Letter to the Community

We received this email this evening and want to post it here so that more can read it. VLE-B

On Tue, Nov 2, 2010 at 7:05 PM, jhardy wrote:
> Dear USD 467 Wichita County Community, November 1, 2010
>
> We need your help! Each year, one of the school district’s efforts is to
> create a school calendar that meets the educational needs of our students
> and is also responsive to the needs of the school staff, parents and
> community. With that in mind, we are starting work on the 2011-2012 school
> calendar and are seeking input from the community.
>
> The research on how a school calendar affects learning is very interesting.
>
> Length of School Year and Type of Calendar: The research states that the
> most important aspect of learning has to do with the quality of teaching,
> aligned curriculums, and making the best use of the time available. There
> was little or no difference on student academic achievement whether a school
> district had a traditional five day or four day week calendar, or trimester.
> Community expectations were a guiding influence on type of calendar
> considering day care, student supervision when school is not in session, and
> economic impact on school district and family budgets.
>
> Days off During School Year: Holidays and Spring Break are mainly about
> staff and students needing revitalization to stay fresh for teaching and
> learning, as well as planning for family activities and vacations.
>
> Length of Summer Break, and Impact on Information Retention: Summer
> academic loss was most pronounced for math over all rather than reading in
> general for students. Summer retention loss was more pronounced when
> memorization is involved such as math facts and formulas, spelling etc. The
> research concludes that the average student starts school each fall about
> one month behind where they finished the previous school year.
>
> For students who struggle with school, the research shows that for each
> month of summer off, those students regress one month on content knowledge
> putting them even further behind their peers than when they left school for
> summer break. Students who finish the school year three months behind their
> peers are six months behind their peers by the end of summer. Students who
> come from homes in which English is not the main spoken language regress in
> core subject and language proficiency skills during time out of school.

> As we work to develop a school calendar, we want to make sure that it best
> serves the educational effort of the Wichita County students and staff and
> respects the needs of the community. If you have thoughts, considerations,
> or input regarding the school calendar you would like to share please call
> the superintendent’s office or e-mail Dr. Hardy at jhardy@leoti.org. Thank
> you for your help.
>
> Thank you for your support of the Wichita County Community Schools!

> Dr. Jim Hardy, Superintendent
>
> Carpe Diem!