Dear Bakersfield Students (and Parents),

As we begin the new school year, we renew our commitment to continually improving the quality of education in Bakersfield. I write to share with you our planned school improvement work for this coming year.

Much of our work will involve building on things we’ve worked on in recent years:

• Leading you to learn and use positive approaches to behavior, relationships and teamwork in your classrooms and school wide.
• Reshaping our curriculum, teaching and support for you in reading, writing and word study in a balanced approach for literacy learning that is effective for all of you.
• Working with our recently adopted new elementary mathematics program — Bridges — to learn and effectively use the new methods and approaches that are provided in the program.
• Giving you focused support and help when you may have difficulty learning; helping you to make good use of “tools for learning” that are useful and effective.
• Providing you with an after school and summer program full of enriching educational and recreational opportunities.
• Using lots of different and helpful information technology resources in teaching and learning.
• Using assessments to frequently check what you are learning, so that we can continually improve teaching, and also serve and support you with extra help or specialized instruction, as needed.
• Using “maps” of the school’s curriculum to assure that all of you, in every subject, are provided a carefully designed set of appropriate learning goals and activities.

This year also we will put into practice a new teacher performance assessment program that is designed to assist and support our teachers and principal to work together to improve and enrich teaching.

All of the work described in this letter is designed and planned to help us fulfill our school mission:

The Bakersfield Elementary Middle School exists for the benefit of students.

Our school will provide the basic skills and knowledge to enable students to solve problems, think critically, and communicate effectively.

Our school will promote the social skills and attitudes necessary to be effective & responsible members of society.

Our school will foster each child’s positive self image and help children realize their full potentials in academic, physical, social, and artistic areas.

This work is also designed to enable our school to move toward meeting the goals for educational progress set forth in state and federal rules under the No Child Left Behind law, as we continue to be an “identified school” not making “adequate yearly progress” under both sets of rules. Our test scores in the October 2010 NECAP assessments in math, reading and writing generally stayed level or increased; however, according to the growth targets set by the government, we did not make “adequate yearly progress”.

In all of this work, each and every day, we will continue with the common purposes expressed in our four school wide expectations. By striving to live by these expectations each day, we all participate in fulfilling the school’s mission:

Take Care of Yourself
Take Care of Each Other
Take Care of This Place
Do Your Best

Through the school year I will communicate regularly with you about our school improvement work and progress — monthly in Paw Prints, and also through other means. At any time that you may have questions or ideas about things that might help in our work, please contact us.

Thank you for the interest and support you give to our school in reading this letter and considering the ways that you can contribute each day to making it a great place to learn, teach, practice healthy behaviors and enjoy positive relationships. Have a great school year!

Sincerely,
Chaunce Benedict
Principal