Principal's Message
Julie Lerner, Principal
Principal’s Message MAY 2011
Dear Midland Families, It’s hard to believe we are beginning to bring the ’10-’11 school year to a close and are looking ahead to ‘11-‘12! These last weeks of school can be challenging times for students, parents, and staff. This is entirely reasonable, and with this in mind, there is no doubt our final weeks of school will be busy. Here’s an update on what’s going on at our school:
IT’S OFFICIAL… MIDLAND ELEMENTARY is a NO EXCUSES UNIVERSITY school!! The No Excuses University (NEU) network of schools has accepted Midland Elementary into this cadre of elementary, middle and junior high schools across the United States who actively promote a comprehensive model of college readiness to all students the moment they enter school. Midland Elementary is the 100th school to achieve this NEU accomplishment, and the second school in the Poway Unified School District to join the network. CONGRATULATIONS to our entire hard-working staff, our incredibly focused students, and our supportive Midland families… this is a well-deserved award for the GREATEST school in Southern California!!!
CONGRATULATIONS… ANOTHER WELL DESERVED RECOGNITION AWARD for MIDLAND ELEMENTARY - The California Business for Education Excellence (CBEE) recently announced the schools named to their 2010 Honor Roll. CBEE honors the highest performing public schools in the state of California. Midland Elementary School has received one of the CBEE Scholar Schools Award for the second year in a row!!! This award, with its focus on identifying schools where student performance continues to improve over time, validates Midland’s hard work and results. This is a testament to our staff’s relentless focus on helping all Rattlers reach or exceed grade level proficiency… this is what College Readiness is all about at Midland Elementary School!
OPEN HOUSE – Just a reminder, for this year and next, all 25 elementary schools in the Poway Unified School District will not be holding Spring Open House. This reduction in program is a part of the overall salary reduction and reduced work year agreement reached last April between the District and the Poway Federation of Teachers.
CLASS PLACEMENTS – When we begin thinking about the upcoming school year, class placement always becomes a topic of interest. Due to the fact that the State budget is not typically finalized until sometime in June, and therefore, its impact on school systems across California remains unknown, teacher class assignments and student placements will not be finalized until mid-August. Due to the uncertainty of staffing and enrollment for next year, specific teacher requests CANNOT be taken.
As we prepare for the ’11-’12 school year, the Midland staff will be focused on ensuring our class placement process is completed in a manner which will optimize each child’s opportunity for success. Our goal is to place each Rattler in a well-balanced class, and every grade level team will be working together to place, review class assignments, and make certain we construct classes that allow us to meet the needs of each child. At Midland Elementary, we are fortunate to have an outstanding staff that is committed to doing what is best for each one of our Rattlers! Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with this process.
If you feel you have specific information that would help us make a more informed placement decision, please write a note and/or send an email to me. Please do not make any placement requests to your child’s current classroom teacher… all requests need to go through my office. Here is some useful information to include in your request: your view of your child as a learner in different environments, unique characteristics your child possesses, and the teacher qualities (not a specific teacher) you believe will enhance learning for your child. Remember… specific teacher requests CANNOT be taken.
MIDLAND’S OVERALL SCHOOL PERFORMANCE - Last week, the California Department of Education released the 2009-2010 State & Similar School Rankings for public schools. The State ranking compares performance of an individual school to all other schools in our state. The Similar Schools ranking compares individual schools with 100 schools that share similar demographics and challenges. A score of 9 or 10 in the similar school ranking demonstrates schools that are performing well above average. On a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being the highest), Midland Elementary achieved a State ranking of 9, and a Similar Schools score of 10, with an API of 911!!! Congratulations to: all members of the Midland staff… this group of dedicated individuals are relentless in their collective focus to ensure all Rattlers achieve grade level profiproficiency; to our students who work hard to get ready for college each and every single school day; and to our families who support our efforts to continually increase the number of students who perform at levels that meet and/ or exceed grade level standard. This is college readiness at its finest!
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL - The last day of school for students is Thursday, June 9th. This will be a MINIMUM DAY for students with a dismissal time of 12:40 PM.
WRAP UP & THANK YOU – As we wrap up the 2010-2011 school year, I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize and give thanks to our PTA board members and all PTA volunteers who gave so generously of their time and talent this year. This group of individuals led our PTA with great success, focusing on programs that support and enrich the education of each of our Midland Rattlers. Our PTA volunteers spent numerous hours planning and coordinating the following programs and events this year: Distinguished School Celebration; Family Movie Nights, school-wide assemblies, the Pancake Breakfast/Holiday Boutique, Turkey & Spring Bingo, the Sock Hop, Story Night, the Read-a-Thon, our Jump-Rope- A-Thon, and our annual Midland Carnival just to name a few. Thank you to our PTA for providing enrichment to the educational program of each child at Midland Elementary… for this we are truly grateful.
I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank our Midland parents who have devoted a TON of time and energy to guarantee the Midland Educational Foundation (MEF) continued to grow as an organization dedicated toward the betterment of every Rattler. The MEF coupled with the support of our school community, was highly successful in meeting their goals during the 2010-2011 school year. In these difficult budget times we have been able to depend on the MEF to provide essential financial support to our school. Thank you so much to each and every one of the MEF Board members… your leadership in this endeavor has been remarkable.
In closing, please know my door is always open – for comments, suggestions, and/or concerns regarding your children and our school. I hope you take advantage of the time you will have with your children (11 weeks) and wish you a wonderful summer filled with family, friends, CompassLearning, and fun! I’ll see you all back here on our first day of the 2011-2012 school year on Wednesday, August 24, 2011… it’ll be here before we know it!
With Great Rattler Pride,
Julie Lerner