August 2006

Dear Legacy Patrons:

Welcome to Legacy Elementary! I look forward to a great year ahead. It is important that your student have a positive, learning experience at our school. To do this, students must realize that their experience depends largely on their own approach to learning.

Imagine being told by a doctor to lower your cholesterol and to lose weight. The doctor gives you a strict diet and exercise plan to follow for the entire year. Each month he draws your blood and measures your weight. The data collected is not shared with you. Only the doctor and nurses are aware of the results. Your lack of involvement and understanding of how you are doing causes you to lose interest and you soon return to old eating habits. Your motivation to exercise disappears and you have no desire to continue going to your doctor appointments. What’s more, you really had no idea what the target for cholesterol and weight was in the first place. As far as you know, your health is good – and even if it’s not, you feel fine.

Teachers recognize the importance of involving students in the learning process, but students may not always recognize their own role. The relationship between teacher and student is vital to the learning process, but the role of the student is foremost. Richard Stiggins, a leader in student involvement, states, “ The most important decisions that contribute to learning are made, not by the adults working in the system, but by the students themselves. Students decide whether the learning is worth the effort required to attain it. Students decide whether they believe they are capable of reaching the learning targets. It is only after the students make these decisions in the affirmative that their teachers can impact their learning lives.” (Stiggins, 2005)

Students who understand the purpose of school can make progress. Too often students believe the purpose of school is to “get a good grade.” Grades are only one measurement of performance. A more purposeful measurement is one that shows how close a student is to a learning target and what needs to happen for the student to get there. Good feedback allows for and expects that a student will continue working toward the learning goal. The learning is not “done” when a score has been assigned. In reality, the learning is just beginning. Students can chart their own progress and see for themselves how close they are to reaching learning goals. It’s O.K. to “do it over” and to learn from mistakes. Just like the patient who is involved in the daily process of lowering cholesterol, so is the student involved in the daily decision of learning.

Two goals Legacy has for all students is to read at grade level and to be competent at solving math facts. Teachers and students can and should communicate regularly about how the student is doing at reaching these goals. Teachers have the tools to assist students in understanding and tracking progress in both of these areas.

I look forward to a great year of progress for your children and I invite you to become a partner with us helping them to reach their goals. Please do not hesitate to the the school know when you have questions, concerns, or need any information about your child.

Sincerely,

Gary Gibb, Principal