May, 2012
Dear Parents,
The end of the school year brings excitement, not only for the students, but the teachers as well. We continue to plan and work on opening our fourth kindergarten classroom. Ordering supplies, unpacking books, and drawing up the plans for the furniture arrangement are keeping us busy and enthused, and the library and computer room will close a bit early to make room for the construction and moving.
Mrs. Cary and I have been visiting schools, speaking with technology experts, and planning an expansion of our lap top labs to include tablets for use in the junior high. We just received a shipment of new projectors and five Smart Boards, and four of the teachers have completed training on using iPads for school applications. Next fall, some of our in-service dates will focus on teacher training for Googledocs, and we will continue to integrate the technology we have into our curriculum. The funding for these initiative will be through the state, so the timeline will take about a year, providing there are no cuts to auxiliary money.
A new group of teacher leaders will be attending the Initiative for Catholic Schools with me for the fifth year in a row, and our PLC work with the Core Curriculum will continue. The teachers are continually updating their knowledge and focus on student learning, and our authentic assessment conferences will be expanded to include a November date as well as those we have been doing in May.
All of these initiatives are being carried out because of the dedication and commitment of our faculty and staff. IHM is blessed to have so many professionals who care about your children.
The faculty and I hope that you enjoy your summer, and we look forward to seeing you at our Parent Information Night in August.
God bless each of you.
Mary Hedger