WHS Begins the Year with Assessments and Technology

The main themes of our school since returning from the Holiday Break are Assessment, and Technology (sometimes both).

In the area of assessment .....

Mrs. Bergman and our team of 'Interventionists' (Title I Tutors and Special Educators) began the new year administering the DIBELS reading assessment to all of our students in Grades K-5. This test is quick and easy to administer, and gives students an opportunity to work one-on-one with a teacher who administers the test and analyzes student performance. These test results are then used by our interventionists and classroom teachers to measure student progress, effectiveness of programs, and organizing students for new instructional groups.

The F&P Benchmark Assessment is administered by our Grade 3-5 classroom teachers and measures student reading levels. This helps teachers chart student progress, connect students with 'just right' books, and form reading groups (Literature Circles).


A computer-based test of reading and math proficiency, the NWEA Measures of Academic Progress, was administered by Mrs. Bergmann and Grade 3-5 classroom teachers during the weeks of January 10th and 17th.


There are formal mid-year tests specific to our district-wide reading program, Houghton-Mifflin, that teacher teams in Grades 1-5 administer to students that help us track their performance relative to the literacy program adopted by the school district four years ago.


Meanwhile, our Kindergarten teachers have been administering a comprehensive mid-year assessments of their own. The PALS tests measure student progress in key academic areas. This assessment is administered by our Kindergarten teachers.


In the area of technology ...

The new WHS Commons has been buzzing with activity during the school day, after school, and in the evenings.


Both small and large groups of students have been visiting the Commons on a daily basis now, and the area is already becoming a powerful new component of our overall school program for students. The access that this cluster has offered our students and staff has been remarkable. It is such a joy to see an under-utilized part of our school come to life with such vitality and energy.

The Commons has also been used by Project Extra! for some closely supervised academic enrichment opportunities during the after school hours. Additionally, it has been wonderful to open the area to families during our 'Family Night in the Commons' series which is really starting to catch some steam and is growing into an important opportunity for students and their families to access some great technology and receive computer training and support in the process!



Did you notice that we have a new look? That's right, WHS now has a brand new website. As part of a district-wide initiative to clean-up, upgrade,and update our school websites, we had the district's team of 'webmasters' (we are pleased to be represented by Mrs. Plourde in this group)meet this past Monday to begin the transitional process of moving to the new website format. We still have a lot of work to do, and are hopeful that you will be pleased with the final result. Please do not hesitate to share any feedback that you have to offer about our new website -- you can email Mrs. Plourde at mplourde@laconia.k12.nh.us with compliments or suggestions.

Lastly, our school's new 'Pathways to Learning' computer cluster was networked and made available to students just today. Some of Mr. Beyer's students were the very first to use the new computers. This cluster was established through a grant for reading and math interventions (to afford students extra support for their learning).

That should do it for now. Many thanks for your ongoing support of our school, its staff, and (most of all) its students!

Even January is a Busy Month at WHS!

Hello!

All of your friends here at WHS wish that you and your loved ones enjoyed a happy and safe holiday season. With the onset of a new year, we often reflect on the year that was, and begin to dream about the year that will be. Welcome to 2011!!

At WHS, we'll be starting our new year in much the same fashion as we ended 2010 -- with a high degree of activity during the school day for our students and staff, and in the evenings with our WHS parents and families.

Here is a podcast that provides an overview of our activities here at WHS during the month of January. (Unfortunately, it will sometimes take a little while for podcasts to load, so please be patient -- and thanks for listening!)

When the kids come back to school beginning on January 3rd, don't forget that they should bring all of their 'winter gear' (coat, snowpants, boots, hat, gloves/mittens) every day, regardless of the weather forecast. We want to keep the kids happy and healthy over the winter months, and a big part of that is getting them outside for vigorous physical exercise during recess time. If students don't bring appropriate winter clothing, they cannot go outside, and this is disappointing for everyone involved. Thanks for your help with this!

Until next time,

Dennis

'WHS Family Night in the Commons' Series Soon to Begin!

Now that the new WHS Commons Computer Cluster is up and running, and we've worked out a few bugs, we are ready to open it to our families in the evenings for child and adult learning, as well as for personal and business use. We are very proud of our 'Commons' and are eager to share it with you and your family. Click on this link for a video tour of our fantastic new learning facility, the WHS Commons. You might want to go to 'full screen' image (button found to the lower right of the main viewing frame) while you view the video to avoid the list of video 'suggestions' to the right of the main frame -- though many of them are pretty interesting and worth your perusal at some point.

The first installment of 'WHS Family Night in the Commons' will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6-8pm. throughout the months of January and February, 2011. If these events are well-attended, there is a possibility that we'll be able to offer a second session during the months of March and April, 2011.

In addition to high-speed internet access, our WHSCCC machines boast fast and powerful processing, headset/microphone units, DVD players/burners, and multiple USB ports. We have a quality printer available for a 'reasonable' amount of participant document/image printing. Also, we have an interactive whiteboard and a document camera for use in making presentations or performing instruction -- bring a group, hold a meeting, develop and practice a presentation, etc.

Perhaps best of all, the WHS Family Technology Nights will be staffed by WHS personnel qualified to offer you not only technology support while you visit, but also some valuable training on programs and skills so important for student and adult learning, business, and 21st Century electronic communications, as well as electronic media creation, use, and storage. We'll provide more information shortly on the schedule of training programs that we plan offer over the course of the program. Learn, grow, and have fun with your family in the process -- a winning formula for sure! If that isn't enought for you, we will be able to share our school's entire library print collection (books & magazines) during our 'Family Night in the Commons' Series -- you'll even be able to sign-out and borrow our print materials for use and enjoyment at home with your families!

The 21st Century is here, and your Woodland Heights School is poised to support the development of your family's skills and abilities in accessing and making productive use of the power and potential of the internet and 21st Century tools for learning and communication.

At WHS we are excited to be your public learning community and invite you to join us we continue our growth toward true excellence in learning experiences for both our students, our families, and our community. Join us, partner with us, and help us to be all that we can for you and your entire family.

RtI and Differentiated Instruction are Major Focal Areas at WHS!

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!

WHS Commons Computer Cluster Opens!

On Monday, December 6th, WHS will proudly open a new computer cluster for student, staff, and family use.

The new computer cluster features 24 networked, internet-accessible machines that are both fast and powerful. These will be 'state of the art' machines for our school and will be used extensively throughout the school day by whole classes, small groups, and even individual students as they work on projects related to their regular classroom program. In some cases, students will be using the new computers to shore up mastery of fundamental math or reading skills. In other cases, the cluster will be used for learning enrichment or extension activities.

The new computers have large monitors and headset/microphone units to further expand their utility. In addition, for our teachers there will be an interactive whiteboard and document camera on the premises which will offer them opportunities to use some of the most cutting-edge educational technology available.

We will be very excited to open our new cluster to our families a couple of nights a week beginning in January. The WHS Commons will be staffed by an experienced member of our faculty to help students and families use our computers to promote learning or other personal business needs. Families can also enjoy and sign out books or magazines from our school library collection during these evenings. Essentially, we want to invite you into our school to explore learning with quality books and computers, making the powerful resource of the WHS Commons available to you and your families.

Stop by sometime for a tour of our new computer cluster and see us in action as we continue to expand our capabilities as 21st Century learners at WHS!

At WHS, So Much To Be Thankful For

What am I thankful for at WHS? So very much.

I am thankful for our supportive and engaged parents who have actively participated in and/or enthusiastically attended our many events so far this year (Open House, Parent Conferences, Halloween Party, Thanksgiving Dinner, and DARE Graduation, as well as our many class parties, presentations, and fairs). I am grateful for our corps of dedicated, generous, and tireless parent volunteers who organize and staff our social events, and support our school program during the school day. I am thankful for our parents who have diligently followed our ‘Rules of School’ with regards to our traffic pattern and safety procedures. I am also thankful for our parents who have shown great patience and trust as we continue to evolve as a school community into the high achieving learning community of excellence that you want, and our students deserve. WHS Parents have ‘stepped-up’ to support a quality educational experience for their children, helping at home to prepare their children for success. Thanks and keep up the great work – it is making a difference at Woodland Heights School!

I am thankful for our selfless and dedicated staff who keep the needs and interests of children at the forefront of their minds; first, last, and always. The group of educators we are fortunate to call our own at WHS is nothing short of spectacular. What a team! This group works harder than you could know, continuously makes personal sacrifices for the betterment of the school and their students beyond what you could imagine, and (yes) loves your children (in many cases) as if they were their own. You should see them in action. They are truly amazing, and we should all be thankful for the gift of themselves that they give to our kids every moment of every school day.

I am thankful for our students who work hard and bring a bright smile, positive attitude, and good nature to our school every day. I am thankful for the joy, the humor, and the smiles that they bring into the lives of the adults who work at WHS. I am thankful for the kindness they show their classmates, and the respect their show for their teachers and bus drivers. I am thankful for their curiosity, their eagerness to learn and to please, and their desire to do the right thing at school -- because it is the right thing to do!

I am thankful for the opportunity to be your principal; the proud principal of Woodland Heights School -- a school that has been so excellent for so long, and one that has achieved so much yet still has so much untapped potential. It is a great privilege to be here with you at WHS. A great many ‘thanks!’ for your warm welcome into the WHS Community. It has been a challenge at times but, more so, it has been a true joy. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve as your school principal.

I am certain that, together, we will accomplish great things at Woodland Heights School in the months ahead. I am sincerely thankful for that prospect.

‘Happy Thanksgiving’ to you and your wonderful family.

Warmly and sincerely,

Dennis Dobe

WHS Parents Stepping Up!!

Wow, two weeks since my last post. Bad idea, I'll try to keep updates coming more regularly moving forward. There is way too much going on at WHS all the time to keep up otherwise.

So what's been going on?? A G-R-E-A-T deal! Almost too much to list really, but I do want to spend a bit of ink telling you about how impressed I have been with the manner in which WHS Parents have been 'Stepping Up'. Huge!

Since my last letter to parents: WHAVE has sponsored a Halloween Party which was very well attended and a great time for all (parent and student volunteers made enormous contributions, without such, the event never could have happened), and WHAVE organized a number of activities and fundraisers in conjunction with our Fall Parent Conference Day on November 1oth. Speaking of Parent Conference Day, the event was fantastically well-attended with excited students and proud parents filling our hallways and classrooms until after 8pm. The highlight of Parent Conference Day for the kids had to be the WHS Scholastic Book Fair evening hours which allowed many kids a chance to stock up on some great reads at reasonable prices -- thanks for supporting your child's desire to read and learn! WHS parent volunteers came up huge for us in both of these events -- we are SO fortunate for the contributions of our parent volunteers!

What's coming up for WHS parents and families? On Thursday, WHS will host its annual Thanksgiving Dinner. This huge event offers families an opportunity to come togther here at WHS to enjoy a fabulous Thanksgiving meal with family, friends, classmates and teachers. Like the tone and feel of our Parent Conference evening, the Thanksgiving Dinner will provide a lot of 'good vibes' and positive energy for those in attendance as we continue to build our sense of 'Community' here at WHS.

O.K., what's next? WHAVE will sponsor another major event on the evening of Friday, December 3rd beginning at 6pm: WHS Polar Express Night! You can find more information about this WHAVE event on our school website and the fabulous WHAVE newsletter that just went out to you.

As with the events outlined above, the many field trips that WHS parents chaperoned this fall, all of the encouragement and support they offer their children, and the manner in which they communicate and partner with our teachers; we at WHS are extremely grateful for the support and collaboration of our school's parents. Where would we be without you??

WHS parents, many thanks for all that you do for all of us.

Dennis