Good morning Smith Parents,
Due to the fact that our actual enrollment was higher than the projected enrollment, the district is awarding us an additional teacher. This is very exciting news! The addition of a new teacher will will bring our average classroom sizes down. We have decided to add a Language Arts Enrichment teacher to serve two purposes-lower the large class sizes in the elective classes and at the same time to provide our students with reading and writing enrichment.
Students will be chosen for this class based on their NWEA scores. The goal is to provide them with the intervention that will help maximize their achievement and help them reach grade level in reading. If your son or daughter is placed in the Language Arts Enrichment class, there are strong benefits. This class will have the smallest population to allow for more targeted instruction, constant small groups, and daily one on one instruction to help students reach grade level. Some students may experience a change in some of their classes in order to make this happen. We will do our best to not disturb their core classes-unless absolutely necessary. WE- at Smith – pride ourselves on our collaboration in sharing the best practices, strategies and lessons that engage our students.
I hope that everyone can understand and support the decision that has been made. At Smith, the education of your student is always the main goal. The development and balance of all our classrooms is designed to provide every student with the best education that we can offer. I am very excited for this change and look forward to reap the benefits. This is a positive opportunity for your child-if they are chosen for this-so please talk to them about the importance of literacy. We value your support and cooperation in this transition as we provide our students with additional literacy support. We are looking to hire a teacher to fill this position in the upcoming week or so.
Thank you for your anticipated cooperation and support.
Zeina Jebril, Ed.S.
Principal of O.L.Smith Middle School