Ross Elementary School

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2019 at Ross Elementary School. It is hard to believe it is February and the school year is almost half over. It has been an exciting few months here at Ross, and I have enjoyed getting to know the amazing students, teachers, and so many of our students’ families and caregivers. 

With the start of the new year, I believe now would be a good time to review the goals for the school year and how we are all working hard to achieve these goals. These goals will not be attainable without us working together based on the students' best educational interests and the amazing support of the PTO in coordination with the school and district leaders.

Research on schools clearly demonstrates that parent/guardian participation in his/her child’s school coincides with a greater likelihood of academic success for his/her child. As the school year continues, three goals drive our school, our relationships, and our work:

1. Maintaining a safe school environment
2. Developing collaborative and supportive relationships
3. Promoting a supportive learning environment

Maintaining a safe school environment

We have been performing frequent safety drills to ensure all of our students are aware of their surroundings, making good choices, and remaining as safe as possible each and every day at our school. We are continuing to collaborate with local law enforcement and state police to continually update our safety plan as well as educate our students and educational staff. Additionally, we are working with our primary evacuation site so that the area and building can meet our needs in case of an emergency. This work continues during the school year with Officer Lucinda and the school safety team guiding our learning and plan development. 

Developing collaborative and supportive relationships

This year we are working to meet the learning needs of all students. To do this, it is important for us to collaborate as professionals in areas such as guidance, teaching, support staff, special education, and leadership. We are continuously communicating regarding the emotional, academic, and behavioral needs of our students. Parents and caregivers play a critical role in working with their children to develop self-respect and to be respectful of other students and everyone working to support their learning. With all of us working together in a positive manner, we can help every student succeed and have a great experience in school. 

Promoting a supportive learning environment

It is great to walk the halls and hear and witness student learning and “ahah” moments throughout the building. Student learning comes to life through displays of student work on the walls, bulletin boards, tables, and display cases around the building. The teachers are eager to use flexible teaching strategies in each classroom to engage their students in their learning. They continually work hard to make each and every student successful through the learning process. Our educators frequently participate in professional learning to continue to be the best and up to date on ways to continually meet the needs of our students. 

We believe it is important to focus on kindness and respect. The students recently participated in a kindness challenge with the students demonstrating frequently what it means to be kind to one another. Evidence of this can be seen as soon as one enters the building to see the kindness chain that all of our students helped to create. 

I am enjoying getting to know all of you, and I look forward to continuing our work together to meet the needs of our students. Together we can continue our successful year here at Ross Elementary!