Dear Lower School Families,
We are writing to tell you about a change for our reporting process for next year. This past school year, members of the Lower School Curriculum Committee and then the Lower School faculty as a whole reviewed the timing of when report cards are sent home and when we hold parent conferences. The conclusions and proposals of this review were then presented to Judy Guild, Head of School, for her approval. The faculty and administration took into account the comments they had received over the past several years from Lower School families. We concluded that earlier communication regarding students was needed.
According to the review, the faculty felt strongly that they wanted to have goal-setting meetings before the school year started to help them establish a relationship with the families in their grade and to help them understand what the families' goals are regarding their children. As a result we will have these conferences right after Labor Day, on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 2 and 3, from 12:30-4:00 (there will be limited options for times after those two days). It will be important for families to attend these meetings because we will be sending out October progress report cards that reflect how each student is doing based on these goals. The progress report will not go in the students' files; they are just intended for the families.
There will be a round of parent conferences during the first week of November. At this time teachers and families can look back at the progress report and look at where the students currently stand both academically and socially to help determine if the students are on the correct path before a full report is written. The first full report will be mailed out the third week of December.
During the third week of February, there will be a third round of parent conferences. Similar to the parent conferences in November, this round of conferences will provide an opportunity for teachers and families to look at the progress made since the last report card and to set goals for the remainder of the year.
In keeping with our philosophy that promotes collaborative partnerships between the School and families, we want to emphasize the importance of communicating whenever you have a question or a concern and not just at conference time. The schedule of our parent conferences for this coming year is designed to be proactive, giving us all an opportunity to assess what a student needs to accomplish before a report card is written. Of course if you receive a report and have a question, please feel free to call the teacher. Regular and clear communication remains one of our primary goals.
As in previous years, there will be a full-set of reports in June. Creative arts reports will be sent out in February and with the June reports. If you have any questions, please feel to contact Ms. McGillicuddy or me.
Best wishes,
Thomas Fuller Courtney McGillicuddy
Head of Lower School Assistant Head of Lower School
Early Childhood Coordinator
