the last hurrah for the patio!  Please remember to present this flyer for Steele to receive 15% of your tab. A limited number of flyers will be available at the restaurant, 1001 S. Gaylord St.

Please join us at our annual information night for students and parents on Tuesday, October 6 at 6:00 PM. Due to high demand, Slavens does not offer shadowing, so this is your chance to see what we're all about! We'll have a sign-up for upcoming tours when current students are in attendance. For more information, click here.

Merrill Open House and Student Shadowing

Calling all prospective sixth graders! Open House at Merrill Middle School will be on Wednesday, October 14 from 6:30 until 8:00 PM. Hear from Principal Bringedahl promptly at 6:30 PM.

Want to shadow? Join us for a half day to experience Merrill! Learn about our core academic classes, enrichments, and electives. Take a tour with an eighth grade mentor and meet Principal Bringedahl!

For more information about Open House and shadowing at Merrill, click here.