Beginning of Year, 2010

The start of school ushered in some very hot weather and then an abrupt halt to summer. The air is cool and crisp, perfect for buckling down and getting back to business. CRMS will focus on five main areas this year: school culture, a restorative approach to discipline, standards-based reporting, Response to Intervention (RTI), and literacy. As a school, we have increased our emphasis on character education the past couple of years. We will continue many of our programs, such as the Wall of Greatness and Friday morning circles, but will also make a concerted effort to demonstrate the best sportsmanship we can on the playing fields and courts this year. Already, I have been impressed with the exceptional level of sportsmanship our athletes have shown, shaking hands with referees after games, cheering teammates and opponents, and providing water to opposing teams. As for discipline, we are moving away from detentions as a consequence and toward more restorative interventions such as "quick value checks" and restorative circles. This is proving to be a more effective system for promoting positive behavior. We are piloting a standards-based report card in grade 5, and hope to phase that into our school as that grade moves up. A standards-based report card will provide students and parents with more meaningful information about performance and behavior based on standards that can be tied directly to learning outcomes. With the new Literacy Coach and Intervention Coordinator positions this year, CRMS is well on its way to boosting our ability to better help all students achieve high academic standards, especially in the areas of math and reading. As you can see, we will be busy this year, but we are proud to be moving toward best practices in multiple areas.