Spring is here! We are definitely receiving the April showers. Let’s hope they help with the May flowers. I find it hard to believe that we are in the month of May and the year is coming to a close. The next few weeks are VERY busy with many special events, field trips, and memories to share. Several of the upcoming events are the 1st Grade Parent Orientation, 6th Grade Promotion, the Awards Ceremony, and Field Day. Please make sure that you are reviewing the calendar and checking the notes sent home each week. We don’t want you to miss anything!
During this time of the year families start making plans for the upcoming summer break. Many of you will be enrolling your children in camps and summer programs throughout the city. The MRH summer
program is a great option for you and your family. There are many exciting learning opportunities included in this program. If you have questions about the summer program, please contact Dan Lyons, the Summer School Coordinator at 314-­644-­4403 or email dan.lyons@mrhschools.net.
Respectfully,

Jason Adams

Click here to view the entire MRH Elementary Newsletter for May 2013
Click here to view the MRHE Cafeteria Menu for May 2013
 

April is quickly approaching and with the month of April comes standardized testing. Our testing dates are: April 8 – 12 and again on April 15 – 18. Students in third through sixth grade will test in Communication Arts and Mathematics. Our 5th graders will also test in Science. During the two weeks of testing, our building wide schedule changes to allow for larger amounts of time for testing. Lunch schedules will stay the same, but some Art, Music, and P.E. times will change throughout the day.

As a school we strive to create a positive atmosphere during testing that communicates the importance of “doing your best” and at the same time doesn’t add additional stress and pressure to our children. As a family there are several things you can do to support your child during the time leading up to and during testing.

• Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep. A goodnight’s sleep is crucial to ensuring your child is prepared both mentally and physically for a day of testing.
• Allow for additional exercise and energy release during the evenings. Many of our testing days require longer periods of sitting and focus than what we normally expect. Children may need additional time to release their built up energy before the next day.
• Be on time for school each morning. It is VERY important that our students are at school and on time during the testing window. We want everyone to participate and give 100%! Please make sure your child is on time each morning.
• Talk to your child about how testing and the typical school day are different. As I shared above, it is unavoidable that our schedule changes during the two weeks of testing. This may cause some of our students who enjoy routine to experience some nervousness with the schedule changes.
• Make healthy food choices. Each day of testing, the MRHE PTO will provide a healthy snack for our students. Please consider providing healthy food choices for your child’s lunch time.

As a school, we greatly appreciate your support during these few weeks of testing. We know and you know the stakes involved with standardized testing and we want to make sure our students are as confident and well prepared as ever.

Respectfully,

Jason Adams

Click here to view the complete Elementary Newsletter for April

Click here to view the Elementary Cafeteria Menu for April

Recently I was reading about the idea of “excellence” and I stumbled across this definition “something that is unusually good and so surpasses ordinary standards”. Excellence is not the product of snapping our fingers and seeing a quick result. Excellence is the result of hard work, perseverance, and constant learning as the journey progresses.

DRAFT of Shared Vision of Excellence:
We succeed when each of our students:
• Effectively listens and communicates ideas
• Collaboratively solves problems and designs solutions
• Exhibits character and models empathy toward others
• Celebrates individual differences and values multiple perspectives
• Possesses the foundation necessary for future educational challenges
• Critically thinks about personal, social, and global issues
• Accesses and analyzes information to make thoughtful decisions
• Demonstrates curiosity and confidently takes risks to achieve excellence
• Utilizes technology to enhance creativity and innovation
• Makes healthy choices that positively impact their life and the lives of others

We are continuing to revise this draft of our vision and welcome your input. If you have a thought, strongly agree with a statement, or wonder about something, please let us know. You can send your feedback to jason.adams@mrhschool.net.

We welcome your input as we continue the process of creating our “Shared Vision of Excellence”.

Enjoy a wonderful March and a great Spring Break! Respectfully,

Jason Adams

Click here to view the complete Elementary Newsletter for March

Click here to view the Elementary Cafeteria Menu for March

In January I shared about the process our classroom teachers use to analyze data and make decisions about how they can support each student. A strong academic program is essential to every school. We continue to learn more and more about how to best teach skills for mathematics, reading, and writing.

At the same time, MRHE is committed to developing the whole child. Our teachers in specialty areas such as physical education/health, art, counseling, garden/sustainability, and music contribute so much to the overall development of our students. Our goal for our students is high academic achievement AND a strong foundation in social, emotional, and physical learning.

Recently I read an article from the Washington Post about ten skills our students learn from participation in the Arts. The author highlights the importance of providing our students with high quality experiences that enrich creativity, enhance collaboration, and prepare our students for a successful future in the 21st century. I am including this article with the February newsletter. Please take a moment to review the article. It really is eye opening!

Thank you again for your continued support of our school and our work to develop students who are prepared for any challenge they face in the future.

Respectfully, Jason Adams

Click here to view the complete Elementary Newsletter for February

Click here to view the Elementary Cafeteria Menu for February

At MRHE there are many things that go on behind the scenes, goal setting being one of them.  Our grade level teams meet each week in what we call “Data Teams”.  During these weekly conversations, our teachers are constantly learning new teaching practices, using student achievement data to make decisions about instruction, collaborating with each other to individualize what they do for each child, and set goals for future work.  This practice is time intensive, but highly rewarding.  Through this process, teachers are able to identify specific areas where students are struggling or areas where students have mastered the content.  For example, in these conversations one teacher might notice that her students did really well on an assessment on measurement.  This teacher would then share strategies she used with her colleagues.  The ultimate goal is to increase achievement for all of our students. 

Goal setting is important.  Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.”  This is true.  By making goal setting a priority in our school community, we have steps we can work toward in our quest to make sure all of our students are excelling in their learning.   By setting goals, we have something to work toward.  Again, Happy New Year! I’m looking to a wonderful 2013 at MRHE.

Respectfully,
Jason Adams

Click here to view the complete Elementary Newsletter for January

Click here to view the Elementary Cafeteria Menu for January

As many of you know, MRHE formed a partnership (one form of community relationship) with the Gateway Arch and the National Park Service this school year.  Our teachers and students have worked closely with the staff of the Gateway Arch to learn how the principles of museum work can enhance learning within our school.  Every child in our school was invited to participate in a field trip to the Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse.  In addition, the staff of the Gateway Arch have been assisting our students with their exhibit work.  We are thrilled with the ideas our students have come up with and are excited about the possibilities this work will produce.

One aspect of this partnership that we are thrilled about is the invitation for our students to design a special exhibit in the Museum of Westward Expansion, which is housed in the lower level of the Gateway Arch.  Every grade level will contribute key pieces from their grade-level exhibitions to this special school wide exhibit.  Beginning Thursday December 20th and continuing through January 10th, MRHE student work will be on display in the Museum of Westward Expansion for guests to visit.  On Thursday, January 10th, the entire MRHE community is invited to a special reception at the Gateway Arch where we will celebrate our students’ special exhibit.

Here is a timeline of the special dates:

December 20th-January 10
MRHE Exhibit at the Museum of Westward Expansion Open for Visitors

January 10th - Time: 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Celebration Reception at the Museum of Westward Expansion

January 22nd - Time:  6:00-7:00 p.m.
Grade-Level Exhibits Open for Visitors at MRHE

February, 9th - Time:  8:00-11:00 a.m.
6th Grade Pancake Breakfast – One last chance to visit the Grade-Level exhibits at MRHE

Our students and staff are excited about the next few months.  We look forward to seeing you at one of the special events where we will celebrate our students’ excellent work.

Click here to view the entire Elementary Newsletter for December

Click here for the Elementary Cafeteria Menu for December

Over the next few weeks our students will have the opportunity to explore the political process, learn what it means to be an informed “voter” and cast their votes like so many of us will have the opportunity to do. Our Kids Voting initiative involves every student in our school. This learning experience includes learning about candidates for the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Vice President and President. In addition, our 6th graders will also learn about current issues that voters are considering on November 6th. Our students will then cast their votes. Once all of the votes are tabulated, our students will find out the results of their shared decision making. This is a great opportunity for our students to participate in a process that is a vital part of our citizenship.

Following Election Day, the MRHE school community will celebrate our veterans during the Grandfriends-Veterans Day celebration (November 8th). This special event allows our students the opportunity to say “thank you” to members of our community who sacrificed a great deal for each of us. This special morning
celebration will also provide an opportunity for our students to share with their “grandfriends” what occurs within their classroom. Veterans and “grandfriends” are welcome to join us from 7:30-10:00 am on Thursday, November 8th.

Through these two special events and others throughout the year, our goal is to involve our students in the decision making that many citizens participate in and also demonstrate an appreciation for those who have done so much for each of us.

Over the next two weeks, be sure to ask your child(ren) about their learning and invite them to share about these two important aspects of citizenship.

Respectfully, Jason Adams

Click here to view the complete November MRH Elementary Newsletter

As I shared throughout the summer at the Parent Coffee meetings and at our Parent Information Night, a school can never stop trying to develop partnerships with families and ensure strong avenues for communication. In August we invited our families to share their feedback about school communication. After reviewing the feedback from many of you, we have decided to make the following changes in an effort to improve school-wide communication:

• Transition from a monthly school newsletter to a bi-weekly school newsletter
• Create an email system for families to receive the newsletters in a paperless format
• Create both a Twitter and Facebook account for MRH Elementary that will provide another form of receiving updates from the school

In order to make these ideas a reality, we need your help! Attached to the October newsletter you will find an “Opt In” form, where you may indicate if you would like to receive the school newsletter in a paperless (email) form. If you do not return the completed form, we will continue to provide your family with a paper copy. I look forward to visiting with you throughout the fall and welcome your ideas and suggestions.

Respectfully,
Jason Adams

Click here to view the complete October MRH Elementary Newsletter

The start of the school year is always an exciting time full of anticipation and promise for the things yet to come. As principal, please allow me to say “happy new year” and “welcome back”. I am confident that this school year will be full of learning, joy, and excitement.

As we begin our new journey, I believe clear and concise communication is essential to the heart of our school community. It is vital to the work that we ALL do to support our children in their development. As I shared in my summer letter, communication occurs at many levels. These include school-to-family, teacher-to-family,  family-to-family, student-to-family, and family-community. Our goal is to insure that all levels of communication are in place.

In an effort to receive feedback from you, I am inviting you to respond to a brief survey about specific aspects of communication at our school. In addition, there are several questions regarding our metaphor, School as Museum. Your honest opinion will be helpful as we strive to share all of the amazing things that make MRHE such a unique and wonderful place to be.

The survey link is available on the front page of our website. The survey will remain open until Friday, September 6th. I will discuss the results and the future of communication at MRHE during the Parent Information Night on Tuesday, September 11th. Your child’s teacher will also be discussing classroom expectations and communication on this evening as well. Please make note of this date…it is very
important that you are here to learn about our school and your child’s classroom for the school year.

Also coming home today in backpacks, you will find information about our After-School Clubs. Several of the clubs are returning from last year and several are brand new. I hope your children enjoy these extended learning opportunities.

Again, “happy new year” and “welcome back!” I am certain we have a great school year ahead of us.

Respectfully, Jason Adams

Click to view the entire MRHE August 2012 newsletter