As we continue our journey toward achieving the goals outlined in our school development plan, I am pleased to share some exciting updates with you. 

In our math classrooms, teachers are using equity strategies from our school development plan to help all students succeed. These changes focus on giving students opportunities to contribute to the math conversation. Some of the changes include: 

• Helping students understand both how math works and why it works. 
• Giving students more time to talk and share their ideas in class. 
• Using group work that helps students learn from each other and fix misunderstandings. 

Because of these changes, more students are enjoying math and feel confident as mathematicians. Every two months, we ask students, “Do you like learning math?” At the beginning of the year, only 57% of students said “yes.” In our most recent survey, 77% of students said they enjoy learning math. 

During our wellness and social-emotional learning (SEL) time, teachers have been helping students understand their own emotions. We’ve seen strong growth in students’ ability to describe their feelings using more words than just “happy” or “sad.”  Students are also getting better at explaining their emotions to others, especially during conflicts with classmates. This helps them solve problems more calmly and respectfully. Many students are using a strategy called “zoom out,” which helps them take a step back and look at the situation from a bigger perspective. This supports clearer thinking and better decision-making.   

We are proud of this progress and will continue working hard to support every student’s success.