Well it was an extremely busy week at Hale, with the open house last Thursday night and the first dance of the last Friday night.   Dances are great events as the kids have a lot of fun and it is great to see them at the school relaxing and enjoying themselves.   One goal I have as prinicipal is to perfect, or at least vastly improve, the after dance pick up routine!

I was very pleased with how many people were able to attend the open house last week.  I received a lot of positive feedback from the staff  as to the number of people they were able to talk to.  I hope it was obvious to everyone attending what a vibrant school this is, a great staff and kids who are eager to be an active participant in their education.  I really enjoy being able to be part of it.

Last Friday was an early release day for the students, but the staff was busy at work beginning to analyze the MCAS scores.  We have a multi step process when we do this.  First we look at the overall results and analyze which standards the largest number of students struggled with.  We then reflect upon the curriculum and instruction to see what actions can be taken to help students become proficient in the standards in which we underachieved.  When that work is done we turn to individual student scores and analyze them in depth and develop an individualized improvement plan for any student in the needs improvement or warning levels.  There is a great deal of work that goes into this process from beginning to end.

I know some people have MCAS fatigue, as it has been often mentioned to me.   Although I understand that sentiment, the reality is MCAS is the standard to which we are presently held to as public educators.  What I think is great about the approach in this District is that although our curriculum is aligned with the state standards and therefore should produce positive MCAS results, we do not just teach to the test.  We work hard to assure a full, well rounded learning experience that should be reflected in our students experiencing true learning, while being prepared to meet the MCAS requirements.