Dec 132 min read

Message from the Principals 12/13/2024

Good morning, Hope Community!

1: Important Reminders

2: Curriculum Focus - Assessment

3: House Points

4: Photos!

1: Important Reminders

Dec 20 - End of 1st Semester.
- 1/2 Day of school! Dismissal at 1:00pm.
- Buses leave at 1:10
- All students must be picked up by 2pm.
Jan 6th - Class Resumes
Jan 20 - NO SCHOOL (MLK Jr. Day)
Sem 2 Club Registration is Open and will close on Jan 6th.

2: Curriculum Focus - Assessment

Next week we will share the Semester 1 report cards. In preparation for this, I wanted to share how we approach assessment at Hope. We assess student progress in three key areas: Knowledge, Skills, and Understanding. This approach helps teachers support learning effectively while involving students in the process.

1. Assessing Knowledge: Knowledge, or the "know about" learning goals, is assessed through activities like quizzes, verbal questioning, and sorting tasks. The Knowledge Harvest helps identify what students know at the start of a unit and tracks their growth. Assessments are designed to be simple, regular, and low-pressure to support steady progress.

2. Assessing Skills: Skills, or the "be able to" learning goals, are observed through student performance and task outcomes. Teachers evaluate both the product and the process to guide student improvement. We actively apply:

Rubrics for teachers and students to track progress.
Learning Advice with feedback and activities to improve skills, which parents can also use to support learning at home.

3. Assessing Understanding: Understanding is assessed through activities like reflective discussions, journals, and end-of-unit reflections. Teachers gather evidence over time to judge how well students connect and apply their learning. Understanding develops gradually and is influenced by personal experiences and empathy for others’ perspectives.

Collaborative Process: Students are actively involved in self-assessment, peer feedback, and goal setting, guided by the rubrics and Learning Advice. Teachers provide targeted observations and structured feedback to help students progress.

This comprehensive approach ensures students grow in Knowledge, Skills, and Understanding, with support from teachers, peers, and parents.

Our assessments are the most accurate reflection of your child's progress and though we may use other things such as MAP tests, the MAP tests do not outweigh our classroom assessments at Hope.

NOTE: For more information about how we use the MAP test, please see the email sent on Tue, Nov 5.