The staff and I have many fun and engaging things planned for your children and the year has started off with a bang! Please use the following resources to stay informed during the 2009-2010 school year.

• The school website – www.sandyridgeelementary.com
• The classroom teacher’s or specialist websites.
• Sign up for enews from our master subscription list and the classroom teacher.
• Follow my blog @ www.180daysofpurpose.blogspot.com
• Follow Sandy Ridge Elementary @ www.twitter.com/tdchilders

At Sandy Ridge Elementary our staff is committed to “180 days of purpose”, which means we make the most of each day. Two major areas of focus this year are differentiated instruction and use of technology.

Consider the responsibility of being a team sports coach. Even before the first game of the season is played, the coach will most certainly spend many hours observing his/her team in practice as they run through specific drills. The coach will watch and take notes as he/she learns more about her players’ individual skills so the coach can design a winning game plan. The coach will match the players’ skills with positions on the field which will best highlight the players’ strengths and downplay their weaknesses. And then, even as the season progresses, as games are won and lost, it will be the coach’s job to ensure that every player’s skill level improves. With the coach’s careful and deliberate modeling, practice drills, and post-game analysis, the players begin to form a better understanding of the sport’s strategy, and from bench warmer to star player, each builds on the skills he/she brought to the field that first day of practice.

The classroom teacher carries this same mentality into planning and delivering quality instruction. The teacher discovers your child’s learning style, assesses to determine what your child already knows and creates specific instructional opportunities to address both. Please collaborate with your child’s teacher to make this a very productive year. When questions or concerns arise in the classroom, please contact the teacher immediately. Feel free to contact me as well after you have attempted to work things out with the teacher.

I hope you and your child have a great year!

Tom Childers