Ms. Wesley on"January 2009 "

Happy New Year!

I hope all of you had a relaxing holiday season. It was wonderful to have time off to spend with family and friends and to get re-energized for the second semester.

It’s hard to believe that we are already half way through the school year. The first semester officially ended on December 19th. I want to inform of some upcoming events that will be taking place at Malley Drive. On the week of January 19th we will be giving the CELA test to approximately 91 of our students. The CELA (Colorado English Language Acquisition) is a test given to our students who speak English as their second language. The test has 4 parts: speaking, listening, reading and writing. This test is mandated by the state of Colorado and is one of the guidelines of the federal No Child Left Behind law. If you would like any further information about the CELA test, please do not hesitate to contact me.

With the first semester ending, this is an important time for our teachers to take a close look at student data. Teachers review student data on an ongoing basis through formal and informal assessments as well as classroom observations. In January each grade level team will take half a day to look at reading, writing and math data together and look for patterns and trends. It will be an opportunity for teachers to identify the successes of their students and to brainstorm strategies to use to help those students who are struggling in areas. The data will be lead by our two coaches, Debbie Easterday and Vicki Murray.

Our early release Wednesdays will be spent on the following areas: implementing effective ELL strategies in the classroom, evaluating oral language strategies that t are being used in the classroom, analyzing midyear data and infusing technology in the classrooms. Every Wednesday teachers spend 90 minutes in professional development. This is valuable time that the staff uses to fine tune their teaching skills and come up with new and effective ways to meet the diverse needs of our students.

I would like to introduce two new Malley Drive staff members. Kendra Molinary is our new 4th grade teacher. She replaces Vicki Murray who is our new SAC (Student Achievement Coach). Valerie Miller is our new SSN teacher. She replaces Deborah Symanski who moved to Northglenn Middle School. Welcome Kendra and Valerie!

Finally, I wanted to share with you the tremendously generous nature of the staff and PSO at Malley Drive. On December 11th one of our families had a fire in their home. No one was injured but there was severe damage to their home. The family has two students at Malley Drive, a third grader and a fifth grader. The family was forced to leave their home in Northglenn and is currently living in Denver. The staff of Malley Drive collected money for the family and over $750 was donated to the family. In addition, our PSO donated a gift card of $200 to the family. In addition, several parents called the school asking how they could help the family. This type of generosity and human kindness exemplifies the staff and PSO of Malley Drive. The “holiday spirit” is alive and well at Malley Drive.

As we embark on the second half of this school year together the staff at Malley Drive will continue to work hard to ensure that all students are given the very best education. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in your child’s education.

Sincerely,

Anne Wesley