Spring is finally here; however, I am sure we are not out of the woods when it comes to winter weather. The students and staff are ready for some warmer weather and the attraction of getting some outside activities underway. Track and baseball have begun, but holding those practices indoors for weeks on end can get monotonous. We know the snow will be gone soon and the grass will start to green.
The 3rd nine-week grading period has come and gone. Parent-Teacher conferences were a success as we had wonderful participation once again. We want to continue to have our parents engaged in the learning process here, and these conferences let us share some of the many great learning activities our students are participating in. From apprentice and science fairs, to FBLA and FFA contests, and math meets and more, our students are taking their work beyond the classroom. In the classroom, there has been a focus on cross-curricular project-based learning.
We are focusing on increasing the rigor in our classroom and trying to get the students a little more engaged in the learning process. At the high school end of the building, we have begun scheduling classes for next school year. To help with the engagement, we are offering a wider range of classes for our elective courses. We will do this by once again utilizing our ITV consortium through the Great Western Network and our CTE offerings through the Roughrider Area Career and Technical Center. These two providers will once again offer classes such as health sciences, art, and foreign languages. In addition to those staples of course providers, we are also offering a new course catalog through the Central Region Area Career and Technical Center. By joining this consortium, we can add many classes in areas such as Aviation, Family and Consumer Science, Engineering, and Information Technology. We hope by allowing our students to choose from these courses, we can enhance our engagement with the use of more student choice.
In elementary school, we had an extremely busy March with Reading Month. Mrs. Erickson took the lead in planning a great month around the theme of the “Wild West.” The entire staff brainstormed great dress up days, reading activities in the gym, as well as contests to inspire our students to pick up a book and engross themselves in reading. It was a wonderful month-long event that culminated with prizes for our readers. We must thank Linda Braaten for making and donating our grand prizes which were an amazing quilt and afghans. The winners of those items will have a keepsake to remind them of reading month for years to come. Also, thank the Bismarck Larks for providing wonderful prizes as part of their reading program. We want to challenge our students to continue reading as it is a life-long skill that is used to continue the learning process and as a means of entertainment and enjoyment. April brings another challenge for our students as we move on to IXL math challenge month, where our classrooms and students compete against each other in math. Another fun competitive month awaits!
I did mention that it is April and that means it is the time of the year for state testing once again. Our staff will publish a schedule for these tests. While a one-time standardized test does not completely show the success our students are having academically, it is used by the state to measure the success of our school and students. The news outlets are always using these tests to paint a picture of successful and failing schools. We want to give our students the best chance at showing our growth educationally. With this in mind, if you see your child Is testing moving forward, please make sure they are rested properly heading into the tests. We have all taken standardized tests, being mentally rested heading in can have a positive impact on your child’s results.
As we move forward, it will only get busier. We will have music contests and concerts, speech contests, and many more activities to keep our students busy. Spring fever is often said to creep into the minds of students this time of year, after this winter I hope it does. We need this fever to propel us through the many activities we have coming up to finish the year. It is a wonderful time to be a student at Scranton School. As Always, GO NIGHT HAWKS!
Kelly Pierce
Superintendent