Greetings,

It is hard to believe the first quarter of school has come and gone.  I want thank the students, parents, teachers, and members of the community for making my first months at the Lawn School a terrific place to be.  As the busy school year continues I want to share with you some of my thoughts and resources I have come across.

Attendance: I have been thinking a lot about the importance of being in school and the impact absenteeism can have on learning.  Below is a link I thought was helpful when thinking about  

how we can all best support students with regular attendance.

http://www.attendanceworks.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/AW_HS-flyer-1-pager.pdf

PARCC: You may be well aware that this year we will be involved in PARCC testing in March and again in May.  This will be a change from NECAP done in previous years in that PARCC testing will be computer based.  8th grade students will still have NECAP testing in science in addition to doing math and ELA PARCC testing.  There is a lot to plan for but we are getting ready for the change! Below is a link that offers a wealth of information about PARCC.

www.parcconline.org 

Aspen:  Report cards will be up on Aspen on Thursday, November 20th.  Be sure to check Aspen!

Thanks again!

Nate Edmunds

9/16

There are several opportunities for parents to get involved with the Lawn School this week:

• Wednesday September 17 – The PTO meeting will be held from 3:00 – 4:00 at Melrose.
• Wednesday September 17 – Open House will also be held on Wednesday from 7:00 – 8:00pm.  We will begin our evening in the gym.
• Thursday September 18 – School Improvement Team (SIT) will have its first meeting from 3:30 – 4:30 in the Lawn School Library.

I am looking forward to seeing you there!

Nate Edmunds

Lawn Principal

Other information:

The RI Department of Education has developed materials on the Common Core State Standards to share with parents and communities. They were designed to provide key information about implementation of the Common Core State Standards in Rhode Island.

Elementary (5^th)

http://www.ride.ri.gov/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Instruction-and-Assessment-World-Class-Standards/Transition/RI_CCSS_Flyer-Elementary-Print.pdf

Middle (6^th, 7^th,8^th)

http://www.ride.ri.gov/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Instruction-and-Assessment-World-Class-Standards/Transition/RI_CCSS_Flyer-MiddleHigh-Print.pdf

9/9

The first days of school have been terrific.  I am enjoying meeting the students and seeing the great things the teachers are doing. I see students excited and engaged in their learning and this is exciting for me! There is also focus on our continued use of technology and incorporating this tool into our instruction and our practice to enhance student learning.  I believe exploring new ideas and trying new things is at the heart of learning. I too am learning as I incorporate new technology into what I am doing.  In addition to the great things happening in the classroom, there are wonderful after school programs, sports and opportunities for students to explore different interests. There are a lot of exciting things happening at the Lawn School I feel lucky to be a part of it!