February 2020
Dear Hawk Families:
Our Hawks recently took home their third quarter progress reports. We are also in the process of seeing how much our Hawks have grown by looking at our Galileo data. Teachers use this data to see what our students have already learned, and what content we need to address further in the upcoming months.
We are in the last stretch of the school year to prepare our students for the AzM2 [the new name for the test formerly called AzMERIT]. Our third-fifth grade students will take the AzM2 in April. We welcome this opportunity to show how much learning has happened and how much our students have grown!
Our school letter grade for next year is based on several pieces of data. Data from the AzM2 makes up 80% of the letter grade. Data from the AZELLA on the English proficiency growth of our English learners makes up 10% of the grade. The remaining 10% comes from looking at how different groups of students perform on the AzMerit compared to their results from last year. We expect to move our C letter grade up to a B this year!
Parent involvement makes the difference! Getting your child to school on time, every day helps all of our Hawks do their best. We did not earn any points on the letter grade for our attendance last year, because we had more students who were chronically absent [18 or more days] than the previous school year. But we know we can improve in these two areas, along with continued academic growth.
Take time to look at your child’s homework to see what your child is learning and how well your child understands the work. Contact your child’s teacher for any questions. We also have parent workshops during the school year to give you even more ideas on what to do at home. Be on the lookout for all of these tips.
I encourage you to contact me to discuss any questions or concerns you may have regarding our school improvement [Title I] plan. I also welcome your feedback regarding other interests you have in our school. Check out our school Facebook page for updates and events: AJ Mitchell Elementary School Hawks @ajmhawks.
Thank you for allowing me to share supporting our efforts to provide your child with a high-quality education.
Michelle Shuman, Principal