Throughout this school year, the staff of WHS have committed to a continuous improvement model for our primary initiatives here at WHS (see our 'School Goals' tab on the banner to the right).
Perhaps the most critical of which, Response to Intervention (RtI), may be the least well understood. Here is a video that provides a nice overview of RtI. Although the video describes a general overview of RtI, each school community engages in a process of fashioning its RtI model to best meet the needs of their individual school context.
It is this evolving process of review and refinement of our WHS RtI model that is a major emphasis of our staff development and staff meeting time this year. In addition to a couple of well-attended trainings on RtI this year, we had a number of teachers attending a conference on the subject today (focusing on interventions related to mathematics instruction).
A very closely related concept/initiative that we also continue to work on is called 'Differentiated Instruction'. Here is a link to more information on Differentiation. In this approach to instruction and learning, teachers are mindful of student readiness, background, and interests to develop personalized instruction to meet the needs of our students as individuals. We are all different, and through Differentiation, we aim to develop academic programs, activites, and experiences that are tailored to meet each child's unique learning needs.
In both cases, RtI and Differentiation are about challenging ourselves to do our very best to meet the individual and unique learning need of each and every WHS student. Needless to say, this is no small feat. Only the best and most dedicated teachers can differentiate instruction effectively. Thankfully, that is what you have here at WHS -- an evolving learning community of excellence.
This is a very dynamic and exciting time in our school. Many thanks for your efforts to support your child's education. There is little doubt that our partnership will bring an enormously positive outcome for your child and her/his future. In fact, the proof of this is all around us at WHS every day! [The large and energetic Kindergarten parent volunteer crew who were on hand for our annual gingerbread house theme day activities this morning was absolutely amazing!!]
For more information on RtI and Differentiated Instruction at WHS, don't hesitate to call, stop by, or email Student Services Director Ryan Marsh at rmarsh@laconia.k12.nh.us or me at ddobe@laconia.k12.nh.us. As always, many thanks for your support!
