Good evening, Hugh Mercer students and families,
We are excited to see you tomorrow and to keep the ball rolling with some wonderful learning opportunities as we continue to settle into the new semester and second half of the school year for our students and staff.
Reminders from last week:
As we continue to work towards a highly successful school and learning environment at Hugh Mercer, we would like to remind families of three key components to learning success for Hugh Mercer. Our success is based on three areas of focus and importance: regular attendance, high academic expectations, and clear behavior expectations for the school day. We want to keep moving forward with our goal of achieving educational excellence for all students at Hugh Mercer.
Instruction and Assessment:
To help keep the focus on instruction and to assist with setting high academic expectations, we are focusing on setting a standard that our school day starts promptly after morning announcements. We are expecting teachers to prioritize the first 15 minutes (8:30 to 8:45) by starting instruction and keeping all students with them in order to set the standard that we are here to teach and learn and the importance of that begins from the start of each school day. Families can support this by ensuring that their children learn morning routines and see the importance of getting to school on time.
We have begun our mid-year VALLSS testing for K-3. Please help your child be well rested each day and ready to demonstrate their best as we assess their learning progress in literacy and gather information to help us better support them in their literacy learning.
Remediation and support for students not demonstrating proficiency on their grade-level SOL standards will begin January 28 for 4th and 5th grade and February 4 for 2nd and 3rd grade. Remediation and support are given during our intervention blocks during the day and during our after-school support sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Information has been sent home with students that need extra supports. Your child’s teacher can provide more information on your child’s needs and supports.
Safety and Behaviors:
We are seeing increases in student’s demonstrating positive behaviors and practicing Patriot P.R.I.D.E. throughout the school day. Please talk with your children about the good things they see and hear at school and how they contribute to our school culture. We are working to start monthly recognitions for positive behaviors and improvements in behaviors. More information will be coming on those recognitions.
Upcoming Events:
1/27: Division-Wide Spelling Bee
1/28: Start of HMES Afterschool Supports
1/28: Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) Virtual Meeting @ 5-6:30 PM
1/30: FCPS Kindergarten Registration @ HMES
1/30: Grades 4 & 5 Awards Assemblies
1/31: Grades 2 & 3 Awards Assemblies
As always, we are looking forward to another productive and positive week ahead. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Your partnership is essential, and working together ensures the success of every Hugh Mercer student.
Patriot PRIDE, always,
Mr. Snyder