GATOR FAMILIES—Welcome to fall! We had such a successful first month of the school year. Our students settled into a routine quite easily, enabling our teachers to jump into building relationships and teaching content. It feels great to have this school year in full-swing.
As we embark on our second year using Amplify's Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) curriculum, we are highlighting all the places our students will 'travel' through their reading adventures. Check out our Gators Travel the World map outside of our Media Center.
Each subject area has identified gradable opportunities to ensure students can learn and practice skills before assessments are given. Please check your child’s Wednesday folder each week and monitor their grades in Canvas. Teachers in grades 3-5 have developed redo policies consistent with guidelines set forth in the AACPS Parent Handbook to support student learning.
We will assess student learning regularly this school year through check point quizzes in math, unit assessments in reading, and quarterly assessments in science and social studies. In the last weeks, students in grades 1-5 received their iReady reports for math and reading. Students in grades 4-5 also received MCAP scores from last spring. On Wednesday, October 15th, students in all grades brought home assessment reports from DIBELS - Diagnostic Inventory of Beginning Early Literacy Skills. This was administered to all students in the first month of school. The data on all of these assessments will be used by our school team to identify strengths and areas of need in student learning.
We continue to be so thankful for the partnership of our PTO. They work tirelessly to enhance all areas at DES. You can see their impact in the beautiful fall flowers out front, on the freshly painted four-square courts, in the Unity Day t-shirts provided to all students and staff, at our recent staff luncheon, and at events like the upcoming fall festival/movie night. The list could go on and on. They are doing so many things, but it takes many hands to make light work. Please consider signing up to volunteer sometime this school year to do your part!
While we started the year with parent updates, this newsletter marks the first of many this school year. You can expect one to come to you monthly. For weekly updates and advertisements for clubs and school events, our PTO publishes an email called the Gator Blast every Sunday. You must go to the PTO website to sign up for this distribution. PTO membership is not required to receive this weekly update. We know AACPS sends a great deal of messages each week, but we hope you will find ways to prioritize the DES information coming your way. We are committed to keeping you informed!
Thank you for your continued partnership!
