Folder   Article   Weblink   Product   Message Board   Calendar   Form   Document   Album   Podcast

April 8, 2011 Volume VI, Issue 27   Home Letter from Lynne Dear Parents, On the agenda for next week’s Middle School faculty meeting, among other topics, is a look at our current system for reporting student progress, now in its second year of implementation. In advance of that discussion, I welcome your feedback. As a refresher, our process for informing you about your daughter’s learning and progress has four components, not counting the occasional “interim report” or communication you may receive from a teacher via email or phone. Those four components are: 1. At the beginning of each of the three school terms, parents receive a set of “blurbs” that provides an overview of the skills and content that will be a part of each course that term. This is intended to help you anticipate what your daughter will be covering in the coming months, both so that you can be aware and involved in her learning and also so that you know what will be assessed and evaluated for the purposes of her progress reports. 2. In the middle of each of the three terms, a midterm report is completed and mailed home. This report contains assessments of skill mastery (P, D or N for each skill, designating Proficient, Developing or Needs Support), and brief, narrative comments in which the teacher explains or elaborates upon your daughter’s work and growth. 3. At the end of each of the three terms, a report card with your daughter’s earned letter grades is mailed home.   4. Twice per year, Parent-Teacher conferences provide the opportunity to discuss your daughter’s challenges and triumphs face to face with each of her teachers. Each component named above occupies many, many hours of valuable teacher time throughout the year, and just as it is important to me that our process is helpful to you in your role as parent, it is also critical to me that the “right” demands on their time are being made. So, how is this system working for you and your daughter? Are you satisfied with the current process, or do you have suggestions/recommendations that would make our reporting more helpful or meaningful? How do you use these reports? For goal setting? For reflection and discussion with your daughter? Tell us what you think. Please do not reply directly to this newsletter email. Instead, if you would like to offer some feedback to inform our faculty conversation, please email me at lmyavec@agnesirwin.org and place “progress reports” in the subject line; it would be great if you could get your thoughts to me by midday on Tuesday, April 12. I look forward to your input!   Lynne Coming Up at AIS ... Mon., April 11: Parent Internet Safety Presentation with Kevin Steele (for parents of 5th and 6th graders), 7:00-8:30 P.M., Assembly Room (See downloads for more info.) Thurs., April 14: 7th Grade Parent Chat, 7:00-8:00 P.M., Assembly Room Fri., April 15: 8th Grade Parent/Daughter Trip to Bryn Mawr Film Institute to see Jane Eyre, 4:00 P.M. (Please see downloads for permission slip.)   Fri., April 15: 5th Grade Girls Social, 6:00-8:30 P.M., Upper School Gym   Fri., April 15: 7th & 8th Grade Dance at Haverford, 7:30-10:00 P.M.     Looking Ahead...   Mon., April 18: AIS Golf Outing (see announcements for more info.)   Wed., April 20: 6th Grade Medieval Night, 6:00 P.M., MS/US Gym   Thurs., April 21: 8th Grade Trip to Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival to see As You Like It, 9:00 A.M.-1:45 P.M.   Thurs., April 21: MS/US Admission Open House, 10:30 a.m.-12:00 noon   Fri., April 22: Good Friday, No Classes   Sat., May 7: 2011 Dream Flag Project Celebration, 3:00 P.M., Kimmel Center   Fri., May 20-Sat., May 21: 8th Grade Sleepover, On campus Downloads Internet Safety Series (Grades 5-6 Parents) Jane Eyre Field Trip Permission Slip MS/US Menu Bring a Friend to School Day    Announcements AIS MUSIC NEWS The Hall of Great Agnes will be filled with music and feasting on Wednesday, April 20th for Sixth Grade Medieval Night. The evening will begin at 6 P.M. Students should come down to the assembly room and check in with Dr. Latham or Mrs. Lynch.   The Middle School Choral Concert is Tuesday, May 3rd at 7 P.M. in the West-Wike Theatre. Featuring actors, alligators and all sorts of bugs, it is a celebration of the summer to come. Chorus members should arrive at 6:45 P.M. in Dr. Latham’s room.   Hold on to your Grecian laurels! The Fifth Graders will present their original opera, Theseus and the Minotaur, on Thursday, May 12th at 7 P.M. in the West-Wike Theatre. Tickets are free and all are welcome. Fifth graders should arrive in Dr. Latham’s room at 6:15 P.M. for costumes, makeup and photos.   AIS Golf Outing The Agnes Irwin Golf Outing, that was rained out in September, will now be held on Monday April 18, 2011 at Gulph Mills Golf Club. Please contact Peter Hill, phill@mhhco.com, or Beth Coyne, familycoyne@comcast.net, if you are interested in participating in this event. Additional information can be found on the AIS Golf web page.   Bring a Friend to School! “Bring a Friend to School” days at Agnes Irwin will take place from April 18-29, 2011. “Bring a Friend to School” is a special program for current AIS students in 1st through 9th grades to invite girls who are a part of their sports teams, summer camps, churches, synagogues or neighborhoods to spend a day with them at Agnes Irwin. Please see the link in the 'Downloads' section.   Annual Fund     The school will be mailing its “Printer’s Proof” of the Annual Report in late April. This draft lists all gifts and pledges made to the Agnes Irwin Annual Fund as of April 15, 2011. Please make your gift today to ensure you are listed with your daughter’s class in the upcoming mailing. For questions, please contact Brooke Record at 610.526.1674 or brecord@agnesirwin.org. Thank you for your support of the 2010-2011 Annual Fund.