Dear Parents:
WE HAVE A CRISIS! As we teach in our writing lessons, it is important that we hook the reader with a strong beginning. Hopefully, as you read the first sentence, you are enticed to read this entire letter. We indeed do have a crisis and it is one that we can only solve together!
As part of our school improvement process we contracted with an independent research facility to look at our student achievement data. We received the data a couple of weeks ago and there were many positive results showing that our educational program is indeed working well. The researchers did find a significant problem, however. Data shows that the majority of Floyd students lose reading skills during the summer months! This data also shows that we are losing ground over the summer and our students are entering the next grade levels at LOWER reading levels. Thus, our major concern deals with what is commonly referred to as “The Summer Slide.” Quite simply, we must do everything we can as parents, teachers, and administrators to help reverse this trend.
Thus, we have the following goal for this summer:
The students at Floyd Elementary School will maintain or improve literacy scores throughout the summer.
What can we do to help our kids reach this goal?
Based on the data from the research study we want to make every effort possible to put books into the hands of our kids. Thus, Floyd Elementary will implement the following actions to support our families to meet our ambitious reading goal.
- Our school library will be open throughout the summer vacation on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. and Wednesday evenings 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Please see the back of this letter for the complete schedule, including Read Aloud times;
- We will host the Grace A. Dow Library Summer Reading Log Program right at Floyd Elementary (that means no more driving into town simply to collect your prizes or get new books!)
- Your child’s reading score will come home on the last day of school and then again during the first couple of weeks of the next school year. This will allow you to track your child’s reading progress over the summer. Remember – IF YOUR CHILD IS NOT READING DURING THE SUMMER, HE/SHE WILL BE BEHIND IN THE FALL!!!
We have always worked together to confront issues that impact our students. Together, we can confront the “Summer Slide” and make sure that our kids are learning year-round. We really have no choice…it is that important.
Respectfully,
Rod Dishaw, Principal
Floyd Elementary School