June 18, 2010
Thanks for a Great Year!
It is hard to believe that this school year is coming to a close already. This week has certainly been packed with activities: fifth-grade promotion, Field Day, Spirit Week, Student Council elections, and on Friday our last cultural-arts assembly, featuring opera singer Karin Paludan. It has been a whirl -- and a lot of fun.
While it has been a busy school year, the summer promises to be just as busy for the Murch staff. We have put a great deal of effort into the development of the school’s strategic plan in the last few months. As a result, many of our teachers intend to work at least part of the summer in order to begin taking action on the school’s improvement focus areas in math and science.
The school year was extended due to the snow days we missed last February, so school is now in session until 3:15 on June 22. We are well aware that many families made plans long ago for June 21 and 22. If your child is not coming to school on those last two days of school, please make sure you call the front office and let us know. Report cards will be mailed out to parents next week, after school is out.
Looking ahead, notices of teacher assignments will be mailed to parents in the second week of August. The first day of school for the 2010-11 school year will be Monday, August 23. Be sure to note other important dates on the 2010-2011 DCPS calendar. The school’s main office is open all summer, so if you have questions or need to talk to us, please feel free to come in or contact us. My weekly Thursday-night Connect Ed calls will take a break during July, but your phone will start ringing again in August.
Thank you, parents, for welcoming me into your school and allowing me to work with your remarkable children this year. I look forward to another wonderful school year!
May 26, 2010
Murch Goes to the White House
The citywide champion Murch 2010 track team made a different kind of history on May 25 when they visited the White House as guests of First Lady Michelle Obama.
 Thirty Murch students joined p.e. teacher Shawn Berger and me, along with students from two other schools, at the request of Mrs. Obama’s office. The purpose of the visit was to highlight the First Lady’s Let’s Move campaign, an initiative to combat childhood obesity and to encourage children to get 60 minutes of exercise each day. The students joined Mrs. Obama as they exercised for a full hour, moving through five different exercise stations under the direction of professional trainers.
The team began their White House adventure by watching President Barack Obama take off in his helicopter as they waited to go onto the South Lawn. They were then invited into the White House, where they got to meet Mrs. Obama and have their picture taken with her in the library.
The First Lady took the students from all three schools out to the South Lawn, where she explained the importance of daily exercise for every child. The students were divided into five groups and got to work out en masse. The volunteer trainers kept the students moving, engaging them in stretching, agility courses, balance training, cardio workouts, and core strength training -- even push ups! Water breaks were enhanced by the addition of fruit and energy bars prepared by the White House chef.
Mrs. Obama was wonderful with our students and very generous with handshakes, high fives, and hugs. In turn, our polite, kind, and well-mannered students made me very proud to be the principal of Murch Elementary.
Our school was selected for this honor because we received Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) Grant funds this past fall from the U.S. Department of Education to purchase equipment, software, and professional development for our physical education program. The PEP Grant provides DCPS schools the opportunity to help more students achieve success in meeting the state physical education standards.
We all had a wonderful time, and the South Lawn of the White House is a really great place to hang out on a nice spring afternoon.
See the Student Blog for track team member Kali Hoechstetter's own report--and more photos--on the event.
May 14, 2010
Strategic Planning Goals & Objectives
Thanks to your participation, we are continuing to make great strides in our new strategic planning process. Based on your feedback from input sessions, data, and surveys, members of Murch’s Local School Restructuring Team (LSRT) identified two academic goals as well as lists of objectives that will help us meet those goals. GOAL 1 All Murch Elementary students will meet or exceed proficiency in math by the year 2013 and will be prepared for rigorous mathematics work in secondary school and for citizenship in a global community.
Annual Target: By differentiating instruction, challenging high-achieving students, and supporting below-level students in mathematics, 88% of all tested students will score proficiency and 50% of students will score advanced in math on the 2011 DC CAS.
Objectives
- Create curriculum maps that vertically articulate the math curriculum at Murch among all grade levels, Pre-K through Grade 5.
- Develop curriculum-based assessments for Pre-K through Grade 2 that provide necessary diagnostic data for teachers on each student and predictive information for performance on the DC CAS.
- Identify, purchase, and organize instructional resources needed to fully implement a differentiated mathematics curriculum in Pre-K through Grade 5.
- Identify and foster creative instructional techniques for teaching mathematics pre-K through grade 5.
- Provide rigorous learning opportunities for all students and further instructional challenges for students who are exceeding grade level standards in math.
GOAL 2
All Murch Elementary students will demonstrate mastery of the all science standards at their particular grade levels by the year 2013 and will be prepared for secondary science instruction and for citizenship in a global community.
Annual Target: 70% of Murch students will demonstrate proficiency on summative, standards-based assessments in science during the 2010-2011 school year.
Objectives
- Develop standards-based assessments for all grade levels that provide necessary diagnostic data for teachers on each student.
- Identify, purchase, and organize instructional resources needed to fully implement the science curriculum Pre-K through Grade 5.
- Identify and foster creative instructional techniques for teaching science Pre-K through Grade 5.
While the targets are annual and the goals are long-term, we hope to accomplish these objectives within one to three years. Our work will be monitored routinely to make sure that we are meeting our objectives and if we are not, we will continuously seek out new or different ways to reach the goal.
Does this mean that Murch will not focus on reading or writing, art, music, social studies, or any of the other subjects that are so important to our students? No! We will continue to provide each student with a well-rounded and balanced educational experience. The strategic planning goals simply identify two areas where we want to focus intense improvement efforts to increase instructional effectiveness. We can’t take on strenuous improvements in every subject at the same time. Based on parent and staff input as well as supporting data, we know these are the areas in which we need to start working. A third goal addressing the social/emotional well-being of students is still in the development phase. The next step in the planning process is to develop an action plan to achieve these goals.
Teacher Appreciation Week
On another note, the Murch staff was showered with appreciation last week, and we are all very grateful for the royal treatment we received. Thank you to all the parents and students who have expressed their gratitude to the teachers and other staff members through flowers, letters, treats, and thank-you notes to the HSA for the delicious luncheon on Friday, the breakfast on Monday, and the Murch bags and water bottles. It is no wonder that our staff wants to stay here! Murch parents are the best.
--
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
- Principal
Archives
- 2009-2010 Weekly Connect-Ed Messages
- April 30, 2010 - Test Treat
- April 15, 2010 - DC CAS and Strategic Planning - The Big Test
- March 19, 2010 - Murch Has Been Buzzing with the Many Exciting Activities
- March 3, 2010 - Thank You to Everyone who Participated in the Parent and Teacher Forums
- February 19, 2010 - A Hearty Well Done to 4th Grader Justin Atwood
- February 12, 2010 - Are Murch Students Wearing their Pajamas Inside Out
- January 29, 2010 - Help Murch Help Haiti
- January 15, 2010 - Happy New Year!
- December 2009 - Happy Winter Break!
- November 26, 2009 - Happy Thanksgiving!
- November 13, 2009 - First Marking Period is Over
- October 31, 2009 - Happy Halloween!
- September 25, 2009 - Hello, Murch Parents!
- September 17, 2009 - Back-to-School Night Last Week
- September 11, 2009 - Greetings!
- September 4, 2009 - Second Week of School
- August 28, 2009 - First Week of School
- August 2009 - Intro!
|
