The staff and students of RCS have been in school for one month, and so much has been accomplished already! The first month of a new school year, at least for teachers, is about establishing a foundation. Classroom and specials teachers are learning names, assigning seats, teaching new routines. Students are learning names of new classmates, understanding the rules of each classroom, and figuring out how to navigate the building. Learning all of these new elements are foundational to establishing a classroom community and understanding how each group of students is going to work together throughout the school year.
Classroom teachers and intervention teachers also use the first weeks of the school year to gather data about each student. All students take the DIBELS test; the results help teachers know who might need additional practice learning letters of the alphabet and their sounds; who might need help committing Trick Words, words commonly used in English, to memory; and who needs more practice reading connected text and understanding its meaning. All students also take the MAP assessment, which assesses individual skill in the areas of reading, math and language arts; as well as an iReady diagnostic, which provides specific information about math at all grade levels. Teachers are using all of this information to plan daily lessons. Our intervention staff are also using it to establish small groups of students who need extra support to be successful at RCS.
Finally, all staff at RCS are teaching foundational elements of our Catholic faith. Students are praying throughout the day and studying the history and beliefs of the Catholic church. Teachers are also teaching and modeling virtues, such as responsibility and gratitude. And new this year is the teaching of the habits of successful persons, through The Leader in Me program. All of these elements combine to develop the students of RCS into a community of faithful learners.
We are thankful for the families that have chosen to be a part of the RCS community.
The 2024-25 school year is going to be a great one!
Michelle Beaven
Assistant Principal /Resource Teacher
Resurrection Catholic School
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