Welcome to the new year, 2017. It is sure to be another exciting adventure at Sarah Thompson School. Evidence says that when students experience a positive school climate, student achievement will increase. This past November, we surveyed our grades four and five students to ascertain how happy they are at school. We used a tool called the Student Orientation to School Questionnaire (SOSQ). This tool is used extensively within Rocky View School. The premise is that when if we know how students feel about school, we can more specifically implement programs which address student levels of engagement. At Sarah Thompson School, this tool tells us whether programs, such as; “Friends for Life”, “Leader in Me”, and “Zones of Regulation”, are effective for our students. The results showed that we have a high level of student satisfaction in those grades. Further, the results indicated that as a grade four and five cohorts, internal and external resiliency is high. Presently our students are being given the social/emotional tools needed to deal with challenges that may come their way. We know that we much us continue to look for opportunities to allow our students to shine. By building their confidence and resiliency, we will support their academic achievement.
You may have also noticed that we have extended our literacy program. In addition to having Wee Reads, Precision Reading, a home reading programs in every class, and Daily 5 to engage students by giving them some choice in their learning, we are beginning a program called Leveled Literacy Intervention. This targets students at greatest need in their literacy development. It is a minimum of 12-week intensive program for students to build their strategies and competencies. To be a candidate for the program, students have to have both good attendance and no lates. We also have a parent component, which asks our parents to read nightly with their child. The evidence is strong that student reading achievement significantly increases with the use of this program. Our goal is to have all students reading at an appropriate reading level.
As always, there is a lot of hustle and bustle at Sarah Thompson. On January 16th, Kindergarten registration opens. Just as was done last year, when you register, you will draw a random number which indicates the order you are placed in for morning or afternoon programs. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee everyone’s desired class. We take into consideration, academic and social/emotional needs as well as ratio of boys to girls. We do our best to accommodate everyone.
On January 17th, we will host the Alberta Opera. This gives our students the opportunity to see professional actors sing and dance, just as students do in their performances at the school. It is a wonderful event, and parents are welcome to attend.
On January 23rd, the School Council meeting will be held at 6pm. This is your chance to come out and engage with other parents to volunteer and become involved in our school culture. It is also a time to have your voices heard in term of questions and concerns. Our Ward 2 Trustee, Bev LaPeare attends every meeting, so please consider joining us.
Kindest regards,
